Save Up to 40% on Disney World Hotels Now to September 2020!
Along with resuming sales of tickets and hotels, Walt Disney World has released some surprising new room-only discounts for summer and fall, with travel dates between now and September 30, 2020. In this post, we’ll share the details of these discounts, and share some analysis as to how much money you’ll actually save with each.
Full details of the discounts are below, including the travel dates, eligibility, and discount tiers. If you’re traveling during the rest of summer or early fall, it’s worth booking something now to lock-in a deal. Since a lot of the best options are for Deluxe Villa Resorts, there’s not likely to be a ton of availability for some of these.
Note that because of high traffic on DisneyWorld.com today (due to the re-release of ticket sales and hotel bookings–and now these deals), expect to wait on the “We’re Almost in Orbit” screen for anywhere between a few minutes and a half-hour. I had no wait at around 6:30 am, but by 7 am it was a ~10 minute wait. It could be longer, shorter, or totally nonexistent later today. Just be patient and use a private browsing if you have any issues…
The good news is that the discounts are substantial–up to 40% off depending upon your travel dates. This is an early glimpse of the massive savings we’ve been predicting for months. The bad news is that right now they’re only available to Annual Passholders and Florida Residents.
However, Walt Disney World is essentially not seeking to attract first-time or out of state visitors in the near future, so the limitation makes sense. We are still expecting significant general public discounts for whenever Walt Disney World hits the next phase of its reopening–and deals like this (or better) will likely continue throughout 2021.
Anyway, let’s take a look at the discounts, starting with the Florida resident offer…
With this “Rediscover the Magic” offer, Florida Residents can enjoy room-only discounts at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels for stays most nights July 9, 2020 through September 30, 2020. These range from 25% off the Value Resorts on the low end to up 35% off the Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts for September 2020 travel dates. This discount is bookable through September 30, 2020–pending availability.
Offer excludes the following room types: all 3-bedroom villas, Fort Wilderness Camp-sites, Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.
Other normal rules apply. Proof of Florida residency required at check-in, minimum stay is 1 night and maximum stay is 14 nights. Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than two adults per room at Disney Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts and Studios at Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts. Valid admission and a Disney Park Pass reservation are required to enjoy theme parks.
Here’s a look at the discount chart in case you’re waiting in orbit:
Next, the Annual Passholder deal, which is more or less the same, but with 5% more off each resort. As with the Florida Resident “Rediscover the Magic” offer, Annual Passholders can enjoy room-only discounts for stays most nights July 9 through September 30, 2020, with discounts ranging from 30% off at Value Resorts to 40% off Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts.
Exact same other rules and exclusions apply, so we won’t rehash those. Here’s a look at the AP “Rediscover the Magic” discount chart in case you’re waiting in orbit:
As with most discount release days, Walt Disney World’s phone lines will be jammed and the online system will likely slow to a crawl at peak times, with Stitch eating the occasional page here and there.
If you’re at all flexible about your resort choice or room preferences, consider waiting until later this evening when things calm down a bit. You might save yourself some headache and frustration. In any case, here’s a look at what should be the best per night prices at all of the eligible resorts:
It is worth noting that there are some atypically aggressive discounts in here–not be a huge stretch, but 5-10% more than normal for this time of year–and some of these deals will not have a ton of inventory allocated to them.
This is especially true of the Deluxe Villa Resorts (aside from Disney’s Riviera Resort), simply because Walt Disney World doesn’t hold many resorts at these DVC properties.
As for how much you’ll save, it really depends on where you book, whether you’re a Florida Resident or Annual Passholder, and if you’re booking for July/August or September 2020. For Florida Residents in July and August, the discounts can be on the more meager side, especially at the lower tier resorts. Going by our records of historical savings, these deals are only slightly better than average for late summer.
By contrast, an Annual Passholder booking a standard room at a Deluxe Resort in September is looking at saving around $200 or more per night. That’s a huge savings–much more than normal for this time of year.
