AAA Diamond Parking Pass

[Jennasis]

We are always there at rope drop and never had an unattended lot. There have always been attendants out to direct us to the AAA lot. YMMV.

 

[goofy4tink]

Kinda boggles the mind how some people justify their actions...even when they are aware those actions are wrong.

The thing is this....no Disney isn't going broke. They don't much care. BUT....those people that park there 'illegally' are taking spots from those who are entitled to be there. You don't belong to AAA, you didn't do anything to qualify for this parking, but you park there anyway. You took a spot that belonged to someone else...plain and simple.

People are going to do what they want to do...it doesn't much matter what strangers on an internet board say to them.

 

[kaligal]

This is not a perk I'd pay for.

I don't use it as MK because it requires more walking than regular parking does.

It's good at Epcot later in the day, but isn't much more than a few steps closer than where they'll park you at rope drop, anyway.

I don't recall thinking it did us any good at DHS or AK, but I don't remember.

I do know that I decided it wasn't worth stopping at AAA to pick up another one. And there is no way in hell I'd pay extra for it.

I have no problem with someone buying one on ebay - if I wanted one and didn't have AAA, I'd do that - I just think it would be a giant waste of money.

 

[ThreeBeans]

I have no problem with someone buying one on ebay - if I wanted one and didn't have AAA, I'd do that - I just think it would be a giant waste of money.

Except you'd be committing a crime. It's theft...both from Triple A as well as the people who legally obtained the pass.

 

[kaligal]

Except you'd be committing a crime. It's theft...both from Triple A as well as the people who legally obtained the pass.

I don't care.

It isn't the crime of the century, by the way.

There are much worse things going on in the world. Your crime-fighting efforts might be better spent on crimes slightly more horrific than parking.

 

[ThreeBeans]

I don't care.

It isn't the crime of the century, by the way.

There are much worse things going on in the world. Your crime-fighting efforts might be better spent on crimes slightly more horrific than parking.

People who engage in selfish behavior hurt other people, whether on a large or small scale. If you steal 20 dollars worth of goods from your local mom-and-pop store, you're still a thief.

 

[amberdburke]

My local AAA office told me it's only for people who books packages through them. Not for all members

BTW we're in Indiana.

 

[kkyle60]

Regardless of what others have said, the parking passes work very well for my family and I would choose to have them on every trip. I can't stand riding in the parking trams and all of the AAA lots are close enough for a comfortable walk.

This is my problem with the program.

I live in Virginia and my AAA office told me I have to purchase an entire package through them to get the passes. I am getting tickets through the YES Program so I only need room only reservations. I asked nicely several times in person if they could help me and they said there is nothing they could do.

Many other people have reported that at their local AAA office they could walk in and get passes without purchasing anything.

So if I want them, I have to spend thousands of dollars though AAA and use a travel agent I don't need and who likely knows less about WDW than I do, but my neighbor in Maryland can get them just by walking in. I think that this is an unfair distribution of the perk. Either everyone should get them for being a member of everyone should get them for buy a package.

For this reason and several others, I am no longer a member of AAA.

As an aside, we went to WDW with friends in April 2010 and they booked through AAA. They had no idea that they were entitled to AAA parking or that it even existed. We had to help them find their pass buried in the packet of info AAA sent out. If they aren't going to promote it, why do they even have it?

 

[TwoIfBySea]

Thanks for the various opinions. I'm not sure what to make of it all.

One book I read said that if we want to get into AK right when it opens we should take the bus rather than driving, because cars aren't allowed in as early as buses. That doesn't make much sense to me, but does that fit in with anyone else's experience?

If we do drive I would certainly like the option of AAA parking. I will have to see what my local office is like with respect to giving those out. I might be going with room-only.

 

[budafam]

One book I read said that if we want to get into AK right when it opens we should take the bus rather than driving, because cars aren't allowed in as early as buses. That doesn't make much sense to me, but does that fit in with anyone else's experience?

AK parking was opened well before the park actually opened. We were at the front during rope drop with a half hour to spare. I wouldn't worry too much about it. The only problem we ran into were the monorails not working properly one morning which made us late for an ADR to Chef Mickey's... we almost started walking but then they finally started up (20 minutes late).

 

[Jennasis]

I don't care.

