Did you go to a AAA travel office? They will have TAs that specialize in various travel locations including Disney. The other offices will not know what is available, which could explain the phone call to the other office.
Which one is the bigger discount, AAA or AP?
midwestpat said:What is an AP rate?
midwestpat said:Sharing my experience this morning:
When you book online thru Disney, the refer to it as a "package" if you buy more than one thing at a time: resort, tickets, meals.
When you book with a person though, a "package" has all three elements.
As you all know (and I learned today) they can book AAA rooms, but not a package with AAA rates. I wanted a Disney package with AAA discount on the room portion.
This morning I booked a "room only" AAA rate Villas @ WL 1 bedroom. (20% discount, saved $887; June 2013 for 7 days.) Then she said she could add park tickets to the reservation.... but doing so does not make it a "package". Odd, because booking the same thing online it is referred to as "package".
The overall cost of this was $44 higher than the rate AAA quoted me a few days ago. Their room-only price + tickets cost a little more than the cost of tickets anyone can buy through their web site + AAA room rate she sold me. I wound up booking just the resort because I'm wondering.... does AAA offer a discount on park tickets? That's the only way this would all make sense.
(Oh... and BTW... she did ask for my AAA card number, and also said I need to show it at check-in.)
In 2008 we had a similar situation. It has been so long ago and i have been reading the boards so much I guess I thought certainly I was remembering incorrectly. Now I know I was not. We currently have a room only reservation for April 2013 so if not discounts come out I will call Disney directly and try this myself.
I just tried calling to check for AAA rates thru Disney and they stated that the 2013 AAA rates were not available...the CM even checked with guest services...what gives??![]()
I just tried calling to check for AAA rates thru Disney and they stated that the 2013 AAA rates were not available...the CM even checked with guest services...what gives??![]()
I am confused now. When I called WDW regarding my 2013 trip, I was informed that AAA discount can only be given if booked through a AAA Travel Agent. Why were some able to add it? The rep I spoke to said that I should wait for a WDW Public Discount, which may or may not be available for my room and for the days I am staying. I will definitely call back later and speak with someone else. With my luck, I will get the same person. Has anyone else had this experience and ended up speaking with someone else that gave them the discount?
Thanks.
Yes, I had this happend several years ago. I called to make a reservation with the AAA discount after I read on the boards that they were available for my dates. The first CM I spoke with told me they were not available and to call back in a few months. I waited about five minutes, made another call to Disney CRO and got the discount. So, call back!!!
Thanks for your response. I did try calling back and this time was told I could get the AAA discount on rooms only (if a room is available and it is offered on the room I am looking into...not all rooms have the AAA discount.) It could not be added to a vacation package...which is what I had. The rep suggested that I could either book the room only and tickets separately, or go through AAA travel agent. Is there any negative to purchasing separately and not a package? Also, any benefit to use Disney Travel vs. AAA Travel? The only issue right now is that I cannot get travel insurance if I book a room only. I am also wondering whether WDW will come out with a better PIN discount and I would lose out. Would anyone be able to offer any advice? Has anyone booked a package through WDW and was able to add the AAA discount to the room portion? Thank you.
What I like about room only is that you only pay the one night's deposit then the balance is due at check-in. You have to cancel five days prior to your arrival date in order to receive a deposit refund. With the package, you need to pay off the balance 45 days prior to your arrival date. Not sure about the cancellation deadline for packages. You can buy the tickets from a ticket wholesaler like UnderCover Tourist which will save you a few $ over purchasing them from Disney.
Just becasue you have the AAA room only discount, that does not mean that you can't change it if a better deal comes along. You can call Disney CRO if you receive a discount PIN or if a general public discount comes along. I've it many times.
On July 11, 2012 I called Disney and made ressies for next April at Fort Wilderness. I received a 15% AAA discount for a preferred site. Of note, I did have to give my AAA number at the time of making the reservation which is different from past years (in the past they just asked if I had one but I didn't need to show it until check in). I would definitely keep trying! Good luck!
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Call back and try another CM. I made ressies with the AAA discount for October 2013 about one week ago.
Thanks. My only concern is not having the travel insurance with the room only. Would you know anything about travel insurance? Would you know if I can add the insurance at a later time if a package discount becomes available?