2020 Disney World Vacation Packages: Pricing Analysis
2020 Walt Disney World vacation packages are now available, and we’ve spent significant time on DisneyWorld.com today comparing room prices for next year to this year’s rack rates. (In addition to the 2020 Disney Dining Plan Prices, which we already shared.)
In this post, we’ll compare this year’s prices to 2020 Walt Disney World hotel room rates and offer some analysis. While we’ve been looking at a variety of hotels, we’re primarily interested in the Value and Moderate Resorts. Our rationale here is that guests booking these hotels are the most price-sensitive.
No offense, but if you could afford $597 and up per night for Grand Floridian, you can probably swing $638 per night and up next year. If not, you’re still able to “slum it” with the rest of us at other Walt Disney World resorts. (Simply moving over to the cheaper Beach Club or BoardWalk would save you at least $100/night.)
I kid, but the point is that Walt Disney World’s low-end resort prices are more interesting, and more of a litmus test of vacation affordability than the high-end prices. At least, that’s what I think, and since I’m the one who had to hassle with doing all of this (at least I got to see Stitch a “few” times!), that’s where we’re going to focus most of our attention.
On the Deluxe end, the only resort of personal interest to me is Wilderness Lodge. It’s the cheapest (and best) of the Magic Kingdom or Epcot Deluxe Resorts, and rooms at Wilderness Lodge increased on the low end from $339 to $363 per night. This is a dollar amount that’s higher than most of the increases at the Value Resorts, but it’s a lower percentage increase; it’s also a price bump less likely to be felt by the guests booking in the Deluxe Resort tier.
Moving on to what I think is interesting, prices have increased at Pop Century, Art of Animation, and Caribbean Beach–but not by nearly the amounts that we expected. On the low end, rack rates at Pop Century are up to $137 as compared to $130 per night this year. Weekends are a different story, up by $20 in some cases.
However, when you consider the fact that these three resorts will have Skyliner transportation next year, offering guests non-bus transportation to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios…it could’ve been worse.
Before we paint too rosy of a picture here, it’s worth pointing out that there are significantly more nights in 2020 when Pop Century has rates above $200. In fact, for much of March and April, Pop Century flirts with the $200/night mark; Easter and Spring Break both at or above $240/night.
As eye-popping as those numbers might seem, they’re actually “only” $11-15 more than this year. The reason they probably seem ridiculous (and make no mistake: they are) is because you’re seldom, if ever, paying rack rate at Pop Century. I don’t think we’ve ever paid over $100 for it, and I’m not sure what my upper limit would be. Even with the Skyliner and Pop Century’s newly-reimagined rooms (which we both love), I think I’d have a tough time stomaching more than $150/night for Pop Century. It’s tough for me to justify rack rates for what’s essentially motel-style accommodations.
It’s a similar scenario over at Caribbean Beach Resort. This year, the lowest rack rate there is $194/night. Next year, that’s up $10 to $204/night. Actual increase amounts vary by season, but standard rooms there are mostly around $10-20/night more expensive.
Even though the new dining and reimagined Old Port Royale have been open for the entirety of this year, Caribbean Beach has still had construction in and around its grounds for pretty much the full year. Next year, that won’t be the case. In addition to the Skyliner transportation, guests will also be a short walk from the Deluxe amenities (namely, dining) at Disney’s Riviera Resort.
There is some more good news in this, as some rack rates have actually dropped. Most notably, the All Star Resorts have new low prices of $99/night in the off-season, down from $112/night this year.
This is pretty significant, especially at All Star Movies, where the entirety of the resort will consist of the new and improved rooms come next year.
There are a few explanations for this. One could be that the gap between Pop Century/Art of Animation and the All Stars is becoming more pronounced, and guest satisfaction numbers are significantly lower at the All Stars.
Another explanation is that demand or occupancy rates have been lower at the All Stars. If you consult virtually any resource while planning your Walt Disney World vacation, it’ll direct you away from the All Stars and towards Pop Century or Art of Animation. (I’m not sure I buy this explanation for reasons we’ll get to in a minute.)
A more cynical explanation is that Walt Disney World wants to be able to advertise “hotel rates starting at $99 per night” in its marketing materials. Or be able to tout that some prices have decreased for 2020.
It was the same deal with the date-based ticketing model. Walt Disney World pushed the line that some prices were increasing, some were staying the same, and some were actually decreasing.
The notion is that the system would be a change rather than an increase…even though the reality was that 95% of dates (or thereabouts) were increasing. Being able to shape the marketing, even if it’s disingenuous, is powerful.
