Walt Disney World has released new resort room-only discounts for Disney Visa Cardmembers through September 2023. This post shares the details of these special offers, which are very good as compared to last year. Plus, commentary about the sudden spike in savings, sample pricing, analysis & other info.
This is one of several special offers that has been released thus far in 2023 by Walt Disney World. If you’re looking for general public promos, the big one this year is the “Free” Disney Dining Card Deal, which runs for the late summer through September 2023. According to Walt Disney World, that special offer is bookable through March 27, 2023 (but we suspect it’ll be extended or a ‘second wave’ will be released).
That isn’t the only deal available for booking right now–there are over a half-dozen different offers. For everything else, see All Current Walt Disney World Discounts (Spring to Fall 2023). There are promos available for pretty much all dates between now and mid-September 2023, so that’s worth checking out if you’re debating a trip in the next several months…
Although there’s some overlap between this new Disney Visa Cardmember discount and the general public offers, this should be by far the better option for those who are eligible. Nevertheless, it’s worth toggling between the options–we’ve seen some date and resort combos where the general public deals or other options can be better. It’s pretty rare, but it does happen!
When it comes to the current state of discounts at Walt Disney World, things are starting to get better! Significant improvements started about midway through last year, after many dates prior to that were not discounted at all. Many other dates had nothing for the general public, and only a scattering of savings for Annual Passholders and Floridians.
The big change came after the start of the 2023 fiscal year, when 4 different discounts were released in October. At that point, Walt Disney World released discounts running through March or April 2023, and did so far earlier than normal by historical standards. With the start of the new calendar year, we’ve seen more and more discounts released.
On another positive note, the discounts that Walt Disney World has released thus far in 2023 have had better availability than pretty much all special offers last year and the year before. That may not be the case with the most popular spots (e.g. Magic Kingdom or Skyliner resorts) or peak travel dates (e.g. the weekend before Independence Day), but options are generally better.
This is especially true if you’re flexible, or are simply looking to take advantage of a targeted offer at the the cheapest resorts in each tier, such as the All Stars or Coronado Springs. To this point, we were actually able to book a last-minute staying during the heart of spring break season–only about a week in advance–and were surprised by just how many options were available. Just something worth keeping in mind as we run through Walt Disney World’s Summer 2023 room-only discount for Disney Visa Cardmember!
Here are the official details: Disney Visa Cardmembers can save up to 35% on rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels with this special offer. This offer is valid when you book using your Disney Visa Card for stays most nights:
- May 14 to June 24, 2023
- July 5 to August 19, 2023
- August 27 to September 7, 2023
Here’s the resort by resort Disney Visa Cardmembers rate discount chart:
Additional eligibility details include the requirement that you use a valid Disney Visa Card or Disney Rewards Redemption Card to pay the deposit, and that the Disney Visa Cardmember must stay in the room.
Offer excludes the following: 3-bedroom villas, Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.
Additional per-adult charges may apply if more than 2 adults per room at Value, Moderate and Deluxe Resorts and Studios at Deluxe Villa Resorts. Maximum length of stay under this deal is 14 nights. Cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion.
Reservations may be made by calling the Disney Reservation Center at (407) 939-5262 or via your Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. (Click here to request a FREE no obligation quote from an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner–especially useful if you want to save time or have personalized assistance throughout the planning process.) This deal is also bookable online HERE.
Here’s what we found for best available rates for this Summer 2023 discount:
This search is for the night of September 5, 2023, which is part of the “Value 2” rate season at Walt Disney World. On the rack rate chart spectrum, this is the second-least expensive time to visit Walt Disney World in 2023. Similarly-priced dates can be found throughout August and into September 2023, and slightly higher (but still relatively reasonable) rates are available in May.
For more on timing your trip to coincide with the lowest prices, see When’s Cheapest to Visit Walt Disney World in 2023? That covers price increases and other variables that impact the cost of a vacation beyond just room rates.
Another thing to keep in mind is the restoration of free parking at Walt Disney World resorts. For those who are driving or renting a car, not only are these savings more significant than discounts during the same timeframe last year, but there’s also the added bonus of not having to pay for parking. That should amount to a fairly hefty year-over-year decrease in total prices, which is exceedingly rare for Walt Disney World!
Anyway, here’s the rack rates for standard rooms as illustrated below in the rate chart for Disney’s All Star Sports Resort:
Contrast the rates in August or September 2023 with those in late June or July, which is the heart of summer season, and you’ll see it’s a fairly significant difference.