It isn't the crime of the century, by the way.

There are much worse things going on in the world. Your crime-fighting efforts might be better spent on crimes slightly more horrific than parking.

It's attitudes like this and the actions of others (using ill-gotten passes etc) that has led to changes like the much maligned RFID chips on mugs. Thanks to the actions of a selfish dishonorable entitled few, everyone else is stuck with the fallout. I hope there won't be any complaints when the AAA passes are either done away with or you have to show your membership card as well or what have you.

 

[goofy4tink]

May not be 'the crime of the century' but it's still against the rules...whether or not you want to admit it. Taking $5 worth of goods is just as much theft as taking $500 worth...just a different area of the system deals with it. Justify it all you want.

No, not all AAA offices offer the same thing. Some give any member the pass, others say you have to book a pkg with them to get the parking pass. That's just the way the cookie crumbles. I still can't see the huge deal about a parking space that is about 20' closer than regular parking.

 

[chartle]

This is my problem with the program.

I live in Virginia and my AAA office told me I have to purchase an entire package through them to get the passes. I am getting tickets through the YES Program so I only need room only reservations. I asked nicely several times in person if they could help me and they said there is nothing they could do.

Many other people have reported that at their local AAA office they could walk in and get passes without purchasing anything.

So if I want them, I have to spend thousands of dollars though AAA and use a travel agent I don't need and who likely knows less about WDW than I do, but my neighbor in Maryland can get them just by walking in. I think that this is an unfair distribution of the perk. Either everyone should get them for being a member of everyone should get them for buy a package.

I was wondering that also until I found this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Automobile_Association

AAA (pronounced "triple A"), formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America.

It makes AAA sound more like a franchise of some sorts and every state can do what they want.

 

[saysay]

I live in GA and bought park tickets at AAA and got my Diamond Pass through them in may. I had purchased an AP through AAA so when I went back in July, just used it again since it had no dates on it.

I agree about the MK parking not being the best still quite a walk, but we were happy to avoid the tram. Great parking for DHS, Epcot and AK though IMO.

Oh and its always worth checking the lots as we never had issues seeing spaces available. At AK it was full, but they just let you park in the next row.

 

[budafam]

It's attitudes like this and the actions of others (using ill-gotten passes etc) that has led to changes like the much maligned RFID chips on mugs. Thanks to the actions of a selfish dishonorable entitled few, everyone else is stuck with the fallout. I hope there won't be any complaints when the AAA passes are either done away with or you have to show your membership card as well or what have you.

When they decide to change the way they do things, I'll roll with the punch. I'm not going to throw a stink over it. It's really NOT that big of a deal (like it seems to be to you). Till then, I guess I'm breaking the law.. "bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do? whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"

 

[RAPstar]

It makes AAA sound more like a franchise of some sorts and every state can do what they want.

That is exactly what it is! And then there are a few states that are under other states. Like AAA Texas is technically owned by AAA Southern California, who also "owns" other states (Missouri, Hawaii, and Northern New England are the first few that come to mind. But each state still has different rules and regulations (Texas only has 3 miles of towing under the basic service, while So Cali has 7 miles on their basic).

 

[Jennasis]

When they decide to change the way they do things, I'll roll with the punch. I'm not going to throw a stink over it. It's really NOT that big of a deal (like it seems to be to you). Till then, I guess I'm breaking the law.. "bad boys bad boys, whatcha gonna do? whatcha gonna do when they come for you?"

It's only a "big deal to me" because people like you eventually ruin it for the rule following folks like me. I'm sure you don't care...you've said as much. Evs.

 

[Anjelica]

We've used it before when buying tickets through AAA - note that there are blackout periods (at least there was before). We are going in December and I'm not sure if we are going to get tickets through AAA - does anyone know what the blackout dates are this year?

 

[torinsmom]

We've used it before when buying tickets through AAA - note that there are blackout periods (at least there was before). We are going in December and I'm not sure if we are going to get tickets through AAA - does anyone know what the blackout dates are this year?

Week of Christmas, 12/15-31 are are the only blackout dates remaining in 2011 for MK. Epcot is just 12/31. DHS is 12/25-12/31. None for AK.

 

[Lyndria]

If you were driving down, couldn't you just find an AAA office in a state that gives them away? Stop and get it on the way.