Disney World Hotels: How to Save Money on Your Booking
Disney World hotels, even the “cheap” ones, are pretty expensive. A value resort can cost you over $200 per night. The nightly rate goes up from there. In some cases, it can cost well over $1,000 to spend one night at Walt Disney World. On the other hand, You could also just roll up to the Fort Wilderness campsites and rough it for a relatively cheap stay not too far from the Magic Kingdom. Depending on how many people you travel with and where you stay, it’s a toss-up whether the flight to Orlando is more expensive or the hotel expense. So more than food and discount park tickets, Disney World hotels are the most important area to budget for and save your money on.
Plan a Shorter Stay
The first and easiest way to chop some cost off of your stay at any of the Disney World hotels is to shorten your trip. If it’s possible to do so, try condensing your vacation a little bit so that you don’t pay for one more night than you need to. That leftover vacation day put to better use at home as you readjust to the real world before returning to work or school.
Book Weekdays
Weekends cost a lot more, so if you are budgeting the cost of your Walt Disney World vacation, you should do some fancy footwork with the dates. Weekends are also more expensive days for travel, so keep that in mind. If your vacation is within a week You may have no difficulty avoiding weekends altogether, but if you have a 6 or more day vacation you will have to compare the savings of weekday travel against the cost of weekend rates at Disney World hotels.
Compare Prices
There are three pricing tiers among the Disney World hotels that are owned and operated by Disney. However, within those tiers, the prices between resorts vary, as do individual room rates based on the view, location, size, etc. You may end up paying more for a value resort than you would for a moderate depending on what sort of accommodations you are looking at. Not to mention the differences in rates between hotels of the same tier. The smart way to shop for hotel rates is to check multiple rooms and compare the prices of each. You may find some good comparisons with some vast price differences.
Consider Value
Usually, when you consider value it’s a way to get you to pay more. “I can get x and it only costs me $x more.” But it can work the other way too. If you don’t need all the frills that come with a deluxe resort, consider downgrading to a moderate. Moderate resorts have terrific themes and beautiful landscaped environments. But they don’t have luxuries that most Disney visitors don’t use anyway, such as spas and fitness centers.
Book in the Off-Season
It may go without saying but the off-season is a good time to save on the room rate at Disney World hotels. It’s also the time when Special Offers become available. Before you book your vacation, if you are doing so in the off-season, check for special offers to see if any apply to you. As your vacation draws nearer, check again. If there is a promotion you are eligible for, you can call Disney to rebook your vacation and save money.