We’ve had readers ask about finding these rate charts whenever we post them. Rather than going off-topic here, refer to 2023 Walt Disney World Resort Hotel Price Increases (the step-by-step process is towards the bottom).
One very pleasant surprise here is that all of the Value Resorts, including Pop Century, are in the 25% or 30% off tier, and Caribbean Beach Resort is in the 30% off tier.
This is all a real rarity, and a sharp contrast to what we were seeing last year around this time. Often, the Skyliner Resorts were excluded entirely or offered only ~10% off and had very limited availability. So this is quite the departure from that! If you missed it, be sure to check out our new Rankings of ALL Resort Hotels at Walt Disney World from Worst to Best. Several of the resorts mentioned above–and with the biggest savings–are in the top 10!
For each of the past few discounts, we’ve offered commentary that it’s debatable whether the discounts are truly good or if it’s a matter of moving the goalposts and being conditioned to expect higher prices over the last two years. I don’t think there’s any debate here: these are truly good deals.
Some Walt Disney World fans may dispute that, thinking back to 2013, 2008, or some year in the distant past. And it is true that rack rates have gone up in the last several years. But not as much as everything else at Walt Disney World. (To the contrary, rack rates have increased by relatively modest amounts since 2020. It’s the lack of discounting that has made the effective prices people pay much, much higher!)
If you don’t believe me, just price out a non-sketchy third party hotel near Walt Disney World. Prices at the Swan & Dolphin, Bonnet Creek, Disney Springs, Grand Cypress, and Flamingo Crossing hotels have all gone up. Of those, the best rates that we’ve seen are at the Disney Springs and Flamingo Crossings hotels.
After this discount, there are many nights when the cheapest option at one of the Value Resorts is less expensive than anything at Flamingo Crossings and Disney Springs. That’s before factoring in the value of Early Entry and other on-site perks, plus transportation to the parks.
In many cases, you’re going to be hard-pressed to do better than the rates Walt Disney World is offering if you can find availability for your travel dates. For instance, under $100 per night for the All Stars–with the new rooms, perks, transportation, and free parking–is a very fair price, in our view. (If you can find it, Pop Century is a great pick, even at ~$150 per night.)
Of course, rooms are not as cheap as what you would’ve paid this same time in 2019, let alone 2016. Back in my day, the All Stars had off-season rates that were routinely $79 per night or less! Unfortunately, it’s impossible to book those past prices. (If you do have the means to time travel, I hope you’re using it for something better than saving an extra ~$20 on a Value Resort!) Even with that in mind, this isn’t too far from that when adjusted for inflation.
As we’ve written several times in the last few months, we’re optimistic that there will be better Walt Disney World discounts throughout 2023. There’s mounting evidence that this past holiday season was the “last hurrah” for pent-up demand. That has started to fizzle out due to decreased household savings, inflation stinging more, and the economy slowing down. It thus seems increasingly likely that Walt Disney World will experience its own slowdown.
Although this is not yet evident in attendance or crowds at Walt Disney World, which remains quite busy, the fact that a half-dozen discounts have already been released in 2023 suggests a corner is being turned. On top of that, this also follows several discounts that for Spring 2023 that were released earlier than normal by historical standards. 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 may no longer be true.
Ultimately, if you’re a Disney Visa Cardmember who wants to visit Walt Disney World between now and early September 2023, these deals are actually really good. Of course, it all depends upon your travel dates, room and resort preferences, etc–but this is the best discount we’ve seen in a long time. Now here’s hoping something comparable is on the horizon for the general public in Fall 2023!
You can still do better with Disney Vacation Club Point Rentals (although it’s pretty much only confirmed reservations now), but this still might be as good as it’ll get for you. If you’re on the fence, definitely do NOT wait for something better. Availability is already limited, and it’s much more likely that rooms will sell out rather than better discounts will be released. We will be closely monitoring what’s released and will notify subscribers of our free email newsletter when any Walt Disney World discounts are released or rumored!
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
What do you think of these Walt Disney World Summer 2023 room only discounts for Disney Visa Cardmember? If you booked this, do you think you ended up with a good price or do you feel like you’re overpaying? What was available or unavailable for your dates? Is this deal enough to convince you to book a trip, or can you not justify these prices? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? 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!
