AAA: Is this right?!

[JulieMoe]

In May, my fiance and I booked a lagoon view room at the Grand Floridian with AAA. We talked to the travel agent, who said that there should be a 15% discount, but rates weren't out yet. We knew we wanted to stay there, so we put down a deposit. She was supposed to call us when the rates came out.

We called her a few weeks ago. She gave us the new price - no discount! She said that all of the AAA discounted rooms were taken and we were not eligible. I called Disney and spoke to her again - all of the allotted discounted rooms had been reserved. We had our hearts set on it for our honeymoon and now we can't afford it. We tried getting a standard, but all of those were booked also. Now we're at the AKL Lodge.

How do AAA discounts work? We booked it in May for January 07. Shouldn't it be first come first serve? If someone had just let us know we wouldn't get it, we may have been able to book a standard room with the discount. I've called Disney and AAA, to no avail. Is there anything we can do? how do they go about determining who gets the discounts?

 

[Tinker*Shell*Bell]

It is first come first serve, but it looks like your agent dropped the ball. She needed to call in when the discount first became available. It is the first in on the discount that counts not the first reservation made. She should keep checking back because things become available occasionally.

 

[Vickie46]

that is so sad.. I would keep asking someone..

I am sure though Disney will make your honeymoon very memorable.. let them know at check in.. you never know what they can do! I would even call the hotel direct!

 

[InstImpres]

Are you doing a package or room only? It may be a little extra time consuming but have her check if the discount is available for part of your stay. Sometimes it is just a single night that is not available. There is also a lot of time from now until January (I know this isn't what you want to hear) but have her keep checking. People cancel all the time and it puts the discounted rooms back into inventory

 

[Pooh Friend]

Why don't you consider purchasing an annual pass? The discounts will be greater than AAA and it will pay for itself. You won't know if there will be a discount until a month or two before so you many want to consider this option.

 

[jlcd]

If I were you I would think about re booking with a new agent. Someone you can trust to look for the discount for you as soon as they become available. There are many Disney Specialist agents recommended on these boards.

Good luck and have a great trip no matter where you stay!!

 

[princesstigerlilly]

I agree your TA dropped the ball.

Any TA can book a AAA room only rate for you, you don't have to go through AAA to get that (the AAA package is another thing). And if you use a Disney specialist agency, you will have someone on the ball that will grab discounts when they are released.

 

[Bugsmom73]

I would find someone else.

 

[ksc37]

I'm sorry to hear about your predicament. The GF would have been a great place to honeymoon, but there are many other romantic resorts at WDW, and AKL is one of them! The Epcot resorts on Crescent Lake are also very nice, if you're only luke warm on the AKL.

Also, have you looked into a split stay? If you book your room and tickets separately, this may be a way to get the Grand Floridian room and another nice resort. Some people don't mind moving rooms half way through their vacation, others get too settled and don't like it. It's very easy, because you don't need to move your bags yourself, they will be transported to your new resort for you.

I would either find someone else to help you, or do it yourself (of course, don't cancel any existing reservations unless you can at least get what you currently have). I think that someone who does their research can plan just as well as a Travel Agent. If you are booking the AAA room only rate, you can do it yourself through CRO. That way, you can call back from time to time and see if any availability opens up for you at the resort(s) of your choice. And if you do book it yourself, make sure that you let them know it's your honeymoon. They will note it on your reservation, and you never know if they'll upgrade your room at check-in.

Good luck. Even if you keep your reservation at the AKL, you should have a great time.

 

[soccer mom]

Room only discounts for 2007 were released August 6, 2006. They are usually released sometime during the summer for the entire next year. We just got a discount at the BWI for January and our friends just booked Pop Century for January.

Why don't you try calling Disney directly and asking about the discount. You do not have to use a AAA agent to get the discount.