Save on a Disneyland Vacation using Marriott

We all know Disneyland is magical, but the magic isn’t cheap. Once you add up the flights, the hotel stays, park tickets, and the food, you could easily be spending $5,000 for a family of four. But, you can easily save SO MUCH MONEY on a Disneyland vacation by using the Marriott Credit Card offer.

This is why you should consider opening up a Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card to stay for nearly free. In fact, I just opened this card for our Disneyland trip this summer.

The Marriott FOUR Night Offer

Marriott’s elevated offer rewards you with three certificates, each worth up to 50,000 points. If you spend an additional $1,000, you would get another free night (so four nights total for $4,000 of spend). Many of the hotels at Disneyland are right around or at 50,000 points. This is elevated from the standard offer of three 50k night certificates.

This means that one credit card sign up would earn you a four night stay at one of the Marriott hotels next to Disneyland. Here’s the details:

What Marriott Hotel Should I Stay At?

There are a lot of options around Disney, but I would keep in mind Marriott does use dynamic pricing, so depending on demand, the points price per night can shift.

Many people choose to stay at the Spring Hill Suites Maingate, the Fairfield Inn, or the Element (and there are other options – these are just close and a reasonable points price per night).

(If you want a ranking of all the Disney hotels, this blog does a great job of ranking almost 50 hotels near Disneyland – many of them are Marriott properties).

I suggest going to the Marriott website and typing in Disneyland. Then you can select “Use Points” and “Flexible Dates.”

Once you do that, you can see a list of available hotels. From there, I would click the hotel and look at the calendar. It will look like the one below. This will give you an IDEA of what nights cost. Marriott prices can change with demand and do fluctuate.

There are SEVERAL hotels close to Disneyland, so if one doesn’t work, I would imagine there would be another one to suit your needs. If a hotel is more than 50,000 points, you can top it off with up to 25,000 Marriott points per night.

How Much Will This Save My Family?

The credit card costs $95, but a four night stay at a Marriott property close to Disneyland will cost around $1,000. This means you’re saving hundreds if not a thousand dollars, making the Disneyland vacation more affordable.

This is a significant savings, so much so, that I’ve helped several families use this exact strategy, and I am doing it for my family on our next Disneyland trip.

What if I Want to Stay on Property?

Unlike Disney World, there is no real advantage to staying on property. There’s no early entry, no lightning lane advance bookings, and no need for Disney transportation.

In fact, many of the Marriott hotels are actually within walking distance of the parks. So fo a savings of around $1,000 dollars, I will happily stay off property every single time.

What About Other Hotel Chains?

We’ve been to Disneyland three times on credit card points, and we do typically stay at Hyatts. They are close to the parks, and if you have Hyatt or Chase Ultimate Rewards points, it can be an excellent value.

I just decided this time to save my Hyatt points and use the Marriott points instead. I wrote a blog post about using Chase Ultimate Rewards at Disneyland, you can click here.

What if I Sign Up for the Offer and Decide not to Go to Disneyland?

There are so many options to use these certificates, just keep in mind you need to use them within a year, as they do expire. If you are flexible, these certificates can be used at places like the Disney’s Swan, Sheraton Black Rock in Maui, and even Marriott properties close to national parks.

Can I Fly for Free?

YES! Every time we visit Disneyland, we fly and stay for free. There is a great offer on a Southwest card right now that allows for Companion Pass for an entire year. You can read about it here.

If Southwest isn’t a great option for you, there are so many other choices. Fill out a credit card consult, and I can help you select a card for some nearly free flights.

Ready to Sign up for the Marriott Offer?