Looking for the best discounts for Walt Disney World? This post offers money-saving details & dates on special offers for the general public, Disney+ subscribers, Annual Passholders, Visa cardholders, and Florida residents. It covers deals on resorts, theme park tickets, dining & more. (Updated August 2, 2024.)
We won’t bury the lede. The most popular special offer of the year has returned once again: Free Dining at Walt Disney World in 2024. This is the second wave of the promo and is exclusively for Disney Visa cardholders, following the first wave for Disney+ subscribers. It runs from now through December 2024. It’s possible there will be a third wave for the general public, or another targeted offer for off-season dates missed by the first two waves.
Regardless, it’s already been a very good year for discounts now that ‘revenge travel’ is finished and Walt Disney World needs to incentivize tourists to return with better deals! Speaking of which, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter for instant alerts when new discounts are released. We’ve consistently notified newsletter subscribers on the days that deals go live early in the morning, which is often a significant head start before Disney makes an official announcement. That can make a huge difference when booking–you’ll have better availability and won’t have to wait in a virtual queue or for hours on hold.
While Walt Disney World has gotten more aggressive with discounts in 2024, they’ve also become more strategic about ending them. It used to be the case that special offers were bookable until the immediately before the travel period started or ended. On some rare occasions, the timeframe was condensed, so you had until a certain date to book–but that was communicated in the deal terms.
However, that’s becoming less and less common. Instead of specifying an end date, many discounts simply state “Now Booking” and are open ended. Here’s what that looks like on the Disneyworld.com deal page:
This used to say “Book through: [date]” and is still formatted that way. “Book through: Now Booking” doesn’t exactly make sense, does it?
Anyway, the reason we’re mentioning this is because several special offers have been pulled early (by historical standards). This has caught many longtime Walt Disney World vacation planners by surprise, as they assumed they had longer to make a reservation, but instead, the deal vanished. In fact, several special offers with upcoming travel dates have vanished, and some have since been replaced with similar-but-inferior savings for the exact same dates.
We just wanted to give you a heads up about this practice, as Walt Disney World is doing it more and more. From our perspective, this actually isn’t the worst thing. Disney has also gotten very aggressive with deals, both the percentage savings and the eligible dates. For example, there were great deals that included the heart of Spring Break season–dates that would’ve been blocked out in the past.
The alternative is doing more targeted discounts that aren’t available to everyone or keeping the deal open, but having minimal availability. The current approach is understandably frustrating to those who thought they had more time, but those approaches would be even more frustrating (and time-wasting). For this and other reasons, we always advise booking early. You can always cancel later–but you cannot book a deal once it’s pulled or resort/room availability runs out!
In more positive news, Walt Disney World continues to release more and more special offers, putting the ‘discount drought’ of 2021-2022 further into the rearview mirror. Walt Disney World released nearly 20 different discounts over the course of last year, and although 2024 is young, it’s already ahead of trend. Most of these discounts have dropped earlier than normal by historical standards, and offer better savings than their counterparts from the last two years.
If weak discounting and late releases were a sign that pent-up demand had still been running strong, all of this is a sign that the opposite is no longer be true as of 2024. This suggests a corner is being turned and visitors are no longer going on spending sprees to make up for lost time.
Accordingly, there are better Walt Disney World discounts throughout 2024 than there have been at any point in the last 4 years, and we’re increasingly seeing Walt Disney World pull from the “2019 playbook” for special offers. Pent-up demand has fizzled out, and Walt Disney World is now experiencing its own slowdown. This is also now starting to be evident in crowd levels, and Walt Disney World is acting quickly to entice people to continue coming to the parks.
If you’re thinking about booking one of the many discounts that’s currently available for Walt Disney World, we cannot overemphasize the importance of pricing out multiple options. Don’t just look at the marketing and assume one special offer is best for you based upon its headline savings.
