stay more/save more - or AP?

LaurenT · Jul 28, 2015

is the AP discount for hotels usually better than the stay more play more discount?
Any thoughts on whether or not they'll have an aph discount for the end of April 2016?
When they do offer APH, is it across the board, or could I wind up having booked the wrong hotel....
how far in advance should I book if I want Hard Rock - and who wants to convince me that a different one is better...
We stayed at Royal Pacific once and it was nice... but I am a DVC owner at AKL which I love... so I thought a switch from the tropical would be nice for a change...

macraven · Jul 28, 2015

i'll have to look at the darkside site to see what the play more is all about.
every once in awhile something new pops up and there are some i might not be aware of when i first see something posted about it.
some promos have free breakfast which really isn't a savings in the long run.
tickets are required for packages.

or, are you referring to the stay more save more rates?

some love hrh and some don't.
the you first members usually stay with rpr or pbr due to earning the credits to stay at the level they are on or try to build up to move up to another youfirst category.

if you want a specific hotel and dates, you can always book way in advance to secure it.
modify the rate when you see the AP rates or any other specials for discounts.
this is what i always do for my fall trips.

i'm not one to try to convince anyone on which hotel to book.
we all like something different and have our favorites.
i have stayed at all 3 deluxes over the years.

you can have a different experience each time you stay on site.
a second stay at the same hotel could end up becoming your home away from home.

LaurenT · Jul 28, 2015

macraven said:
i'll have to look at the darkside site to see what the play more is all about.
every once in awhile something new pops up and there are some i might not be aware of when i first see something posted about it.
some promos have free breakfast which really isn't a savings in the long run.
tickets are required for packages.

or, are you referring to the stay more save more rates?

some love hrh and some don't.
the you first members usually stay with rpr or pbr due to earning the credits to stay at the level they are on or try to build up to move up to another youfirst category.

if you want a specific hotel and dates, you can always book way in advance to secure it.
modify the rate when you see the AP rates or any other specials for discounts.
this is what i always do for my fall trips.

i'm not one to try to convince anyone on which hotel to book.
we all like something different and have our favorites.
i have stayed at all 3 deluxes over the years.

you can have a different experience each time you stay on site.
a second stay at the same hotel could end up becoming your home away from home.

Yes, I was just referring to the room rates. Wondering if the stay more save more room rate is usually better than the APH discount. I'm not really a fan of the modern look, I'd probably go portofino if it wee just me, but it'll be me and my 12 yr old dd - just the two of us, so i was thinking the rock and roll theme would keep her more interested since she won't have a friend with her.
I'm not a you first member - i tend to stay hilton outside of florida... so those points don't matter to me....

macraven · Jul 28, 2015

for me and the dates i already booked, the SMSM rate was much better than the AP rates for this year.

years past, it was just the opposite.
appears the AP room rates are not as great as they once were.

kind of have to go with dates of your trip to see which is best financially if depending on discounts.

you could check last year and this years thread of Date/Rate to see what others have paid in the past and this year.

but, easter was in april this year which might make a difference.
next year, easter is in March.

LaurenT · Jul 28, 2015

ok, thanks. i guess i'll book hard rock and see what happens!
We've always been stuck with the week after Easter for school break, in 2016 they're moving it to the end of April - so I thought it would be nice to go back to US/IOA then... now that dd is tall enough for everything!

kohlby · Jul 28, 2015

We recently booked at RPR for the stay more rate. The APH rate wasn't out yet. (I haven't checked in the last week to see if it's up now). When we booked, we were told that if the APH rate was better, then we can change it over. Though not an APH issue - I have booked at RPR and then found a better rate twice and called them up - and both times, they honored the better rate. I realize you're not looking at RPR, but I'd presume the other hotels would be the same. Just ask when you book your room to make sure the policy is the same.

macraven · Jul 28, 2015

the loews hotels will modify your room rate when you see it advertised at a rate less than what you booked with.

one phone call is all it takes to make that change.

i always book months out, even at rack, to get my room type and dates locked in.
i modify later.

