Easy Tip for Cheaper Hotels at Disney World in 2026
As a Walt Disney World Weekend Warrior who frequently books solo “research trips” at the last minute, I often don’t care where I stay. Which is partly out of necessity, because resort occupancy has been relatively high over the last few years–even after pent-up demand has faded.
Even though we’re DVC members, that’s never an option at the last minute. Well, unless I want a stray night at Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, or some random larger bedroom villa. I don’t think Sarah would be too pleased if I blew our annual points allotment on that, so we tend to save those stays for family trips that are planned further in advance.
Usually, I’m just choosing the best option out of whatever is available at the last minute. There are a few times this has gotten me into a jam. I learned long ago that you must book Jersey Week and Veterans Day dates at least a few months out, as I once had to stalk the booking website waiting for a cancellation. Other dates I tend to travel have gotten similarly difficult, including the start of EPCOT Festival of the Arts.
As I’ve mentioned before, the two resorts where I stay most frequently are Coronado Springs and All Star Sports. I actually just returned from a stay at the former in Gran Destino Tower (which I love), along with the Little Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation. I didn’t mind the split stay–it’d be a while since I’ve done Art of Animation, the discount was inexplicably good, and I wanted to test Early Entry via the Skyliner over peak season dates.
There’s a point to all of this, which is that the two Value and Moderate Resorts I’ve found to consistently have the best last minute availability are Coronado Springs and All Star Sports. This isn’t hugely surprising, as Coronado Springs can be feast or famine depending on whether it’s hosting a large convention. If so, there’s no availability. If not, it’s often wide open in a variety of room categories.
All Star Sports has a similar dynamic with youth sporting events. Unsurprisingly, it’s the most popular hotel for ESPN Wide World of Sports participants, and there are usually large chunks of rooms blocked off for those athletes and their families. So it’s a similar story there, especially in the late winter and early spring when those events are more common. Now that Pop Warner is gone, the same isn’t true during the holiday season.
This ‘availability abundance’ is something I’ve noticed for the last 2+ years, and it now seems that Walt Disney World is doing something to address it: bigger discounts at both All Star Sports and Coronado Springs Resorts than their Value and Moderate Resort counterparts. At first, I thought this was one-time thing or perhaps a price mistake, but we’ve seen this happen multiple times now. Including once again in 2026!
In the general public discount that’s available right now (through April 30, 2026), Coronado Springs Resort has options in the top tier offering 25% off. All Star Sports is one rung below that, the best of the Values at 20% off. The other resorts in their respective tiers are at least one level lower for the discounts.
When it comes to the room-only special offer that runs from May 1 to October 4, 2026, Coronado Springs peaks at the 30% off level and All Star Sports is in the 25% off tier. This isn’t quite as big of a difference as the earlier offer, as most of their counterparts are in the tier immediately below. (Port Orleans French Quarter and the Art of Animation Little Mermaid Rooms are each two tiers lower, though.)
It’s a similar story for Annual Passholders and Florida residents, with these two hotels appearing in one of the top two tiers and offering savings of 35% or 40% off depending on the dates between now and July 29, 2026. Granted, you need to book the King Rooms at Coronado to get the maximum 40% off savings, but that still works out to your advantage (the King Rooms are also better, in my opinion).
To the best of my knowledge, every single room-only discount released in the last year-plus has followed this trend with superior savings at All Star Sports and Coronado Springs. And I am quite knowledgeable as to this point.
If you’ve ever wondered why I often remark that I stay at All Star Sports and Coronado Springs more than any other resorts at Walt Disney World…well, this is the #1 reason. (I also genuinely like both resorts and think they’re unfairly maligned by fans. But that’s another topic for another day.)
Up until a couple of years ago, I don’t recall seeing this type of dynamic. It used to be the case that the top tier of discounts was for Deluxe/Deluxe Villa Resorts, the middle tier was for Moderates, and the next tier was for Value Resorts. Sometimes there’d be a bottom tier with a hodgepodge of more popular resorts, but even that wasn’t common.
