Walt Disney World has released resort room-only discounts for Fall through Christmas for Annual Passholders and Florida residents offer savings of up to 40% off select dates through December 25, 2024. This post shares the details of these special offers, best dates to save the most money, plus sample pricing, commentary, analysis & other info.
In case you’ve forgotten, there’s currently another special offer for Annual Passholders that runs between now and year’s end. Generally speaking, the AP discount is better. That’s almost always the case, as Annual Passholders usually receive 5-10% better savings than Floridians. All other details (eligible dates, resorts in each tier, room inventory, etc.) are typically identically between the special offers. Hence our lumping them together here. This time, there’s also the added advantage of a ‘book early and save more’ element for Annual Passholders.
Those aren’t the only deals available for booking right now–just the two for Annual Passholders and Florida residents. For everything else, see All Current Walt Disney World Discounts for 2024. That covers promos for the general public, Florida residents, military members, and everyone else. There are promos available for pretty much all dates between now and December 2024. So that’s worth checking out if you’re debating a trip in the next several months…
Per Walt Disney World, here are the deal details: Annual Passholders can stay in the magic and save on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels this fall and holiday season.
- Save up to 40% on rooms for stays most nights from December 9 to December 25, 2024—when you book by August 28, 2024
- Save up to 35% on rooms for stays most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 6 to November 21, 2024, and most nights from November 24 to December 25, 2024
When you stay at Disney Resorts Collection hotels, you can enjoy the same legendary detail, storytelling and service found in the theme parks—along with an array of benefits.
Here’s the resort by resort Annual Passholder room rate discount chart:
Annual Passholders must present a valid Walt Disney World AP at check-in. 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.
Offer excludes the following room types: 3-Bedroom Villas; Deluxe Suites; Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge; and Bungalows and Island Tower Rooms at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows.
You can book this Annual Passholder discount yourself on Walt Disney World’s official website: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/passholder-fall-holiday-2024-room-offer/
Likewise, Floridians can stay in the magic this fall and holiday season! Florida residents can save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels.
- Most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 6 to November 21, 2024
- Most nights from November 24 to December 25, 2024
When you stay at a Disney Resorts Collection hotel, you can enjoy the same legendary detail, storytelling and service found in the theme parks—along with an array of benefits.
Here’s the resort by resort Florida resident room rate discount chart:
Proof of Florida residency required at check-in. Otherwise, same terms & conditions apply as the AP deal, including the resort and room category exclusions. You can book this deal on DisneyWorld.com here.
Alternatively, if you want to take advantage of either discount but want someone else to do the work, we’d recommend requesting a FREE no obligation quote from Be Our Guest Vacations, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and having them book for you. They will happy to assist you with the planning process, help you choose the most economical dates, best add-ons, and so forth. Notably, they also monitor reservations and can retroactively apply new discounts if a better deal is released to save you more money.
Here’s a sampling of available rates for this Annual Passholder discount:
This search is for the night of November 11, 2024, which is part of the “Fall 2” rate season at Walt Disney World. On the rack rate chart spectrum, this is one of the cheapest times of the year to visit Walt Disney World in 2024. Similarly-priced dates can be found throughout October and November, minus school breaks and holidays.
You might notice that this is for a date that offers lower savings per the above AP discount chart. And while that’s true, the starting rack rates are also lower. In doing quick sample searches, I found that whether October through early December or mid-December were cheaper largely depended upon what was available room category-wise at each resort. Once you get to the week before Christmas, all bets are off. Rack rates jump so much that they superior savings can’t overcome the higher base prices.
Rates also vary on different days of the week. Friday through Sunday nights are all going to be more expensive, and less consistent. In general, Friday and Saturday will be the most expensive days of the week, with Sunday through Thursday costing less–but still more than Monday through Wednesday nights. Holiday weeks are also more expensive. Basically, room rates are higher any time when kids are out of school.
For more on timing your trip to coincide with the lowest prices, see When’s Cheapest to Visit Walt Disney World in 2024? 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!
Speaking of on-site perks, don’t underestimate the value of Early Entry and (potentially) Extended Evening Hours. We’ve found that many fans dismiss the former due to it being “only” 30 minutes, but we’ve found Early Entry to be incredibly advantageous (see our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World).
For those who are eligible, Extended Evening Hours is absolutely fantastic (see our Guide to Extended Evening Hours at Walt Disney World for strategy and other info). We wouldn’t recommend booking a Deluxe or Villa Resort just for Extended Evening Hours, but if you’re on the fence or thinking about a split stay…it’s a good idea. Consider putting that money towards upgrading your accommodations instead of something like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Jollywood Nights.
Oh, and don’t forget the return of the on-site advantage of ride reservations! If you’re going to purchase the new line-skipping service, having the 7-day window (plus length of stay–up to 14 days) is huge. It’s probably going to be make-or-break when it comes to booking Slinky Dog Dash, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and other headliners. See our Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Walt Disney World FAQ.
My assessment this discount is very positive. The only real exception is during peak season dates–but those are peak season for a reason, as they’re more popular travel dates. And if you are going when it’s busier, it’s great to save up to 40% off–a higher percentage of a bigger number amounts to a big discount. That’s how math works.
Just look at the list of prices above. All Stars starting at $111 per night and Pop Century for around $175 is fantastic–and there are plenty of dates when Pop Century is closer to $150. Moderates are in the sub-$200 starting range, with Animal Kingdom Lodge at around $330 per night, and Saratoga Springs at $275. Several other Deluxe Resorts for under $400 per night, but availability for multiple nights can be tricky. That’s all really good, and much better than what Walt Disney World was offering in 2021-2022, and slightly better than last year.
If you’re still not sure of which hotel to book, be sure to check out our new Rankings of ALL Resort Hotels at Walt Disney World from Worst to Best. Several of the resorts with the biggest savings are in the top 10!
Ultimately, if you’re an Annual Passholder who is eager for a Halloween or Christmas getaway to Walt Disney World, these deals are really strong. You can still do better with Disney Vacation Club Point Rentals, but the gap is starting to close and it’s too late to rent for most of these dates, anyway.
We always go in mid-November and/or early December, as that’s one of the least-crowded times of the entire year at Walt Disney World. It’s also one of the cheapest times to visit, as evidenced by the above resort rates. Ticket prices are also cheaper–ditto seasonal events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights. Oh, and the weather is usually much, much better than just a couple months early. Crowds can be slightly higher, but it’s a tradeoff we will happily take for temperatures that are 20 degrees cooler!
We will continue to closely monitoring discounts as they’re 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 room only discounts for Walt Disney World Annual Passholders and Floridians? 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!
