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AAA Travel. How bad are they?

Hmmm, that's funny. My AAA TA told me that AAA does have a direct line to Disney...so they don't "deal with the same CM's as the general public." :confused3

Frankly, with some of the errors I've caught, it scares me to turn *my* vacation plans over to someone else.

OP, I don't have any advice for you, but I would be making some phone calls until it's fixed.

Good luck!



Yes, the AAA TA I used said they have a direct line to a AAA Disney specialist on site and they do not call WDTC like we would. The reservation is not in the WDTC system if you call them, they will even tell you that AAA has their own reservation specialists.


After my first experience, I will never hand my trip over to someone else to plan for me, I'm just obcessive complusive like that.


Suzanne princess:
 
When you book a package with AAA - package meaning accommodations + tickets - you do get your AAA discount on the room rate portion of the package. You don't get an additional discount on tickets, DDP, etc. So, yes, technically you could say you're booking a discounted package because the same package booked through ABC Travel agency would not have the AAA discount applied to the room rate.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here as a TA - and an AAA TA at that. :scared: My job is to help you have the most magical vacation possible. However, I work for an agency that plans worldwide travel which means I have to be knowledgeable about everywhere in the world anyone could want to go. I have completed my graduate studies at the College Of Disney Knowledge but that doesn't mean I have a direct line to Lake Buena Vista. That's why I hang out here. You all know the rumors and rumblings before anybody else. :)

So please, please, please, if you're not happy with the service you receive from your TA - AAA or anywhere - let their manager know! Also, spell out exactly what you want - even if you think it makes you sound like a control freak or you think you shouldn't have to 'cause you're talking to an "expert" - because you may be talking to a brand new still-wet-behind-the-ears agent or a really old one who refuses to enter the new Millenium. ;)

Okay, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled thread. :hippie:


Maybe you need to contact AAA of Alabama and Georgia and let them know that, because they said that they cannot give you a discount on the room portion of a PACKAGE, only if you book the components seperatley, then I can't get the dining plan. Disney also will tell you that.

Suzanne princess:
 
I can't get AAA of AZ to even e-mail me a quote!

I filled out the web form twice over the past week. They say they will respond within one business day. I think they are irritated that I gave them a bogus phone number (999-9999) and put "Do not call" in the "Best time to call" box.
 
I use an agent in another state that is mentioned a lot. She does check for the latest deals and always returns my calls. She was recommended to me by someone here on the boards a couple of years ago. I now tell my friends and family about her. I really hope you can get this straightened out before your trip. (I'm an obsesive compulsive planner - this would drive me nuts!)
 


Did you book the free dining package? I am betting that is why it may have been done like it was. Did you TELL the AAA agent what your plans were or did you just assume you would get the tickets in advance?

This is a really good point...
 
You absolutely do get the AAA room discount when booking a package through AAA UNLESS all the AAA rates for the time and place in question are gone. But you only get the discount if you book through AAA you cannot book through Disney and get the AAA discount ona PACKAGE. you certainly can get it if available on room only.
Now when you book a package it includes length of stay tickets not physical separate tickets.
You can only book a dining plan with a package that includes at least ONE DAY TICKET per person on the plan.
So the OP did not ask for what she wanted in the first place and that is why it was booked incorrectly. At this point it seems that option is to have them reduce the ticket portion to one day each and send you separate tickets for the number of nights besides the one.
 
You can't get a discount on the package, only on the room. The package is the same price no matter who books it, unless Disney comes out with a discount like the recent one. So why bother with AAA. They need to educate their TA's better, send them to the College of Disney knowledge, or just not let them book Disney vacations if they don't know what they are doing.

Suzanne princess:

Sorry but you are wrong. I just booked my package, room tickets and dining plan through AAA with the AAA discount I priced the exact same package first through Disney and then booked it with AAA difference in price $300. less through AAA.

This is not the first trip Disney package I have done with them.

You certainly do get the AAA discount booking a package but as I said you can only book the Package and recieve the discount if you book it THROUGH AAA.
 


We too had a huge problem with AAA. I booked our trip on March 31, 2007. We leave on Auguest 26, 2007 and return on September 3, 2007. We were booked at AKL, but that got moved.

