Disney World Hotel Discounts – Non-Disney Hotels

If you are looking for a Disney World hotel discount besides the Disney-owned resorts, there are two other hotel options at Walt Disney World: on-site hotels that are on Disney property, but not owned or operated by Disney; and off-site hotels, which are not located on Disney property. Either option can frequently save you a lot of money compared with the Disney resorts. Most non-Disney-operated hotels and resorts near Walt Disney World offer outstanding discounts in the off-season, and many of these hotels offer some sort of discount year-round.

On-Site Hotels Not Operated by Disney

Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels

The seven Disney Springs Resort Area hotels are considered Official Walt Disney World Hotels by Disney, and are on Disney property but not Disney-owned. They run their own bus transportation and are within walking distance of Disney Springs. Be sure to read more about the MouseSavers Preferred Hotels in Disney Springs, where you can get special MouseSavers offers for the following Disney Springs Resort Area hotels:

Four Seasons Resort Orlando

The Four Seasons Resort Orlando is located in Golden Oaks, an upscale residential community in Walt Disney World. The resort is on Disney property but not Disney-owned. Many rooms offer spectacular views of the Magic Kingdom’s nightly fireworks display from a furnished balcony.

Swan and Dolphin Hotels

The Swan and Dolphin hotels are within walking distance of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and participate in the Disney transportation system. They are on Disney property but not Disney-owned. The rates at the Swan and Dolphin can be very reasonable when compared with Disney’s Deluxe properties, yet you get many of the same amenities.

Shades of Green

Active duty and retired military, as well as honorably discharged veterans (during limited times of year) can stay at the Shades of Green (SOG) resort. Though not operated by Disney, this is a beautiful deluxe resort on Disney property, right across the street from Disney’s Polynesian Resort.

Off-Site Hotels

There are literally hundreds of off-site hotels in the area around Walt Disney World, at every level of price and quality. Since you will usually pay a premium to stay on-property, staying off-site can often be a huge money-saver.

After inspecting many off-site hotels near Walt Disney World, we’ve selected a few as MouseSavers Preferred Hotels, all of which are very close to Walt Disney World:

All of these hotels represent an excellent value and we feel confident they will provide you with quality accommodations. All of them offer special deals for MouseSavers readers.

Looking for more off-site Disney World hotel discounts? Try these links:

Shop Around Online

Here are some other sites to try for discounts. When searching these sites, be sure to use Lake Buena Vista, FL if you want to be closest to Disney World. Other relatively close-by hotel areas are Orlando and Kissimmee.

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Expedia and Travelocity

Two good sites to check out for hotel deals are Expedia and Travelocity. Travelocity is actually owned by Expedia, but they sometimes offer different deals. We usually find the best deals overall on Expedia, but it’s worth checking both sites if you have the time. 

Expedia also owns Hotwire, and while Hotwire’s regular rates are typically identical to Expedia’s, they do offer their special “Hotwire Hot Rates” program (covered below) where you don’t know the name of the hotel when you book, but can sometimes score a really good deal. (Expedia actually owns many other online travel sites, including Orbitz & CheapTickets, but we rarely see anything on those sites better than the “big two.”)

These sites may charge a service fee on your reservation, and they sometimes require full payment or a substantial deposit in advance. Be sure to read ALL the small print as you make your reservation (which may require you to select a link that says “terms and conditions” or something similar) so that you are clear on any cancellation and change fees.

Priceline and Booking.com

The other huge internet travel behemoth (besides Expedia) is Priceline, which also owns Booking.com. Overall, we prefer the interface of Booking.com, but Priceline does have their Express Deals (covered in more detail below). Both sites are worth checking for deals and offers, but be aware that, like nearly all online travel agencies, they will sometimes add miscellaneous “fees” at the very end of the checkout process, and they may have cancellation fees and conditions over and above the hotel’s own policies. Be sure to read the fine print carefully.

Hotel Websites

Sometimes there are good offers on Walt Disney World area hotels directly through the hotels’ own websites. Look for hotels in Lake Buena Vista or Kissimmee, which will be closest.

If you are a member of a specific loyalty program, you probably want to search across all of that hotel company’s brands. For example, Hilton owns DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Waldorf Astoria, etc. Here are links to the overall parent company websites where you can search their whole portfolio:

If you like a specific chain, you can go straight to any of the major hotel chains websites, listed below. For convenience, we list the parent company or affiliated loyalty program in parentheses where it’s not already part of the hotel name:

AAA Rates

The majority of major hotel chains (and many independently-owned hotels) offer American Automobile Association (AAA) discounts, which can give you significant savings. (Generally the same rates are offered for the Canadian equivalent, CAA.) If you are a member, always look for the AAA rate when checking online, or ask when calling for reservations.

AARP Rates

Many hotels offer very attractive discounts to members of AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). They imply that you have to be 50 to join, but in fact anyone can join, and you don’t even have to be retired. Membership in AARP is very inexpensive and might pay for itself in one night’s stay!

Government Discounts

If you are a government employee (local, county, state or federal), you should always ask if there is a government discount (be sure to carry your ID with you and have it available at check-in). Many contractors to government agencies also qualify. Most of the major hotel chains offer government rates, though you may have to call the hotel directly, since these rates don’t show up on most of the hotel websites. Thanks to ClaymoH for the info.

