Disney World Vacation Package Discounts

Walt Disney World vacation package discounts are slightly less common than discounts on individual components (room, tickets, food), but there are good vacation package discounts to be had, and this page covers them all.

A “vacation package” for Disney World includes a room at an official Disney resort, plus either tickets or a dining plan or both. Disney World packages are popular because they offer convenience and simplicity, but sometimes you can save more creating your own “package” by buying tickets, hotel and food separately. Disney Vacation Package discounts are not always available for all future dates, and are released just 3-5 months in advance, so it’s a good idea to start your search early and keep checking back to see if package discounts have been released for the time frame you want.

Not sure which resort to pick for your Disney vacation package? Read about the various Disney resort types and our recommendations for the best values in each category.

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Is a Disney Vacation Package For You?

A Disney vacation package has traditionally included two key things: a hotel room and park tickets. (A hotel room by itself is not a package – it’s called a “room-only” reservation.) The park tickets must be multi-day tickets (2+ days), but can be any of the various park ticket types: Base (one park per day), Park Hopper, Water Park & Sports or Park Hopper Plus. You can also add a pre-paid dining plan to any package. There is also a “ticketless” package that includes a dining plan but no tickets. The “ticketless” package is not available online; you need to book it with a travel agent or over the phone with Disney.

A lot of people like Disney’s vacation packages because they are convenient and worry-free. You get everything you need (except airfare) with one purchase. However, it is important to note that the standard full-price Disney vacation packages are designed for convenience rather than savings. In most cases you will not automatically get a discount by purchasing a package! It can be cheaper to book a “room only” reservation (ideally with a discount) and then buy the package components (tickets, meals, etc) separately.

When Disney offers package discounts, usually they are calculated as a discount on the hotel portion of the package and are identical to a room-only discount offered at the same time; the tickets and dining plan are charged at full price. However, Disney sometimes offers exclusive promotional package discounts, particularly in the off-season, that do not have any room-only equivalent, where you get a discount on dining instead of (or in addition to) a hotel discount. Disney World packages have rules about advance payment, cancellations and changes that are usually much more restrictive than those associated with “room only” reservations. If you’re not sure about whether to buy a package vs. just booking your room and tickets separately, read our information on the pros and cons of vacation packages vs. room-only reservations to help you decide.

It can be difficult to sort out what is best for your particular situation. That’s why we think it’s a good idea to have someone knowledgeable on your side, making sure all the details are covered. Our advice is this: if you want to book a Walt Disney World vacation package, we strongly recommend using a travel agent who specializes in Disney travel. It costs you nothing, and you can sit back, relax, and have all the vacation planning and hassle taken care of by someone else.

If you think you’d rather buy the various parts separately, take a look at our Disney World Resort Discounts page, where we cover room-only discounts on Disney hotels. If you are considering staying in a non-Disney hotel (and it’s worth considering; the savings can be significant), you’ll also want to check our recommendations for the best hotels near Walt Disney World. And of course you should visit our Walt Disney World ticket discount pages, and read our tips on saving money on food and drink.

Vacation Package Features & Options

Disney World vacation packages change every year. In most years, only a few minor things change, such as the list of shops and restaurants that provide coupons and discounts to package buyers. Occasionally there will be more extensive changes; when there are, we list them below.

The specific package you get is based on your checkin date. So if you check in any time between January 1 and December 31, 2020, you will get the 2020 package benefits and pricing for your whole stay, even if the stay extends into 2021.

2021 Package Changes

Guests arriving in 2021 will no longer receive a complimentary MagicBand. They can still get a FREE plastic RFID card at any time, or can buy a MagicBand for an additional fee and link it to their account. A selection of basic MagicBands will be available to purchase in advance through MyDisneyExperience.

Some of the store & restaurant discount coupons have changed. Hotel prices went up, though not by as much as in some years past.

The dining plan is not being offered while the COVID-19 adjustments to health and safety are in effect, so we don’t yet know the new 2021 pricing and how it compares to 2020’s prices.