Price differences were achieved via rack rates (e.g. Pop Century has higher base rates than the All Stars) or categorical exclusions (for the longest time, the Little Mermaid rooms were never discounted). Accordingly, discount tiers were more straightforward.
That’s precisely why we’re calling attention to this. If you’re a longtime Walt Disney World fan, you’re probably familiar with the ‘old days’ of discount tiers, and maybe still accustomed to those.
It’s also possible that even first-timers already have resorts booked on the basis of rack rates, so perhaps you booked French Quarter or All Star Music not because you had a strong preference, but because you’d prefer those resorts for whatever reason, all else being equal.
Well, the reality is that pricing often is not equal post-discount as of 2025. All Star Sports and Coronado Springs Resorts are often considerably cheaper after applying special offers. Here’s a pricing comparison across various dates and discounts:
Actual post-discount prices are going to vary based on your travel dates and room category availability. As someone who feels strongly that Preferred Rooms are one of the Worst Wastes of Money at Walt Disney World, I’ll seldom opt for those (unless I have no other option).
Which is to say that I’ll consider moving up hotels as opposed to categories. The very last screenshot is a good example of this. If I were faced with a choice of a Preferred Room at All Star Movies for $125 or a standard room at Pop Century for $141, I’m absolutely taking the latter. The Skyliner is worth the upgrade cost.
On the other hand, if it’s Pop Century for $141 or All Star Sports for $98, I’m almost certainly taking the under $100 per night room. I like the Skyliner, but not enough to drop over $40 per night on it, especially during storm season (and after my recent Early Entry experience). I could put the spread to a couple Uber/Lyfts per day and still come out ahead.
It’s a similar scenario with Coronado Springs vs. Caribbean Beach.
Caribbean Beach is my personal favorite Moderate Resort, and I’ve come to love both the Skyliner and its slate of amenities (I also walk over to Riviera a lot to use those). Out of the Moderates, the only resort with a similar (if not better) slate is Coronado Springs thanks to the core resort plus Gran Destino Tower.
The difference-maker for me is thus again the Skyliner, and the premium pricing for CBR is usually too much. French Quarter is another resort I’d consider as an alternative to Coronado if the prices are close, but honestly, CSR is just a better fit for my weekend warrior style trips. That’s me, though. If the difference is ~$10/night, I’d probably recommend French Quarter to the vast majority of Walt Disney World guests.
Of course, all of this assumes I have much of a choice in the first place. I usually do not, as even with superior savings, All Star Sports and Coronado Springs still seem to be the table scraps that remain with standard rooms when I’m actually going to book last minute. (All of the above comparisons are a few months out, hence the better availability.)
As noted above, I’ve come to enjoy both All Star Sports and Coronado Springs Resorts for quick commando trips to Walt Disney World.
I especially like Sports when the hotel is simply a place to sleep, shower, shave, and so forth. You’re only in the room to crash after a long day, and are up early and out the door as soon as possible the next morning. The goal is to cram a weeklong trip into a long weekend.
Coronado is a better fit (at least for me) during slightly longer trips when I might be inclined to take a midday break (avoiding a midday storm, for instance) and use more of the amenities. As someone who routinely “forgets” to eat dinner and/or enjoys a good fourth meal, I’ve come to greatly appreciate both Dahlia Lounge and Three Bridges, both of which are underrated gems that are open until midnight most nights.
Suffice to say, I’m a big fan of these resorts and wanted to put in another “plug” for both, but especially All Star Sports for its bottom-dollar pricing thanks to superior savings on the special offer charts. This is part of our ongoing “initiative” to destigmatize the Value Resorts, as we think way too many Walt Disney World fans turn their noses up at them.
Their opinion often isn’t grounded in the present quality of these hotels, but in preconceived notions or stays decades ago. If you ask some of them when was the last time they stayed at the All Stars, the most common answer will be “never.” At the risk of stating the obvious, it’s impossible to have an informed opinion on something you haven’t experienced. Nevertheless, this leads to many first-timers or infrequent visitors fearing the cheaper resorts are not “good enough” for their rite of passage vacations.