There’s also the possibility that Walt Disney World plans to raise rack rates less now, but also discount less in the future. At the end of the day, rack rates matter far less than average nightly costs. If a room is priced at $500 but offers a 40% off discount every night, that discount is illusory. It’s still more than a $250 room with no deals.
Personally, I don’t see this ‘discount theory’ being the likely explanation. Walt Disney World always wants to discount as little as possible. As we are wont to say here, Disney doesn’t offer the Free Dining Plan or room-only deals out of corporate benevolence; they do it out of necessity to fill rooms that would otherwise sit empty.
Free Dining is a promo that fans fear will disappear; however, it has become such a key driver of late summer and fall bookings that it’d be difficult for Walt Disney World to eliminate it completely. Certainly, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will drive more hotel bookings and attendance, but it won’t alter school schedules for anyone. And that is what Walt Disney World is trying to overcome when it comes to offering this and other discounts.
Walt Disney World’s discount strategy for 2020 depends largely upon occupancy, which depends largely upon a mix of variables, some of which are simply unknowable right now. Will consumer confidence still be strong in 2020? Will Walt Disney World’s additions garner positive reviews and strong word of mouth? Will international markets that have been strong drivers of attendance stumble? Will Orlando continue to be a hot convention destination? It’s possible to hypothesize about all of these things, but nothing is certain yet.
Speaking of the All Star Resorts, one thing that I found noteworthy is there are some dates that one or all of these resorts are totally sold out.
This is not completely out of left field, as these are the de facto resorts for ESPN Wide World of Sports events, and it’s entirely possible there are blocks on them for certain dates. However, all three sold out for certain weeks in May 2020? That does surprise me a bit.
In many other scenarios, entire room categories are completely gone, and for seemingly random dates.
We’ve been hearing rumblings for a while that January and February 2020 are likely to be busier than normal at Walt Disney World (and not just because of reduced attraction capacity, Marathon Weekend, holidays, or a random convention), and I’ve noticed several room categories are sold out for weekends at a variety of different resorts.
On that note, we’d recommend booking sooner rather than later. If you’re definitely visiting Walt Disney World in 2020 irrespective of discount status, lock something in now. Booking early is essentially hedging your bets against the resort/room tier you want selling out, while still having the flexibility of applying future discounts as they’re released.
It should go without saying that you can do this yourself via the phone (not recommended) or online at DisneyWorld.com. However, if you want someone to monitor your reservation and apply discounts as they’re released (or book FastPass+, ADRs, etc.) for you, we recommend booking via an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
Maybe we were just bracing ourselves for bigger price hikes (especially after those Annual Pass increases!), but nothing here is all that surprising. Room rates at Value and Moderate Resorts typically did not surge, and at the hotels where they did increase, there’s arguably justification in terms of the new amenities/transportation. Then again, we didn’t really put much effort into before/after rack rates for the Deluxe Resorts…but that’s because we’d never pay full price at any of those before or after, anyway. From our perspective, the higher-tier Walt Disney World hotels are entirely discount-dependent, and that part of this story won’t be written until Spring 2020, once discounts start trickling out.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the 2020 Walt Disney World hotel room and package prices? Anything surprise you? Are you paying noticeably more (or less) for your trip next year? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments here? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Sorry, not quite sure how to edit my questions.
Planning a trip in late Sept or early October 2020. Art of Animation would be our top choice but saw their main pool will be under construction in Fall 2020. Do you believe that means we should look for another hotel choice? Maybe Pop Century?
Planning a trip in late Sept or early October 2020. Art of Animation would be our top choice but saw their main pool will be under construction in Fall 2020. Do you believe that means we should look for another hotel choice? Maybe Pop Century?
Planning a trip in late Sept or early October 2020. Art of Animation would be our top choice but saw their main pool will be under construction in Fall 2020. Do you believe that means we should look for another hotel choice? Maybe Pop Century?
Any idea when free dining is offered?
If you have young children, the main pool being down will be a disappointment. Check this out for historical data regarding the release dates for promotions.
https://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/
Looking at Pop next summer, its nearly $30 higher per night (29). We are going 12 nights this summer, at $30 more per night that’d be $360 more JUST for the room! (Not counting any promotions this yr or next. We are doing AP discount rate this summer but since no guarantee promotions wont dry up next yr it’s just comparing rack rate 161 this yr to rack rate 190 in 2020.). Plus prob not renewing AP with the HUGE price jump on those. Wow. I was expecting a jump due to the Skyliner. I guess it absolutely could have been worse cuz looking at it as a one-night number it doesn’t shock me as much given the Skyliner, but when I look at it over the length of a long trip wow it seems much worse. 🙁 we love Pop but it is, indeed, basic & not a nearly 200 a night place. I was looking forward to staying there with the Skyliner because it sounds awesome but we may have to start looking back at all Stars or more likely, off property.
