Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.
Do you know which 2 cards can get you a 5-night trip to Disney World?
I’ve written before about Starwood hotel’s “Nights & Flights” awards which helps folks get Big Travel with Small Money. But it can also get your family a Disney vacation during spring break or summer!
Two American Express Starwood (personal) or (business) cards + 10,000 Starwood points can get you 5 nights + 2 airline tickets to the Magic Kingdom.
Or if you can wait for the 30,000 Starwood point bonus to return, just 2 cards.
American Express Starwood Card
Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express
Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express
Link: Starwood Nights & Flights
Link: My Review of the Starwood Nights & Flights Program
With Nights & Flights you get a discount on 5-night award stays at Category 3 and Category 4 Starwood hotels.
You get 5 free hotel nights AND 50,000 airline miles when you use:
- 60,000 Starwood points at Category 3 hotels
- 70,000 Starwood points at Category 4 hotels
You can get 30,000 Starwood points (25,000 Starwood points from the sign-up bonus + 5,000 points from the minimum spending) from the American Express Starwood (personal) or (business) cards. So 2 cards get you 5 nights in a Category 3 hotel and 2 airline tickets.
If you want to stay onsite at Disney World at the Walt Disney World Dolphin or Walt Disney World Swan, you’ll need 70,000 Starwood points.
However, you can transfer Starwood points for free IF you have the same address. So your partner could transfer the extra points to your account.
Or if you aren’t in a hurry, you can wait for AMEX to offer the 30,000 Starwood point bonus on the American Express Starwood (personal) or (business) cards.
How to Book a Nights & Flight Award
Nights & Flights awards can NOT be booked online. You have to call Starwood at 888-625-4988.
You have to book 14 days in advance for US travel and 30 days in advance for international trips. And if you cancel your plans, your airline miles are NOT refunded!
Flights
Two round-trip coach tickets from Austin to Orlando on July 15, 2015, to July 20, 2015, cost ~$654.
Using Nights & Flights, 50,000 miles are transferred to your airline account which you can use to book your flights. Here’s a list of airlines you can transfer points to.
A low-level round-trip domestic award ticket costs 25,000 airline miles. But it might be hard to find flights to Orlando during spring break and summer.
You can use Expert Flyer to help find award seats or use an award booking service.
Starwood Disney Hotels
The Walt Disney World Dolphin and the Walt Disney World Swan, are Starwood hotels at Disney World which give you more time to enjoy amusement rides instead of riding in your rental car to the park.
Plus you get these additional perks:
- Advance tee times on Championship Disney Golf Courses
- Character dining
- Extra Magic Hours benefit (visit the parks after normal hours)
- Free delivery of purchases made in Disney
- Free parking at Disney
- On-Site Disney ticket desks
- Transportation in Disney (shuttle bus or take the boat (from Dolphin) from the hotel to the resort)
Both hotels are Category 4 hotels, so you can use 70,000 Starwood points for 5 nights AND 50,000 airline miles. The airline miles are deposited into your airline account to use now or later.
50,000 airline miles gets you 2 round-trip coach tickets (in the continental US) on American Airlines, Delta Airlines, or US Airways. Here’s my post on how to book award tickets within the US on American Airlines.
Or you could choose to transfer miles to British Airways Avios points. If your flights are short-haul (under 650 miles), you could get 4 round-trip tickets on American Airlines or US Airways for 9,000 points each!
Note: You can get 50,000 US Airways miles with the US Airways card and 50,000 American Airlines miles from the Citi AAdvantage card. So 4 cards can get 4 people airline tickets and 5 nights at Disney World!
1. Walt Disney World Dolphin
Link: Walt Disney World Dolphin
The Walt Disney World Dolphin is the larger of the 2 Starwood hotels with 27 floors and ~ 1,500 rooms.
A 5-night stay at the Walt Disney World Dolphin from July 15, 2015, to July 20, 2015, costs ~$1,259.
So you’d pay ~$1,913 for 2 round-trip coach tickets and 5 nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin (~$654 for 2 round-trip coach tickets to Orlando + ~$1,259 for 5 nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin).
Whereas with Nights and Flights you pay 70,000 Starwood points.
If you drive to Disney, you can book the hotel for 10,000 Starwood points a night. But you get the 5th night free when using points so 5 nights costs 40,000 Starwood points.
Why You Should Stay at the Walt Disney Dolphin
- Boat ride to Epcot
- Can walk to Epcot
- Firework views from left corner rooms with large balconies (East side)
- Shuttle bus to Disney
- View of Disney World
Why You Might Not Want to Stay at the Walt Disney Dolphin
- $23 resort fee
- $16 self parking without in/out privileges
- Grand Suites have 1 king or 2 twin beds
Check out this FlyerTalk thread for more details on the Dolphin in Disney World.
2. Walt Disney World Swan
Link: Walt Disney World Swan
The Walt Disney World Swan hotel has 12 floors and ~750 rooms.
Five nights at the Walt Disney World Swan from July 15, 2015, to July 20, 2015, costs ~$1,304.
So 2 round-trip coach tickets and 5 nights would cost ~$1,958 (~$654 for 2 round-trip coach tickets to Orlando + ~$1,304 for 5 nights at the Walt Disney World Swan).
With Nights and Flights you pay 70,000 Starwood points.
If you don’t need airfare, you can book the hotel for 8,000 points a night when you book 5 award nights. That’s because you get the 5th night free if you book a 4-night stay with points.
Why You Should Stay at the Walt Disney Swan
- Grand Suites have 1 King and 2 Queens
- Suites are nicer
Why You Might Not Want to Stay at the Walt Disney Dolphin
- $23 resort fee
- Some folks say the buffet isn’t very good
- No view of Disney World
- No upgrades during conventions
Check out this FlyerTalk thread for more details on the Swan in Disney World.
Remember, there are lots of ways to use miles and points for an inexpensive Disney vacation. Starwood’s Nights and Flights are just 1 of many good options!
Bottom Line
Families planning a trip to Disney World can get 5 nights at the Walt Disney World Dolphin or Walt Disney World Swan and 2 airline tickets from 2 cards and 10,000 Starwood points!
Short on points? You can transfer Starwood hotel points for free to anyone who shares your address.
Hi Daraius,
A little confused about something. I contacted an SPG agent and she said the 50,000 miles that gets deposited into your airlines’ account has to be used during the same days as your 5-night stay otherwise they will rescind the miles, is this true? How can they just take miles back after it’s been deposited into your account? I thought I could do a 5-night stay at a cat 3 for 60K and just hold on to the 50K miles for a rainy day while I use a different set of miles for my flight to get to the destination, but they’re saying I have to use the 50K miles otherwise they’ll take it back. Could you advise? 🙂
Does this include any tickets to the parks?
If i have a family of four can i purchase additional airline tickets or use miles?
if you looking to sign up for Amex SPG card, check the flyertalk.com for referral.
So do you still have to pay to go to the actual parks separately??
The Swan has renovated rooms available. I got one last weekend as a gold member with SPG.