Hotwire & Priceline Deals for Disney World Hotels
You can successfully “guess” which on-site Walt Disney World resorts are discounted via Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates with these tips to score a great deal. This covers how to save money on Orlando, Florida hotels with hacks & matching tricks. (Updated March 8, 2024.)
Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates are similar to the popular “Name Your Own Price” feature or bidding on hotels based upon amenities and a general area. You can score a deep discount on a great hotel (or not-so-great one, if that’s more your style), but the tradeoff is that don’t know the name of the hotel until you pay. In other words, it’s a surprise…but like children snooping under the Christmas tree, there are certain ways to ‘spoil’ that surprise!
Hotel chains, including Walt Disney World, do this to dump unsold inventory at the last minute while concealing to the general public that they’re unloading rooms at such a cheap rate, which might tarnish their brand or irritate guests who paid significantly more. Let’s start by taking a look at the current Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World…
At their best, Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates offer deep discounts of up to 60% off, not just a “deal” of 10-15% off a room-only rate. We’re talking $60 per night or less for Values, ~$100/night for Moderates, and ~$200/night for Deluxe Resorts. We primarily focus our searches to Priceline here (which often has more availability), but the below deals can often be replicated on Hotwire with the same strategy…
Inventory Update: Spring 2024
February 8, 2022. That’s the last time this post was updated before today, and that was basically to address reader questions and explain how “discounts have dried up at Walt Disney World.” Although pent-up demand had already entered the vernacular, it didn’t occur in full force until Spring 2022. (Our first post about the topic was “Revenge Travel” at Walt Disney World, published August 15, 2020…which seems way too early to have been talking about that. Very much wish I would’ve been wrong with those predictions!)
For the next year or so, not only were discounts difficult to come by, but so too were full-priced room reservations. Another popular topic at the time was Limited Hotel Availability at Walt Disney World in 2022. That was driven by a confluence of circumstances, from pent-up demand to strong bookings for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary to not all hotels being open or operating at 100% capacity to staffing shortages. But it’s unnecessary to recap all of that in full. You either lived through it and remember (or have blocked it out), or didn’t and don’t care.
The moral of the story is that there was absolutely nothing in the way of Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates for Disney-owned resorts from September 2021 until some point in Winter or Spring 2024. Back then, we remarked that this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, but it is the longest Walt Disney World has gone in recent years without dumping any unsold inventory onto Priceline and Hotwire. However, we also attributed it to the lack of inventory, and said that we expected it to change by later in the year as demand dropped and supply improved. How young, how naive.
Fast forward over 2 years, and so much has changed. Pent-up demand has been exhausting itself for over a year now and Walt Disney World has been pulling from what we call the “2019 discount playbook,” which is to say that almost all of the same deals offered then–including more obscure ones like PIN Codes and Bouncebacks (not to mention fan-favorite Free Dining) have all made their triumphant return.
Up until now, all but one niche discount was back–the Priceline Express Deals and Hotwire Hot Rates. Well, there are once again signs of life on that front after a 2.5 year absence! So that’s the very good news. The bad news is that in spot-checking dates on Priceline Express Deals throughout March and early April 2024, the only resorts I could find were the All Stars and Coronado Springs. (The hotel above is almost certainly one of the All Stars; Bonnet Creek, 8+ score, 600 ratings, and 3-star hotel are the big giveaways. See below for tips & tricks on identifying the resort.)
The good-within-bad news is that we’re entering the heart of Spring Break 2024 Season at Walt Disney World (literally–it starts today!), so it’s wholly unsurprising that I can’t find much. It’s a miracle that there’s anything, and makes me wonder what I might’ve missed over the last couple of months. Since these last-minute deals are only added a few weeks out, my expectation/hope is that there will be more during shoulder season (approximately mid-April through Memorial Day 2024).
So stay tuned–I’m going to be checking this a lot more regularly and, fingers crossed, reporting back with a lot more in about a month! Or perhaps not. Maybe this was a one-off blip and you won’t see another update to this post for another 2.5 years. Who really knows anymore!
In addition to Disney-owned hotels, here are the third-party options on-site that you might find on these opaque booking sites…
Another option that regularly appears on Priceline Express Deals is the Swan & Dolphin Resorts. Keep in mind that there’s also a mandatory resort fee, so what you see is not the final price–but both of these resorts still tend to be far cheaper than anything else in the Crescent Lake area.
