Are you traveling to Disney World in 2021?

One of the biggest parts of prepping for your vacation is choosing where to stay during your trip. Disney World has tons of resort options for every price point. But, if you’re looking to save some extra cash (and really, who isn’t?!), here are some top tips for scoring the best deals on Disney hotels this year!

DFB Deals and Discounts Page

The first place you might want to head when looking for discounts on resort rooms is our DFB Disney discounts and deals page. There, we post the latest updates about great deals you can get on your hotel (and more) for your next Disney trip.

We’ve got information about Disney World hotel deals, Disney Springs resort area hotel deals, and even some discount information about other Orlando area hotels. We also keep an eye out for when those discounts will be expiring and try to post reminders for you so you can book in time. So, be sure to keep an eye out for those reminder posts from us!

Click here to visit our DFB Disney discounts and deals page!

Special Offers on the Disney World Website

Another place you’ll want to check is the Special Offers page on the Disney World website. There, you’ll find all of the current discounts and deals listed, including all the details and eligibility requirements. Generally, we try to pull all of the big info from this site and place it on our deals page, but things can change REALLY often, so it’s always a good idea to check this page when planning your next trip.

Right now, you could save up to 30% on select Disney World hotel rooms through July 2021. There are also special savings available for Passholders and military members. Make sure to keep checking this page periodically, and especially stop here to see what options are available before you book your trip (but again, back to point #1, we share the latest on ALL these discounts on our page and break it down very straightforward and simple for you!).

Even after your trip is booked, keep an eye on the Special Offers page until you travel. Sometimes better discounts become available closer to your vacation dates, and you might be able to modify your reservation or call Disney to see if you can have the new deal applied to the price of your trip.

Using these discounts could help you save a lot!

Click here to see some of the latest Disney deals and discounts!

Travel During a Slower Season

As you may know, Disney World uses a date-based pricing system for their hotel rooms. What you probably don’t realize is just how much you can save by traveling during the slower season.

Just as an example, let’s look at some prices during the week of Christmas. During that time, a standard room at Disney’s Pop Century Resort is $290 per night on average, a pirate-themed room at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is $402 per night on average, and a room at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is $926 per night on average.

If you look at those SAME rooms in late September, they’re $187 a night, $334 a night, and $636 a night, respectively. That’s a BIG difference.

If you multiply those savings over the course of a week, you could save hundreds or even a thousand dollars or more. Plus, traveling during a slower season could also help you save on your park tickets as well, since their pricing is also date-based.

Now, we get that traveling during a slower season — which tends to be when everyone is in school or work — might not be feasible for you. The busier seasons tend to be busier for a few reasons, one of those being that those are the times when many kids are off of school and/or adults are freer to take a vacation. So, this is a tip that might not work for everyone. But, if it’s something that your family can arrange, it could help you save some BIG bucks.

Are ticket prices increasing in 2022? Check out the details here!

Choose a Cheaper Alternative

This may seem like an obvious solution, but there are plenty of great accommodations at or around Disney World that many people don’t consider, but they could save you some money! Let’s start with Disney’s Value Resorts. Disney has a few value resorts, including Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort, which recently reopened. But, we’d like to specifically talk about Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. 

Both of these resorts have awesome theming as well as access to the Disney Skyliner with direct transportation to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That access to the Skyliner is a major perk for these two hotels that are on the lower end in terms of hotel pricing in Disney World. Okay, it’s not the monorail and it’s not walking access to the parks — we get that — but if you’re mainly planning to visit EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, it can be a super convenient and fun way to get to those parks.

Click here to see 8 reasons you should DEFINITELY consider a Disney World value resort hotel!

If you’re looking for something a little fancier, you can always book a stay at a Value Resort, and then make dining reservations at a Deluxe Resort. For those staying at a Skyliner area hotel, Disney’s Riviera Resort is a lovely place to stop for a high-end meal and a relaxing evening. You could stay at Pop Century, but use the Skyliner to head to the Riviera for a more luxurious dinner.