This has always been the case with Disney discounts, but it’s even truer than normal right now–and even with apples to apples comparisons. For example, we’ve found instances of “up to 30% off” room rates actually resulting in lower savings than “up to 25% off” room rates.
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 (they’re paid by Walt Disney World–so free to you!).
Their travel agents will do the math for you, booking your vacation with the best-available special offer, and monitoring your package for future discounts that can be applied retroactively. Beyond that, they help take the stress out of planning and will assist with itineraries, dining reservations, and much more.
With that out of the way, here’s a rundown of what is available for the Annual Passholders, Floridians, active or retired US military personnel, Disney+ subscribers, and everyone else. We’ll start with a look at the newest ticket deals, followed by resort savings for the general public, followed by Florida resident and Annual Passholder rates:
Multi-Day ‘Magic’ Walt Disney World Ticket – The discounted 4-Park Magic Ticket includes one admission to each of the 4 theme parks on 4 separate days. Additionally, the 4-Park Magic Ticket does not require a theme park reservation to enter the Walt Disney World theme parks, but it is a date-based ticket with prices starting at $99 per day. The 4-Park Magic Ticket is valid for theme park admission now until September 22, 2024.
Florida Resident Ticket Deal at Disney World for 2024 – This discounted 3-Day or 4-Day Discover Disney Ticket costs just $59 per day and is valid for Florida residents from now through September 28, 2024. Unlike the 4-Park Magic Ticket above, this one does require reservations. However, it’s a significantly deeper discount!
Stay Longer & Save Up to 30% Off at Walt Disney World Resorts – The good news is that, since shortening the above deal, Walt Disney World has released a new discount…for the exact same dates as it previously covered. The bad news is that it offers 5% off less than before.
Now you can save up to 30% on rooms at select Walt Disney World resort hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer—or save up to 25% on shorter stays. This offer is valid for stays most nights through October 3, 2024.
As with the above and other deals, we’d recommend booking that ASAP if you want it. There’s nothing to see this special offer will stick around, or won’t be changed again.
Save Up to 30% Off Disney World Resort Hotels in Fall & Holidays 2024 – This doesn’t require a longer reservation or an earlier one, but it is tiered based on travel dates. The biggest and best offers are for December 9 to December 25, 2024.
You can also save for stays most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 6 to November 21, 2024, and most nights from November 24 to December 8, 2024. This is typically a 5% off difference (e.g. 25% off for the December dates versus 20% off for the earlier ones). However, rack rates are also more expensive, on average, in December. So it’s more or less a wash in the end.
Free Park Hopper Ticket with Vacation Packages – If you take advantage of the above offer for October 6 through December 25, you can also get a free Park Hopper ticket update. This requires a Walt Disney Travel Company room-and-ticket package that includes non-discounted 4-day (or longer) date-based theme park tickets.
2024 & 2025 Bounceback Deal Dates Added for Disney World – Bounceback discounts (also known as “Future Stay Offers”) are back! Bounce-back discounts are only available to travelers who are currently staying at one of Walt Disney World’s resort hotels to book during the duration of their trip.
In a normal year, this would run from January until August (or so) and be bookable for travel dates through the following December. In August, the bounceback would switch over to Free Dining for the following fall. Booking bouncebacks discounts is a great idea and efficient way to lock-in a future stay discount. See this for full dates & details, blockouts, how to book bouncebacks, etc.
DVC Members Friends & Family Save 40% Off Deluxe Villas at Disney World – Disney Vacation Club members and their friends & family can currently can book select villas, including ones at Disney’s Old Key West Resort or Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa—and save up to 40%!
You can book up to 3 additional rooms at this special rate so that friends and family members can join you when you visit. This special offer is for cash rentals only and is valid for stays most nights through October 3, 2024, and December 9 through December 21, 2024.
2025 Free Dining at Disney World for UK – The first Free Dining discount to be released for 2025, this offers UK and Ireland residents the ability to receive a Free Disney Dining Plan with their vacation package; available for arrival dates between January 7, 2025 and April 5, 2025; April 23, 2025 and October 2, 2025; October 18, 2025 and December 17, 2025.
