The Disney World "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" Deal: Worth It?

You're ready to plan a trip to Walt Disney World and you're starting to do your homework. Where should you stay? What kind of tickets should you buy? Is the dining plan right for you? And most of all, where can you find the best deals? Disney knows you want to come visit this year. And they also know the economy isn't making it easy. So they are offering a tantalizing "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" vacation package deal to tempt you. Is it worth the expense? Do you really save enough to make it worth splurging? Or worth going at all? By doing a little research and some math, it does become pretty clear that Disney knows what to do to bring the people in.

What is the deal? Disney calls it the "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" deal and has rolled it out for vacations taking place from February 9 - April 4 and again from April 19 - June 27 (so don't plan to vacation with the Mouse during Easter!). To make it even more enticing, if you travel between February 9 and March 29, Disney is also offering a $200 Disney gift card to be used nearly anywhere on property. The savings is from the rack rate of the resort hotel. You pay full price for the first four nights, and nothing for the remaining three nights of your trip.

So what's the savings? If you already planned to visit Walt Disney World, stay on property, and purchase park tickets this deal can save you hundreds of dollars. For comparison purposes, I requested six different quotes. Three quotes are for regular prices on an entire vacation package for a Disney Deluxe resort, a moderate resort, and a value. The second three quotes are identical, but incorporating the "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" prices.

The dates I selected are Saturday, May 9 through Saturday, May 16. The package is for a family of four: two adults and two children, ages five and seven. It includes a seven night stay in the selected resort, an 8 day park hopper ticket for each family member and seven nights on the Disney Dining Plan.

We begin with a vacation booked at Pop Century, one of Disney's large value resort hotels. Booking a regular vacation package with no discount in a preferred location room will cost $2812.64. Plug in the same data with the "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" and suddenly you're paying $2332.22 for a total savings of $480.42! The nearly $500 savings can go a long way towards airfare or a rental car or even souvenirs.

Now let's imagine that, giddy with savings, you decide to try an upgrade to a moderate resort. The same vacation package without savings in a standard room at Port Orleans French Quarter will cost you $3202.14. Go back and book it with the savings and you'll find your bill will only be $2554.68. Now you see your savings go from $480.42 to $647.46! And you may want to note that the discounted rate at the moderate Port Orleans French Quarter is actually $257.96 less than the non discounted vacation at the value Pop Century.

Does this mean a deluxe resort is suddenly in the realm of affordable? Moving on from New Orleans to the turn of the century Atlantic beaches of Disney's Beach Club resort, you'll find that rack rate for the same vacation will cost $5502.68 for a water view room at the Beach Club. This is more than twice the cost of the discounted value vacation and the only difference is the resort. Head back to try your luck at the discounted rate and come up with $3882.16. That is $1620.52 difference! This savings means that by paying an additional $680.02, you can go from the non discounted moderate resort costing $3202.14 to the beautiful and luxurious deluxe Beach Club resort.

So does this mean you should head out and charge nearly $4000.00 on your credit card for vacation? Not necessarily, but it is clear that Disney's campaign to get guests down to Florida definitely does make a vacation more affordable, whether it be a value driven resort package or a decadent deluxe treat experience. Head over to www.disneyworld.com to check out your own dates and resorts and enjoy the possibilities! Prices vary based on how many days on your tickets, what elements you want to add or subtract from those tickets, whether or not you want to use one of the offered dining plans and what type of room you are interested in booking. Follow the "Buy 4 Get 3 Free" links on the main page and happy planning!