AAA agent wrong about ADR's?

[LuvtoDream]

I am in the beginning stages of planning my trip, which I intend to book at the end of this month. I have been in contact with a AAA agent, hoping to get a decent discount. So far her quotes are all over the map. Anyway, when I emailed her a few questions regarding making ADRs, this was her reply,

"With the online service, you can only make your reservations one day at a time; if you call in, you can make them for up to ten days from your check-in date. Please let me know if you have any further questions for me."

This doesn't sound right to me. I thought you could make them for the length of your stay. Our trip is for 7 nights. I think it is time for me to find a new AAA agent.

 

[cjnix29]

You can make reservations in one call for the whole length of your stay. The 90 +10 means that on the 90th day before you arrive, you can make reservations for the length of your stay, UP TO 10 days. So if you were staying 2 weeks or so,you couldn't make the reservations for the end of your trip until it fell in the 90 day window. Does this make sense? Correct me anyone, if I'm wrong, but I believe this is how it works.

 

[rflorek]

I am in the beginning stages of planning my trip, which I intend to book at the end of this month. I have been in contact with a AAA agent, hoping to get a decent discount. So far her quotes are all over the map. Anyway, when I emailed her a few questions regarding making ADRs, this was her reply,

"With the online service, you can only make your reservations one day at a time; if you call in, you can make them for up to ten days from your check-in date. Please let me know if you have any further questions for me."

This doesn't sound right to me. I thought you could make them for the length of your stay. Our trip is for 7 nights. I think it is time for me to find a new AAA agent.

I'm staying at POP 8 days at the end of October and I was able to make ADRs for all 8 days online on the first (90 day) mark.

 

[LuvtoDream]

I understand that part, but I thought you could make reservations for up to 7 days using the online system at your 90 day mark. This is turning out to be a bit more confusing than I thought.

 

[LuvtoDream]

I'm staying at POP 8 days at the end of October and I was able to make ADRs for all 8 days online on the first (90 day) mark.

Thanks!! Time for a new agent!!

 

[vicki_c]

In fairness to the TA, there was a problem with the online reservations and TA reservations. At least at the beginning, you couldn't do 90+10 online if you reserved through a TA. From the PP's post, it sounds like that is fixed, but your TA was correct about what she said at one point in time. Maybe she doesn't know that it's fixed.

 

[vicki_c]

I understand that part, but I thought you could make reservations for up to 7 days using the online system at your 90 day mark. This is turning out to be a bit more confusing than I thought.

And it is 10 days, not 7, in any case!

 

[cassandrap83]

If you book through AAA you cannot do the 90 + 10 online, only one day at a time. EXACTLY as your agent said. You can however, book the 90 + 10 if you call in.

 

[VAN]

Your TA would need to key in your reservation number to open up the other days.

I really don't know why people use a AAA TA ... they cannot get you a better price than what you can get through Disney yourself. Just sounds like a "middle man" to me.

Before discount codes were as abundant as they are now, I would get a AAA discount by just calling Disney and asking if any AAA discount rooms were available for my dates/resort. As with other discounts, there are only so many available.

AAA discounts are available shortly after the year's prices are announced (i.e. 2010 rates were just released, within a week or two of that, AAA discounts for 2010 are available).

Anyway, to open the other dates for the on-line restaurant reservations, you need to enter in your resort reservation #.

 

[LuvtoDream]

Wow, this is all such good information. I am going to have to rethink this through before deciding which way to go.

 

[dsnymoners]

Sorry but not true. I am a TA at AAA and I have made all my reservations online for the 90 + 10 with no problem!!!!

If you book through AAA you cannot do the 90 + 10 online, only one day at a time. EXACTLY as your agent said. You can however, book the 90 + 10 if you call in.

 

[ncdisneygal]

I am a TA also, and have had no problem booking clients" ADRs online for the whole vacation at the 90 day mark. I have heard that clients who book thru a TA have difficulty making their own ADRs online.

Working with a TA that specializes in Disney is the best way to guarantee that you are getting correct info and the best prices.

 

[keywestbride]

So we have some differences in opinion here. I wonder who is right?

I booked my own trip online, but was planning on transferring the ressie to AAA so I could get the diamond parking pass. This would be a deal breaker though.

 

[ga9497]

I am a TA too, not with AAA though. With any TA if you aren't getting correct answers then it is time to look for another TA. If you are going with AAA you also have to make sure your TA is willing to be up at 6am to make your online ADR's for you. Very few are.

With Disney specialist TA's mostly all of them will be up early making your dining reservations but again you have to ask to make sure they will take care of things like that if you want them to.

I have been using the online TA side of the dining reservation system since it became available in May and have not had any problems booking the 90 + 10 at all. At first when it became available to everyone to book online anyone booked with a TA couldn't access the online dining for the 90 + 10 only up to 90 days or sooner. Since then that glitch has been fixed so you have the option of booking ADR's yourself online or having your TA book them for you

No matter which option you choose remember that there are some things you still have to call in for like Bibbidi Boutique, Fantasmic dinner package, etc

 

[playjar]

I really don't know why people use a AAA TA ... they cannot get you a better price than what you can get through Disney yourself. Just sounds like a "middle man" to me. #.

There are many extra benefits to booking with AAA, not just the discount (diamond parking pass, discount at DTD World of Disney, storybook reading at MK...) Also, even if it's the same price as you can get on your own w/ AAA, I would rather give any TA the commission rather than giving it to Disney, they already get all of my money!

 

[mickey2000]

There are many extra benefits to booking with AAA, not just the discount (diamond parking pass, discount at DTD World of Disney, storybook reading at MK...) Also, even if it's the same price as you can get on your own w/ AAA, I would rather give any TA the commission rather than giving it to Disney, they already get all of my money!

discount at DTD World of Disney

I thought in 2009 the discount was stopped ???
Anyone ??

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I think the best way to go is to book things yourself. That's the only way you can really be sure that you are on top of things.

 

[Joan1]

I think the best way to go is to book things yourself. That's the only way you can really be sure that you are on top of things.

For some this is the way to go.

For others like me that has very limited time to spend looking for deals, being able to get online or call for dining etc. a good TA is a valuable tool. I travel a whole lot for work and really don't have time to be looking for discounts. There have been many times when I have been on a plane when my dining opened or when discounts came out. I was very happy to have a TA that was on top of it all and by the time I landed to wherever I was going I already had an email letting me know that my room cost went down. My Le Cellier or my princess meals or whatever other hard to get restaurant was booked.

Everyone has different opinions on whether to use a TA or not and each person has to choose based on what is best for them.
Personally the TA I have had for the last 4 years has been wonderful and I don't ever worry anymore about my vacations. She is always one step ahead of me.
I send her my preferences of hotels in case the one I want is not available when discounts come out. Send her my plan A and B for my dining and let her handle it. The one I had before that wasn't as dedicated, I will leave it at that.

 

[MHSweb79]

If you book through AAA you cannot do the 90 + 10 online, only one day at a time. EXACTLY as your agent said. You can however, book the 90 + 10 if you call in.

I found this to be exactly the case for my AAA-booked trip this September. My TA did offer to book my ADR's online, but I wanted the flexibility of doing it myself and making backup choices all at the same time. I ended up calling in for my ADR's and then changing a couple online later. I was very happy with everything I got so I'm not complaining!

 

[karen l]

discount at DTD World of Disney

I thought in 2009 the discount was stopped ???
Anyone ??

I used the discount at WOD in April,2009. That's one of the reasons I book with AAA - hope they keep offering it.