PIN Code Discount at Walt Disney World for 2024 – Unfortunately, this is not a discount you can choose to book–Walt Disney World needs to choose you, sending out targeted emails to those who meet their criteria. But as we discuss in this ‘how-to’ post, you can increase your odds of receiving a coveted PIN code by doing certain things on DisneyWorld.com or signing up for emails from the Walt Disney Company family of brands.
Walt Disney World’s 2024 PIN or Unique Offer Code is valid for stays most nights:
- September 2-12, 2024
- October 25 to November 3, 2024
- December 8-25, 2024
Save Up to 35% Off Resort Discount for APs & FL Residents in Summer & Fall 2024 – Annual Passholders and Florida residents can save of up to 35% off most dates through October 3, 2024. Promotions are nearly identical for APs and Floridians, but typically 5% better for Annual Passholders (maxes out at 35% off vs. 30% off).
Save Up to 40% Off Resort Discount for APs & FL Residents in Fall & Christmas 2024 – Annual Passholders and Florida residents can save of up to 40% off most dates from October 6 through December 25, 2024. Like the above deals, this one is typically better for APs than Floridians (maxes out at 40% off vs. 35% off).
Discounts for Swan & Dolphin at Disney World – Many Walt Disney World fans dismiss these three third party hotels out of hand, but the Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve are located on-site and within walking or boat distance of both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They also are eligible for Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours.
Aside from the Disney details and themes, these hotels offer better benefits and a superior location to most Value and Moderate Resorts. With prices starting at under $200 per night after discount, they are well worth considering.
2024 U.S. Military Salute Ticket & Room Discount at Walt Disney World – US military personnel can purchase promotional Walt Disney World theme park tickets at deeply discounted prices. Choose 4-Day, 5-Day or 6-Day Disney Military Salute Ticket (formerly the Disney Military Promotional Ticket) for visits through December 20, 2024.
Armed Forces Salute room-only discounts are also available at Walt Disney World. These are valid most nights through December 20, 2024. Precise percentage savings is not published online, and varies by season, resort popularity, and room category. Military personnel (active or retired) receive better room-only and ticket discounts than the general public, Floridians, or Annual Passholders. Call (407) 939-7830 for rates and to book. If you’re eligible for this deal, it’s your best bet. Note that blockout dates do apply around peak season dates.
Future Walt Disney World Discounts
What’s past is prologue.
That expression holds true with Walt Disney World discounts, which play out in predictable patterns every year. Or at least, did until the closure and subsequent reopening. That threw a monkey wrench in things, as pent-up demand collided with closed resorts to create a room inventory imbalance that is just finally starting to be resolved.
Technically, Walt Disney World has already released a “full” lineup of discounts all the way through Christmas 2024. General public and several affiliation discounts all dropped already–some multiple months earlier than normal.
With that said, we suspect that Walt Disney World is not done with the discounts dates beyond October 2024. It wouldn’t surprise us to see additional Annual Passholder, Florida Resident, and Disney+ subscriber deals–as well as another general public offer with a different twist.
Lately, Walt Disney World has been trying to incentivize planners to book early and save more. That has meant discounts are released earlier–and end earlier–than in the past. However, those dates haven’t been ‘done’ when the discount ends…they just release a new discount, often of a different nature or for a different group.
We expect the first round of 2025 discounts to be released in mid-to-late September 2024. That should include special offers for January through late March 2025. (Current deals end on December 25, 2024. We do not expect discounts for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. More likely is additional targeted discounts for October through December, or a subset of those dates.)
Whether these are general public special offers or just offers for Annual Passholders, Floridians, Disney+ subscribers, and/or Disney Visa cardholders remains to be seen and is likely dependent upon resort occupancy projections. Walt Disney World has been tinkering with more targeted discounts during the period of pent-up demand, so more of that wouldn’t be surprising–it really depends on whether that’s starting to slow or if travel is still booming.