We love the Swan & Dolphin for a few reasons. Namely, they’re within walking distance of both Epcot and Hollywood Studios–perfect for rope dropping Slinky Dog Dash before going back to the pool for a mid-morning break. For the most part, Swan & Dolphin guests have similar advantages to guests staying in Disney hotels. They even offer access to Extended Evening Hours, which Moderate and Value Resorts don’t even offer!
The JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa is also a frequent fixture of Priceline Express Deals. We reviewed this new on-site hotel and gave it generally favorable marks.
The one big thing it lacks as compared to other luxury resorts near Walt Disney World (including other Bonnet Creek properties) is a sprawling pool and lazy river. While the JW Marriott is perfectly family-friendly, it’s not catering to kids like some of the other hotels in the area.
There are usually also scattered options at Disney Springs. We don’t do extensive research into these, but the usual suspects are as follows: B Resort & Spa (soon to become Marriott Renaissance), DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando, Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, etc. We have Hotel Rankings for the Disney Springs Resort Area if you need further resources to help you choose one of those properties.
We’ve also seen availability at Flamingo Crossing, which is about a 10-minute drive from Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom. These hotels are pretty attractive because they’re all brand-new.
Keep in mind that Priceline Express Deals inventory changes frequently, meaning you might find hotels we didn’t list if you search later today or next week, and you might not see what we’ve found. We’ll keep you posted as we continue to scour Priceline for new Express Deals! For now, here’s everything else you need to know about booking these discounted rooms…
How to Book Priceline & Hotwire Deals at WDW
For starters, Hotwire and Priceline Express Deals really can amount to substantial savings at Walt Disney World–that’s not just marketing fluff. Priceline advertises the service as offering savings of “up to 60% off” but we’ve saved more than that on Deluxe Resorts (and, to be fair, significantly less than that on others).
In fact, for a few weeks around our stay at the Poly, during which we received a free upgrade to the King Kamehameha Club Level, the Polynesian was under $300/night via Priceline Express Deals…and the rack rate ‘value’ of our room was over $800/night. Obviously, that’s an extreme example with tremendous luck involved, but even “just” 60% off is not uncommon.
With the reward of substantial savings comes risk. Priceline Express Deals is a “semi-opaque” booking site, meaning certain details and amenities are revealed in advance, but not the hotel name. Fortunately, those details narrow things down considerably, to the point that internet sleuths have made the process pretty predictable for anyone willing to do their homework.
Of course, there still are no guarantees. You’re locked in to a non-refundable hotel before knowing the exact property for sure. That means there is some risk and uncertainty inherent to the process. It’s certainly not for everyone. Another drawback is that these deals are mostly last-minute. Walt Disney World hotels are typically added to Hotwire or Priceline’s Express Deals around 1-2 months prior to travel dates, sometimes a bit longer.
Finally and along those lines, Priceline Express Deals are offered to fill unsold rooms. If you’re trying to book a Christmas stay, you’re unlikely to have success. You’ll have a tough time finding good rates for multi-night stays during peak tourist seasons; the best options tend to be short, weeknight stays in the off-season.
It should also be noted that the ‘hacks’ for revealing hotels are constantly in flux. Internet deal spotters have been great in helping to uncover which hotel corresponds with which amenity sets and descriptions. Unfortunately, Priceline (and other bulk wholesaler sites) are always one step behind, meaning that successful strategy for uncovering a deal might work one day and stop working the next.
The best options for narrowing hotel choices yourself is deselecting each “Neighborhood” except “Walt Disney World – Bonnet Creek” and “Walt Disney World – Disney Springs.” Every official Walt Disney World resort is located within those areas on the Priceline map.
Additionally, Walt Disney World hotels will have an amenity set of only Free Internet Access, Restaurant, and Swimming Pool. To my knowledge, this amenity set is a recent change (and inaccurate as compared to what WDW resorts actually offer).
In terms of star rating, Values are 3-star, Moderates are 3.5-star, and Deluxes are usually 4 or 4.5-star.
