How To Get Discounted Disney World Room Rates

Everyone wants to save a little money, right? Find out how to get discounted Disney World room rates to save money on your next Disney vacation!

To best understand how to save money at Disney World, it’s important to know how the pricing works throughout the year. WDW goes through a series of “seasons” throughout each calendar year, and each season determines the rates of the hotel rooms. The seasons are the Value Season, Regular Season, Summer Season, Fall Season, and Holiday Season.

When staying at a Disney hotel, each night of your stay will be individually priced, and it will be determined by what season that night falls under. For example, if you are staying at Disney’s Port Orleans on a Saturday through Wednesday, you will be charged for the Saturday night rate, the Sunday night rate, the Monday night rate, etc. These room rates are referred to as “rack rates” in the industry, and are determined by basic supply and demand. Keep in mind that if you stay during the regular or peak seasons, your rate will be higher than if you stay during the value season.

So we’ve determined that the seasons dictate price. Now let’s take a look at what and when the seasons actually are.

Value Season runs from January 1 to February 11 after the lull of the holidays. This is when room rates are at their cheapest. Demand is lower at this time of year since people don’t typically take vacations.

*Note the runDisney marathon events take place in January, so the parks are not as quiet as they once were. Marathon weekends have their own “seasonal” rates, however, Jan-Feb is still considered the slowest time of year.

Regular Season is from February 12 to the end of April, though it excludes Easter weekend. *Note that any holiday weekend will see an influx in guest traffic, so rates will go up. The holidays during this season are President’s Day, MLK Day, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.

Summer Season or Peak Season is from May to September. It’s pretty apparent that this is busiest time of year when most families are on vacation since kids are out of school. These months always see the highest crowds, and rates are at their peak.

Fall Season is from October to the third week of November (right before Thanksgiving). While it’s not peak season, this season also sees particularly high guest counts, especially with the addition of the Halloween parties. You will definitely find some lower crowd days and rates, particularly on weekdays, but expect to find high volume weekends. This is not a bad time to book a vacation (and the weather’s great, too!).

Holiday Season runs from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. This season is second only to the summer when it comes to crowds. While it’s amazing to experience Disney World during the holiday times, it will be crowded, and the high supply means rates will be high, too. My recommendation is to visit during this year one time to experience it, then go during the value seasons (if you can) for any following trips.

*Note: While summer is the busiest all around season, Christmas Day is the busiest day of the year to visit the parks

*TIP: When booking, you can check the official Disney website for rates, or check out this awesome breakdown of the 2016 rack rates.

To close, I want to say that although it’s nice to go during slower and cheaper times of year, it’s equally as important to take your vacation when you can. Many people need to account for vacation time, availability, school schedules, and many other factors that go into scheduling your vacation. It’s great to keep the Disney seasons in mind when planning your trip, but go when it’s best for you and your family.

When is your favorite season to visit Walt Disney World? Let me know in the comments below! If you’re planning a Disney vacation soon, be sure to download my totally customizable, FREE Vacation Planner! For more Disney in your day, follow @everafterreport on Instagram.

 

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