~50% Off Disney World Hotels for Christmas & Early 2021
Walt Disney World is offering over 50% off stays at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and aggressive discounts at other hotels for most nights this Christmas season through early 2021 for Disney Visa Credit Cardholders. In this post, we’ll offer thoughts on the deal, why it’s being offered, and more.
This deal is available for travel dates beginning November 29, 2020 and running through February 28, 2020, bookable through that same end date. Reservations may be made online, by calling the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 939-5262, or via your Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
There is no set percentage off discount per resort tier or even specific hotels. Instead, the discount rate varies based upon resort, room type, and travel dates. For example, you may save 56% off Disney’s Contemporary Resort for holiday travel dates but “only” 49% off Saratoga Springs or 44% off Coronado Springs for the same dates. Or some totally different percentages for early 2021…
Here are some sample discounts provided by Walt Disney World and Visa:
$185 per night plus tax for a standard view room at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort for stays most nights from December 12 through December 23, 2020.
(For comparison, pictured above is the same rate for those dates via the “Passholder Room Offer for Fall and Holiday Travel.”)
$299 per night plus tax for a deluxe studio at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa for stays most nights from December 13 through December 19, 2020
(For comparison, pictured above is the same rate for those dates via the “Passholder Room Offer for Fall and Holiday Travel.”)
$349 per night plus tax for a garden wing — standard view room at Disney’s Contemporary Resort for stays most nights from December 12 through December 23, 2020
(For comparison, pictured above is the same rate for those dates via the “Passholder Room Offer for Fall and Holiday Travel.”)
This Disney Visa deal indicates that there are also great rates at the following Walt Disney World hotels for additional room types and dates:
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
In calling, we found that virtually all hotels have discounts, not just the ones listed above. It’s possible those are the best deals, or maybe those are the “recommended” resorts that Walt Disney World wants to emphasize and nudge guests towards.
Anyway, the number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited and you must use a valid Disney Visa Card or Disney Rewards Redemption Card to pay the deposit. Additionally, the offer is nontransferable, meaning that the Disney Visa Cardmember must stay in room to be eligible for the discount.
Offer Exclusions: Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian & Spa, Campsites at Fort Wilderness, 3-bedroom villas, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows. Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than 2 adults per room at Value, Moderate, or Deluxe Resorts (but not Deluxe Villas).
Enjoy added peace of mind when booking! You can modify or cancel your reservation with extra flexibility through April 30, 2021. (Obviously, you can only cancel with no penalty through February 28, 2021 for this deal; that’s just an “in general” policy.)
Now that we have details out of the way, let’s move on to an assessment of the discount itself. I hesitate to offer too strong of conclusions about the percentage off range since Disney Visa has only provided a scattering of sample dates (I didn’t receive the offer email and don’t want to pester a phone rep asking about a ton of random dates).
With that said, the Christmas 2020 rates for this Disney Visa offer are superior to the previously-released discounts of up to 40% off for Annual Passholders and Florida residents. The difference is that deal runs through April 17, 2021…and also has set percentages off. While we’re guessing this rate only differs slightly based upon the aforementioned variables, it’s entirely possible that some resort/room/date combos are 55% off and some are 5% off.
Our assumption is that the discount percentages for this Disney Visa discount are most significant for Christmas travel dates (hence those being the example used) because those travel dates are nearest, then tapering off into early 2021. It’s also possible that a lot of unfilled rooms remain at those specific resorts for the upcoming holiday season.
That would make sense for a few reasons. First, the listed resorts are not particularly popular and/or have more trouble filling rooms at full price (each of the listed resorts has its own, unique reasons for this). Second, that stretch of December is a higher-priced rate season, and perhaps more value-conscious consumers are choosing earlier travel dates this year because they can work remotely and their kids attend school virtually. Finally, there are undoubtedly vacation cancellations due to the current nationwide case surge and quarantine rules are once again expanding.
In addition to the Walt Disney World-provided sample dates, we called to inquire about rates for February 10, 2021. For that night, here are the pre-tax, best available rates:
- $123 for Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
- $210 for Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
- $301 for Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- $108 for Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- $78 for Disney’s All Star Movies Resort
Although the bottom-line prices are better, keep in mind that the baseline prices are lower for that date, which falls during Value Season. Accordingly, the percentage discounts are actually lower for February 2021. Moreover, not all of the above rates are as good as what’s offered to Annual Passholders for the same dates (see below AP pricing for that night):
Missing from that screenshot are Saratoga Springs ($229 with the AP discount) and Pop Century ($100 with the AP discount).