The big bummer is Priceline’s removal of the one-line descriptions, such as “enjoy jazzy evening entertainment at this well-designed resort” for Port Orleans French Quarter. These were the decisive ‘clue’ in determining which hotel you were booking. With the description, accuracy was 100%. The Hotel Canary extension no longer works, which is another big blow.
Now, you’ll need to do a bit more legwork to match hotels on your own. Consequently, the confidence rate is far lower. You’ll want to match up the following:
- Number of reviews (rounded up or down)
- Guest ratings (rounded off)
- Rack rates (the pre-discount price vs. discount price, also rounded off)
- Other clues in conjunction with the amenity set and location.
Basically, this means comparing the normal Priceline listing for a particular hotel with the listing. If you aren’t comfortable doing this on your own, resources like BetterBidding.com can help–but even then, know that you’ll be rolling the dice a bit.
Here are some observations I’ve noticed while searching. First, Moderate Resorts are pretty common, but Coronado Springs is the most prevalent, especially outside of peak convention season. While prices fluctuate highly based upon season and occupancy rates, I’d say a “good” rate for a Moderate is $150/night or less.
Second, the Deluxe Resort you’ll see most frequently is Animal Kingdom Lodge, with rates in the neighborhood of $200 to $300. Other Deluxe Resorts have appeared on Priceline Express Deals. I’ve seen almost every single one, including the Polynesian and Grand Floridian. I’d say Yacht Club–another convention hotel–is probably the most common after Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Finally, Value Resorts also have appeared on Priceline Express Deals with some degree of regularity, with common options including the Little Mermaid Rooms at Art of Animation and All Star Sports (Movies and Music have been less common). Of all resorts, the All Stars appear most commonly, and we’ve seen them for prices as low as the mid-$60 per night range. However, that was also several years ago–and prices have shot up since then!
Overall, Priceline Express Deals is a great option for saving a lot of money on Walt Disney World hotels, but it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. It’s no longer the ‘sure thing’ that it once was, but with a bit of legwork, you can narrow down the possibilities and still have a high degree of certainty before booking.
If you’re willing to gamble and don’t mind the possibility of getting a third party hotel like the Dolphin or Wyndham Bonnet Creek (both great options that are on par with Walt Disney World Deluxes), we’d highly recommend using Priceline Express Deals for savings that are far superior to room-only discounts directly from Disney.
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
Have you tried any of these hacks or tools to book on Priceline Express Deals? Any other strategies you use? If you’ve used it, what’s the best rate you’ve scored? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? If you’ve yet to book, 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 am a little confused by the amenities. Every hotel I have found all have LOTS of amenities listed, not just three. Does this mean I am not seeing any Disney listings?
Correct. I’m not an expert on this, but I’ve tried to figure it out. My understanding of Tom’s info is no-they are not Disney properties when there’s a list of amenities. I’ve read much of the info on this & I believe the Disney properties are only the ones with very few amenities listed, AND no resort fee. Keep up with posts on this & Tom’s newsletter, as they will tell us when ones are being found. It’s actually been in the past week I’ve seen posts about it, for the upcoming early Summer months. Good luck!!
Hi! Is anyone able to provide an update on the “amenity set” referenced above? Are WDW hotels still listed with only the amenities of “free internet access, restaurant, and swimming pool”? What about review pages that say something like: “Hotel Polices: Kids Stay Free (all kids under 18 stay free of charge when using existing beds)”…does that help to exclude non-WDW hotels? Finally, have you noticed that some review pages give you hints that your hotel will be one of three/four DS area hotels (B, Hilton, Holiday Inn, etc.)?
It depends! I booked AK lodge for April and it also had fitness center & sauna listed. My biggest giveaway for whether it’s a non Disney resort is when you go to the book page, there are additional mandatory fees listed as a separate line item if it’s non Disney. Using that as a filter, I’ve been able to weed out everything that isn’t Disney.
Yes, true about the resort fees indicate it’s not a Dis property, but beware it doesn’t work the same in reverse! What I mean is: I took a chance booking one in Disney Springs that didn’t show a resort fee, & I was really disappointed I got the B Resort! And to add insult to injury, the B DOES actually charge a RF when u pay at the resort! I got the Wyndham Garden too that way!
The times I did get Disney resorts was when there was only those 3 amenities shown, plus no resort fee. I didn’t use Canary, either. Good luck!