So, you can still have some deluxe fun on a value resort budget — win, win! Heads up though — “resort hopping,” as this is commonly known, isn’t as simple as it used to be. Since Disney World reopened, guests can’t just stroll into other resorts to check them out. You need to plan in advance to make reservations at restaurants you want to visit. Click here to see our details on how to resort hop now in Disney World to make sure you take all the proper steps to be able to get around.

Click here for the DFB exclusive Skyliner resort food tour!

Consider Non-Disney Hotels On-Property

If you’re looking for deluxe accommodations at a moderate price point, you have a few different options. There are actually a good number of non-Disney-owned hotels ON property and many offer really nice accommodations for less.

First, make sure to check out The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts in the EPCOT resort area. These hotels are owned by Marriott, but they’re located right next door to Disney’s BoardWalk and Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts.

The Swan and Dolphin Resorts are very nice, and generally speaking are considered to be as nice as a Disney World deluxe resort. They also have a MULTITUDE of amenities, including the fact that they’re walking distance from both EPCOT and Hollywood Studios! Plus, because they aren’t owned by Disney, they often run more or unique specials, especially with groups like AAA. You also have the ability to use Marriott rewards at these hotels (if you’re a member), so you could get a pretty good deal at the Swan or Dolphin. You’ll just have to look at the prices, crunch the numbers, and see what the best deal is for you.

Consider the Disney Springs Area Hotels

The other thing we recommend for those looking to stay on Disney World property but not pay too much is to research the Disney Springs area hotels. Many of these hotels are walking distance from Disney Springs, with many of the same perks that Disney-owned resorts have at a much cheaper price point.

They offer transportation to the parks and you may be able to use your rewards points to book them if you’re, say, a Hilton Honors member, depending on the hotel you pick.

Look at the Moderate Hotels

Looking for a Disney-owned resort that isn’t quite at the level of a value hotel, but you’re also not looking to pay deluxe hotel prices? Try checking out Disney’s Moderate hotels, including things like Gran Destino Tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. This central tower building is on-par with Disney’s deluxe options and is home to some great dining choices. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is also now the only Disney World Moderate Resort with 2 fitness centers and it’s FANCY!

Speaking of Moderate Resorts, a great option, if you want some extra privacy and a more unique experience, is the Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. These cabins fall in the moderate price range, sleep up to 6 people, come with their own living area and kitchen with a fridge and convection microwave oven, and you can park directly in front of them (no walking from the hotel parking lot!).

And there are SO many activities you can do right at Fort Wilderness that you might have never done before. That could add on some extra fun to your trip.

Use a Travel Agent

Another thing you might want to consider to make sure you take advantage of ALL the latest and greatest discounts is using a travel agent. We highly recommend the fantastic folks over at Small World Vacations. The travel agents there are really knowledgeable and stay up to date on ALL of the latest discounts. They can help you pick the best discounts for your trip, help make recommendations for your vacation, and they’ll be on the lookout for future discounts that could apply to your trip, so you won’t have to worry about doing all of that work.

And the best part? Their services are totally FREE. You won’t pay any more than you would if you booked your trip by yourself. In fact, it’s just the reverse — they could actually help you save MORE by using their knowledge to get you the best deals. So, if that’s something you’re interested in, you might want to reach out to Small World Vacations for a free price quote and see how they can help plan your trip!

Click here to see our thoughts on whether you should use a travel agent for your Disney trip.

Well, there you go, that wraps up our top tips for saving on a hotel in 2021! If you’re looking for the latest news on discounts and the most up-to-date Disney World information, stay tuned to DFB — we’ve got plenty of things to share to help you plan your trip.

Click Here to See Our List of WORST Hotels for 2021!

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Do you have a trip planned for 2021? Tell us in the comments!

The post How to Save BIG on a 2021 Disney World Hotel Room first appeared on the disney food blog.