Can anyone help me? I'm near tears :(

[Harmonysmomma]

Booking this disney trip has been LESS then pleasant. I am getting so ready just to cancel the whole darn thing.

We are on free dining. (I called in an someone offered it to me, no code, etc)

So now I am reading that people can do free dining and aaa code? (Is this CORRECT???) Because the AAA lady who i briefly spoke to said it is sometimes possible?

Since I already have the free dining code, I am trying to get this to work? Someone told me that I could have the disney reservation transferred to AAA, would this work? Then I could get the AAA discount applied? Will this work? Or any other suggestions?

 

[sumertime]

If you have a discount of any kind, then there must be a code attached to your reservation. So even if they did not tell you what it was, there must be a pin for your free dining. Disney will not allow 2 discounts on the same reservation. Whoever told you that you could was mistaken. You can have AAA handle your reservation, but they will not be able to apply an additional discount. I'm sorry!

 

[williamson_ja]

I don't think you can do this. They generally don't let you stack any discounts

 

[stephmarty]

I think if free dining was a promotion currently open to everyone, as it sometimes is, you could still get your AAA discount. Since you were given a code for free dining, you probably don't qualify. Wouldn't hurt to call and ask. Don't cry--you got free dining!

 

[Harmonysmomma]

I didn't have free dining attached to my name. I had the buy 4 get one free and a gc card. But the CM said I could do that or free dining? She spoke to guest services and got the pin from them.

I emailed someone from AAA to see if we can make this work.

thanks for the responses.

 

[HotMama]

The whole 5 years I have been on these boards, I have never heard of anyone being able to use 2 discounts of any kind. Don't get upset. Disney is well worth of any stress planning it!

 

[dalt01]

you can have your AAA travel agent "take over" the reservation, she will only be able to get you whatever is out there right now.....however under certain circumstances they have a discount of their own if they get a break from Disney. sometimes with heavily discounted packages they cannot do that because they are working with a smaller margin. what they do is cancel and rebook simultaneously. your ressie number will change.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

I think if free dining was a promotion currently open to everyone, as it sometimes is, you could still get your AAA discount. Since you were given a code for free dining, you probably don't qualify. Wouldn't hurt to call and ask. Don't cry--you got free dining!

No, you can NOT stack discounts! If the OP has a free dining discount on her reservation, she can NOT combine the AAA discount or any other discount.

 

[maxiesmom]

Honestly, I would never use AAA to plan my Disney trip. Way too many posters complain about their lack of Disney knowledge. And there are a ton of details to know!

You cannot do Free Dining and get an AAA rate. I am an AAA member too. It is either or.

Have you had other issues that are causing you to be frustrated? There is a lot to planning a Disney vacation, don't let one little hiccup get you down.

 

[fla4fun]

The only thing you can do is wait to see if AAA offers a package with free dining if/when Disney releases general public free dining packages. You would have to book it through AAA and cancel what you have booked through Disney. But before you make any changes, do the math - it's possible that the AAA package would still have you paying rack rate for the room in order to get the free food. Just because you book through AAA doesn't mean the room is discounted!

If you are trying to get a AAA room only discount applied to a Disney package (free dining or not), you can't do it. If someone told you that you could, they were misinformed. Packages with tickets and dining are totally different than room only reservations - kind of like apples and oranges. If your reservation was room only, then you could call Disney and see if the AAA discount could be applied. But not with room/dining/ticket packages.

What the pp's are saying is true - you can not apply more than one discount/promotion to a reservation. So you have to calculate all the available options to see which one saves you the most money.

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have AAA and would not even let them book my vacation. Once AAA is on that reservations you will get no guidance or help or any thing from disney, they will refer you back to AAA.

As far as stacking I HAVE heard people swear they did AAA discount and got another disocunt, particularly free dine. I think they are mistaken! (and perhaps, as someone already mentioned MAY have gotten some other % off thru an all out AAA discount that disney offers them directly based on what they sell..
But, no I do not know and have not ever heard of typically stacking any 2 discounts for disney, gee that'd be nice though

 

[a1tinkfans]

I have AAA and would not even let them book my vacation. Once AAA is on that reservations you will get no guidance or help or any thing from disney, they will refer you back to AAA.

As far as stacking I HAVE heard people swear they did AAA discount and got another disocunt, particularly free dine. I think they are mistaken! (perhaps, as someone already mentioned MAY have gotten some other % off thru an all out AAA discount that disney offers them directly based on what they sell, but i still doubt it) ..
2 discounts for disney, gee that'd be nice though

 

[LindyN]

I have AAA and would not even let them book my vacation. Once AAA is on that reservations you will get no guidance or help or any thing from disney, they will refer you back to AAA.