That couldn’t be further from the truth. I wouldn’t keep staying at All Star Sports if it were awful–I can afford the extra $50 per night or whatever, it comes down to a cost-benefit analysis for me, and the upside of savings usually wins out. In combing through my costs for the last few years, the lowest amount I’ve paid for All Star Sports is $88 per night and the highest is $139 per night. If you’re going by general public discounts, expect to pay $100 to $160 per night–maybe more during peak seasons. That’s still impressively low for an on-site hotel.
There are certainly cheaper options in Central Florida. Doing a quick search, I see options for around $50 per night. After eliminating the shady options where I wouldn’t be comfortable staying, there are $75 to $95 hotels. If I wanted to stay at Flamingo Crossing or the Disney Springs Resort Area, I’d actually be paying about the same cost as All Star Sports. In many cases, more.
Regardless, the problem is that none of these are apples to apples comparisons. These are not the “all in” costs of something comparable to All Star Sports. You’re going to pay for some combination of parking and transportation (potentially both), and then there’s the value of Early Entry–and what an alternative to that like Lightning Lane Multi-Pass will cost you.
The bottom line is that the off-site alternatives are not as efficient and often end up costing more once you account for everything. If you’re concerned with saving money or even time, it’s difficult to beat All Star Sports as far as budget options go or Coronado Springs Resort for a mid-tier option at Walt Disney World. Obviously, these resorts aren’t for everyone–but they shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, either, especially at these lower prices thanks to being in the top tier of the 2026 special offers.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on these hotels offering superior savings to the counterparts in their classes? Have you stayed at All Star Sports or Coronado Springs Resorts? What did you think of the overall experience? How do you think these options compare to third party or off-site accommodations? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
The thing with our kid (now 7) is that he’s started to care where he is staying, so though he enjoyed a couple of stays at Pop, now he’s looking for something new (he doesn’t get much of a choice when we use our DVC points). His next goal is to stay in a Little Mermaid room, which okay… but what about All Star movies? I wish I could get him to All Star sports. I don’t much care where we stay once we drop down to value–give me a good deal, a clean room, and quick service with a couple vegan options, and I’m set–but he’s aggressively not into sports. Maybe when he’s older…
That said, maybe I can get away with Coronado or Swan and Dolphin just because the theming isn’t so in-your-face, and he would simply ignore the hotel as a place about which to have an opinion! We’ll see. Hoping to have a couple father-son trips this summer if we go through with buying Sorcerer passes next month.
I usually book my trips from the scenarios you post with current deals. Do you plan to make any post with current deals soon with dates?
I wondered why I was able to find such a great deal for our dates at Coronado. Upgraded from All Star Movies to Coronado AND added an extra park day for $50 total with the recent Spring deal that was offered! Excited to finally check this resort out!
On two recent trips I got to experience/experiment with this.
Trip 1: I had pieced together a booking at AKL Jambo with DVC points, but there was no availability for the first night. I booked All Star Music on the AP discount. The room isn’t that different from coronado springs, but the resort is very basic, and doesn’t have good dining. If I was doing a rope-drop to fireworks trip, then saving money there would give more for food and other addons.
Trip 2: A last minute trip for holiday decor before my AP expired. Booked at a cheap off-site timeshare, and rented a car. Because of the AP, I didn’t need to pay for parking. In retrospect with the fees, I don’t think it was much cheaper than ASM with discounts. The ability to use disney transport and Early Entry is something I really missed on the trip. If I had had to pay for parking, it definitely wouldn’t of been cheaper, even when accounting for ride share from the airport and to go to meals.
The main scenario where I think off-site makes sense is if your group doesn’t fit in a standard hotel room. When you start having to book multiple rooms or larger suites, Disney resorts become very expensive. On the other hand there are probably a hundred different timeshare resorts in the area that rent multi-room suites by the night via ex***ia.com etc, for similar prices to a base room at Coronado Springs. Ride-share with a larger party is going to be tricky. Renting a van and 2/3 bedroom suite is probably the better plan.
