Hi Mariah,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! Like you, I am always searching for a discount!
I hesitate to say that certain resorts or included or excluded from
Special Offers because each Special Offer has unique characteristics. When I just checked Disney's Art of Animation Resort for dates in late September 2018, for example, it did qualify for the Enchanted Escape Room Offer. If you are looking for great rooms at lower prices, I would suggest that you consider other
Value Resort Hotels. In my personal experience, the Little Mermaid rooms at Disney's Art of Animation Resort, refurbished rooms at Disney's Pop Century Resort and standard rooms at Disney's All-Star Sports Resort are all lovely.
To get a good sense of what pricing normally is, I suggest checking the prices for a few months before booking. Then, when a Special Offer comes available, you will know what kind of deal it truly is. Once you have selected your resort hotel, decide how many days you will need theme park tickets and decide whether will do base tickets or park hopper tickets. My family normally does base tickets but on our last visit we had park hopper tickets. Since we were staying at Disney's Contemporary Resort Hotel, it was easy for us to spend the morning in one park and then walk to Magic Kingdom at night for the Happily Ever After fireworks.
Mariah, my final suggestion for saving money is to consider a
dining plan. Food can be unpredictably expensive. We love to do the Disney Dining Plan or the Disney Deluxe Dining Plan because both include table-service meals, drinks and snacks. My family loves to dine at character meals and these plans allow us to do so!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell