There are SO many different Disney-owned hotels and off-property hotels near Walt Disney World, it can be difficult to know just where to stay for your upcoming trip.

One of the biggest factors in picking a hotel can be its cost. Today we’re taking a look at just how much it costs to stay at Disney World-owned and operated hotels, and what the costs would look like if you opted instead to stay at other hotels on property or other hotels nearby.

For our little pricing experiment we took a look at what things would cost for a proposed vacation this year in late August. Specifically, we planned a little weekend getaway where we would check in on August 27th and check out on August 30th. We priced this trip for 2 adults staying in 1 room.

We’ve got to put this little disclaimer before we dive in. Hotel prices can vary GREATLY depending on a number of factors including when you choose to visit, how many rooms you want to reserve, etc. This is just meant to be one example of what different rooms could cost, but you’ll want to price it out to see how those costs differ for your trip.

Alright, let’s dive in!

Disney World Owned and Operated Hotels

First, we’ll look at Disney World owned and operated hotels. For the dates we searched, here’s a look at the estimated costs:

Lower Cost

• The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort — $109.33 per night, which can be brought down to $98.40 per night if you take advantage of their special summer savings offer (this is for a full hook-up campsite)
• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort — $169.67 per night, which is brought down to $152.70 per night (preferred room) with their summer savings offer

Mid-Level Cost

• The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort — $405.67 per night, discounted to $324.53 with the summer savings offer (wilderness cabin has 1 queen bed, 1 bunk bed, and 1 double size-sleeper sofa)
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort — $468.00 per night, which is brought down to $374.40 with Disney’s summer savings offer (Lion King or Cars Family suites are included at this price)

High Cost

• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge — $701.00 per night, down to $525.75 with the summer deal (1-bedroom villa with 1 king bed and 1 queen size sleeper sofa)
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort — $840.00 per night, down to $756.00 with Disney’s summer deal (1 bedroom villa with 1 king bed, 1 queen size sleeper sofa, and 1 twin size sleeper chair)

These “high cost” resorts are from just looking at the main Disney hotel page. If you click into the individual resorts and actually search for suites or other special rooms, you could likely find more expensive offerings.

Overall, that brings us a range of $98.40 to $756.00 for Disney’s rooms (taking into account that summer savings).

Click here to learn more about the special deal that could help you save BIG on Disney hotel rooms this summer.

Disney Springs Area Resorts

Next, we’ll take a look at the Disney Springs area resorts. These are all hotels located right next to Disney Springs. They are technically “on” Disney World property, but are not owned or operated by Disney.

• B Resort and Spa: $95 per night for their “Chic Rooms” located in the Lanai section of the hotel, up to $139 per night for the Posh Suite (with the special savings code currently available — promo code: hpaspec) (if you search without this savings code you’ll find more rooms at a variety of more expensive prices)
• Double Tree Suites by Hilton Orlando: $100 a night if you “quick book” a 1 bedroom suite with 2 queens and a sofa bed, up to to $237 if you “quick book” a 2 bedroom suite with 1 king/2 queens and a sofa bed (again, this is using the Disney Springs spa rate, you can remove that special rate to see more rooms and prices)

• Hilton Lake Buena Vista: as low as $97 per night for a guest room with 1 king bed, up to $477 per night for a one bedroom suite with 2 queen beds and a parlor

This is just a look at some of the Disney Springs area hotels. There are a few others that fall in this category as well and you can search for their special offers and prices.

Click here to see special rates being offered at Disney Springs area hotels for first responders and educators.

Other Hotels That Are On Property or Surrounded by Disney World Resort

Now, we’ll turn to more Disney World hotels that are not owned and operated by Disney World but are either on property or are essentially surrounded by Walt Disney World Resort.

For example, there’s the Four Seasons Orlando, which is located within the Walt Disney World Resort. For the same dates discussed above, a four seasons room with 2 queen beds would cost around $677.67 per night.