In short, if you’re a Disney Visa cardholder and Annual Passholder pricing out dates in 2021, you should compare rates as there’s about a 50/50 chance the Visa or AP rate will be better. For every other Disney Visa cardholder, these rates are going to be your best option–they beat the Florida resident rates and the general public discounts.
For the best availability, we’d recommend calling Disney or having an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner do it for you. Travel agents have the option to book this online, so they might have an easier time “rate shopping” across all discounts for which you’re eligible than you would by calling and talking to a call center representative.
It’s also possible that this will be bookable online at some point with a link on DisneyWorld.com for those of us who didn’t receive the offer email. As of publish time, Walt Disney World still hasn’t added any mention of this deal to the official website. That’s not uncommon for targeted Disney Visa deals. Usually they’re added after a day or two of availability…but not always. UPDATE: The discount can now be booked online via DisneyWorld.com.
Ultimately, the long and short of this is that we’d recommend checking online, calling Disney, or contacting your travel agent to see what options there are for your vacation dates between now and February 2021. Additionally, if you already have some booked for this Christmas with another discount, you might want to rebook as this is almost certainly a better deal.
Aside from renting Disney Vacation Club points or scoring a Priceline Express Deal, this Disney Visa cardholder deal is probably the best direct-from-Disney discount you’re going to see for the Christmas date range at the Walt Disney World resorts that are highlighted. Things become more questionable with the early 2021 travel dates, but it’s still worth checking out and doing some rate-shopping!
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 these room only discounts for Disney Visa Cardholders? If you booked this, do you think you ended up with a good price? What was available or unavailable for your dates? Is 45-55% off enough to convince you to book a trip this Christmas, or is too much still missing from the full Walt Disney World experience to justify even those prices? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
I’m thinking this maybe nodes well for a January release of the usual spring/summer discounts, no?
Does this Apply to Disney Debit Card holders?
It does. I just rebooked my main tower contemporary stay in December and saved over $200.00 with a Disney debit card
I also noticed that Park Hopping option was available when looking at dates in January. Is this a sign of hope, or has it been this way and I didn’t notice. I’ve had my trip scheduled for several months now.
It’s always been available to purchase for 2021. Disney has not actually made an announcement as to when it will be available to use, though. Anyone that buys it should cancel it prior to their trip if it’s still not available right before they leave.
I booked my trip in January and got the park hopper. I decided to take ‘wait and see’ approach on the whole trip when COVID changed things but we decided a few weeks ago that we’re going with the full knowledge that it’ll be a different experience. We purchased our park hopper tickets through a third party so I called them last week to ask if we would be refunded for the hopper portion of the tickets. They advised that I need to go to customer care in a park if hopping is still not available (traveling in December) and that I would receive a refund in the form of a Disney gift card. They said that this is how Disney asked them to handle it. I was skeptical so I called Disney and spoke to a cast member who advised the same thing. The CM couldn’t say when hopping would return but said that if it’s not by my trip that I would be compensated in-destination.
And…. I was a day early. Park hopping was officially announced this morning as being back January 1st.
Even the best discount is no good if my family had to quarantine for 2 weeks after returning home (which would be the case to n the state I live in).
Has anybody in this post realized that this is not Disney as usual due to covid? Yeah your all going on and on about this and that discount but is it worth…..
No fireworks?
No shows?
Long Lines?
Face masks all day?
Alot of restaurants closed?
Limited bussing?
Have any of you taken that into account? Good luck on your so so vacation during a pandemic, I will wait for Disney to return to normal before after the pandemic and not be so disappointed and worried about contracting a virus.
No, I don’t think so. For some, any Disney is better than no Disney. Others have made their decision already.
For me, it’s watching and seeing if I can get a WDW vacation price that makes the partial WDW experience worth it, masks and all; more importantly if it’s worth it for my wife.
As to safety, there are still zero instances, worldwide, of any theme parks being outbreak sources or super spreader events.
I can’t wait to go back to a normal WDW, and we will. But a partial WDW at the right price….who knows?
So I take the glass half-full view. We’ve been waiting for 9 months now to celebrate my daughter’s high school graduation so yes, a week with friends is something we are all looking forward to.
No fireworks? We’ll see. They may surprise us.
No shows? That’s fine.
Long lines? Much better than summer or fall.
Face masks all day? We do it at home now.
Alot of restaurants closed? A lot of restaurants open and reservations made.