The other is for the Brits and others that do a multi-week vacation. If mixing in with Universal and pool /waterpark days, then paying the premium for a small onsite room is going to add up.
I took my daughter for a quick 2 night getaway at Grand Floridian for her 19th birthday last fall (she’s always wanted to stay there). We ended up staying 4 extra nights due to not wanting to fly out during a hurricane and that was the first flight the airline could get us on. The only thing available on property was All Star Sports. We are not into sports at all so it was the one resort we really never wanted to try out. But we loved it! We even thought the theming was adorable! Would definitely go back if planning a budget trip!
Tom when is the cheapest time to book a stay at All Star Sports in 2026?
I don’t have a problem with the rooms at All Star Sports but the limited food options are less than ideal. I had never stayed at a moderate before and was surprised by the stellar deal we got at CSR in Jan. Sure it was more than All Star but it was cheap enough — and the food options sealed the deal. We’re currently trying different resort options for fun (AKL right now, POR in May, maybe CBR in summer) but I suspect CSR will become my baseline default that all others get compared to.
The main problem with CSR is the bus loop. If you get a room at the Casitas, then you can hack it a bit – its the first stop for busses coming back to the resort. And then walk to the main bus stop by the lobby to depart, which is the last stop. If the busses are too full, they do a good job of adding extras that I think go directly to that last stop.
We just did a mini water parks vacation (that seasonal pass is a steal that no one is really talking about) and stayed at ASMo. While we’ve basically moved from Values to Moderates for longer vacations, we did a Value this time and the All Stars were far cheaper than Pop. Last time we’d been there was December 2019 and the kids loved the “Herbie Hotel” then, and continue to love it now. Plus, it’s down the street from Blizzard Beach, which made driving so so easy and quick. Was a great way to get some Disney time without spending a huge amount and having easy access to the water park was a major plus!
Like others we have stayed at them all in October we go for our anniversary. The last couple of years we’ve stayed at sports and the hotel itself is great but now that we are older the drawback to sports is that the bus stop at the magic kingdom is the fartherest away of all the hotel bus stops and the walk from the entrance to the sports stop is farther than the walk from the contemporary hotel! At 69 and I am a walker but at the end of the long day that walk is getting longer and longer so this year we did the bounce back deal at wilderness lodge we enjoy it and the boat ride over to magic kingdom for 47 Ty anniversary
The Values are fine for what they are, but they have always been a non starter for me. I’m not a commando park goer and never have been, I value on site amenities too much and they are just severely lacking at the Values and frankly most of the mods. I also put a high value on being able to walk to parks for rope drop advantages and being able to quickly go to and from parks for resort breaks and get home at the end of the night. This is why so often we typically do a split stay between Crescent Lake and a monorail resort.
For “budget” trips, I actually prefer CSR to a couple of the deluxes I’ve stayed at (Yacht and Beach), but only staying in the tower, which mitigates the weaknesses of the resort to me. It’s one of my favorite resorts period. But my issue with Gran Destino is pricing–I can and do often see Swan & Dolphin for comparable or cheaper, and those resorts are walkable to 2 parks while getting deluxe benefits. Just as an example, for my solo Labor Day trip this year, I snagged a king room at the Swan through Amex for $335 a night, and that’s not including the credit card benefits I get ($200 statement credit, plus $100 to spend at the resort, possible upgrades etc). Even booking direct, Swolphin often have AP discounts that beat out the Disney ones at GDT if you can even find availability at the latter, I’ve noticed less and less of it recently compared to the past.
For these reasons the mods in general are a hard sell for me when Swolphin exist. So Coronado will likely only ever be a thing for me again for a short weekend getaway where EEH is not in play, or we’re willing to pay for After Hours. Chronos Club is specifically on our short list for a pre-cruise stay next year, since our park time will be fairly minimal and we’ll be taking Disney transportation to Port Canaveral.