Similar question: using the canary extension I’m getting Dolphin as the hotel it identifies, but on the booking screen it also says “someone recently got the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creeek”. We want Dolphin and would be upset with Wyndham.
I have often found those to be inaccurate. Cross reference the number of reviews and the stars and location with the Wyndham listing on regular Priceline, to rule it out! And make sure that the Dolphin matches
I’ve tried many different dates And each hotel that shows availability in a price once clicked on says we’re sorry this hotel is no longer available. Anyone else getting this?
I got this a while ago when I was trying to book and it was showing this error for 2 days straight. I then complained to Priceline customer service via chat and within an hour it was fixed. Not sure if it was coincidence or whether my complaint did something but it’s worth a shot! Good luck!
“The simple explanation for our optimism is that Summer 2019 resort bookings remain somewhat soft, even after Walt Disney World has released a litany of discounts. ”
I just received my first-ever PIN code from WDW! And it’s valid for only summer dates, so I woudl support your theory of soft summer booking. that said, with PIN code the price is ~$150ish for Pop Century so those Priceline deals look pretty good.
Hi,
I’m sure this has been answered somewhere, so apologies if this is a double up.
If I book through a 3rd party, can I then link the booking back through the Disney app and still get a Magic Band / Dining plan etc, or does booking through a 3rd party mean those options are no longer available to me?
I just got Easter weekend at Coronado for $130 per night. Pretty pleased with that so thanks for the tips!
Just wondering if you used the Canary extension. If so, what hotels were listed? I see a listing for $130 for 4/22-4/25 and I’m wondering if we would end up with Coronado, as well.
Yes I did – it gave a list of 3 hotels and I assumed that as it didn’t mention fitness centre and there weren’t any additional mandatory fees then it was the Disney one. I was right about the hotel, but wrong about the fitness centre as there is one.
Hope that helps, good luck!
Is anybody able to pull up any Disney hotels for any dates? I’ve tried a large range of dates and haven’t been able to see any hotels matching the description from this post.
I have tried, but not found anything. Every article and post I saw was late summer, early fall 2018.
I am going to check back in 5 to 6 months. : )
I booked in October and the next day all the Disney resorts for summer and fall were gone.
I’ve been checking lately & haven’t found anything. The last time I got something was in January for late January, when I got CB for like $137. I’d like to know if/when anyone finds something, because I like to go often!
Back in November I got Grand Floridian for about $260/night. Our reservations are this weekend. Thank you for this post!
I just had two people including myself so it was easy! I know there were other comments on here on how you have to call Disney Wholesale to add more people to your party.
We booked 2 weeks ago and got Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo House Villas for $230 a night for April 12-15th – they were listed for $483 on the regular Disney website. Thanks for the walkthrough to find these amazing deals!
Good to know! That’s our Spring Break! How many ppl did you put in? Thanks!
Are there any clues to which hotels are animal kingdom?
Is there a list of which ones are under Disney Springs area and which ones are under Bonnet Creek…? Trying to narrow down what possibilities I’m seeing 😉
This is a super helpful article thanks for all the time you put into it!
Invaluable article. I’ve used the tips twice now, without Canary. I scored All-Star Sports Dec.19-21 (week before Christmas, when I couldn’t find hardly anything through Disney) for $73/nt, which was half-price (booked it 3 wks prior) & now Caribbean Beach Jan. 14th-15th for $111 (9 days in advance). CB actually shows available on Disney’s site for $154, so that’s not a huge discount but it sure helps. One of the best indicators for me is there’s no resort fee, on the booking page. It’s fun trying to figure it out! I really want to and will try to score a Deluxe for some date in the near future, since I like to go often. This works great for me! Thank you SO much for all your dilligent, hard work on getting us that info, Tom!!!
How can you tell which resorts they are?
Booked 1/12-1/19 through priceline express deals at 150 night each room 2 rooms and got AKL. Was a bit nervous, took a huge risk. But Happy with result. However when I went to MDE it only let me put 2 adults in each room, because that is what priceline guarantees. I have 2 kids with no rooms and possibly no magic bands. Called Disney, told me they could not change to call priceline. They said they would try to add 1 kid to each room by calling resort but could not guarantee it. The worse I could see is that I may have to buy them magic bands and they will not be able to charge or open doors. Also dont think they can take Magical express. For the $ saved I believe I am ok with that.
