The Walt Disney Company's quarterly earnings report released in May included two numbers that tell you everything you need to know about the current tourism environment in Orlando.
Attendance at Disney's American parks is down 1% since last year. Yet revenue collected from those guests is up 7%.
Disney is seeing fewer visitors, and that number is likely to decline further as budgets are squeezed by high prices for gas and other expenses.
But the company is compensating by wringing more cash from visitors who do make the trip.
Even Universal's year-old Epic Universe theme park has reportedly been operating under capacity while it works out the kinks.
With attendance on the wane, Orlando has empty hotel rooms to fill. So the big resorts have issued a phalanx of offers to try to entice you in 2026.
If you can take advantage of these deals while resisting the attempts to upsell you once you arrive, you stand a chance of saving some money on an Orlando trip this summer.
Discount Disney admission after 2pm
From May 26 to July 29, Walt Disney World offers cheaper theme park admission for one park per day as long as you show up after 2pm.
Since Magic Kingdom is open until 10pm most nights during that period, that gives you plenty of time to play. The afternoon arrival may make it impossible for you to buy Lightning Lane for some attractions (the time slots for that quicker-line access often book up early). But hey, that's another upsell dodged and more money saved.
Two-day access after 2pm costs $118–$158 a day. Compare that to $163–$171 without the discount for Magic Kingdom.
Three-day access after 2pm is from $116–$154 per day versus $154–$172 without the deal.
Book the deal via the Disney World website's special page.
Free Disney Dining Plan for kids aged 3–9
Purchasing the Disney Dining Plan buys you points that can be redeemed for meals throughout the resort. Previously you had to buy a version for adults and a separate version for kids, but for 2026 kids aged 3–9 can have the Disney Dining Plan for free.
The main rules are that you have to be staying at a Disney hotel and that all the adults accompanying the kids have to pay for their own meal plans.
Buy the meal plan on the Disney World website or by calling 407/934-7639.
Savings of 15%–30% at Disney hotels
If you're going to Disney World between now and Oct. 3, look for the room discounts that the company has going. There's one deal valid through July 29 and another discount good for July to Oct. 3.
Discount amounts tend to be higher for hotels with higher nightly rates, but you can find deals of up to 25% for even a single night in Disney's cheapest accommodation level at the All-Star Sports Resort.
You'll always be able to find even cheaper hotel rates if you stay off Disney property. That's just a fact of Orlando vacations. But some people simply must have their Disney on-resort hotels, and a deal is a deal.
You might have to hunt and peck around the Disney reservations calendar (access it via this deal page) to find availability, but we checked, and some discounts do exist.
There's also a third hotel room discount open to subscribers of Disney+ (if you haven't canceled your subscription in these times). That offer requires a 2-night stay and is good June 21–Aug. 15, but availability can be hard to find on the calendar. Give it a crack via this deals page at the Disney World site.
Frommer's Disney World, Universal and Orlando
Preparing for an Orlando vacation can be a full-time job, and it costs a small fortune. Most other books on the market make the problem worse, burying vacationers in endless pages of pointless details unquestioningly cheering for the high-priced theme parks and resorts. But this lightweight, fact-pa...
Get the bookFrommer's Disney World, Universal and Orlando
Preparing for an Orlando vacation can be a full-time job, and it costs a small fortune. Most other books on the market make the problem worse, burying vacationers in endless pages of pointless details unquestioningly cheering for the high-priced theme parks and resorts. But this lightweight, fact-pa...
Free Disney water park entry on arrival day
In 2026, Disney will also let you into one of its water parks for free on the day of your arrival as long as you're checking into one of Disney's hotel rooms.
Last summer, for the first time since Covid, both of the Disney World water parks were opened at the same time—for the first half of the 2020s, only one was open at a time. In the summer of 2026, both will open simultaneously again.
Frommer's has previously warned vacationers about how hard it can be to use a Disney water park on the day of arrival, but for those who can swing it, these passes are another big freebie.
2 days free with 5-day Universal pass
Not to be outdone, Universal Orlando will throw in 2 extra days of park passes if you pay for 3 days.
The tickets are good for all three of Universal's theme parks: Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and the new Epic Universe.
Access to Universal's Volcano Bay water park can be added on for more. If you want the ability to swing between multiple theme parks on the same day, make sure you buy the Park-to-Park version of the deal.
If you wind up staying all 5 nights at one of Universal's moderate-priced hotels, then you'll also qualify for a $300 dining credit (valid through Sept. 3).
Get these deals at Universal Orlando's website.
If you don't let the theme parks trick you into spending more than your original budget, you might even come out feeling like you got ahead.