Get A Free Disney Resort Room Upgrade

Imagine, paying 40% off the lowest possible rate at a Disney resort and staying in a premium room.

I’ve done this before on several Disney World stays and you can too!

This isn’t guaranteed of course, but my family has done it several times. We’ve paid for Garden View rooms (Disney’s cheapest room type) at Deluxe Disney Resorts with a 40% military discount and stayed in higher room categories, for example a Savanna View at the Animal Kingdom Lodge or in a Pool View room at the Wilderness Lodge.

Here Is How

First, get up to 40% off the regular rates by using Disney’s Armed Forces Salute room discount.  The Military Salute is a fantastic opportunity for military members to save big on Disney Resorts. With discounts of 40% on Deluxe Resorts, 35% on Moderates, and 30% on Value Resorts. These rates are fantastic by themselves!

Get the Most Within Your Budget

Disney vacations are expensive, so it is important to economize where you are able. In each Disney resort there are various levels of room price categories, often differentiated by the view they have i.e. standard, water, pool, woods, or preferred views.

If you opt for the cheapest room in your desired resort you’ll be in the Standard View Category. Disney’s standard view rooms are the least desirable and therefore the cheapest per night. They are the “entry-level” rooms at each resort. The entrance area or windows will be from the parking lot, or when looking out of your windows you’ll see parking lots, dumpsters. loading docks, blank walls, roofs, or other less than attractive areas.

That’s the drawback to the cheapest rooms at Disney. But you have to ask yourself, how much time you’ll be spending in the room anyway?

If you will be spending all of your time in the theme parks and just come back to the room to sleep it won’t really be an issue for you. But if you will be spending more time in the room or would just like to improve your experience you might want a higher category room.

You can either reserve a more expensive room or try to get an upgrade.

Improve your outlook

It is possible to get a free upgrade to a higher category of room at Disney Resorts!

Here’s the secret… Just Ask.

First, having booked at the military rate the resort room assigner may give you a complimentary room upgrade just to say thanks for your service anyway. I’ve had that happen before. We’d booked a standard view at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge but we were upgraded to a pool view at no extra cost without asking.

When you are checking verify with the desk clerk the type of room you are being assigned. If it is the same as you reserved you’ll want to ask the  clerk if a complimentary upgrade is possible. You might feel funny doing it the first time, but it’s so worth it and the worst that can happen is they’ll say “Sorry, no.”

You’ve got to physically check-in to do this. This takes human interaction.

Improve your odds – special events and resort selection

You can improve the odds to get that yes answer that you want to hear!

When making your resort reservation, either through Disney or your your travel agent mention any special events you are commemorating during your stay and ask that they be placed on your reservation (Disney wants to know this and it isn’t out of the ordinary).

You should have these events added as a note on your reservation, things you might mention are:

• Birthdays
• Anniversary
• Honeymoon
• Return from or Pre Deployment
• Kid’s trip while the member is deployed
• Honeymoon
• Promotion
• Retirement
• First Visit, etc.

Give the actual date if it’s during your stay and Mickey may put a card and balloon or other surprise in your room.

Your choice of resort can also help you obtain a comp room upgrade. Choose the larger resorts and resorts that don’t fill up as often.

We’ve had the best luck at the two cheapest of Disney’s Deluxe Resorts, the Wilderness Lodge and the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Also going during the less busy periods increases your odds.

The morning view from our upgraded room

One of My Experiences

On a  recent trip to Walt Disney World I reserved three nights at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. My wife’s birthday was during the trip so I mentioned that when making my reservation through my travel agent, Ears of Experience. I booked a standard view room which during my stay dates cost $300 per night before taxes at the regular rate. My cost using the Armed Forces Salute 40% off was $180 per night plus tax for a total of $607.50. At the regular rate the total would have been $1012.50.

When we were checking in I asked for a comp upgrade. I knew the clerk could see the birthday mentioned on her screen and that it was a military rate. She said just a minute she needed to asked a supervisor to approve the upgrade. It took several minutes but it was so worth it! She came back in a few minutes and said, “It’s our pleasure to upgrade you to a Savanna View room.”

Look at the photo above, that’s the view from our Savannah View room balcony. Lots better than looking at a parking lot right?

A savannah view room during our dates was going for $380 plus tax per night ($1282.50 total).

So when you compare the room we stayed in to what we paid we saved $675.00, and we had many wonderful hours sitting on that balcony watching the animals.

Have you ever received a comp upgrade at a Disney resort? Tell us about it in the comments below.

• Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
• Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide 
• Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist 
• Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide

• Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
• Dining Overview Page
• Transportation Overview Page
• Technology Overview Page
• Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort

The Mouse Experts is a travel booking company specializing in Disney vacations. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!