Or you could go BIG with the grand suite for $6,219 per night. Talk about pricey!!

There are also some hotels in the Bonnet Creek area, which is essentially surrounded by Walt Disney World Resort. Here are some prices:

• Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek: starting at $209 per night (1 king bed) and going up to $640 per night (executive suite 1 king Disney view)
• Wyndham Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek: starting at $159.20 (with a save 20% sale rate) per night for a deluxe 1 king room

You could also opt for a stay at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort, or the new Swan Reserve (when it opens later this year), with walking access to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Here’s a look at the cost for the Swan on the nights we’re looking at as part of this experiment: $245 per night (traditional guest room 1 king bed, prepay, non-refundable, non-changeable, non-member) up to $382 per night (standard fees, 1 king bed, balcony, alcove guest room, flexible non-member rate).

Flamingo Crossings

Flamingo Crossings Town Center is a shopping, dining, and hotel area that is under development and located just a few minutes away from Disney World. You can see the Residence Inn at Flamingo Town Center in the upper right area and Animal Kingdom near the bottom/center of the map.

Here’s a peek at the prices for some of the Flamingo Crossings hotels:

• Springhill Suites: $98 per night (pre-pay non-refundable non-member price for a suite with 1 king bed and a sofa bed) to $125 per night (standard, flexible rate, non-member, suite with 2 queen beds and a sofa bed)

• Fairfield Inn and Suites: $149 per night (pre-pay, non-refundable, non-member rate for a 1 king room) to around $205 per night (standard, flexible rate, non-member, larger guest room with 2 queens and a corner room)

Other Hotels

And finally, we’ll take a look at some pricing for other hotels near Walt Disney World.

First, the Gaylord Palms can be a popular spot with some of its unique amenities and fun features. The prices here range from $206.33 per night for a King Room (Florida View) to around $339 per night for the Emerald Bay Room with 2 queen beds (Main Atrium view).

We also looked at a number of hotel booking sites to see some other options. On Expedia, there are a number of options at a variety of costs. We limited our search to only 4 and 5 star selections. The cheapest option was priced at $96 per night for a stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton at the entrance to Universal Orlando.

From there, prices went up all the way to $947 per night for a stay at a villa in Reunion Encore.

On Booking.com there were also some choices. We limited our search to 4 and 5 star hotels. The cheapest option was a stay at Delta Hotels by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista for $272 for 3 nights.

On Hotels.com, the cheapest option (out of the 4 and 5 star hotels) was again the Delta Hotels by Marriott Orlando Lake Buena Vista at $82 per night.

On Trivago (again only 4 and 5 star hotels), you could stay at the Best Western Orlando Gateway Hotel for $67 per night. And, of course, there were more options in that $60-80 range, and others higher in price.

Basically, there are a LOT of options when it comes to hotels around Disney World. Staying at some non-Disney-owned and operated hotels can save you some money, but some of those non-Disney hotels can also get VERY pricey. It all depends on where you choose to stay, what type of room you pick, when you visit, and other factors.

Not sure where to start when picking your hotel? All these options feel a bit overwhelming? You can make your planning a lot simpler if you work with our friends over at Small World Vacations. They’ve got loads of experience planning vacations to Disney World and can help you navigate through the planning and booking process, providing you with helpful insights and all kinds of savings. Plus, their services are TOTALLY FREE!!! You’ll find all of their contact information below so you can reach out to one of their representatives and get started booking your trip,

We hope this article has been helpful in giving you an idea of just what some hotels can cost around Disney World. We’ll be on the lookout for more discounts and deals that you could use for future hotel stays and let you know what we find.

Click here to see our page full of information about Disney World discounts and deals!

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What hotel do you like to stay at when visiting Disney World? Tell us in the comments. 

The post How Do Disney World Hotel Prices Compare to Off-Property Resorts? first appeared on the disney food blog.