AAA cheaper than Disney?

[RysMomma]

Does AAA offer discounts? We priced our vacation through AAA and with a Disney Vacation planner and it was 200 bucks cheaper with AAA than with the planner. Is there a reason I wouldn't go with AAA? Just curious! Thanks!

 

[MrsJ Henry]

YEs you get a small discount. But if you look and if you go at the right times you could get a MUCH better discount!!! MOusesavers.com tells you what discounts and when are being offered by Disney.

 

[Canadian Girl]

CAA/AAA gives some perks as well as a 10%discounts on most rooms. If Disney brings out bigger discounts, the travel agent will change the reservation at no charge although the two discounts cannot be added together.

 

[smitch425]

Does AAA offer discounts? We priced our vacation through AAA and with a Disney Vacation planner and it was 200 bucks cheaper with AAA than with the planner. Is there a reason I wouldn't go with AAA? Just curious! Thanks!

Once you book through AAA, they own your reservation and can be the only ones to make any changes to it. That means if free dining comes out and you want to switch to that deal, you would have to call the AAA agent and they would have to call Disney and get it changed. Not a huge deal, but some people don't like to give up control of their reservation.

 

[khanna]

My AAA TA said they do stack the AAA discount with FD or RO discount. Only b/c AAA controls their discount. Seems like the $200 off is pretty standard. If FD comes out (or a % off room discount) they will add this discount too. But you need to watch as well and call if you see a discount that can be applied.
This is our first time going with AAA TA but so far, she has been very responsive and good. Hopefully it will be fine. I am very type A and controlling of our reservation so it took a lot for me to let go and trust her. I think it depends on each TA though. She also said, if for some reason she is not there and a discount comes out, any of the AAA TA's can call and change/apply the discount. They are open evenings, weekends too. That made me feel better. Good luck!

 

[francie57]

We use AAA all the time to book our trips. For our upcoming trip next month we saved almost $1000 on the cost. We are staying at BCVs so anything is help with that cost. They do own your reservation until it is paid off but that has never been a problem for us. They will change to a better discount if it comes out. You will have your confirmation number so you can still do your own ADRs at the 180 day mark without any trouble. I also like to make payments so we don't have a huge balance due 45 days before the trip and they handle all of that without any problem. I just notify them with how much I want to put toward the package and they make the payment.

 

[Cynister]

AAA does provide for small discounts. You really just have to comparison shop & if you aren't strapped for time to book right away, you may want to wait for a special offer from Disney to be announced. For instance when I was getting ready to book, I priced out AAA vs. directly through Disney. AAA's discount ending up being less than booking through Disney directly because at the time they were offering a 30% discount through Disney. Right now, I think the current deal is for free dining through September maybe? If you are booking far in advance, you may want to watch the deals every month & see when they give a good % off special for the hotel you are looking for.

 

[RysMomma]

Thanks for all your help, everyone! So, quick question-if Disney releases a 30% of RO discount, does it apply to AAA bookings? Or is it only if you book through Disney?

 

[Cynister]

I've seen the % of discounts come through AAA as well, but you won't get an additional AAA discount on top of that. I don't know if AAA gets the % discounts all of the time.

 

[smitch425]

Thanks for all your help, everyone! So, quick question-if Disney releases a 30% of RO discount, does it apply to AAA bookings? Or is it only if you book through Disney?

You cannot stack discounts, so you would have to pick the discount that is better for you. If you book now with the AAA rate and Disney can beat it, just call your AAA agent and tell them you want them to call Disney and switch it for you.

 

[disney777]

I booked through Disney for the AAA discount in January. AAA had a 20% disc on POFQ room only, and Disney was offering only 5%. So I didn't have to go through AAA to get that discount. I'm not sure how it works with the packages.

 

[mzafrany]

Booked via AAA.

The service was amazing.

We changed reservations three times as I learned more about things in this forum and other places and when FD was available for September.

Ended up with a combination of two one night room only and a FD package for six nights.

For the room only got a rate of $77 when Disney site was showing $116.

For FD was able to receive the last accessible room in the resort.

After doing the math, saved us about $500.

 

[smitch425]

I booked through Disney for the AAA discount in January. AAA had a 20% disc on POFQ room only, and Disney was offering only 5%. So I didn't have to go through AAA to get that discount. I'm not sure how it works with the packages.

Room only AAA discounts can be booked directly through Disney, but packages must be booked through AAA.

 

[ajgardner]

You cannot stack discounts, so you would have to pick the discount that is better for you. If you book now with the AAA rate and Disney can beat it, just call your AAA agent and tell them you want them to call Disney and switch it for you.

Agree. I had booked with AAA and had a lower price than Disney because of the AAA discount. Then Disney came out with the 30% off rooms - I had thought I'd get a great deal with the 30% off and the AAA discount but it was one or the other. The 30% off was a much better deal so I went with that - I still went through AAA because I felt bad pulling our reservation from the AAA TA at that point, but definitely could not stack the discounts.

 

[bohemian74]

you also get some random little bonuses like parade viewing spots and special story time with a character in epcot. We have an amazing AAA agent who finds any and all little deals/bonuses and rebooks us at the best price. She checks all the time to see if it's better a particular way. However, not all agents are like that so you'd want to keep an eye on it yourself.

They can also send you free books with tips and tricks for Disney if you ask. One we got a couple years ago was a great ref guide, esp with half day plans for toddlers.

 

[nkereina]

I used to work at AAA and all AAA clubs are different. In my region, they run promotions where they will take a certain dollar amount off your Disney package, give you a gift card, etc. AAA absorbs this cost and it is not run through Disney, so therefore, AAA has the ability to stack discounts in this regard. This is separate and apart from the standard AAA rate, which cannot be combined with Disney discounts like free dining and room promotions from Disney. Not all clubs run the same promos when they do this, so you'd have to check with your local branch. Here, they only do things like this during "Disney month at AAA" which is usually January.

As PP mentioned, the only "negative" is that your AAA agent will have to make any changes you may want to make. If you are the type to change resorts often during your planning phase, or may need to change your package for some reason, you wouldn't be able to call Disney yourself. IMO, if you know what you want, you might as well book through AAA so you can receive the benefits they offer with their packages too.

 

[Canadian Girl]

We received two $25.00 disney gift cards as well as the disney discount and other CAA/AAA perks last January for our trip in March. The specials were applied when our existing reservation was updated to reflect the room specials offered by Disney. I deal with my local office so can drop in with any questions etc so for our family, it pays off.