2020 Package Changes

Very little changed for 2020. There are a few different store & restaurant discount coupons, but otherwise the benefits are the same as in 2019. The dining plan prices went up about 3%-5%, depending on the plan. And of course hotel prices went up, as they do every year.

Current Package Options

Disney Resort Hotel Package – This is the basic Walt Disney World vacation package, which includes accommodations at a Disney-owned-and-operated resort hotel, and Walt Disney World tickets for everyone in the group. By default, it includes Base (1 Park Per Day) tickets, but you can add Water Park & Sports, Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus options (for more money).

Special Note: As of now, Disney is not offering the various Disney Dining Plans because of ongoing dining changes and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 adjustments. Thus, all the packages below that include a dining plan (marked with a *) are not being offered. This could change at any time, so if you were hoping to get a package with a dining plan, our recommendation is to go ahead and book a regular package now, then keep checking back. If you have a travel agent, ask them to contact you when the Disney Dining Plans are once again available.

As of now, Disney is not offering the various Disney Dining Plans because of ongoing dining changes and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 adjustments. Thus, all the packages below that include a dining plan (marked with a *) are not being offered. This could change at any time, so if you were hoping to get a package with a dining plan, our recommendation is to go ahead and book a regular package now, then keep checking back. If you have a travel agent, ask them to contact you when the Disney Dining Plans are once again available. Disney Resort Hotel Package Including Disney Quick Service Dining Plan* – This package includes everything from the Disney Resort Hotel Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two quick service meals and two snacks per person, per package night, plus a resort refillable mug per person. You can choose from dozens of counter service restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney Resort Hotel Package Including Disney Dining Plan* – This package includes everything from the Disney Resort Hotel Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two meals (one table service, one quick service) and two snacks per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort. This plan also includes a resort refillable mug per person.

Disney Resort Hotel Package Including Disney Dining Plan Plus* – This package includes everything from the Disney Resort Hotel Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two meals (each meal can be either table service or quick service) and two snacks per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort. This plan also includes a resort refillable mug per person.

Disney Dining Plan Plus* – This package includes everything from the Disney Resort Hotel Package, and adds a dining plan that includes two meals (each meal can be either table service or quick service) and two snacks per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort. This plan also includes a resort refillable mug per person. Disney Resort Hotel Package Including Disney Deluxe Dining Plan* – This package includes everything from the Disney Resort Hotel Package, and adds a dining plan that includes three meals and two snacks per person, per package night at more than 100 restaurants across the Walt Disney World Resort. Unlike the regular Dining Plan, lunch and dinner on this plan include an appetizer. This plan also includes a resort refillable mug per person.

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

To book a Disney World vacation package, we recommend filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more.

filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more. Why book with a travel agent? We find that the overall experience is better booking a package through a good full-service agency than direct with Disney, and the extra service costs you nothing; their prices are identical to Disney’s, including all package discounts. Booking packages, especially discounted packages, often involves comparing many different booking options to see which gets you the best deal, and that’s one of the many things the best travel agents are great at doing.

Our Value Recommendations

The first thing you need to bear in mind is that Disney REALLY wants you to stay for at least 5 nights/6 days. For that reason, the tickets included in your package are heavily discounted on longer (5 to 10 day) stays. Remember that tickets are usually the biggest single expense in your package, and 7 day tickets cost only a little more than 4 day tickets. So live it up — price out the longer vacation and you’ll probably be surprised how little the extra cost will be.

For most people who buy a vacation package, the plain Resort Hotel Package (no dining) or the Resort Hotel Package Plus Disney Dining Plan will be the best value.

There is a daily, per-person cost to add the regular Disney Dining Plan to a basic package (current prices can be found on the dining plan page). With the regular Dining Plan you’ll get a table service meal, a counter service meal and two snacks each day.