When I booked a room recently for AKL, it also showed just for 2 adults. I had no trouble adding our kid on to the reservation, so I could add her to all of the MDE stuff (fastpasses, magicband, etc.) What I did was just go to the priceline website, and opened up a chat window with Priceline. They were very helpful, reached right out to the wholesale number and got back to me in a few minutes with a child added to the reservation. I was then able to add her to the MDE stuff. Maybe it is hit or miss on who you get when you contact Priceline, and how much they are willing to help. I believe the phone number to the Disney Wholesale line is also somewhere in the comments, which you could try calling directly and hopefully get the kids added. I hope it all works out.
Call the Disney wholesale number, 1-407-939-7671. They will add your children on with no issues 🙂
Ok, I can’t figure out why my chrome extension isn’t working. I downloaded it, but it doesn’t do anything when I pull up the deals!
Did you go all the way to the “Book” screen as Tom illustrated above? You have to be on the screen with total price breakdown, your payment info, and “Confirm Your Reservation” at the bottom. None of that needs to be filled in. Clicking on the Canary (desk bell) icon will bring up “Looking for hotels…wait a few seconds.” If Canary can find some possibilities, they will show. If it cannot, you’ll get a message to that effect.
I didn’t use express deals, but was able to get Caribbean beach for $112/ night through priceline! It took quite a bit of booking/unbooking. I then had to contact the help center to ver them to add my husband/ 3 kids on to the booking. Kind of a pain, but it could have been worse!
I found All Star Sports for 1/21-1/25 for $46 a night. For those considering this, Hotel Canary brought up Pop Century and Art of Animation as possibilities. The Hotel Canary extension seems to lump the all star resorts (Value) together, which makes sense given the very close wording in the listing description/amenities.
Same. I got All Star Sports for $63/night for 1/25 – 1/27 and Hotel Canary just bought up Pop and AoA as the possibilities. Still a great deal though for a short weekend trip.
Is there a way to book a room for 5 people? I can’t seem to figure that part out. I need a one night stay for 5 of us.
Thanks for any help!
Not initially through Priceline. Everything is guaranteed for only 2 people. If you book a refundable room, you can see if you can add your kids after you get a confirmation number. If you can’t add them, you can always cancel right after. If you book an express deal, you could just get a room for 2 people with a king bed and be stuck. There’s no way to determine your room before you book an express deal. It is very risky if you need a room to accommodate more than 2 people.
Thanks for these tips Tom! I got what basically equated to a one bedroom villa @ the Wyndham Bonnet Creek for $70 bucks a night before fees. Not a Disney resort but basically what I would have paid for an off property room at a not nearly as nice hotel.
Dang! I was hoping it was something just wrong with mine..sad to see that nobody is having luck anymore! 🙁 I waited too long!! Shoot!
Wow, I’m happy I went ahead and booked when I did. I was able to get AK at $158 for Feb 8th, booked on 12/10. Had a feeling it would be AK by reading the comments here, and the browser extension was amazing.
I think Priceline figured out that people were on to them. All of the Disney express hotels last night were showing “sold out, you missed this deal”, no matter what date I put in last night. Today, they are totally gone, the only hotels in Bonnet Creek and Disney Springs have all amenities showing and their ratings are 70% no matter what dates I put in.
I’m having trouble. I was able to view WDW inventory yesterday 12/10, that spanned from January to April, but rather precipitously the inventory started to disappear. If it did appear in the first Priceline screen, when you clicked on it, the next page would say it wasn’t available, even though you could search it again, with the same result. Now I can’t find even a single day that works. Is the inventory just no longer available, or has the booking site adjusted something (like the listed amenities, or?). If anyone else has encountered this and found a workaround, I’d love to hear it!
Yes, I was looking yesterday and finding a bunch and now it’s all gone.
I agree! All of the Express Deals for the Disney resorts have vanished.
I agree! I am kicking myself for not booking on Sunday, when I was fairly certain I had AKL. Totally bummed I missed it.
If it makes you feel better, booking with Priceline can be a big headache. Every step has been more complicated than it needs to be, and I’m certain if I have any issues Priceline will be very slow to help. Definitely a good deal but not without trade offs!