My first problem came when I was looking into the DDP. My DH and I finally decided to do it (this was only two to three weeks after booking the trip) when he noticed on our receipt that the DDP was included. I thought it was odd so I called to verfiy. My travel agent wasn't available and was told by another "if it's on your receipt then you are all set." So I let it go. Two days later I called back and insisted that someone call Disney directly to verify the DDP. Well guess what.... no DDP. The AAA agent made a typo and I was told they don't honor typos. I was less then thrilled. We did add the DDP at that time.

The second problem came when I started getting receipt after receipt sent to me in the mail back sometime in May (three in one week). I finally started paying attention to them and realized that they changed my travel agent and moved our due date up by a month. Again, I called and complained that other than the receipts in the mail, no one had called us. They seemed surprised by this and put the due date back to the original due date.

The third issue came when my mother-in-law called to pay off the balance of the trip and gave her credit card. The final payment was paid twelve days before the due date. So we figured everything was fine. I got home from work one night (five days after the due date) and got a message from AAA stating we hadn't paid the balance and may loose the room/vacation if we didn't pay the balance immediately. Well I called back that afternoon and left a message, but got no return call. I had to call them the following day. In the mean time I had spoken to my mother-in-law who called the following morning first thing. To make a long story short the AAA agent wrote my mother-in-law's credit card number on a scrap piece of paper and put it in her desk. She never paid our balance with it.

The fourth issus came when we had to move from the AKL to the WL. We all know the problems with that. When I explained that I had just about had it with all the issues with this vacation and said this was the fourth problem (granted the move was a DIsney issue), the AAA agenct just said "Really?" I almost died! I was fuming, to the point that I couldn't even speak. :mad:

Through each of these issues we never received an apology. I sent an e-mail to the regional manger because I had just had it. It was only then that I got an apology and promise that everything else would be fine.

Now everything is finally in order and I go in to pick up our paperwork/documents. The AAA agent swore up and down that she overnighted all of my mother-in-law's documents to her already. Well I'm sure you can all guess that she didn't. I'm holding my mother-in-law's Magical Express ticket (she lives in Texas and coming in earlier than us, so she is meeting us at the WL). Now I have to mail that out to her. UGH!

I have been an avid traveler my entire life. I've been all over the world and used several different travel agents through each trip, including AAA a couple of times. I have NEVER received such horrible service in my life. I will never use AAA again. No discount is worth this many headaches.

K-:sad2:
 
Sorry but you are wrong. I just booked my package, room tickets and dining plan through AAA with the AAA discount I priced the exact same package first through Disney and then booked it with AAA difference in price $300. less through AAA.

This is not the first trip Disney package I have done with them.

You certainly do get the AAA discount booking a package but as I said you can only book the Package and recieve the discount if you book it THROUGH AAA.


I DID have a AAA TA book my trip, and she is the one that said that they don't discount the room only portion of a package. I DIDN'T make that up myself. That was the whole reason I booked through AAA.

Suzanne princess:
 
Well, He's the final resolution: Nothing has changed. The clarify my OP:
Yes, I did specify that I wanted the hotel, and tickets seperate, not in a apackage.
No, we DID NOT get the DDP.

The agent just screwed up. Why she thought I wanted to pick up an 8 day park hopper ticket 5 days into my 10 day vacation I have no idea.

Now this is what I have to do: I have to go guest relations when I get to orlando. Keep in mind that we are spending the first 5 days of our 10 day vacation @ Universal's Portofino Bay.(We had planned to go back and forth once in a while). When I get to guest relations, they will call the polynesiaqn to release the tickets. Can you believe this crap.

I have done this for 4 years straight with AAA and NEVER had a problem. Now i am forced to do extra work when i'm on my frekin vacation because the AAA agen was an idiot and didn't list ANY of my requests. i.e. to book seperately, longhouse request, etc....

On top of that, all my receipts are wrong. They are sending me new receipts. I am paying over $ 6,000.00 for this trip. You would almost figure that someone would be more responsible @ AAA with things like this.