RMulieri · Jul 29, 2015

The SMSM rates were MUCH better for us this past Jan then the APH rates were.

Lynne G · Jul 29, 2015

Yep, and with a cheapticket sale, better rate with them then any other discount I could find (APH or SMSM). And yes, I find the hotels very willing to change to a better rate when you call and request they honor it.

thr33boys · Jul 29, 2015

I'm finding the opposite. I have only 3 nights booked, so only 10% with SMSM, even stacked with 3rd party discount codes, cannot beat the AP rate for my dates.

Bluer101 · Jul 29, 2015

thr33boys said:
I'm finding the opposite. I have only 3 nights booked, so only 10% with SMSM, even stacked with 3rd party discount codes, cannot beat the AP rate for my dates.

It all depends on time of year and how many days. The SMSM rate is exactly as it says. The more days you stay the more percent off.

Holiday, Peak, and Summer Season Travel Dates:

2015 Travel Dates

Jun 5 - Jun 20
Jun 21 - Aug 1
Aug 2 - Aug 15
Nov 25 – Nov 28
Dec 18 - Dec 31

2015 Regular and Value Season Travel Dates:

Aug 16 - Sep 6
Sep 7 - Oct 1
Oct 2 - Nov 24
Nov 29 - Dec 17

thr33boys · Jul 29, 2015

Bluer101 said:
It all depends on time of year and how many days. The SMSM rate is exactly as it says. The more days you stay the more percent off.

Holiday, Peak, and Summer Season Travel Dates:

2015 Travel Dates

Jun 5 - Jun 20
Jun 21 - Aug 1
Aug 2 - Aug 15
Nov 25 – Nov 28
Dec 18 - Dec 31

2015 Regular and Value Season Travel Dates:

Aug 16 - Sep 6
Sep 7 - Oct 1
Oct 2 - Nov 24
Nov 29 - Dec 17

I realize that. I was just saying for my situation, the AP rate works out better for me, even taking into consideration that I am only purchasing the power pass for the room discount with no plans to use it again within the year. I'm still saving about $100 on our stay and while that may not seem like much, with the Cdn $ as poorly as it is, I'll take the savings.

Bluer101 · Jul 29, 2015

thr33boys said:
I realize that. I was just saying for my situation, the AP rate works out better for me, even taking into consideration that I am only purchasing the power pass for the room discount with no plans to use it again within the year. I'm still saving about $100 on our stay and while that may not seem like much, with the Cdn $ as poorly as it is, I'll take the savings.

Glad you got a deal for your time.

The SMSM rate is only really beneficial for 5 days of more over other discounts.

macraven · Jul 29, 2015

i always use it as 7 nights gives me 35% off which the AP hasn't even come close to for this fall trip of mine.

kohlby · Jul 30, 2015

I take that back - our rate isn't an official SMSM rate. It was a PIN code and we could save the max if we did 4+ nights during certain dates. We saved 35% doing 4 nights.

Lisa0620 · Aug 4, 2015

Our stay is in late August is during the "regular and value" time period for 5 nights. For our week the APH rates were better for RPR and Portofino but the SMSM rates were better for HRH. It also seemed to vary by room selection, the deluxe room was not as discounted as a standard. We first booked SMSM at HRH but then later cancelled it (no penalty b/c it was room only not a package) and booked with Cheaptickets with the Memorial day offer which was a true % off at HRH. (Sometimes Cheaptickets advertises a discount as "up to" X% off but it maxes out at $150 savings.) If there was a pattern to the discounts I never discovered it! We just booked room only so we could cancel easily and did lots of checking and rechecking...

stay more/save more - or AP?

LaurenT

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macraven

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LaurenT

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macraven

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LaurenT

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kohlby

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macraven

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RMulieri

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Lynne G

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thr33boys

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Bluer101

Waiting till vacation comes, oh that's next week!

thr33boys

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Bluer101

Waiting till vacation comes, oh that's next week!

macraven

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Lisa0620

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