AAA Diamond Pass. What should I do?

[theycomefromallover]

Hello all. We have considered for a while getting a AAA membership. The idea of a special parking lot pass has put us over the top! We have an 18 month old and having a pass like this would be great! BUT...All we have left to buy is tickets. I also live in TEXAS, will they allow me to buy a pass only with the purchase of tickets or does it have to be a package? Also what level AAA member do I have to be?

 

[momtoejanda]

We have a regular AAA membership and I bought only tickets and received a parking pass. So any membership should do it.

 

[Brian Noble]

It turns out that there isn't just one "AAA". It's a loose confederation of a bunch of smaller clubs. For example, AAA Michigan (where I live now) is not the same as AAA West Penn (which covered Pittsburgh, where I went to grad school). And, each club has its own rules about when it hands out a Diamond pass. Some require full packages, others will do it with just tickets, and there may still be one or two that will hand them out to any member who asks.

So, it depends on what your local club's rules are.

 

[stargazertechie]

Call your local AAA and ask what their requirements are. Some will give you the pass even if you don't book through them (as long as you're a member), some you just have to buy tix, and some you have to book the chapter.

YMMV

 

[Eljay]

Is there a AAA office near by that you could stop in to ask them?

 

[d1gitman]

also, do yourself and favor and familiarize yourself with where the AAA diamond parking actually is located, google earth is a great tool.. We did it for one trip and it was okay but not great. Also, depending on when you are going, regarding crowd levels, the spots can fill up.

 

[dishguy1977]

What's up with buying these on ebay? There are tons for sale and they usual say they are unused. Is this allowed? Frowned upon?

 

[stargazertechie]

What's up with buying these on ebay? There are tons for sale and they usual say they are unused. Is this allowed? Frowned upon?

Not allowed, frowned upon, and really not supposed to be discussed on the Dis.

The passes say non-transferable, and these "print on demand" ones have to be some level of counterfeit.

 

[Wendy31]

You can't always get a parking pass from AAA!

We normally purchase a package through AAA & have always received the parking pass.

Last year, we took part in the "Disney Give a Day-Get a Day" promotion & received 1-day park tickets.

Our vacation last summer was at the beach & we went to EPCOT for 1 day to use our tickets. My parents went w/ us, & they were going to purchase 1-day park tickets. Before we left, I called our AAA office & asked, if I purchased 2 1-day tickets at the AAA Office, could I get a parking pass, & the answer was no.

So, at least, at my local AAA office, in order to get the parking pass, you have to purchase a package. My agent told me that the parking passes come "pre-packaged" w/ the other MYW package materials.

 

[RMulieri]

Depends on your office and their policies...Mine ONLY gives them to people that have bought a package from them.

 

[MHSweb79]

And mine gives them out to anyone who asks for one, as long as you have your AAA card. We did end up buying admission tickets but we didn't have to in order to get the pass.

Really, call your local office. If they don't do it, try to find one who will.

Keep in mind you still have to pay for parking - you'll just get directed to a closer area of the parking lot with your pass. At Epcot we parked right next to the taxi stand- just steps from the entrance. We couldn't believe nobody came out shouting, "hey! You can't park there!" it was so close to the gates.

 

[PiratesGirl]

I purchased our park tickets and got my pass with my tickets at my AAA office in VA. They did say that you had to buy at least a 4 day ticket to receive it but I did not have to book a package through them. We were already members but if I wasn't I would have joined because they had the cheapest DC tickets I could find. Also, you get discounts at certain restaurants and shops in the parks!

 

[dis-happy]

Honestly, I wouldn't join AAA just to get the parking pass. It's not that big a deal. Parking in the regular parking and jumping on a tram that takes you to the front gate is nearly as convenient and sometimes faster, depending on the park. Also, at times the AAA rows will be full and you will still be directed to regular parking.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It doesn't give you free parking. Just a preferred parking spot if that area isn't already full.

 

[kaligal]

The spots you get aren't always better, sometimes they're worse.

Epcot was okay, but really, if you're arriving first thing in the morning, not enough to matter. Arriving later, it worked nicely.

AK - better to just park and take the tram.

MK - MUCH better to just park and take the tram.

I don't remember how it worked at HS.

My AAA people will just give me one, but honestly, it isn't worth stopping in to pick a new one up...to me, anyway.

 

[Eljay]

Is the AAA parking pass good for length of stay, or do you have to turn it in for a one-time use?

 

[RMulieri]

Is the AAA parking pass good for length of stay, or do you have to turn it in for a one-time use?

Length of stay use of the Diamond parking lots.You still pay for parking if you are not a disney resort guest.Mine always has had my families name and our trip dates printed on them

 

[Eljay]

Length of stay use of the Diamond parking lots.You still pay for parking if you are not a disney resort guest.Mine always has had my families name and our trip dates printed on them

Thanks. Okay, now I see why a PP said that the AAA passes for sale on ebay must be fake. Sounds similar to the resort parking passes, in that they have a last name and an expiration date.

 

[dis-happy]

Thanks. Okay, now I see why a PP said that the AAA passes for sale on ebay must be fake. Sounds similar to the resort parking passes, in that they have a last name and an expiration date.

Some do and some don't. We always end up with the ones that don't---they are good for the calendar year.

 

[nkereina]

I used to work at AAA in NY. As others have said, it depends on your own clubs rules regarding the parking pass. In my club, they would only give you a parking pass if you purchased a Disney package through them (even though they had a drawer full of parking passes but I guess that's their leverage), in the downstate NY club, they would give it to you if you were just a AAA member - no purchase necessary (other than the membership). I do believe for most clubs you would just need a basic membership and the benefits would be the same. However if you're getting an AAA membership for the road service benefits as well, you should look into the higher levels of memberships because some of the benefits are really worth it. Namely the towing, in most clubs.

With regard to the parking passes on eBay, it's not allowed to sell them and if you had a parking pass and no AAA membership and card to go along with it, you could be asked to leave. I don't think anyone asks for your AAA card in the parking lot but they could. In some clubs, they change the design of the diamond pass every year so it's possible the ones on eBay could be old designs too which would be a giveaway.