Disney World Offers Major Discounts on Resort Hotels This Summer — Sweetens Deal With Disney Gift Cards
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
If you have booked a vacation to Disney World for this summer (or are just thinking about a trip), then today is your lucky (or perhaps magical) day. This morning, Disney released discounted room rates for summer travel at most Disney Resort hotels, valid from May 28 to Aug. 28. You can easily save hundreds of dollars on a multi-night trip with these discounts of up to 35% off -- and there are Disney gift cards thrown in for good measure during the first half of the summer. With this sale, you can save money and still stay on Disney property, which means you get all of the on-site Disney Resort perks, such as the free Magical Express Bus to/from the airport, Extra Magic Hours and the ability to make FastPass+ bookings 30 days before non-resort guests.
My family just rebooked our upcoming summer stay in a cabin at Disney's Fort Wilderness as the rate dropped from $374 to $243 per night with the Disney season passholder discount (that particular passholder offer is valid July 1 to Aug. 28). Since most Disney stays can be canceled without penalty until a few days before the stay, it is very easy to modify a reservation online to jump on these new lower rates as we did.
But you don't need to have a Disney season pass to save on hotels as there are discounts of up to 25% for anyone for stays from May 28 to Aug. 28. (The latter date is not coincidental: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is scheduled to open at Disney's Hollywood Studios on Aug. 29.) This sale of up to 25% off also includes an electronic Disney gift card that will be emailed on your day of arrival if your trip begins May 28 to June 30. (And yes, Club Level rooms are also discounted -- here's a look at whether they are worth it.)
The value of your Disney gift card will depend on what hotel type you choose and your length of stay:
- Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per room per night
- Disney Deluxe Resorts: $20 per room per night
- Disney Moderate Resorts: $15 per room per night
- Disney Value Resorts: $10 per room per night
This means that a four-night stay at a deluxe resort, such as the Contemporary (walkable to the Magic Kingdom), will score your family an $80 e-gift card on the day of check-in.
On a randomly selected weekend in July, I spotted the following nightly rates:
- Contemporary $374
- Animal Kingdom Lodge $394
- Caribbean Beach $178
- Wilderness Lodge $349
- Polynesian Village Villa $449
- Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas $284
- Pop Century $172
- All Star Music $150
There are some dates that are cheaper than those examples, so play around with pricing if you are looking for the cheapest dates to travel. And remember -- you get a $10–$25 Disney gift card for each night of your stay with this deal on select dates. While you can book your Disney Resorts stay on sites like Hotels.com (and I sometimes do to get 20% back in rewards using my Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card), the prices directly from Disney are likely better right now when factoring in these discounts and gift card perks.
While Disney ticket-only purchases typically code as entertainment, hotel stays and packages booked directly with Disney code as travel, so pay with the card that gives you the biggest bonus on travel. This may mean earning three points per dollar via the Chase Sapphire Reserve or three points per dollar from the Citi Premier® Card. Or you can save a little extra by paying with discounted Disney gift cards -- here's how.
This summer Disney sale runs until Aug. 28, but I would book (or rebook) ASAP as Disney properties can and do sell out -- especially when a good sale is going on.
Planning a Walt Disney World vacation? Here are some more resources:
- TPG’s Ultimate Guide to Walt Disney World Resort
- 16 Reasons to Stay at a Walt Disney World Resort Property
- The Top 5 Tips for Disney World First-Timers
- How to Save Money on Disney World Ticket Purchases
- 5 Ways to Save on a Disney World Vacation
- How to Use Points to Buy Disney Tickets
- Best Restaurants at Disney World
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
| 4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
| 2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.
Rewards Rate
| 6X | 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program. |
| 4X | 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping. |
| 2X | 2x points on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.Earn 125,000 points75,000 pointsAnnual Fee
$125Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO© Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.670-850Excellent/Good
Why We Chose It
The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is a stacked card with a rewards rate that will help you earn bonus points on everyday and business-related purchases. You'll earn 15 elite night credits each calendar year, and receive automatic Gold elite status. Finally, the free night award certificate with a redemption level of 35,000 points or less can get you hundreds of dollars in potential value each year.Pros
- 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program
- 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping
- 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases
- Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points)
- Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status
- Transfer Marriott points to 40+ airlines
Cons
- Airline points transfer ratios are poor
- Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award
- Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 5/3/23.
- Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. Terms and Conditions Apply.
- 6x Marriott Bonvoy Points on each dollar of eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy® program.
- 4x points for purchases made at restaurants worldwide, at U.S. gas stations, on wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and on U.S. purchases for shipping.
- 2x points on all other eligible purchases.
- Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy® points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy®. Certain hotels have resort fees.
- Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card.
- Terms apply.