Limited bussing? Limited people so shouldn’t be bad. It all about planning. Also, we’re staying at the Art of Animation so we’re excited to ride the new Skyliner.
As for the pandemic, we will take all precautions required of us while we are there. Seems like Disney’s been doing a great job so far so I’m not worried. Have our masks and sanitizer ready to go.
The deal we are getting for 5 people for 8 nights is definitely worth it for us. Never been in January so a new experience as well. As in life, it’s all about perspective. We’ve been looking forward to this trip for a while and intend to make the best of it.
I have been to Disney since they reopened after the pandemic so yes I realize exactly what I am getting for the amount I paid. I have an annual pass that has been extended by almost 5 months by Disney, loads of southwest points for flights, and Disney is offering great discounts on hotels. I realize not everyone is in my same situation but for me, I am taking advantage of my extended annual pass and the hotel discounts while I can.
The magic is still there if you want it to be. The masks are a little annoying but its been worth it. We have eaten indoors and we are comfortable with the social distancing measures in place. If others do not want to go that is perfectly fine, but for us, it has been a bright spot in our lives during this tumultuous year.
Has anybody in this post realized that this is not Disney as usual due to covid? No
Have any of you taken that into account? No
Thanks for pointing out the obvious because nobody booking WDW ever prepares, especially not fans of DTB.
I have been looking at a couple of different dates in December and most of the Visa rates are exactly the same as the Florida Resident rates which are at 30% for Mods and 35% for deluxe. But for the specific resorts that you mentioned in the article, like Grand FL and Contemporary, they have better rates then the FL Resident rates.
Thank you for the post. I just saved $400 on a Pop booking from 12/5-12/13 this yr! I have Disney visa. Paid off. I could not find the info published anywhere. Not on VISA site or Disney. Had to call and inquire. Pleasantly surprised!
I’ve just gone over comparisons for the Disney Visa and Magic is Here (multistate) discounts and for December 13th-20th, there are savings on all 18 available resorts. Since the kid turned 18 this year, we have to book for 3 adults (I’m jealous of you, Peter Pan!), so the numbers might not be the same for you, but there are savings at all the resorts, ranging from $11.18 a night at Pop Century, to $57.77 a night at the Contemporary, to $126.00 a night at the Grand Floridian, which is the biggest savings I noticed, though there are savings over the Magic is Here multistate plan at every single resort.
Thanks for this info! I’d also not received an email offer on my card.
Tom,
I have family members who have not signed up for a Disney Visa Card. If they signed up today can they get this deal?
Yes they can! I just did this so here’s the scoop. One you apply online, it will say you can immediately use the card to book a room and/or whatever else you plan to use it for. I already had a reservation 12/11- 12/21 @ The Contemporary so I tried to apply the Visa discount via “change reservation “ but it wouldn’t work. I called and spoke to a Disney rep who said despite what the Chase site says, you need the card # to apply the discount. I was concerned that by the time the card arrived in the mail, the room category I wanted would no longer be available so she said she’d put a note on my account for when I called back with card in hand. I then called Chase who said while they couldn’t provide me my new card # over the phone or via email, that they could overnight it to me at no charge. I received said card the following day, called Disney and they applied the discount! I already had a decent discount (40% I think?) because I’m a pass holder, but the Disney Visa discount gave me an additional $500 off so I was really pleased!
I had a current reservation for January 1-9, 2021. I called this morning to ask for the discount and the wonderful gentleman entered the code for me. My package at Art of Animation in the Nemo Suite for 5 of us with 7-day park tickets started out at $7,363.95. When the code was added, it brought it down to $5,576.55. I was absolutely thrilled but I think my cast member online was more excited than I was. It’s definitely worth the call just to find out.
This is amazing, I have a reservation for Art of Animation for the Cars sweet in early February. I just left a message for my travel agent to see if this can be applied to our reservation!
Ton do you know what the code was we have reservations also would live to save some $$$
Good luck Kyndall! Susan, when looking on My Plans under my reservation, all it says is Visa Q1Q2 Disney Resort Hotel Package. Not sure if there’s something there that may work.
Haha, I know what you mean about the cast member excitement. I saved $200 more and the cast member sounded super excited for us. lol. Glad they’re having fun at their job.
Tom,
Love DTB and read it all the time. Thank you for this post. I would not have known about it otherwise and I was able to modify an existing reservation and save $600.00. Thank you so much for this blog. It has been a real joy over the years, and even helped me plan Tokyo and Paris Disney trips. Felt like a good time near Thanksgiving to express my gratitude.