The Disney Dining Plan should be thought of primarily as a way of pre-paying your food expenses. It’s not really intended to be a discount plan. It’s possible to save a little vs. paying cash, and if you work every angle you can save more. Working every angle, though, means ordering only the most expensive items on the menu at every meal and eating at the highest-priced restaurants, which feels like a fairly significant constraint. One big exception: if you have children 9 or under and plan to visit a lot of buffets (half your table-service meals or more), you’ll probably save money without really having to work at it, as Disney’s child buffet prices are very high compared to other meals. Adding the Dining Plan to your package does allow you to prepay all or most of your food expenses (except for tips), and frees each person to order whatever they want without worrying about the price. If that sounds like an enhancement to your vacation, then a dining plan may be a good choice. Read our view on the pros and cons of the Dining Plan.

If your family isn’t into table-service dining, there is the Quick Service Dining Plan. The Quick Service Dining Plan is not a great way to save money, but might be attractive for other reasons. You will be lucky to break even vs. just paying cash for your meals and snacks. The Quick Service Dining Plan is not particularly flexible, since there’s no way to spend the meal credits on table service, buffets, or most smaller carts, food trucks or kiosks. For a light meal on the go, those kiosks and “snack” locations are often the best deals available. Bottom line: we don’t recommend the Quick Service plan as a money-saving strategy. It’s a good choice if you don’t like table-service restaurants and you want to pre-pay for your meals.

New for 2020 is the Dining Plan Plus. This gives you two “flexible” meals per day which can be quick service or table service. If you use all your credits for table service meals, this has the potential for great savings. Just make sure you really want to have all your meals (or nearly all) at table service restaurants, or that you’re willing to pay extra for the convenience of mixing quick service and table service in any proportion you want. Be aware that as a quick rule of thumb, if less than 2/3 of your lunch and dinner meals are at table service restaurants, you are probably not saving any money with this plan.

The Deluxe Dining Plan is really luxurious, but for the average family it is also serious overkill. First of all, eating the included three full table-service meals a day is just too much for most people. But if you’re like us, you’ll feel compelled to eat all those darn meals, because you’re paying for them! It’s really intended for folks who want the ultimate in pre-paid meal flexibility and don’t mind paying for it.

Package Discounts For Everyone

Disney usually has a selection of discounts available to anyone, including international guests. No special code or membership is required to use these, but there can be minimum stay lengths, blackout dates and other requirements.

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Magic Is Here Package Offer

Save up to $125 per night on the room portion of a package at select official Walt Disney World resorts for most dates September 4 through December 25, 2020. There is no minimum stay length.

Discounts (just for the room portion) off normal 2020 Disney World room rates:

Get $15 off (plus tax) per night at Fort Wilderness campsites (roughly equivalent to 5%-15% off pop-up or basic full hookup campsites, depending on dates)

Get $25 off (plus tax) per night at select Value resorts (roughly equivalent to 8%-15% off most standard rooms, depending on dates)

Get $62.50 (plus tax) off per night at select Moderate resorts (roughly equivalent to 15%-25% off standard rooms, depending on dates)

Get $125 (plus tax) off per night at select Deluxe & Deluxe Villa resorts (roughly equivalent to 15%-30% off standard rooms or studios, depending on dates)

Offer excludes almost all Deluxe resorts (only Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Yacht Club are included), but includes most Deluxe Villa resorts except for Villas at Grand Floridian, Bungalows at Polynesian Bungalows & Villas and Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins. Also excludes Port Orleans – Riverside, Port Orleans – French Quarter, the All-Star Resorts and 3-bedroom villas. As with all Disney promotional discounts, some resorts, room types and date combinations will not be available. It’s important to be flexible if you want to book a discounted room.

Book by 12/25/20.

To book the Magic is Here Package Offer, we recommend requesting a quote from Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when they book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more.

requesting a quote from Small World Vacations They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when they book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more. Why book with a travel agent? We find that the overall experience is better booking a package through a good full-service agency than direct with Disney, and the extra service costs you nothing; their prices are identical to Disney’s, including all package discounts. Booking packages, especially discounted packages, often involves comparing many different booking options to see which gets you the best deal, and that’s one of the many things the best travel agents are great at doing.