As far as stacking I HAVE heard people swear they did AAA discount and got another disocunt, particularly free dine. I think they are mistaken! (perhaps, as someone already mentioned MAY have gotten some other % off thru an all out AAA discount that disney offers them directly based on what they sell, but i still doubt it) ..
2 discounts for disney, gee that'd be nice though

You are correct: only ONE discount. People who think they received two discounts have something different, such as a ticket, age of a child, room type (standard vs water for example.) And I will never believe otherwise. Free Dining is NOT the best discount at Disney either. The best deal is going to depend on the level of resort and number of people in the room. The tiered discounts (20/30/40) with purchased dining is a better deal for most guests in a Deluxe resort than FD.

If you are going to book with a TA, make sure you book with someone who actually visits Disney often and knows it well. An agent should give information and provide service to you after booking when you need it and not just be an "order taker" for a reservation.

 

[DISNEY1975]

I have AAA and would not even let them book my vacation. Once AAA is on that reservations you will get no guidance or help or any thing from disney, they will refer you back to AAA.

As far as stacking I HAVE heard people swear they did AAA discount and got another disocunt, particularly free dine. I think they are mistaken! (and perhaps, as someone already mentioned MAY have gotten some other % off thru an all out AAA discount that disney offers them directly based on what they sell..
But, no I do not know and have not ever heard of typically stacking any 2 discounts for disney, gee that'd be nice though

I booked through AAA a couple of years ago. I received a pincode (actually my mother did, but she was coming with us) and called Disney to apply it. They would even talk to me and said I had to go through AAA. I called AAA, but they didnt see any urgency with my phone call. I told them if they didnt call right away, the offer may not be available in the resort I was booked in (Poly). I was told my agent was out of the office and would not be back for 2 days, but when she came back, they would leave her the message. I asked if someone else could do it in the meantime, they said no, my paperwork was with "Annie".

2 days later, Annie called me back and said she was headed for a meeting and would call in the afternoon. I waited all day and never heard back from her. The next day I got her on the phone and she called Disney. Im not sure if the 4 days made a difference, but the Poly was not available with the pincode. She asked if I wanted her to check another resort. I told her I had my heart set on the Poly..always wanted to go and this was a big trip for us...11 family members and I did not want to be at a different resort on the monorail. I was disappointed and hung up.

I got a call a voice mail a couple of hours later letting me know I was all set, booked at the Contemporary! WHAT??? I called her back immediately and left a message I did not want to be there and did not know why she booked that after I said specifically that I didnt want to change resorts. She was out again for a few days and by the time she called back, apologized saying she misunderstood, she called Disney to get the Poly back for me and they were booked full for the garden rooms. (Thanksgiving week).

Long story short...I freaked out and ended up at the Contemp. This year I want to stay at the Poly very very badly, but knowing others are getting 40% off isnt sitting well with me. I dont know if Ill do it without a code/special offer, but I do know for certain, Ill be doing it myself directly through Disney. Never again will I use AAA.

BTW...Once I had the pincode, the AAA discount no longer applied. In the end there was no reason for me to have gone through AAA.

 

[PearlySwan]

Booking this disney trip has been LESS then pleasant. I am getting so ready just to cancel the whole darn thing.

We are on free dining. (I called in an someone offered it to me, no code, etc)

So now I am reading that people can do free dining and aaa code? (Is this CORRECT???) Because the AAA lady who i briefly spoke to said it is sometimes possible?

Since I already have the free dining code, I am trying to get this to work? Someone told me that I could have the disney reservation transferred to AAA, would this work? Then I could get the AAA discount applied? Will this work? Or any other suggestions?

^^^ It is my understanding that you can't double dip on discounts. So there is no need to be upset or to cancel your reservation. If I had to choose between the AAA discount or free dining, I'd most likely choose the later. Depending on your vacation dates, the AAA discount could be anywhere between 10% to 20%. In addition, the AAA discount typically has black out dates during Christmas.

 

[MHSweb79]

I booked our Sept. 2009 vacation through AAA, and then when "free" dining came out, I had to pay them MORE because I lost my room discount. So you really do have to do the math, unfortunately, on any deal or discount you are are interested in.
I would not hesitate to use AAA again because my agent was extremely knowledgeable, responsive and helpful. Given some of the posts here about misinformation received directly from Disney CM's, a truly knowledgeable agent is worth her weight in gold!