Government employees (city,county, state or federal) can rent a “space available” condo at timeshare resort locations worldwide for only $369/week ($349 if booked online) through Heroes Vacation Club (formerly GETO) if you created an account prior to December 31, 2015. Because of the huge number of timeshares in Orlando, it’s not unusual to find availability through this organization. Note that your plans will probably have to be flexible since the condos often don’t become available until pretty close to the dates of travel. A MouseSavers.com reader notes, “those eligible should sign up for the site and allow emails long before their first trip to Disney (or anywhere). About six times per year, we get discounts offering either $309 or $299. I’ve never paid more than $309 after using the GETO site on over 20 occasions for various trips (most to Florida).” If you are not a government employee but are a friend or family member of one, the government employee can get you a gift certificate for $399. Thanks to Pat E, Charlie G and Angie for info.

First Responders Discounts

First Responders, including current and former police officers, fire fighters and emergency medical personnel can rent a “space available” condo at timeshare resort locations worldwide for only $369/week ($349 if booked online) through Heroes Vacation Club. Because of the huge number of timeshares in Orlando, it’s not unusual to find availability through this organization. Note that your plans will probably have to be flexible since the condos often don’t become available until pretty close to the dates of travel. A MouseSavers.com reader notes, “those eligible should sign up for the site and allow emails long before their first trip to Disney (or anywhere). About six times per year, we get discounts offering either $309 or $299. I’ve never paid more than $309 after using the GETO site on over 20 occasions for various trips (most to Florida).” If you are not a government employee but are a friend or family member of one, the government employee can get you a gift certificate for $399. Thanks to Pat E, Charlie G and Angie for info.

Military Discounts

If you are active duty or retired military, you should always ask if there is a military discount (be sure to carry your ID with you and have it available at check-in). Often the military discounts are among the best offered by hotels. Most of the major hotel chains offer military rates, though you may have to call the hotel directly, since these rates don’t show up on most of the hotel websites. Thanks to John G for the tip.

Military, retired military and reserves can rent a “space available” condo at timeshare resort locations worldwide for only $369/week ($349 if booked online) through AFV Club. Because of the huge number of timeshares in Orlando, it’s not unusual to find availability through this organization. Note that your plans will probably have to be flexible since the condos often don’t become available until pretty close to the dates of travel. If you are not a member of the military but are a friend or family member of one, the military person can get you a gift certificate for $399. Thanks to Lisa S for info.

You should also check our information about military discounts at the Disney resorts and take a look at Shades of Green, a military resort located on the Disney property but not operated by Disney.

Priceline Express Deals

Priceline, once best known for letting you “bid” on hotel rooms, now is primarily known for offering special deals via their “Express Deals”.  With Express Deals, they offer special deal on hotels without telling you which specific hotels they’re offering. Some Express Deals bookings can be great deals, but be wary – sometimes they’ll put hotels in the Express Deals set at a price that’s not significantly lower than the regular price. Our advice is to only book Express Deals when you have high confidence that the price you’re paying is well below what you’d pay for the cheapest hotel that fits the criteria you’ve specified.

Priceline will tell you some things about the property, but not enough to make it easy to figure out what specific hotel it is. You’ll know the area it’s in, some of the major amenities (with some removed to make things trickier) and roughly how many “stars” it is rated. Keep in mind that “stars” is not some kind of industry standard system, and what Priceline considers “4 stars” may not match what you, or AAA or some other rating guide would consider a 4-star property.

Disney’s own resorts show up on Priceline’s Express Deals from time to time, and if you’d like to find one of those, we have a guide on our Disney World Resort Discounts page. If you want to expand your search to include off-property hotels, we offer the following tips:

Hotwire Hot Rates

Hotwire has a Hot Rates feature which is similar to Priceline Express Deals in that you don’t get to choose the exact hotel (you choose the rough location and the star rating), and the room is sold on a “no refunds, no exchanges” basis. Just do a search on Hotwire, and the Hot Rates hotels will show up mixed in with some number of named hotels.

Hotwire gives you a list of prices for unnamed hotels in various star categories (i.e. a 5-star hotel will be a luxury resort, while a 1-star will be a low-end motel) and with specific amenities. At that point you can choose to accept or reject the offered price for a hotel that has a rating and amenities you want. Once you have accepted the price, you are charged in full. It is only at that point that you’re told the hotel name. There are no refunds or exchanges. Keep in mind that “stars” is not some kind of industry standard system, and what Hotwire considers “4 stars” may not match what you, or AAA or some other rating guide would consider a 4 star property.

Disney’s own resorts show up on Hotwire Hot Rates from time to time, and if you’d like to find one of those, we have a guide on our Disney World Resort Discounts page. If you want to expand your search to include off-property hotels, we offer the following tips:

Flight + Hotel Package Deals

If you need both airfare and hotel accommodations, there are some good resources for booking a cheap vacation package that includes both. Note that most of them offer the best deals fairly last-minute (typically 2 weeks to 4 months in advance). If you are booking really late (3 weeks or less before your departure date) these are especially worthwhile, because sometimes you can buy an entire package (airfare and hotel) for LESS than it would cost to book a last-minute airfare alone!