Magic Is Here Local States Package Offer

Residents of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia only can get up to 25% off the room portion of a package at official Walt Disney World resorts for most dates September 4 through December 25, 2020. There is no minimum stay length. You can also book this as a room-only offer.

Sample discounts (just for the room portion) off normal 2020 Disney World room rates:

Up to 15% off Fort Wilderness campsites (discounts vary by campsite type)

Up to 20% off Value resort rooms (discounts vary by resort and room type)

Up to 25% off Moderate resort rooms (discounts vary by resort and room type)

Up to 30% off Deluxe & Deluxe Villa resort rooms (discounts vary by resort and room type)

Offer excludes almost all Deluxe resorts (only Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Yacht Club are included), but includes most Deluxe Villa resorts except for Villas at Grand Floridian, Bungalows at Polynesian Bungalows & Villas and Cabins at Copper Creek Villas & Cabins. Also excludes Port Orleans – Riverside, Port Orleans – French Quarter, the All-Star Resorts and 3-bedroom villas. As with all Disney promotional discounts, some resorts, room types and date combinations will not be available. It’s important to be flexible if you want to book a discounted room.

Book by 12/25/20.

To book the Magic is Here Local States Package Offer, we recommend requesting a quote from Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when they book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more.

requesting a quote from Small World Vacations They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when they book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more. Why book with a travel agent? We find that the overall experience is better booking a package through a good full-service agency than direct with Disney, and the extra service costs you nothing; their prices are identical to Disney’s, including all package discounts. Booking packages, especially discounted packages, often involves comparing many different booking options to see which gets you the best deal, and that’s one of the many things the best travel agents are great at doing.

Annual Passholder Packages

Annual Passholder Packages are vacation packages that have a room and dining plan but no tickets (since annual passholders obviously don’t need tickets). They can be booked any time, and when Passholder “room only” discounts are available, those discounts apply to the room portion of a passholder package. The Dining Plans are always full price and these packages are never eligible for “Free” dining, or other packages that involve reduced-price Dining Plan like “Stay, Play & Dine.” These bookings are subject to regular Walt Disney Travel Company package rules. Annual passholder packages can only be booked through a travel agent or via calling the Disney Reservation Center; they are not available online.

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

To book an Annual Passholder Package, we recommend filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more.

filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more. Why book with a travel agent? We find that the overall experience is better booking a package through a good full-service agency than direct with Disney, and the extra service costs you nothing; their prices are identical to Disney’s, including all package discounts. Booking packages, especially discounted packages, often involves comparing many different booking options to see which gets you the best deal, and that’s one of the many things the best travel agents are great at doing.

Ticketless Packages with Dining Plan

Ticketless Packages with Dining are vacation packages that include a room and dining plan but no tickets. They are just like the Annual Passholder Packages, above, except that they don’t include the Annual Passholder room discounts. They can be booked any time, and when “room only” discounts are available, those discounts apply to the room portion of these packages. The Dining Plans are always full price and these packages are never eligible for “Free” dining, or other packages that involve reduced-price Dining Plan like “Stay, Play & Dine.” These bookings are subject to regular Walt Disney Travel Company package rules. Ticketless packages can only be booked through a travel agent or via calling the Disney Reservation Center; they are not available online.

Thanks to Small World Vacations for info.

To book a Ticketless Package, we recommend filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations . They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more.

filling out a quote form with Small World Vacations They give you full service, including a personal travel agent you can contact by email or toll-free phone number, and we recommend them wholeheartedly! Also, Small World is offering a FREE TouringPlans.com subscription to US residents, when you book a 2020 package valued at $2000 or more. Why book with a travel agent? We find that the overall experience is better booking a package through a good full-service agency than direct with Disney, and the extra service costs you nothing; their prices are identical to Disney’s, including all package discounts. Booking packages, especially discounted packages, often involves comparing many different booking options to see which gets you the best deal, and that’s one of the many things the best travel agents are great at doing.

