AAA Members...........

[fireplug]

Do you members feel that the discounts alone are worth being AAA member or do you utilize any of the other benifits of membership?

Steve

 

[LucyStorm]

Yes, I feel the membership is worth it. I use the discounts for hotels and restaurants at other places besides Disney, I get maps for free, I get travel advice, and the security of knowing that I get roadside assistance (which I've used about 3 times) is definitely worth the peace of mind to me. While I won't use them to book Disney (they only do packages), I will frequently use them to check prices so I know what the going rate is for flights etc.

 

[Disneydenise]

I would recommend the AAA over the DC. I have utilized the towing feature on our membership and I use the discounts for any road trip we take. The AAA books for the states are very helpful. They have points of interest and I have found the review and rating system to be accurate. I also like to have the triptik for any long road trip with me. It is much better than Mapquest. I find AAA to be a good value for your money.

 

[pat fan]

I use AAA for the state and campground books,the peace of mind for road-side assistance(never had to use this...knock on wood),hotel discounts and theme park discounts but I will NEVER use them for booking a trip anywhere.

We booked a trip to universal through them and then had to cancel due to my DH's job situation.What a run-around they gave me to cancel!It was a complete nightmare!I will now only go through a travel agent(although the one we always used is no longer in business so now we're kinda lost)or DC(I've never used them so it's a little scary).

 

[soccer mom]

I can't tell you how many flat tires, dead batteries, and other mishaps AAA has help our family with besides all the wonderful discounts. I like knowing that when my kids are on the road they can get help if I'm not close at hand.

 

[SweetP]

One reason why I will not book a Disney vacation through AAA is because Disney is more flexible. We are going to WDW on Aguust 13 and our payment with AAA was due 1 month ago. Well, we didn't have all the money and needed 3 more days to get the payment to them. AAA told us they could not do anything for us, if we didn't pay the trip would cancel or they could rebook for us but they no longer had rooms available to them.

So we had to cancel and lose $100. Happily we then booked directly with WDW and surprisingly, we received a lower rate using our Disney Card and they allowed us a few extra days to pay off our trip.

I was really amazed that AAA was not able to get us 3 extra days to pay. I mean our trip in all is $6000 and more than half was paid. I would have thought that for that kind of money and during such economic hardships they would have been more flexible.

But, at least our trip was better priced......Just my 2cents.

Happy Planning!!!!

 

[DancingBear]

I've been a AAA member for many years, but not for any discounts. Rather, I feel I've more than gotten my money's worth with maps and tour books and website travel info and roadside assistance (including running out of gas, flat tires, towing after radiator blew a leak). Also the peace of mind knowing my wife has the roadside assistance available when she's driving somewhere.

Whatever discounts we've gotten have been a pleasant bonus, and I always try to remember to ask because they are offered at a surprising number of tourist destinations and a few bucks here and there really add up. Last year I also made several overnight trips to my firm's other office a few hours away, and the AAA rate at the Residence Inn nearby was the best available.

 

[tlt]

AAA has a couple of different types of memberships...the standard and PLUS. I have the PLUS...it is only $65/year. AAA is great for us. Free maps, great tour books, trip planning, detailed maps of your specific trip that you can request, Passports are free with the PLUS, Free towing, flat tire assistance, travel agency, 10-20% discounts at most hotels and a lot of restaurants.

 

[Kimkimba]

I mostly have AAA for piece of mind. If my minivan (95 with 160,000 miles on it) decides to act up, and I can't get a hold of my dh, I can call AAA. Since I drive about 50 minutes to work each way, it helps to know I have them. (Knocking on wood), I haven't had to use them in this way, but it makes me feel a little more comfortable with driving without my dh. I use them a lot for their trip books, travel info, and maps - there's one right up the street from where I work and I go there several times a year. I also used them when my licensed expired and I needed a quickie update in order to fly - I couldn't do it online cause I never received my paperwork, and I needed it that day. Got the paperwork processed, and was able to go the DMV down the street to get my pic. Very convenient.