While past is prologue, it’s also true that history doesn’t always repeat itself–sometimes it just rhymes.
Other Walt Disney World Discounts
Some of these room-only discounts can be converted to a package, which we do not recommend. The only difference with booking a package is that you’re locking yourself into paying more for park tickets and other vacation components, meaning you can’t use our Money-Saving Tips for Buying Walt Disney World Tickets or other strategies for saving.
Next, there’s the option of Renting DVC Points for Rooms at Walt Disney World. This allows you to rent use of Disney Vacation Club accommodations from a member or business. DVC rental is safe, easy, and cheaper than standard hotel reservations. It’s also a great way to “test drive” the accommodations before buying a DVC membership.
In addition to the aforementioned general public discounts, one popular under-the-radar discount among Walt Disney World fans is the PIN or Unique Offer Code targeted deal. If you’re wondering what a PIN code is and how to get one, read this. Currently, the best available PIN code offer is the same as the summer and early fall AP discount.
Another way to score deep discounts on accommodations is via Hotwire & Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World. These are opaque deals, meaning you can’t see the name of the hotel prior to booking, but it’s very easy to “reverse engineer” the hotel with clues provided in the listing plus good ole fashioned internet sleuthing. These have finally started to return as of Spring 2024–for the first time in several years!
Finally, some words of warning and generalized commentary. In addition to the standard varying rates of the discount depending on precise travel dates, some room-only discounts have incredibly limited availability, especially room-only offers with peak travel dates. Don’t be surprised if you search for an otherwise qualifying hotel and are unable to book the discount due to zero availability.
In our searches, there are a number of situations close to holidays where these “discounts” would actually cost more, due to zero availability in standard rooms, meaning you have to upgrade to a room with a view, suite, or Club Level room. In other situations, there’s just nothing, period, so Disney’s site recommends upgrading resorts. (Such helpful suggestions for “saving” money!)
On the other hand, the discounts for off-season travel dates look pretty good in terms of availability. The additional upside to those dates is that you can choose off-season times to visit when crowds are lower and rack rates are lower, which means you’ll pay even less.
For more details on the pros and cons of taking advantage of a room-only discount, read our Room-Only Discounts at Walt Disney World post. This is our favorite discount because it’s straightforward and tends to offer the best value for us, and many other Walt Disney World regulars are fans of it for this same reason. However, if you’re a first-timer visitor to WDW, there’s a good chance a better, more inclusive offer will work better for you.
Typically, the best discounts are offered in August and September, and January and February. The downside to the former is that this is the heart of tropical storm season (see our Storm Season at Disney World Survival Guide for more info), and it’s still fairly hot and humid during the fall in Florida. These months are arguably the worst of the year in terms of weather, and that’s assuming you don’t have to deal with any hurricanes or intense tropical storms.
The downside to the latter is that January and February are colder. However, both sets of months are typically among the least crowded times of the year to visit Walt Disney World. (Although that’s less true about the winter with each passing year.) Suffice to say, it’s a trade-off for lower prices and crowds.
As always, keep in mind that Walt Disney World does not offer discounts out of generosity. Discounts are offered because Disney wants to hit a target occupancy rate for its hotels–they are a way to entice people who otherwise might not do so to book a trip.
Disney only offers discounts to the extent that are needed to hit projected target occupancy rates. Once those targets are reached, discounts are not offered. Hence the lack of availability for some resorts and some room categories in any promotion.
This is all a long-winded way of saying that flexibility is important when it comes to Walt Disney World discounts, especially Free Dining. If you want to save the most money, there’s a decent chance you will need to choose your resort hotel based upon discount availability. If you’re able to be flexible on travel dates, that’s even better!
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!
Thoughts?
Have any Walt Disney World deals of your own to add for saving money on vacations or things you’ll need while on vacation? Have you had success booking any of the current room-only discounts? Any difficulties? Any questions about these deals that 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!