Disney is now raping their loyal family fan base with the unreasonable price hikes on everything. Guess I will stay at my DVC home and park for free and then just drive to Universal for the theme park portion. The annual passes at Universal are a way better value. My kids have also wanted to go to Lego Land and Bush Gardens in Tampa, but my loyalty has always been to Disney … until now. Thanks Disney for helping me decide to spend my hard earned money elsewhere!!!!!
You missed a big change at Art of Animation, one that is a big deal to a family like mine: a party of six with a young princess. AoA is one of the few places that offers a room for six (and I don’t mean a 2-bdrm villa for 9 that costs four digits a night). It and the Cabins at FW were always similarly priced, but now AoA family suites easily cost $100 more a night than FW. Then the final stab is that the Little Mermaid rooms did not make a big jump, so now two LM rooms, which have four real beds (no sofas, no Murphys) and can sleep 8, cost less than one family suite!!! Believe me, without a room discount or free dining off that excludes the LM rooms, my princess would MUCH rather be with Ariel than Lightning, Simba, or Nemo, so we’ll split into two rooms and save $50/night.
With the price increase at Pop, we decided to rent DVC points from DVC Rental store. It’s only $200 more and totally worth it to go from “value” to a deluxe studio!
So my kid is going to be marching at the Magic Kingdom next April with a high school band. I looked up packages for those dates and was shocked at what I found. Staying at Orleans Riverside will cost us more than it did staying at a Animal KIngdom Lodge 5 years ago. And that is even with 2 less days.
Not sure we will even be able to make the trip.
I wonder if Disney has ever considered offering the park hopper discounted or free when there is no free dining offered. Seems like it would be a great idea.
If you add in the parking fee it does jump the pricing increase.
With it being considerably more as you go to moderate and deluxe resorts.
So Disney can raise room rates in smaller amounts since they have parking fee now rather than tacking it all on the room rate to make it look cheaper.
That 99 dollar rate does not hold water with parking!!!
How likely is it that ANY discounts whatsoever will become available for either All Star Movies or The Polynesian before January 2020? We booked a split stay the morning packages were released but am curious as to whether the price will decrease AT ALL in the next 7 months. I’m also assuming free dining will no longer be offered for January if the rumblings of higher crowds are correct.
I just thought I would share my experience with booking a room only reservation at CBR. The reservation I was able to get during the week after President’s Day for 2020 is about 500 more than it was 2 years ago (before discounts). In 2018 the resort was still under construction, so I’m sure that had something to do with it, and I know that in 2020 there will be lots of new amenities. However, that is still a pretty big swing for the same room, during the same week two years apart. We are still booking the room because it’s the least expensive place for a family of 5 to stay (unless we do two All Star rooms). I’m not counting on the room-only discount this year but keeping my fingers crossed all the same.
I just checked availability for a trip I have booked in early May 2020, and Art of Animation is listed as starting at $503 per night! The Yacht Club was the second resort on the list, and that was “only” $582 – what are they thinking?!
Wow who books AOA when BC is not much more??? We will be booking BC instead for next year!
Hi, I’m trying to find the rate calendar as showed in the initial pictures, unfortunately I can’t find it. Could you share the link?
Navigate to the particular hotel page you are interested in and go to where it lists the various types of rooms available. If you already have dates selected, you will have to select “Rate Details” under the price at the right. From there you can click on “View Rate Calendar”. If you didn’t have dates already selected, the view rate calendar link should be under the price.
My family is planning on going to Disney World in June and wanted to stay at AofA in a Nemo family suite. It looks like the price increased over $130 a night. Ouch! How do I find the rate calendar to check on flexible dates?
I noticed that you mentioned never paying rack rates. You even said that you get Pop Century for under 100 bucks, which sounds amazing. Could you shed some light on how you book at such good rates? I feel like I have read your blog “cover to cover,” (I know websites don’t have covers, but you know what I mean) but don’t recall any of your posts mentioning these kinds of deals. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Disney frequently has some type of discount or another, Annual Pass discounts being a common type Tom would qualify for. That said, I haven’t seen rates <$100 for Pop Century in years (this with trips in May/October/January – perhaps there are slower times of the year with lower rates).