 

[kittycat9]

First off to some of the preceding comments, I think it's wrong to trash all AAA agents. I received my AAA TA Referral from a few very knowledgeable DiSers here a couple years ago, and have been very thankful since. This was after I had a bad Disney CM and AAA TA run-in, and mind you - my currrnt AAA TA is not in my home state, so to keep using her speaks volumes of her experience IMO. She gets back to me quickly, and is honest.

To the OP - we've exchanged a few PMs on this. You always have the right to refuse, so if whatever AAA comes back with doesn't work for you, don't take it, it's pretty simple. You have free dining, and that's fantastic. Plus, you never know - rates might drop or another special might come out between now and your trip which you will still be able to apply. I have until after thanksgiving so my fingers are crossed for something even better - but I'm completely knowing my rate is still better than the Disney rate, and isn't going to go up. I also like the little extras I get with AAA - extra discounts in DT disney, free storytime for the kids, AAA parking (we drive), etc.

In the end - as with everything, service changes based on who you are working with. I've had run-ins with different CMs at Disney over Special needs information, ADRs, etc. And in the same respect, I've had the best experiences - you just can't throw everyone in to the same pool and expect the same outcome every time. Give each individual a chance to prove themselves. I know the AAA Person the OP is speaking to is VERY dedicated, and VERY Disney Knowledgeable. She worked me through a very tricky transfer from disney to AAA last year, and made things work out for the best this time when we found out that the vacation package we wanted wouldn't work due to our son's special needs. I have total faith in her to get the right answer - even if that answer isn't the one that I want to hear.

 

[PrincessTiffany]

First off to some of the preceding comments, I think it's wrong to trash all AAA agents. I received my AAA TA Referral from a few very knowledgeable DiSers here a couple years ago, and have been very thankful since. This was after I had a bad Disney CM and AAA TA run-in, and mind you - my currrnt AAA TA is not in my home state, so to keep using her speaks volumes of her experience IMO. She gets back to me quickly, and is honest.

To the OP - we've exchanged a few PMs on this. You always have the right to refuse, so if whatever AAA comes back with doesn't work for you, don't take it, it's pretty simple. You have free dining, and that's fantastic. Plus, you never know - rates might drop or another special might come out between now and your trip which you will still be able to apply. I have until after thanksgiving so my fingers are crossed for something even better - but I'm completely knowing my rate is still better than the Disney rate, and isn't going to go up. I also like the little extras I get with AAA - extra discounts in DT disney, free storytime for the kids, AAA parking (we drive), etc.

In the end - as with everything, service changes based on who you are working with. I've had run-ins with different CMs at Disney over Special needs information, ADRs, etc. And in the same respect, I've had the best experiences - you just can't throw everyone in to the same pool and expect the same outcome every time. Give each individual a chance to prove themselves. I know the AAA Person the OP is speaking to is VERY dedicated, and VERY Disney Knowledgeable. She worked me through a very tricky transfer from disney to AAA last year, and made things work out for the best this time when we found out that the vacation package we wanted wouldn't work due to our son's special needs. I have total faith in her to get the right answer - even if that answer isn't the one that I want to hear.

Those people who had terrible experiences with AAA TAs have every right to trash them for their bad service. I've read MANY more negative reports on this board about negative TA experiences than I have read positive reports.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

You can NOT stack discounts, AAA or other types. Can't happen. Disney's booking system doesn't allow it, whether you are making the reservation or an agent is making it on your behalf. There are a couple of people who have claimed to get 2 discounts at once, yet when asked to produce a single itinerary proving this... not one was ever produced. EVER.

Disney's rack rates are set for 2010. While discounts and promotions vary, the rack rates remain the same. If free dining saves your family the most money, keep it. If a 40% discount saves you more money, use it. Quite simple.

I have an outstanding AAA TA who takes over my reservations for me every year so that I can get the AAA perks I enjoy. Remember that half the people on these boards bagging on AAA Travel agents also think there are ways to double dip Disney discounts...

 

[kittycat9]

Those people who had terrible experiences with AAA TAs have every right to trash them for their bad service. I've read MANY more negative reports on this board about negative TA experiences than I have read positive reports.

And I still say it's wrong to lump everyone together in the same boat. My vacation is booked, and I'm saving almost $400 off of Disney's rack rate by using my AAA agent, whom I'm very satisfied with. If Disney comes out with a better offer, I can always call and change my package for that promotion instead - no big deal. Either way, I get my AAA membership extras that make mommy, daddy and the kids a little happier at the end of the day. Nothing for me to be bitter about