If you’re like us, you love a good deal and Disney is always a great value, in our opinion! We know that everyone wants the best price for their vacation, so we’re helping you untangle Disney discounts so you can best understand how they work to make sure you’re getting the most Disney magic for your buck!
Happy listening!
Disney will occasionally offer promotions and discounts during slow seasons in order to boost attendance and fill resort rooms. There are a few things to know about these promotions to help understand how the discounts work.
Discounts are not “stackable” this means that you cannot get more than one discount, so if Disney is offering a room only or free dining you cannot get both. You will want to compare the discounts in order to figure out which will be a better value for your vacation.
Promotions are generally offered during the slow seasons, this means holidays, spring break and summer are not going to be discounted much, if at all.
Thanks to Disney Travel Professionals for the photo.
Discounts are not guaranteed! There are many, many times when the rooms will sell out, or they don’t apply for your dates of travel, or for the resort you have booked. Room categories or entire resorts will be excluded as well. Travel agents have no way to guarantee a discount or promotion until it is offered from Disney and a deposit is paid on the booking. You will need to act fast in order to secure a discount when it is offered.
So what types of promotions does Disney offer? Room only discounts are fairly common with Disney. The amount varies by resort, Values are usually 15%, with Deluxe Villas up to 35%. Kid sized offers mean that the price of some of the package components will be the same as the children’s price. Extra day of tickets, this is usually a minimum of 4 days with an added 5th day free. Free dining, at Value resorts they offer the quick service dining package for free, and Moderates and Deluxes get the Disney Dining Plan for free. There is usually a minimum amount of nights and days for park tickets that you will need to book in order to qualify for these discounts.
Photo via Disney.com
PIN codes are another very common form of discounts that Disney offers. It is unknown how to get on the right mailing list to get these but the best advice I can offer is to make sure you are signed up on the Disney.com website to receive offers and these will at times be sent via email. The catch? If the PIN code is in your name you have to be the lead guest on the reservation.
Thanks to Disney Travel Professionals for the photo.
Bounce back offers, this promotion is probably less well known but can be a very good deal. A bounce back offer is a booking that you will make while at Disney for a future date. The offer changes every so often and must be booked before you leave Walt Disney World. If there is no information in your resort room about the current offer just dial extension 8844 and you will be connected to guest services. Also if you like to use your favorite Disney Travel Planner (ahem) you can just list them with your reservation agent or transfer the booking within 30 days.
Having an Annual Pass to Walt Disney World can also get you a resort discount. Be sure that your AP is still valid and make the reservation in your name.
Disney Visa cardholders are also eligible for discounts on occasion. In the past these have been released prior to the release of general public sales. You must have the Disney Visa card in order to apply these discounts.
Military Discounts are also available for active and retired military personnel with a valid identification card. You can purchase discount tickets at the Shades of Green resort located near the Polynesian Village Resort.
Florida Resident are also offered discounts on tickets and resorts with a valid Florida issued ID.
No matter what discount you are looking at there are always ways to save money on your Walt Disney World vacation, if you take the time to plan it correctly and do a little bit of homework! Of course you can always leave this to a trained professional who can help with the ins and outs of getting the most bang for your buck.
You have maybe heard about the Disney Visa before, particularly when promotions are released. On occasion Disney Visa cardholder have been granted early access to these discounts for booking a Walt Disney World vacation.
So what do you get with your Disney Visa? How much does it cost?
There are two types of Disney Visa cards a free one and the Premier which is an annual fee applied directly to your card of $49.
One of the perks of having either card is the 10% off any purchase of $50 or more at Disney stores and Disneystore.com. Which as we know doesn’t take long to get past that $50 price tag.
A 10% discount is also available at dining locations in Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort.
Points can also be earned on purchases made with the Disney Visa. These points can then be turned into a Disney Visa Rewards redemption card. You can earn up to 2% in rewards dollars at gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and Disney locations. Also you can earn 1% everywhere else. These points can be used for booking Disney vacations, spending at Disney parks, and Disney stores. You earn points after you have paid on the card. The points never expire but your card can be inactive so be sure to check on this before leaving home and making purchases.
Disney Vacation discounts are also available at times with this card. It will be similar to the discounts and promotions that Disney offers to the general public such as a room only discounts or dining promotions. On occasion these promotions are offered prior to general public sales allowing the cardholders a couple of days head start.
Discounts on tours are another great perk. You can save 15%! At Disneyland you can try out Welcome to Disneyland, A Walk in Walt’s Disneyland Footsteps, Discover the Magic, Cultivating the Magic and Disney California Story. At Walt Disney World you can try out: Disney’s Family Magic, Keys the Kingdom, The Magic Behind our Steam Trains, Walt Disney: Marceline to Magic Kingdom, Gardens of the World, Undiscovered Future World, Behind the Seeds, DiveQuest, Seas Aqua Tour, Backstage Tales, Ultimate Day of Thrills VIP, Day for Young Families VIP, Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Backstage Magic, Holiday D-Lights, Yuletide Fantasy, Wilderness Back Trail Adventure.
In Disneyland and Walt Disney World you can present your card for a private meet and greet with Disney characters. At Walt Disney World it is located in Epcot, Innoventions West daily from 1-7pm. You will receive downloads of the pictures onto your MagicBand. In Disneyland Resort go to Disney’s California Adventure Park next to Monster’s Inc. Mike and Sully to the rescue, daily from 10:30am-1:30pm. Downloads are also available here.
For Food and Wine at Epcot there is the Chase Visa lounge with free soft drinks, water and a place to have a break and charge your phone.
10% off select recreation experiences at Walt Disney World are available such as carriage rides or horseback trail rides.
For those that want pampering there is a 15% discount for salon treatments valued at $45 or greater or any 50 minutes or longer spa treatments at Walt Disney World.
For Disney Cruise Line you can get at $50 onboard credit when you pay for your Disney Cruise Line vacation in full with your Disney Visa card.
You can also check out the full printable guide here https://disneydebit.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2014/07/9392_WDW_Debit_ThemeParkPerks_PocketGuide_02.pdf
If you are like me, you probably learned a little bit about a card you already hold! I didn’t know about many of these discounts, which means my Disney Visa may get a workout next time I am at Disney, for the perks of course!
Disney Cruise Line has a great new policy for booking onboard for a return cruise! You can make a $200 deposit per stateroom as a placeholder towards a future cruise. This allows you to book deposit and lock in the savings without choosing a specific cruise for the future.
This is a great option for the returning cruiser who is unsure of school or work schedules to be able to take advantage of the savings without worrying about choosing the dates or itinerary.
You will receive a confirmation number which can be used by yourself or a travel agent to modify the placeholder into a full booking.
This savings is 10% off the next sailing and reduced deposits on sailings 7 nights or longer. As well as up to $200 onboard credit per stateroom. It is limited to 2 staterooms so if you think you might want to return with others you can book two rooms at the discount and cancel one at a later date if you need.
If you think you might return it is always good to lock in that discount while onboard!
As always if you are interested in a Disney Cruise let us know at DoleWhipped@gmail.com
Dole Whipped 