We are planning a vacation either for June 2009 for our 16th anniversary or in Oct 2009 for my husband's birthday. This will be our first trip to Universal. We are looking at Portofino for at least 5 nights.
Here are some questions:
- I wanted suggestions on which of these (AAA / APH / Super Saver) will mostly likely be the best deal (based on your past experience) for these time frames?
super saver rates always out do the AAA and AP rates.
october is a busy month at uo.
hhn is a hard ticket event and the hotels are at a new full occupancy then.
thus making them at a higher rate that june would be.
you would get a better rate if you went early june 09 than october.
book early than modify your rate based on which discount is best.
super saver rates are usually listed for the entire year once they go up.
if they don't have the entire year listed for dates, it would be listed before may.
ap rates can drop at anytime.
vacation companies such as orange vacations and AAA travel will book blocks of rooms at a time knowing they can sell at a specific time.
if they do not sell out their quota on those rooms, the companies will then release them back to the hotel before the cut off date.
therefore, you might see lower rates all of a sudden for a trip you have planned and booked 10 days before your trip.
call and modify your rate then if you booked w/ap rates.
- I ran the rates (2 Adults, 1 Child) for Oct 08 and they have the basic room with 2Q, garden view, no tickets for 239/night under super saver. Can it get better than that? I thought I had seen better rates posted.
the ap rates are flexible. they can be higher than the AAA rates then all of a sudden due to cancellations, drop quickly and become cheaper than the other rates.
october does not have the best rates usually.
due to hhn, the hotels do not have a problem filling the rooms.
you will come out ahead if you book your trip separately than go with a package. there are times a package will prevail to be best, but those are hard to come by. you have to do the math to see where you stand on it.
- Do different promotions usually come out at certain times of the year?
it varies, had to predict exactly when they come out.
this is why i always recommend to book early and modify your rates when they drop.
you have to keep checking the rates though
- What other perks do you get with APH & AAA that make these worthwhile?
ap: room discounts, food and merch of 10% discount in the parks and city walk for most of the restuarants, tickets discounted, special promos for tickets and functions, exlusive benefits when attractions open, etc....in the may newsletter for ap holders, they could buy a ticket for half price for a friend for the month.
aaa: hotel, on line shopping/ie target, car trouble, out of gas, have a flat free assistance (road side service), room discounts up to 35%, discount tickets, 10% discount in the park for food and merch and city walk restuarants, most hotels and restuarants while traveling honor the aaa card for discounts, et.
i pay $42 in chicagoland for one year coverage for AAA. i use my card for lots of things and it has paid off tremendously.
- Should we bother with Loews First membership; we won't be back within a year?
no, other programs that are free might be better for you.
if you stay exclusively with loews hotels when you travel, then yes, file for the program.
- Do they offer balcony's or windows that open in any of the garden view rooms and if not how do I make sure I get one?
which hotel are you referring to?
no balconies at hrh or rph.
pbh has some balconies but don't know for garden view. you would need to call and make any requests put on your ressie.
- Do they do anything special for Anniversary or Birthday?
you can order cakes 48 hours in advance for any occasion. you can prepay the cake and have it delivered as a surprise in your room.
for other things, it depends on the hotel and front desk what you would get for an occasion. there are no set rules that all guests are given something for a special day. some get lucky, some don't but they all have a great time at the hotel on their vacation.
- Any other good ideas for a first timer?
