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!
Tom,
We will be staying offsite for 9 days mid September. I’m thinking about booking a one night stay via a Priceline Express Deal for the sole reason of getting to book the free dining Bounceback offer. If I end up with a partner hotel, will I still be able to book the bounce back offer?
If not, do you have a tip to help me ensure I book a Disney hotel?
Just scored AllStar sports for $71 on Priceline for Aug 13th. Hotel Canary was pretty accurate as well. Only is is adding the 2 kids! Priceline says call Disney & Disney says to call Priceline! I’m a bit confused…..
Sorry typo…
only ‘problem’ is adding the 2 kids
You have to call a specific Disney number. 407-939-7765 is the number for Disney wholesale. They will be able to help you. Have the name you booked under and the confirmation number Pirceline provided you when you call. They’ll be able to update and add others to your room.
I tried the Priceline express without success. Instead of $70/night for the all star sports, the best I found was &126/night after many attempts.
Depends on when you plan to go, there’s better luck if you’re able to be flexible. I’ve gotten deals at AOA the little mermaid room for 97/night, all star ( movie & sports) for 60/night & wilderness lodge in April for around 230/night. I always check Disney’s website too.
I just booked All star Movies at $70/nt for August 20-27.
Forgot to mention that our $70/nt ASMovies room was a Preferred room. Plus the $70 rate included all the taxes and fees. SUCH A GREAT DEAL! Lesson learned. I will continue to book through Disney in advance and then keep checking Priceline for last minute deals to switch into.
If you book through Priceline and it’s not the hotel you really wanted can you cancel with no penalties and try again??
No, bookings with Priceline Express are 100% non-refundable.
I successfully cancelled a priceline express deal for POP Century a few weeks ago. What I had to do was call Disney wholesale and they said to have priceline call them to know it was ok with Disney to cancel. It worked. I did the cancelation soon after I booked it. I would not count on this as a strategy though. Priceline might offer insurance so that if you get sick or the weather messes up your plans, you may get out of it that way too, but you’d have to have really good documentation I would think.
What dates did you originally have for Pop?
Just switched from Pop to ASMo and saved $285 over 5 nights.
I’ve seen those prices recently for August too (well, not Coronado), though the Swolphin has been coming and going. With no Gondola, debating whether I want to move from Pop to All Stars for the savings (I like the refurb rooms at Pop).
It’s worth noting with those Swolphin prices that those do not include the mandatory resort fee.
As an update – I kept checking and Dolphin popped us for ~$5/night less than Pop Century (even after the resort fee is applied). No Magical Express, but that’s a worthwhile switch.
You mentioned October is the new high season months for WDW. When and why did this change happen? I’m traveling October 21-26, avoiding holiday weeks. Now I’m considering changing my travel dates as high crowds are what I want to avoid..
Priorities: lower crowds, weather that’s not horribly hot/humid.
Would appreciate your input!
Thanks,
Jackie
Tom’s answered this in other articles, but a combination of more schools having fall breaks, more homeschoolers, more people willing to pull kids from school all lead to more families with time to go in October. The temperatures start to dip, you have the food and wine festival, plus Halloween activities – it makes October a very nice time at WDW.
Super excited! We were already booked for 2 nights at All Star Music Thursday 8/17 – Saturday 8/19. We get into MCO AT 10pm Thursday and then are staying DVC starting Saturday so I just needed a place to sleep. We booked ASMusic with a passholder discount for $304 total. Just did the Priceline Express for a 3 star in Bonnet Creek with 8+ and 200+ and got ASMovies! Also went through Ebates to get 7% back and used the $20 promo…ended up getting the 2 nights for $172.98 TOTAL. Wish I could upload a screenshot! Thanks so much!!!
Plus, ASMovies doesn’t have a king room option so I know our family of 4 won’t have any trouble.
Called the wholesale # at 407-939-7765 and was easily able to add my two children. The worker also gave me my Disney confirmation number so I could add the reservation into My Disney Experience app. When I did this it showed me it is a PREFERRED ROOM! This has been so exciting!!!
I was so excited about this deal that I told a friend who is going Jan 26-31 but NO DISNEY rooms are available on Priceline for those dates…none. Strange.
Kelly, this is probably too early to book for Jan. They don’t usually release Disney rooms for the express deals until the last minute, like less than 60 days before. Keep checking as your dates approach.
I’m assuming you still get all the onsite benefits just like if you booked through Disney?
Hello, I’m new to this but what does 8+ and 200+ mean?
Thanks!
The 8+ means the rating reviewers have given to the hotel. 200 is the amount of reviewers from the source (different sources show different amounts of reviewers for the same site). However, if you see matching numbers between a transparent deal and and Express deal, that;s a good clue to the hidden hotel.
Hi, where were you able to find the promo deal? Thanks!!
This past weekend Priceline ran a $20 off promo code when you booked a 2 night or longer hotel stay.
I just found the Grand Floridian $500 cheaper than on the Disney site for seven nights. It wasn’t even an express deal..
Hi, may I ask where you found the deal on the Grand Floridian? Thanks!
Where do I find Priceline ?
Has anyone ever used Priceline to book Disneyland Resort hotels? The prices there are going through the roof!
I haven’t seen them, but have seen some good prices on the good neighbours. The Great Wolf lodge was 60% off there as well.
We just booked a one-night stay through Priceline Express for August 16th and landed Coronado Springs! I found a coupon online for 10% off if you sign up for their emails; after taxes, we paid $150.87. Thanks, Tom!
Also, this was for a preferred room (I’m assuming it is not the tower).
If you book a Disney hotel through Priceline can you still add Magical Express and/or the Disney Dining Plan? I’m most interested in Magical Express but figured I’d as about the dining plan just in case.
Thanks!
You can add the Magical Express, but you can not add the dining plan.
Thanks!
There used to be forums like Bidding for Travel and Better Bidding that were quite accurate. From what I can gather, both are gone now or aren’t updated? Since Hotel Canary is glitchy, are there any forums that are still reliable?
There’s a great thread on the disboards which is really helpful!
I have checked through all the deals and b/c I am going Oct 5 and staying at All Star Movies none seem to apply. I have seen some for all the other All Stars no Movies. Does anyone know if Movie Reno is complete or when it will be?
Just booked two rooms at Port Orleans French Quarter for July 25-28 for $100 a night saving us 55%! Originally we had one suite at Art of Animation booked directly through Disney but I’m saving $400 doing TWO rooms at Port Orleans instead. Thanks for the guide, Tom!
What were the amenities that made you certain you were likely booking a wdw hotel?
Thanks for the tips!! I just booked 4 nights at Port Orleans French Quarter for $101/night.
What dates did you book? Thanks!
If I have two children that will stay with us, but the resort on the first booking page does not say two children stay free, will kids still be allowed to stay for free? That is the one part that confuses me. I am looking at a 3-star in the Bonnet Creek neighborhood, and it only lists the pool and Internet amenities, so I am thinking it is a WDW value resort, but it says nothing about kids stay free like many of the other listings do. Thoughts?
When I booked this past year, none of the Express Deals that were Disney said anything about kids staying free. If you book an Express Deal and you get assigned a room which only has a king bed, your kids will NOT be allowed to stay with you and you will have to book another room. I remember that happened to at least one person on this blog. Express Deals are risky if you are trying to book a room for more than two people. I have booked an Express Deal and it worked out that I was able to add my kids because my rooms could accommodate additional guests. But again, you are taking a chance when you book an Express Deal if you need a room for more than 2 guests. There are no guarantees with an Express Deal that you will be able to add your kids. In fact, you will not be allowed to add them if they assign you a room with just a king bed. See what the WDW value resort that you think that you are looking at has available if you did a regular booking for that time frame. If the regular booking does not show any room choice for just 1 king bed, but shows that the room can accommodate four guests, then you can increase your odds that you will get a room that can accommodate your kids. However, Priceline has told me before that they don’t necessarily show all availability with a regular booking so that it not a guarantee that you still won’t get stuck with a room with only one king bed. Good luck!
Hey everyone,
I’m curious if the “airport shuttle” giveaway that the hotel is a wdw resort no longer works.
I saw a 5 -star that was likely the Waldorf (under $200) but it included the shuttle amenity.
I just got all star sports for Memorial Day week for $67/nt! Yay! Thanks Tom! Priceline feels like a game changer for me now
I just scored AoA for $126 ($100 before taxes) for Father’s Day weekend! So pumped!
If you book through a 3rd party you can add it to MDE and get Magical Express and customize magic bands but you can not add a dining plan. You will have to also buy your tickets elsewhere. Virtually it is a room only. I’ve done it twice. The room through Priceline was so cheap that it was ok that we paid all of our dining out of pocket.
Paying for dining out of pocket is always cheaper.
Not with 5 people!
I assume you have to call Disney with a reservation # to do this? This is an interesting idea.