So part of planning a trip to Disney World is deciding where to stay — and there are a lot of choices.

Do you choose to stay on Disney World property, and if so, do you book a value, moderate, or deluxe resort? Do you stay at an off-site hotel instead? Do you take advantage of a great deal somewhere else? We’re here to warn you about some deals that may seem too good to be true — that’s because they probably are.

The Pizza Flyer Scam

There may come a time when you want to order pizza in Disney World, so you might find yourself tempted when you see a flyer for pizza that’s been shoved under your hotel door. This is a scam! If you want pizza, you can get it from most hotel counter service locations.

In fact, many resorts also offer pizza delivery — for those that don’t, you can easily order pizza via Mobile Order and go pick it up when you’re ready. Do NOT order pizza from a flyer shoved under your door.

Ultimate Guide To Disney World Grocery & Food Delivery for 2023

Renting a room with no safety net

Yes, getting a room at a Disney World hotel is not cheap, but if someone offers a way to spend less on a hotel, it could be a scam. We’re talking about renting DVC points, which can significantly lower the price of deluxe hotels. Now, this is a perfectly legitimate way to get a great deal on a hotel room in Disney World, but you want to be careful of WHO you rent DVC points from. 

We don’t recommend buying DVC points from someone on eBay or someone you’ve been chatting with on Facebook. Instead, use a reputable DVC retailer like our friends over at David’s Vacation Club Rentals.

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Third Party Sites

When you don’t book a hotel directly through Disney or a hotel’s website, you could face some issues. Booking through a third-party site means you could be sacrificing flexibility and freedom. Cancellation policies may not be as flexible as Disney’s.

And that’s through a legitimate third-party site. Some sites are just downright scammy, and we’ve been seeing it a lot recently. There are sites out there that will disguise themselves to make themselves seem like a legitimate hotel website, even though they’re not. So if you Google that hotel, they’ve paid to put themselves at the top of the search results, although they’re not legit.

In the past, we’ve seen these sites allow you to “book” a hotel room and then take your money and basically run. Our best advice: doubt any and all deals. Also, make sure you’re using an official website. You can also check sites like the Better Business Bureau. Or you could just book directly through Disney.

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Fake Hotel Front Desk Calls

Okay, so this is a new scam to us, but it’s, apparently, pretty common. You may be in your Disney World hotel room and receive a call from the front desk — except it’s not the front desk, it’s a scammer. If they’re asking for your credit card information due to an issue with your reservation, that’s a red flag.

Never give your credit card information over the hotel room phone. Disney will also tell you to never give out your personal information over the phone because they would never ask for it.

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Timeshare Scam

You might see an ad offering cheap Disney World tickets — and although you could score a great deal on tickets — if you engage, you might find yourself missing out on valuable Disney World time because you’ve signed up for a presentation for a timeshare that is NOT Disney Vacation Club.

If you see a super low park ticket offer, you’ll need to use your best judgment. This is especially true because some non-Disney salespeople could try to pressure you into signing up for something, but you just have to say “no” if you’re not interested. We’d basically say skip all of these offers.

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Hotel Discounts

Okay, although everything we’ve previously listed are 100% scams, there are some other situations you need to look out for. So Disney will often offer ticket and hotel discounts, but they’re usually for specific timeframes, and you could be tempted to book a trip at an inconvenient time for you just to take advantage of that discount.

For example, Disney might offer some great deals in the summer, but if you hate heat and humidity, do you want to sweat it out in Florida during the hottest and most humid months of the year just to save a few bucks? Here’s another example: Disney often offers a free Disney Dining Plan throughout the year if you book a stay at a hotel. But you’ll have to pay the full rack rate for that hotel, and it could end up costing you more, rather than less. So do the math, figure it out, and think about it before booking that deal.

Check out ALL the current Disney discounts and deals

Housekeeping

If you like to have your hotel cleaned regularly, you might be confused if you’re staying at a Disney World hotel and not getting housekeeping as much as you expected. That’s because the regularity of housekeeping at Disney World hotels depends on the hotel where you’re staying. 

If you’re staying at Disney’s value and moderate resorts, you’re only getting housekeeping every other day. If you’re staying a a deluxe resort, you get housekeeping every day. So keep that in mind when you book your Disney hotel.

5 Things You Need To Know About Housekeeping at Disney World Hotels

Pool Closures

So this happens a lot, and it just means you need to be diligent. Say you book a Disney World hotel and you’ve planned time to hang out at the hotel pool — but you get there and learn the pool is closed. The good news is that Disney will usually post on its site if a pool will be closed ahead of time.

There will usually be an alternative offered if you want to hang out at the pool, as most resorts have more than one. But if it’s a really amazing pool, like Stormalong Bay (which will be closed for a portion of 2025), you may discover you want to stay somewhere else.

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Construction

There is almost always SOMETHING under construction in Disney World, and that includes hotels. Now, you don’t have to worry about hearing construction noise all through the night or anything like that, but you could hear construction noise during the day. And let’s face it — construction walls sort of kill that whole Disney immersion thing.

You’ll be able to learn about construction before your stay, though. Disney World’s website will list construction in bright red text on the hotel’s page, so you’ll be aware of it ahead of time. And before you ask — no, Disney doesn’t discount rooms at hotels that have ongoing construction.

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Credit Card Hold

If you don’t read the fine print when you book a Disney hotel, you might be surprised that a $100 hold is placed on your credit card. Don’t worry — this is just to take care of incidental expenses, like things charged to your room, room service, and more.

If you don’t charge anything to your room, the hold will be released and you’re not out any additional funds. Sure, it might seem scammy, but trust us, it isn’t.

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We just want you to be informed about these scams in advance so you know to avoid them when you’re planning your next Disney World trip. If you see something that doesn’t add up while you’re in Disney World, be sure to visit Guest Services to report it.

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Have you ever fallen victim to any of these scams or seen them in action? Let us know in the comments!