AAA Question

[JeanfromBNA]

I've enjoyed the security of AAA's friendly emergency road service more than once. Did you know that you can use the service for a friend? As long as the member with the AAA card is present when the tow truck arrives, that's all that they look for. Many hotels besides Disney offer AAA rates.

 

[kimis]

We have booked with AAA for 5 trips (4 to WDW and 1 to DL). We always save a few hundred dollars. This year the savings were the biggest. I called Disney direct and our savings was almost $600. Then I called Dreamsunlimited and our savings was almost $450. I called an AAA office and asked how the discount could be so big this year compared to past years and she explained like this. Each resort is given a certain number of %'s off and usually the first come get the best discounts. I hadn't heard that before and I didn't clarify that with any other employee but it sounded good to me. Any way I was excited. The discount covers the dining plan for Dh and me & allows for some souvees. Enjoy!

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

We booked our July, 2007 trip. We went directly with CRO with the AAA room rate. We saved $500 off the rack rate for the two room for a seven night stay.

 

[Natalya]

Smileybug:

I'm not sure if you've checked into AAA yet as it has been some time since your original post. However, I'm thinking with 2 trips in one year (one being a family trip) AAA will be well worth it for you.

It will cost about $60 for you to get the card (no need for both you AND your DH to get one as long as you are traveling together so just put the card in one name. Think about who drives more on a daily basis or who has a longer commute to work. Or if you have small kids and you are the one who is primarily transporting them maybe it should be in your name so that you can "cash in " on their road side assistance in the case of break down or emergency. The person on the card has to be present for AAA to help)

For the first trip AAA should at least pay for itself. In mid November you will be traveling during "Regular season" so you will get 10% room only for the Deluxes or 15% off room only for the Values and Moderates. You may break even using the discount or you may come out a little ahead.

But then with your June trip with the family you will be going during Regular season if you book a deluxe. "Summer" season if you book the Moderate or Value. Not sure what the "Summer" season discount will be for AAA in 2007. I could probably assume it is "Peak" season rates so again your looking at 10% off the room portion for Deluxe and 15% for the Moderates and Value.

So the savings you would get for the June trip would be pure savings as you have already "paid for" the AAA membership fee with the last trip.

We booked the GF in October (regular season...10% off the room) and got a discount of approximately $250. Which for us, covered our $60 AAA fee and left us with a $190 discount.

Add in the comfort of having AAA roadside assistance for our long trip down from CT (we are driving), plus the possibility of getting AAA rates at "normal" hotels along the way the AAA was worth it to us.


Just remember, you can't stack a AAA discount with any other discounts or perks such as "free dining" (although I'm pretty sure free dining doesn't apply to the dates of your visit anyway)


Oh, and I purchased my membership on the internet last Friday and called AAA about 5 minutes later. They were happy to give me the AAA rate for a room. I wouldn't wait until a week before your trip simply because the AAA rooms might be sold out AND you don't get your card for about a week (it comes in the mail) ...you'll need to present that card to keep your discount when you check in but otherwise there is no waiting period between getting your membership and booking a trip.

 

[Adam1217]

wow, i think im going to check into getting a membership at AAA if it saves me that much money!!

 

[Smileybug]

I really do appreciate all of the info. It looks like I'm not the only one that has been convinced!!

 

[mikkiwikki]

I saved $350 with my AAA package last year.

I had already book through disney...and canceled the ressie...and had it re-booked through AAA after I found out (through this board ). Thank you dis!!

 

[Smileybug]

That is my one fear about using AAA with my Nov. trip. It's already booked. I'm afraid of cancelling and rebooking. I don't want to take a chance of losing anything. We have a courtyard view room at WL for Nov.26th-Dec.2nd. Our second trip was originally planned for June 2007. But due to the heat we will be moving this back to the end of Sept. or 1st of Oct. 2007. I want to do the Halloween party at Disney and my children want to do the one at Universal and want it to be warm enough to still do the water parks. So I am hoping we can work everything out. I will more than likely book this trip through AAA. It would be nice to have the help of a TA with this trip. We will be staying two nights at the Hardrock at UV and 5 nights at WDW (not sure of the resort yet)

 

[DisneyDad in PA]

I guess I have to be the only dissenter here. I had my AAA agent quote some packages for me and I went online with Disney and directly with the airlines and found that I could get a better deal doing it online myself. There was a significant difference with the airfare. Plus, I was able to book better departing times.

I like AAA and have used it for travel books and road service and will continue to use them for that stuff. However, I probably won't use them for booking trips.

 

[T-i-double-g-err]

I guess I have to be the only dissenter here. I had my AAA agent quote some packages for me and I went online with Disney and directly with the airlines and found that I could get a better deal doing it online myself. There was a significant difference with the airfare. Plus, I was able to book better departing times.

I like AAA and have used it for travel books and road service and will continue to use them for that stuff. However, I probably won't use them for booking trips.

I think it likely that it's hit or miss with AAA TAs. I've seen one or two recommended as Disney specialist here on the boards, but I have not used them. Our local AAA TA seems pretty un-Disney-savvy. I have definitely used the AAA discount, however, booking directly through CRO. I'll hang onto that rate until a public code, private pin, Disney Visa or AP rate comes out that is better. The way I look at it right now is that I am $500 better than rack rate for our 7/07 trip.