We’re booked at all star sports for exactly the reason you mentioned here – we will never spend in much in ubers as the upcharge to stay at pop. And we’re doing a split stay and the sports part is just a place to sleep, etc. We’re going during the summit cheerleading comp and a lot of people are trying to scare me out of staying there, but we did it 2 years ago also during the summit and it was totally fine as a place to sleep (though I would not want to hang out in the resort or try to eat in the foodcourt).
I actually don’t mind people being scared out of the values. More discounts for me LOL
why would people be scared to stay there and go in the food court? I just got home from staying there .Most people staying there are families with kids and very nice.The food court is by the pool and all the workers are very nice and friendly.
I’m going during the summit and I sayed 1 night there before during the same event. My own experience was that the room was fine, grounds quiet, but it is VERY BUSY with cheerleaders in common areas – the lines were crazy. They move in packs haha. And each one pays individually so the lines move much slower than when it’s families paying for 4 people at a time.
We are DVC members who usually stay on points in 2brs (big immediate family). This year I found myself with an annual pass for the first time and decided to make the most of it by doing a few quick trips around the year. I did not want to use my points so I looked for least expensive room with the AP discount and came up with AS Sports. I am not into sports at all. I LOVE staying there! It is adorably themed, room is great, staff is excellent, buses are easy. I can’t say enough good things about it! I had a quick trip last week and that time Movies was least expensive. After staying there I’m assuming it was because main pool is under refurb (I hadn’t planned to use it) and the main entrance to my Mighty Ducks building 3 was also closed off for work. I love the themng there but Sports was truly special. By the way, it was much faster for me to go to the buses at Music ftom my room’s location, so I suggest that if you are staying in an All-Star, check for possible shortcuts!
I feel the competition for Disney’s cheapest rooms is actually staying offsite and renting a car. The cost of those things together is often about the same as the All Stars, but having a car gives you free storage, and is far less hassle than Disney bus transportation or using rideshare services (if you’ve never waited an hour for a Disney bus, been quoted $60 for a 7-mile drive, or been trapped in an awkward conversation, count yourself lucky).
The calculus on this changes depending on whether someone brings their own car instead of renting, and also on what parking fees they pay at both the chosen hotel and the theme parks. I suspect this was the reason behind the backtracking on resort parking charges, and it’s definitely a reason why they need to discount hotels for passholders.
If you have to pay to park at the hotel, and the parks (don’t have an AP), then the fees for a car will likely outweigh savings for a single hotel room. The equation changes if your party doesn’t fit in a standard room, but would in an off-site suite (eg timeshare rooms).
Many of the local hotels have parking charges and/or resort fees that rapidly wipe out the savings you think you are getting compared to a value room.
A couple weeks ago I looked on Priceline for an upcoming fairly last minute two night trip Easter weekend. I booked a “blind” Express Deal at All Star Music for $150 a night the Thursday and Friday before Easter, taxes included. It was pretty easy to decipher that All Star Music was what I was going to be getting looking at price, number of reviews, and a couple of other details. I believe this was $75 less per night than the discounted rate on WDW’s website. I’ve read an article or two in the past from you, Tom, about looking for these Express Deals. Was happy to find one!
Ah, that’s awesome–and a good reminder that I need to check again for Priceline Express Deal availability. Adding that to my list of things to do this week!
I’m typing this post from my room at all star sports. We have never really considered staying a full week at a value resort until we needed to begin traveling during spring break because of our son’s school schedule. I was apprehensive about staying here but honestly it’s been wonderful. We’ve stayed at everything from the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club, Caribbean Beach, wilderness and animal kingdom lodge, Saratoga Springs, pre-refurb all star movies, all star music circa 1998, and several highly rated offsite timeshares. All Star Sports has had the best cast members, the quietest room (yes, really), and the property is stunningly clean and well maintained. The whole resort feels like the best of “old Disney” – and there are even great food options at the quick servic. The main pool is phenomenal because of its massive size. Bus service was ridiculously good, we went to three parks and Disney Springs and almost never waited for a bus at all. All Star Sports has really, really shocked me- and this is at the height of spring break while the hotel is sold out. Yeah the room is small- but it’s also ingeniously designed and housekeeping has been excellent. The fact that a standard room at the Grand Floridian/Poly/Riviera etc. is $700+ a night is absolutely absurd when all star sports provides what ends up being a very, very similar vacation. For our sports obsessed 10 year old son, playing on the football field here was truly a one of a kind “Disney Magic” experience … what other hotel has something like that to enjoy ?