Looking at end-of-may 2020 just for kicks, I see Pop going for $206+tax, and the cheapest (All Stars) going for $165. Egads!
PIN Codes and AP discounts would be our primary methods for booking Pop, with Priceline being another option (that I don’t believe we’ve ever used at that specific resort).
Currently, you can book Pop Century for $98.25 on select nights with AP discount right around when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens (in both August and September). Availability is pretty scarce, but there are still some standard rooms available.
I see Tom’s reply. I was wondering the same because I read this blog like there is going to be a test!!! I am not a DVC or an AP member, so we elected to stay at the Holiday Inn DS. I would stay at Pop every single time if I could, but being a single girl living in a large city- I have to get it to $100 a night or so to stay there. I got Holiday Inn at $95 a night. I wish there was another way to get Pop cheaper as I love staying on property.
In response to Angela’s comment about cheaper staying off property, I disagree if flying in. Disney provides free transportation to and from the airport plus free transportation to all the parks, resorts, and Disney Springs. I’ve considered staying off property but when factoring in a $40 Uber ride each way and then paying to get to DS or the parks it never works in favor of staying off property. Plus, you don’t hav to drive anywhere once you get to Orlando. We even have our groceries delivered via Amazon Prime Now. So easy!
I was quoted $106/night with tax (no parking) for the first week of Dec 2018 at Pop. I know it’s not under $100, but still a good value IMO. Our Pop trip in mid-October 2018 was $122/night with tax (again no parking).
There is an argument against booking (essentially giving Disney a $200 interest free loan), but given all the price hikes I think it’s the way to go. You can always cancel and rebook for a better discount, and you are protected against the 17 upcoming ticket price hikes between now and your vacation. The room we booked at CBR for 2019 when the window first opened would now be a “killer deal”, even though at the time it just seemed “ok”. Just my opinion. As the blog author would say, ymmv.
I was so confused that I couldn’t find a single All Star week when I tried in May. I thought it was just me! Are they likely to open up?
Question for Tom or others that know…there was a mention about applying future discounts to something you’ve already booked. Is that possible? I’ve always held off booking until discounts are released so I don’t get hosed, but I don’t want to miss out on the room I want either. We’re looking at next summer, so want to know how far in advance I truly need to book.
You can always book and then if a discount comes out you can call and have them apply the discount to an existing reservation
If you book now and then call to apply a discount after it is released, your package/room will be cancelled and rebooked. Yes, you will then have to rebook and pay the current rates including any increases in room rack rates, tickets, and/or dinning plan. The advantage is that when the CSR cancels your room, he or she can immediately rebook that room type, which may not be available at that time. When the discounts roll out, the whole system changes moment by moment. A room type will be available one moment with the discount and in the next search it will no longer be available. Days later it will again become available; however, within a few days or weeks, it will most likely become completely sold out for that promotion.
When I applied the room rate discount to our existing package for this past May’s trip (last June) yes, the ticket prices had increased slightly but the discount still applied a good bit of savings. It was maybe a discount loss of $15 overall. Since my room type at Pop was not available for the promotion on day one of the % off promotion, I chose to upgrade from Pop (value) to a moderate (CBR). The % off promotion did become available a few days later for Pop. In the end, I was happy with my choice to pay only $10 more total for a room at CBR than my non-discounted original package at Pop.
We will return in May 2021 and I will book a room only reservation 499 days in advance to secure my desired room and modify from there as packages and promotions become available.
I should have also included that by booking so far in advance, I had an expected budget. Given the budget didn’t change by much, only $10, this made the upgrade to CBR comfortable. If I would have booked after promotions were released, I would not have upgraded because I wouldn’t have had a baseline to compare it to.
Thank you – I have just booked our dream Disney world vacation for December 12-16 2019 on the WDW website for rack rate $337/night – since there are no current promotions available. We booked CBR for our stay and I am looking to add the Deluxe Disney Dining Plan since I have booked as many character dining meals as possible into our schedule – and I have done the math and we will definitely come out on top with the deluxe plan! Yay! – Albright not by much 🙂 I am sure I will blow all of my savings on merch though… Anyway! Question is: should I also purchase my 2019 Deluxe Disney Dining Plan now and will I be able to apply any promotions announced later in the year? Typically the week we are staying there has been free dining offered, but no announcements for anything past November 2019 currently….