Bounceback Package Offer

“Bounceback” vacation package offers are offers made by Disney ONLY to guests who are currently staying at one of the official Walt Disney World resorts. The idea is to encourage you to “bounce back” to Disney World by planning your next vacation right now. These offers are not always available and could end at any time.

When a bounceback vacation package offer is available, you may be able to book a discounted vacation package (accommodations plus at least a 1-day Base Ticket) for a stay on selected dates at a Walt Disney World resort. Not all dates are offered, and not all resorts and room types will be included.

To qualify, the reservation for your next vacation must be made before you check out, and there are no exceptions made. You must call the number provided (usually on a flyer in your room) and pay a $200 deposit when booking.

If you don’t get a bounceback offer on a flyer in your room, the resort TV channel may be showing this offer, or you may receive an email from Disney during your stay. Your best bet is to dial x8844 from your room phone and ask them if there are any current offers. You can also try asking the front desk and/or Housekeeping for a flyer. They do not usually know what the current bounceback offers are or how to book them, but they may know where a flyer can be found.

The current offer appears to be a room-only discount offer, which can be booked as a package if desired, by adding full-price tickets and/or dining plan. It comes and goes, and has varying discounts depending on resort and date.

Package Promotions with Small World Vacations

Small World Vacations frequently offers nice Disney World vacation package promotions exclusively for MouseSavers Newsletter readers. Be sure to sign up for out FREE monthly email newsletter so you’ll hear about the latest offers!

UK Resident Packages

The Disney specialist travel agency we recommend, Small World Vacations, gladly works with clients around the globe. They have many clients from the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately they cannot book UK-specific offers, but sometimes the American offers are a better deal. It’s also worth noting that the US vacation package offers have much more advantageous cancellation and change policies than the UK holiday package offers.

To book any Walt Disney World holiday offers that are specific to UK visitors , go to the UK Walt Disney Travel Company website.

, go to the UK Walt Disney Travel Company website. You can also check the UK Visitors page for current package offers that are specific to the UK.

Canadian Resident Packages

Canadian residents can book the US offers listed above. The Disney specialist travel agency we recommend, Small World Vacations, gladly works with clients around the globe. They have many clients from Canada.

In addition, you can visit Walt Disney World’s Canadian website and select the Special Offers tab to see any current deals specific to Canadians, but most of the time the offers are the same as those distributed in the US. Sometimes the Canadian offer will have a different discount code, but otherwise it will be identical to the US offer. If we learn of any specials for Canadians only, they are listed below. Small World Vacations can book most Canadian packages as long as you are traveling at least 45 days from the date of booking.

Online Travel Agencies

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc. typically cannot book Disney Vacation Packages, which means they can’t book any of Disney’s special package discounts like Stay, Play, and Dine or Free Dining, and they can’t book packages with the Disney Dining Plans at all. They can be a good way to book a room-only discount, if they are offering some kind of discount code or coupon of their own that stacks on top of Disney’s own discounts. If not, they will typically have the same room rates as Disney.

All of the OTAs have what they call “packages,” but they’re just bundles they’ve put together of travel components they handle, like flights, hotels, rental car, tickets, etc. They generally are not discounted very much (or at all) over and above buying the individual components, and most often you’ll find better discounts on rental cars, airfare and Disney World tickets through other sources.

Generally speaking if you want an official Disney vacation package, and especially if you want to book one of the Disney Dining Plans, you’re best off booking with a Disney specialist full-service travel agency. You’ll get better service and a personal agent, for the same price as Disney charges.