Thanks for sharing your experience!
As is probably obvious from all my praise for All Star Sports over the last few years, I completely agree. All three of the All Stars improved post-reopening, but none to the same extent as Sports. I had a chance to speak with the manager a year or so ago (just as a regular, random guest–not a blogger) and came away really impressed.
It feels to me like the All Stars are trying to go above and beyond and deliver a great guest experience, whereas I sometimes feel that way about the Deluxes…but just as often, it seems like they’re resting on their laurels.
Thank you – it is interesting as we consider a week long journey. Currently hesitating between a 8 night 7 days or 10 nights 9 days.
We would be inclined to do a slit stay for the longer period.
Ultimately it will depend on plane fares and if I consider a 7 day trip feasible with enough breaks.
We do consider most hotels but do think that park proximity is key ; but if bus service is great as you mentioned why not ?
In terms of beauty or ascetics, I love All Star Music. I think the resort is pretty but even more so at night. The Dig Site pool at CSR is a favorite of mine and while I dislike the appearance of Gran Destino, I love staying there. I’m curious of your thoughts on the Crescent Lake Marriotts. I’m sure you have status with them. I think the point charts are not as favorable with Marriott as they used to be and wish they had a Hilton walking distance to a park now as their Honors points seem to be a better deal. I have never had a bad stay at a WDW resort and one of my personal rules is to never pay for a view and to always prioritize first availability when arriving before noon.
“while I dislike the appearance of Gran Destino, I love staying there.”
The best part about staying in Gran Destino Tower is not seeing the exterior of Gran Destino Tower. 😉
I still think the exterior is boxy and boring, but the inside has grown on me. I’d appreciate a bit more personality, but it feels classy and sophisticated, and there’s nice depth to the design–especially for a Moderate.
We love the Swan/Dolphin/Reserve. I’m curious to stay in the new rooms, as that’s the weakest point of the legacy hotels. The Swan Reserve is exceptional and actually isn’t that much farther from the parks. I agree about room views, but man, some of those rooms offer an excellent “aerial” view of EPCOT. I’m also a sucker for a balcony, and only some of them have that.
chase reward points (can’t remember the official name) from their freedom, ink and other cards seem to go ALOT further than bonvoy/Marriot points do. if your into getting new credit cards with big sign up bonuses, ink sometimes offers up to 100000 chase pts, enough for several nights at the Dolphin. I love staying at the Dolphin, never had a problem.
The Swan and Dolphin are included in the Amex “The Hotel Collection”, so if you have platinum, you get $300 off a 2+ night stay, plus a resort credit. This brings a 2 night stay down to about $300, including taxes, resort fees etc, which is about the same as a discounted all-stars (with taxes), but you are walking distance to Epcot, Boat to Hollywood, and get EEH. So it can be a good deal to use as part of a split stay – either on the weekend to avoid Fri/Sat premiums for DVC, or mon-wed to get the extra evening hours.
Great comparison! I read all about the Skyliner resorts on your blog before booking, but for when I was staying at WDW, it was a $40+ difference per night at Pop Century versus All Stars Music, so I went with ASM. I feel validated that you feel the same about the cost per night worth of the Skyliner. The money saved is going towards dinner at California Grill and Topolino’s!
Don’t get me wrong–I love the Skyliner and Pop Century, and there are some scenarios where I’d pay $40/night to stay at Pop. Just not always, or even usually.
A good example is if the difference meant dinners at California Grill and Topolino’s Terrace–I’d absolutely take that plus ASM over Pop!