I will NEVER use AAA again. I am so bummed out by this. I was excited up until a week ago, this has taken all the anticipation of this trip away from me.
 
I DID have a AAA TA book my trip, and she is the one that said that they don't discount the room only portion of a package. I DIDN'T make that up myself. That was the whole reason I booked through AAA.

Suzanne princess:

No one said you made anything up. But what your agent is telling you is directly the opposite of what other people have booked with AAA. I booked a package with them and when you add everything up seperately, the only discount was on the room portion of the trip, but it was there.

OP, I feel so terrible for you. I can't believe that some manager somewhere couldn't work things out for you. It's great that they will release the tickets to you though. I think that's super unusual. I hope you end up having a fantastic trip!
 
As to how bad the agents are:

today my agent told me that:
a) there are no rooms in the Contemporary that can accomodate 2 adults and 3 kids

b) there are no openings for mid August 2008. So apparently the entire hotel is booked more than a year ahead of time.


Guess who is looking for a new agent:eek:
 
As to how bad the agents are:

today my agent told me that:
a) there are no rooms in the Contemporary that can accomodate 2 adults and 3 kids

b) there are no openings for mid August 2008. So apparently the entire hotel is booked more than a year ahead of time.


Guess who is looking for a new agent:eek:


Actually it is because WDW is having trouble with their systems and all the rates are not in the system yet, and all rooms haven't yet been released. Not a AAA problem.

Suzanne princess:
 
That explains why he couldn't do anything yesterday, but I wasn't pushing for an immediate answer. (My e-mail was along the lines of "now that the rates are out, could you look into this...")

But to suggest that we book 2 rooms at the Contemporary for our family of 5 and to tell me that a 2 week period is sold out a year in advance... I don't know. I'm a total newbie on many things Disney, but that just doesn't sound likely to me. In his shoes, I think I would have asked another agent if I was right before I sent incorrect info to a potential client.:confused3
 
Do you think it would be worth it for me to join AAA? We are booked at the POFQ for March of 2008 with room only reservation. I have been
blessed for the past 6 visits with a pin code. Should I take my chances
and wait and see if I'll be lucky again or do you think it would be worth
my while to join AAA? My total for the room is 1,248.78 for 5 nights.
How much of a discount do you get by having AAA?
 
We just booked our trip for next April (staying at the Boardwalk Inn with Park Hopper tickets) through AAA. We priced out the same options through Disney, and ended up saving over $300 by using AAA. It's best to call them directly (800.436.4222 then try ext 85835 to speak with Heather who is very knowledgeable!)

We've never had any problems, but as with anything, make sure to confirm with Disney after you have received your confirmation number.

Cheers!
 
Do you think it would be worth it for me to join AAA? We are booked at the POFQ for March of 2008 with room only reservation. I have been
blessed for the past 6 visits with a pin code. Should I take my chances
and wait and see if I'll be lucky again or do you think it would be worth
my while to join AAA? My total for the room is 1,248.78 for 5 nights.
How much of a discount do you get by having AAA?


A moderate will get at most a 20% discount, but you don't have to have AAA TA call to get that rate for you, but you must show your card at check in. If you get a better rate later, you can change it up until 6 days before arrival.

Suzanne princess:
 
A moderate will get at most a 20% discount, but you don't have to have AAA TA call to get that rate for you, but you must show your card at check in.
Suzanne princess:


An update: The last 4 times (since May) we've booked a AAA rate with Disney they said they now require the AAA number and expiration date at time of booking. Had one who said we could call back, but 3 other times we had to have to even ho,kd a room at the AAA rate!

So, be prepared, this could happen if booking directly with DISNEY :)
 
An update: The last 4 times (since May) we've booked a AAA rate with Disney they said they now require the AAA number and expiration date at time of booking. Had one who said we could call back, but 3 other times we had to have to even ho,kd a room at the AAA rate!

So, be prepared, this could happen if booking directly with DISNEY :)


I haven't had that problem. I have booked several trips recently and they said as long as I have a valid card at check in there would be no problem. When we checked in for our last trip that we had a AAA rate, they didn't even look at the card, even tough I did have it. Must have just been the CM's you got, each one says something different.

Suzanne princess:
 

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