Membership Discounts

If you belong to a membership organization like USAA or AARP, it may be worthwhile to check if they offer Walt Disney World vacation packages, and if so, whether they offer any discounts. However, don’t expect much service, and be aware that you may not get the best price in the long run. In our experience, the big membership organizations mostly employ “generalist” travel agents who often know little or nothing about Disney vacations and are frequently clueless about promotional packages and discount codes. You will usually have to do your own monitoring to make sure any better package offers that come out are applied to your booking. They almost never do this for you, unlike a Disney specialist agency.

Trip Insurance

It is especially important to buy trip insurance for a vacation package, because you have to pay the entire cost in advance and you won’t get a refund if you have to cancel right before your scheduled departure. With hundreds or even thousands of dollars at stake, it’s worth it to protect the investment.

It’s super-important to buy insurance if you will be visiting Walt Disney World on a package vacation during hurricane season (roughly June-November, with the peak period in August and September). Don’t underestimate the potential of hurricanes and tropical storms to create major problems even in an inland location like Orlando. Walt Disney World was directly affected by two hurricanes in 2004 (Frances and Jeanne), one in 2005 (Wilma), and most recently by Irma in 2017. Two hotels located on Disney property (but not operated by Disney) were virtually destroyed by the 2004 storms; one didn’t reopen until 2010!

While Disney’s own resorts weathered the hurricanes very well, guests were stuck in their rooms for up to 72 hours and many had major travel problems because airports were closed. Disney did waive “no-show” fees for a few dates, but those whose trips began before the specified dates (but whose travel plans overlapped with the hurricane) or just afterward were out of luck. Many people had similar problems with their airfares. The airlines allowed highly restrictive changes for certain dates without extra fees, but many of those who had to reschedule could not work within the airlines’ narrow rules and just had to suck up the extra cost.

Perhaps the most important coverage included in a trip insurance policy is trip cancellation and interruption insurance, which can protect your investment if you have to cancel your vacation at the last minute (or come home early) due to illness or injury. Depending on the policy, you may be covered if you cancel for other reasons, such as jury duty, terrorism at your destination, or even unemployment.

Emergency medical coverage and medical evacuation insurance are very important if you become ill or injured during the trip. Otherwise you’re on your own as far as booking very expensive last-minute airfare to get home. And if you’re too ill to travel by commercial jet, you may have to pay for treatment in Florida (which your personal insurance may or may not cover) or for evacuation on a medically-equipped jet, which is incredibly expensive. Check your existing medical insurance to see what, exactly is covered while traveling. You may be surprised at how much isn’t covered when you’re away from home.

Delayed baggage insurance will help you pay for replacement clothing if the airline sends your suitcase to Timbuktu and you need something to wear in the meantime. Supplemental baggage insurance will pay a predetermined amount if an airline loses your luggage completely. (Some higher-end credit cards provide extra baggage insurance, so check with your card issuer before paying extra for this coverage.)

Disney sells trip insurance, but for most trips, it’s more expensive than other plans, and usually more restrictive. Additionally, it only covers the cost of your Disney trip (including airfare), so if you do anything else on your trip, such as visit another theme park, buy tickets to an offsite event, etc., those aren’t covered. With a third-party policy, you can cover all potential costs of the entire trip, from any providers, with one policy. You can almost always get better insurance than Disney provides, and at better rates, by buying it elsewhere.

The one situation where Disney’s insurance is a good deal is for very expensive trips. Disney’s insurance is charged at a flat rate per adult (children are included as long as all adults buy the insurance), but third-party plans have a variable charge based on the total cost of your trip and the ages of the adults. The break-even point for a family with two 30-year old adults is roughly $8,000-$12,000 of total trip costs, depending on exactly which plan you choose and what coverages you want. So if you’re 60 years old, flying in from New Zealand and staying at the Grand Floridian in a concierge room for 10 nights, Disney’s travel insurance is an incredible steal. For most people, though, third-party insurance is a better deal.

Be aware that in most cases, trip insurance will provide slightly less coverage (usually by adding exclusions on pre-existing medical conditions) unless you buy it within about 14-21 days of paying your deposit on the vacation package. So be sure to purchase it right away, once you’ve committed to the trip.