6 Disney World Hotel Cheats We Use All the Time

When it comes to staying at the Disney World hotels, we’re experts!

We’ve taken countless vacations over the years at The Most Magical Place on Earth, and we’ve learned quite a few tricks and tips in our time. But what fun is it to know all the secrets if you can’t share them?! That’s why we’ve rounded up this list of the Disney World hotel cheats we use all the time!

Saving on Hotel Rooms

First up, we HAVE to talk about renting DVC points! Disney Vacation Club is Disney’s timeshare program, and members of the club earn a certain number of points each year to be spent on stays at Disney resorts. When they don’t get the chance to use all their points for the year, they rent them out so that non-DVC people can use them.

There are several sites that offer this service, but we recommend David’s Vacation Club Rentals. By renting points through David’s, you’ll be able to get Disney Vacation Club villas at a fraction of the cost that you would pay on Disney World’s consumer site.

Getting a Savanna View

Arguably one of the best room views in Disney World is a Savanna View room at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. But paying extra to face the savanna can add significant cost to your bill! If you want to get the view without the cost, we’ve got a tip for you.

In the past, we’ve been able to book a standard view room, then put in a request for a partial savanna view (otherwise known as an obstructed savanna view). Disney can’t sell these rooms as full savanna view rooms because they usually have something obscuring the sightline. With this request, we’ve been able to snag rooms that have a glimpse of the animals without the higher price tag — way better than a view of the parking lot!

Unlimited Drinks

If you’re planning on staying at your hotel for more than just a couple days, we highly recommend picking up a refillable mug. These are available for purchase at your resort’s quick service restaurant, and once you activate them, they’re good for the duration of your trip up to 14 days.

New 100th Anniversary Refillable Resort Mugs!

You can’t refill them in the parks, but you can certainly drink your weight in soda at your resort if that’s what you want! They’re $21.99 each, and you could easily get your money’s worth by just filling them up 4 or 5 times.

Table Service…In Your Hotel Room

You’ve heard of Mobile Order, but have you heard of Table Service To-Go? This service is available at select Disney World Resort restaurants, where you can essentially order items off of table service menus through Mobile Order in the My Disney Experience app.

With this perk, you can order bread service from Sanaa, burgers from Steakhouse 71, or Parker House Rolls from Ale & Compass (plus many others). So many food options without a reservation — and then you can take your eats back to your room and enjoy them while you relax!

Skipping the Front Desk

Nobody wants to wait in line at the front desk to check-in, and that’s why Disney introduced the mobile check-in feature through the My Disney Experience app. Now, you can check in ahead of your arrival and then go straight to your room once it’s assigned.

You’ll be able to unlock your door with your phone or MagicBand — no need to stop by the desk. It’s very convenient and it’s a MUST for us!

Deluxe Perks at a Value Cost

And finally, we’ve got to talk about one of our favorite tricks! Want to keep things on the budget side? You can stay at a Value hotel, but then visit a Deluxe Resort to enjoy some of their perks!

We tend to prefer the dining options at Deluxe Resorts over those at the Value spots, and you don’t have to stay at a hotel to enjoy the activities that they host during the daytime and evening. You could hop on over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to enjoy a campfire by the savanna or head to Disney’s BoardWalk to watch a movie under the stars. The main perk you can’t check out is the pool — no pool hopping between resorts.