Does anyone know if this offer applies to the Disney Premier Visa Card also or just the Disney Visa Card? I just signed up for the Premier one and tried to adjust my current Dec reservation but it’s not showing up as an option?
I have a Disney Premier Visa and was able to book online but I was booking one night, not adjusting my existing reservation since that was booked using DVC points. I would call in and ask for an adjustment if I were you.
I have the Premier card with a current reservation for January. I called this morning and had the discount added and it saved me $1,787 on my entire package. Worth calling.
Thanks so much for this! I had an existing reservation at Art of Animation, Lion King Suite. I was able to use this and save another $130 a night Christmas week. I couldn’t modify online even though I paid my deposit with my Disney Visa but I called and they helped me right away.
With the $130 per night discount may I ask what the rate will be for your stay?
I had to call in as well, guessing because I applied the previous discount to my reservation when it came out last month. Always fun to save money so there’s more to spend on souvenirs and food!
The rate was $527 a night with the southern state discount and now it’s $397 a night.
Thanks Tom & Sarah! We’re driving down in December and were debating about booking an extra night so this made up our minds. I’m not sure why I didn’t receive anything from Visa but am so happy that I get updates from you. Now we’re just waiting with bated breath and hoping that we still get to travel.
Seems like that link is now down?
I’ve been a Disney Visa cardholder for years and this is honestly the first time I recall something actually worthwhile coming out of it. On the other hand, I still click on those ‘last minute dvc rentals’ from time to time and see things like a one bedroom Boardwalk villa for $240 a night, and it’s so hard to think of paying for even a discounted standard Disney hotel room when that’s sitting there. Granted, then you lose the flexibility…but saving a thousand plus dollars is worth that.
The problem with DVC rentals is the lack of flexibility if you need to cancel or modify your stay. You’re not booking with Disney; you are booking with an individual. If covid rears it’s ugly head in your state and requires more quarantining or doesn’t permit travel to Florida, you either cancel and lose your money or go and live with the consequences.
Thanks for the info! My travel agent at Be Our Guest Vacations was able to apply this discount to our current reservation for an additional savings.
Hi Tom, I’m a little late on getting the info regarding being able to finally purchase annual passes. We are a family of 4 and have always had annual passes and as much as it killed me to cancel because of the current situation, I did because it didn’t make sense financially giving all the restrictions and lack of other things we are accustom to. Might you have any idea what the new cost is for the platinum passes for Florida residents and do you think it is worth it. We are scheduled for our usual stay on December 26-January 2nd. Not 100% sure what we should do. Thank you so much and hope you and your beautiful wife are doing great and as always I truly enjoy and appreciate your information. Makes me happy
How nice. Disney can offer a discount to someone with a Chase credit card, but can’t offer one to the military like they’ve done for years. Tells me where Disney’s priorities lie. Going to Disney in the spring since our 2020 trip was already paid for & rescheduled. But it’ll be our last visit to Disney, which is sad. We’ve gone almost every year for the past 7 years. Hopefully Universal Studios renews theirs. Universal is usually a few months behind Disney in releasing discounts for the coming year, so we’ll see.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/military-hotel-rates-2020/
well crap, sorry, that was the 2020 discount. Hopefully they get their 2021 out soon.
Eric – they release the military discounts around the 25-28th of September every year after they have their budget meeting. They’ve sent a message to the military community, and the military community has head it loud and clear. At a time when they need visitors, they’ve alienated a large percent of those who have loyally visited year after year. Not a smart move on their part.
I’m confused, I got the visa offer yesterday and could’ve booked online. I ultimately called so they could modify my reservation. Because I didn’t pay the original deposit on my existing reservation with my visa, I had to pay another 200 towards it and they were able to switch. But I looked at the pricing and availability online before calling.
Well, that’s interesting.
Although I’m a Disney Visa Cardholder, I did not receive the offer email–just a press release email. (Not uncommon as I often don’t receive emails from Disney.) I looked everywhere for an online booking link and couldn’t find one. I figured since the press release didn’t mention booking online and I couldn’t find the link, it wasn’t an option. I guess I stand corrected?
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/disney-visa-cardmember-room/
This is it right?
*Facepalm*
Yes, that’s it.
In my defense, that link *just* appeared on the ‘special offers’ page. There were 15 earlier this morning when I looked and now there are 16. Regardless, really wish I could’ve seen that before calling and doing a lot of unnecessary work. Thank you!!! 🙂