Why You Should Think Twice Before Booking This Disney World Hotel "Upgrade"

Disney World is constantly trying to find ways to entice us into planning a trip…

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort

…and then trying to find ways to make us “plus up” that very trip. Think about it — they get you hook, line, and sinker with the cutesy commercials on TV and social media and soon you’re booking a stay at a Disney Resort. But then, you’re also spending extra on the Dining Plan, the Lightning Lanes, and all the experiences that you hope will make your trip “magical.” Well, in the past several months, they’ve been targeting folks who already have trips booked!

If you’re staying at a Disney Resort soon, you may find an email in your inbox from Disney, offering you the chance to upgrade your hotel room at a discount. The email states that this is a “limited-time opportunity” and that selections and prices may change, so you need to act fast.

©Disney

The offer is based on your current reservation, and when you click on the “View Your Offer” link, you’ll be led to a page on the Disney World website that shows you a selection of hotel rooms more expensive than the ones you have currently booked. They’ll be available at discounted prices, but we urge you to pause before you book!

Port Orleans — French Quarter

From our experience with this offer, the rooms aren’t always a better deal (if ever) than what you can book on your own on the Disney World website. Yes, they may be a smidge cheaper than rack rates, but if you look at prices on the website with any other current special offers applied (like seasonal room discounts), you likely won’t be saving anything on your trip.

Riviera Resort

This is a pretty clever marketing ploy from Disney, getting people to upgrade their rooms last-minute. We imagine the “hurry!” language causes quite a few split-second upgrade decisions and sells more of those Deluxe Resort hotel rooms. After all, it’s a lot easier to pay a couple hundred bucks more when you’re a few days out than to justify the price during the initial booking process when you see the big number with everything all together.

Pop Century

So if you get one of these emails, make sure you check prices on the Disney World website outright before you jump at the offer. It might not be the sweet deal that you think it will be.

I Stayed at the Luxury Hotel Disney Fans Dream About

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