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When I first heard about Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, it quickly became a travel goal for me. I remember first seeing pictures of the hotel when I was in college and thinking it looked so beautiful. I loved the theming. And of course, I love visiting Disney World. I just worried it would be too expensive.
How could I afford it? After all, Disney’s Boardwalk Resort is considered a Disney World “deluxe hotel”, meaning it is in the category of most expensive Disney World hotels. And it’s not as if any Disney World hotel is cheap to begin with.
But luckily, as the years have gone by since I was in college (let’s not get into how many years ago that was, shall we?), I have learned many tricks and hacks to help me save money at Disney hotels. And now I can happily say I have gotten to stay at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort numerous times.
So today I want to share with you some of those hacks and tricks. Hopefully, your family can use these tricks so you, too, can afford Disney’s Boardwalk Resort.
Before You Read These Tips
Before you read these tips, I want to give you an additional tip, and that is to read and try every one of them. I believe the key to getting a good deal on a Disney hotel is to look multiple places. Then you really know if you are getting the best deal or not. So if you really want to save money, check out all these tips.
Hack #1: Rent a DVC Room
So this is by far the best way to get a cheaper stay at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. Select rooms at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort are actually DVC rooms, or “Disney Vacation Club” rooms.
The great thing about this is that you don’t actually have to be a Disney Vacation Club member to stay in one of these rooms. My family has stayed in plenty of Disney Vacation Club rooms through the years, and we are not DVC members. Our last stay at the Boardwalk, which was our most affordable stay at Boardwalk, was in a DVC room. We rented points to stay in one of these rooms.
Now, you may think that sounds complicated. Luckily, it is not. We talk you through how to rent DVC points here.
Hack #2: Take Advantage of Disney Sales
Sometimes, there are discounted hotel stays available on Disney’s website (you may have seen this advertised on TV). You can get them at certain times of the year. Or you could get them based on meeting certain criteria, like being a Disney World annual passholder, having someone in your immediate family be in the military, be a Disney+ subscriber, etc.
When I do book through Disney’s website, I like to use a Disney gift card to help off my hotel balance. I do that when I check in at the front desk.
And one reason I like using a Disney gift card is that I can earn Swagbucks to exchange for Disney gift cards. Swagbucks is something I have been doing for years to earn money for Disney World trips. You can earn Swagbucks in a variety of ways; just last night, I played a Word Search game on my phone to earn Swagbucks for my next Disney World trip.
So that is one thing I like about booking through Disney’s website. But I do not do it as much as I used to, and that is because I found a website that often has sales better than what I could pay on Disney’s website even using my passholder
Hack #3: Book Through Priceline
And the website I am talking about is Priceline! Check out the rates for Boardwalk Resort here. If you hit it right and the hotel is on sale, you could pay less than you do on Disney’s website (which has happened to me before).
And by the way, if you still want to earn Swagbucks for your Disney trip, you don’t have to use them on your hotel. You could use them on Disney theme park tickets or on dining!
Hack #4: Book Through Undercover Tourist
I have had luck before getting a good deal through Undercover Tourist. Another perk of booking through Undercover Tourist is you can bundle your Disney World theme park tickets and hotel stay together. That can give you additional savings.
Hack #5: Book Through Kayak
When I have gone through those other options, I like to check Kayak for hotel rates. The thing I like about Kayak is that it checks multiple websites at the same. So if there is a deal I missed, Kayak will tell me about it. Then, whichever website I book through I know I am getting the best deal!