Hi Louisa!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It is certainly my pleasure to help a fellow Texan plan their visit to Mickey's house.
Mine is a Military Family too, and in my experience there are no stay requirements as far as a minimum number of nights needed to qualify for this rate. Do note that policies are subject to change from yEAR to yEAR (hEAR are the details for
2020) but if we look at the past to plan for the future, this has never been a rule, so I don't anticipate a change for 2021. I also think it's easier to find a room for a single night than it is for multiple, or a whole week's stay, so that's a huge help in securing a bed for your head after your time on the Mickey Boat.
Disney's wonderful Disney Resort Hotel U.S. Military rates for the following year are usually released in September/October for stays starting January 1. The savings are usually between 15-20 percent for a
Value Resort Hotel, 20-30 percent for a
Moderate, and 30-40 percent on a
Disney Deluxe Resort Hotel based on the rate shown when you search for the same dates on
Disney's Resort Hotel booking portal.
If you'd like to book something sooner than waiting for this fall, you could go ahead and reserve a regular rate Room-Only booking, or check for any other
Special Offers, Deals & Discounts, to ensure that you'll be at your desired Disney Resort Hotel. Reservations can be made up to 499 days out from your planned check-out date. Then, when next year's Mil offer is announced you can call back to see if that rate can be applied to your already reserved room. If not, you could book the new rate outright and cancel the old one, or possibly apply the funds of the first reservation towards a higher resort level should you end up upgrading.
Bonus Tip: Definitely check out
Online Resort Check-In.
I hope this helped to clEAR things up a bit, Louisa, and do let us know if you have any more Walt Disney World Resort or Disney Cruise Line planning questions. We're all Ears!
~Kristen