Considering all of this and the reality that some resorts will not be operational (thus consolidating demand to a degree), it might behoove you to move sooner rather than later on this deal. That is, unless you’re really flexible or are looking at resorts/travel dates when savings are more modest.
We know this cuts against our “laid back” advice that we stressed in the Walt Disney World Resuming 2020 Ticket & Resort Sales from last night, but we didn’t realize that Disney would also be dropping deals last night. We wouldn’t necessarily call this development a game-changer, but it definitely does create a greater sense of urgency.
Also, keep in mind that if you already have a resort reservation booked under another discount (or no deal at all), you can modify your reservation and apply this “Rediscover the Magic” deal (pending availability and eligibility). Since this is the best deal Walt Disney World has released for these travel dates, you’ll almost certainly save more money.
If you want to help determining what discounts are available for your travel dates and which resort will work best for your family, we recommend requesting a quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner that we recommend. The agents there will book your vacation and help take the stress out of planning. (They will also wait “in orbit” or on hold via the phone for you, which is a potentially huge advantage right now.)
Overall, some of these “Rediscover the Magic” room-only rates are very attractive. If we didn’t have Disney Vacation Club points to burn, we’d book a couple of options. The most eye-catching to me are Disney’s Contemporary Resort starting under $300 per night, Saratoga Springs for $225 per night, Pop Century for $110 per night, and the Fort Wilderness Cabins under $250 per night. The last one is particularly intriguing, as the idea of a tranquil and serene escape–plus private accommodations–is very appealing right about now.
Savings elsewhere are less of a draw. We love Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, but there’s no way we’re paying ~$180 per night when Pop Century is significantly cheaper and some Deluxe Resorts aren’t that much more expensive. Old Key West and Riviera Resort are also less attractive at those price points.
Ultimately, this should be just the beginning of aggressive discounts by Walt Disney World, and I doubt this is even the best of the deals to be released. So, if you can’t take advantage, don’t fret. Something will likely come your way sooner rather than later. We’ll also be watching Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World, as we expect those to be resuming in the near future (and with some best-ever pricing).
As always, we will be closely monitoring what’s released–both directly by Walt Disney World and indirectly via third party discount drops–and will notify subscribers of our free email newsletter when any general public Walt Disney World discounts become available! All in all, a good time to be a Walt Disney World deal hunter!
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
Do you agree or disagree with our assessment of these Walt Disney World “Rediscover the Magic” discounts for Florida Residents and Annual Passholders? Which resorts look most attractive to you with these prices? Which, if any, will you book? Have any trouble with availability for your travel dates or preferred resort? 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!
So if I’m an AP but I want to bring my husband who is not would this still work or no?
Yes. As long as the hotel stay is booked in your name, you get the AP discount (regardless of whether non-APs happen to join you in your room).
Looking forward to when they release general population discounts for next spring.
That’s great if you are in the U.S. I currently live in Ontario and it won’t even show me the Offer. It starts to load and then ~blip~ if disappears and I get this:
0 Special Offers Available
You are currently able to view products and prices for Passholders. Offers for other affiliations may be available. Sign in or update your profile to check for additional offers.
Thanks, Disney. This long-time AP with 35+ resort stays under her belt is getting pretty tired of being treated like a second-class guest.
Updating myself…I was able to access the discount using Edge as my browser. 🙂
We are DVC members and annual pass holders with a split stay booked for July 19th – 25th. The second part of our stay was booked with a DVC discount but with cash at Beach Club Villas. IE no points left. Do you know is this cash DVC booking applicable to the “modify your reservation” under the Rediscover the Magic Deal?
These discounts look pretty solid to me!
Maybe Disney will start giving LOYAL paying customers after hours park visits? Seeing all the stuff NBA players are getting (FOR FREE) really rubs me the wrong way.
It’s not free. The NBA is paying $1.5 million per day for the Walt Disney World bubble site. That’s not even counting the benefits to Disney that will flow from broadcasting games and footage on ESPN and ABC.
So the 1.5 million dollars is coming out of the NBA players’ paychecks for all the extra benefits and perks? I’d be surprised about that. I’m not complaining about the NBA being there. I think from a business perspective it makes 100% absolute sense for Disney to do.
Just with all the restrictions, lack of entertainment, etc., for your average guest, It just looks tacky that these players, who already make millions of dollars are going to be showered with a free disney vacation (along with their families and guests).
Either way, agree to disagree. And I actually apologize as this post was probably the wrong place for me to vent!
Jason. This is not a vacation for them. They are working. They won’t even be going to the parks. Many of them don’t want to go because their safety is not guaranteed.
And now I’m bumping my trip up a week to get there before the end of September, and swapping from the Disney Springs Holiday Inn to POP Century. Pretty good when it comes out to only $30 more (total! not per night!) to stay onsite. Also, I want to say you used to have to cancel farther out to get your full deposit back, and right now it’s showing that I have until 5 days before the trip to do so, so that’s reassuring under present circumstances.
I am going the week of Dec 14-19. Last Christmas we stayed at the Grand Floridian and Valentine’s Day at the Riveria. Def likes the Riveria most out of the two. This year I am trying to decide between Beach Club, the contemporary, or the poly? Any suggestions? I read the blog comparing the resorts but I still don’t know!
I’m just wondering, as I am sitting here in NJ, is anyone concerned with Florida’s flailing response to coronavirus and cases rising significantly every day? So many remarks seem to be concerning discounts, hotel availability, ADR, etc. I sincerely hope that you chose your vacation destination wisely. Stay safe all, please.
I stopped paying attention to case numbers alone a long time ago. What’s most important is deaths and hospital capacity compared to case numbers.
The cases in FL are primarily among people age 20-45. This is not an at risk group so most of them will not die from it and probably won’t experience symptoms severe enough to even go to the doctor’s. Deaths in FL have not risen and there’s no indication that the hospitals are being overrun.
At this point, the virus is going to be with us for a long time if not forever. We have to figure out a way to live with it, the same we live with other versions of coronavirus. If living with it for some means continuing to avoid people then that’s fine, that’s they’re choice. But for many, coping with the virus now means trying to resume normal life as much as possible, such as taking a vacation to Disney World.
Yep. Miami is going back into lockdown. Many ICUs in the state are overrun. My family is staying in and ordering groceries. We aren’t leaving more than we have to. The governor wants schools fully open in a few weeks, that’s great I want a million dollars in a couple weeks it’s not possible.
We are not going to Disney this year, that would be insane. My doctors office is already seeing cases from Universal. Nope nope nope.
I agree wholeheartedly with Dionne. We are scheduled in September, 3 cancellations later, for Wilderness Lodge, only to hear it may not be open for rooms, and only open for DVC. What have you heard, Tom?
I had the same happen to our reservation at Animal Kingdom Lodge. I was told by our agent that Disney would move us to a new resort at the same price we paid for AKL. If we wanted to stay somewhere other than where they moved us we would have to pay the upcharge (unless our new resort was cheaper than AKL). We were moved to BoardWalk and are thrilled!
If you don’t have a Disney agent I would call Disney to confirm about your reservation and see what options there are for getting moved to a different resort.
Those of us who lost the free dining already got a 35% discount on the room so it’s inline with theee discounts.
Do you think Disney will ever bring back dining packages?
Yes, the dining plan will return. It’s a huge money maker for them (why do you think they promote it so much?). HOWEVER, it will have to wait until they can run table service restaurants at full capacity again, so they actually have room to accommodate all the people who will have prepaid for table service meals.
I was going to ask about Hotel Canary, but I see in your other post specifically about Priceline that the extension no longer works. That’s a bummer.
Appreciate your Blog Tom. Wondering if any (Paid in Full) AP Holders requesting PARTIAL REFUNDS & Cancellation have received theirs yet ? I requested mine June 19th & have yet to hear anything.
Just wondering… I have not waited on the phone lines yet to request my refund. Is the refund worth the wait?
still, Tom, even with the AP discount, except for Pop, to me the prices seem for the most part, obscene,.. I feel like I woke from a trance. How we ever came to accept as a good deal a per night cost on the higher end rooms for which you could currently purchase a decent tv is beyond me,.. I will now likely seek a refund on the annual pass and try to accept that our best Disney years are sadly behind us,.. and chorus, please spare me your condemnations, advice and justifications.
Unfortunately, hotel prices across the board have risen quite a bit recently. We were considering a driving trip over the 4th of July weekend and in one of the areas we were looking at a Days Inn (!) was asking $320 per night. A random Hampton Inn in midwinter seems to be $120-160, so that has made Disney prices seem more reasonable to me. (That said, I do miss the days when our daughter was young and we paid the Pop Century “rack rate” of $84 in order to qualify for free dining.)
I agree with you…upon looking at the screenshot showing the 40% discounts, my first thought was that these prices are just about what rack rates should be. Disney’s prices are high on everything – as they should be, given the quality/service, but hotel prices have been obscene for the last decade or so.
At 8:30am EDT I got right in. Booked a 1 night at POP Century for $135 (FL resident rate)
Going to give WDW a try
I’ll be following these discounts. I had late August reservations and cancelled them and it’s killing me! Do you book online or by phone? I can’t seen to see the ap room discounts online for some reason, and I’m logged in.
It showed me the AP discount automatically–it shows up on the page for the specific resort once you’ve searched your dates and selected the resort. Under offer details there’s a number to call: (407) 939-4254
But I was able to book it myself online. Maybe try refreshing your session? Weird that it’s not showing up for you.
So we switched our trip in last week of August from Polynesian Club level to Contemporary Main Tower Theme Park view, which is something we always wanted to try, but has been just too expensive. But with the 40% discount, couldn’t pass that up.
Tom thank you. I was just curious!
I didnt mean an “out of state discount” pursay. I meant directed towards not just Florida residents or annual passholders. Guess i should have clarified.
Tom, do you expect there to be discounts for out of state residents coming up soon? We are out of state and have a trip booked for the end of August. A discount would be great!
I’ve never seen an “out of state resident” discount. We live in CT and have APs but always check all discounts. Sometimes different resorts are available under once discount or not. It pays to check all options.
Not that soon. I don’t think Walt Disney World is particularly eager to attract out of state visitors between now and September. Maybe October-December, but I doubt anything will be released for the general public via DisneyWorld.com before then.
We are also out of state and have a trip scheduled for August. We started out with a trip in March, and have been cancelled/rescheduled 3 times. It’s great Disney is offering these discounts for Florida residents/Annual Passholders, but it would be nice if they offered something to the resort guests who have been rescheduled multiple times, lost dining plans, fast passes, etc. It seems Disney is frequently offering discounts to select groups, and we are never included. I feel unwanted and unvalued as a guest. If Disney isn’t “eager” to attract us as guests, maybe we should stop coming.
@Dionne: Don’t take it personally. With all the health concerns, quarantine orders, economic damage, etc, Disney knows that very few out-of-state guests will be coming in the near future. From Disney’s perspective, they probably think there’s a high likelihood that you’ll be canceling that August trip anyway – Florida is one of the worst COVID hotspots on the planet right now, and anyone not already in the state should stay the hell out of it.
As Tom notes in the article, once things finally start to cool off, discounts will surely be offered to the general public. These particular discounts are specifically designed to convince people who can *most easily* visit (locals and passholders) to actually do so *by the end of September* (i.e. the end of the quarter and Disney’s fiscal year). This is all about showing Wall Street a revenue recovery in Q3 – that’s why the discounts end when they do.