AAA Travel. How bad are they?

[rpach10115]

I want to share a sceniaro that is happening to me right now. I booked an 10 day/9 night vacation to universal and disney. I am going with my wife, and my 7 year old son.

We have been to disney for the past 4 years straight. I have used AAA Travel for this each time. This year, we decided to something a little different. We booked 4 nights @ Universal, and 5 nights @ the Poly. I asked for a park hopper ticket for the 3 of us for 8 days. This way, if Universal is not what we expected with a 7 year old, we could always go back and forth to disney, since I had the 8 day park hopper ticket.

Well, I just received my documents in the mail yesterday. The disney tickets were not in the package. So I e-mailed AAA Travel to ask where they were. I was told that I would be receiving my park hopper tickets when we checked into the Poly. But, since we are only staying @ the poly for 6 days/5 nights, I would receive my dismey tickets until out trip was half over!

AAA Travel is refusing to send me the tickets beforehand!
Now, they tell me that I can take my reservation to any guest services and they will give me the tickets than, however, they will NOT be able to loead the remaining days onto my room key when we finally do check into the Poly.
AAA Travel is blaming me for them not sending me the park hopper tickets.

What do I do?

 

[HM]

Sounds like your agent set up your Disney stay as a package. Tickets are part of your room reservation and can't be picked up until your stay.

If you had a room only reservation and then bought your tickets separately, she would be able to have them delivered to you beforehand.

 

[harleyquinn]

Wow.

When you book a package, your tickets are attached to your room, so with your scenario you needed to book your tickets seperately from your room reservation in order to activate them before staying on property.

What your AAA agent is telling you is true and would be the same no matter who you booked through. it's the nature of a Disney package.
You don't get the tickets until you check in when you book a package with ANY company. They send you a vocher and you get them when you check in.

That said, your TA should have realized the problems if they understood your plans and booked everything seperately. I've found when it comes to AAA and Disney YOU have to know exactly what you are doing and clearly state what you need from them, and many times, they'll still get it wrong. My AAA TA specializes in WDW and is certified by them and i still caught a couple of problems.

If I were you, I would call disney directly and explain the problem. It might not do any good since they will only change your reservation if your TA calls.

Best of luck! I hope you figure it out!

 

[Cindy B]

I had to chase my AAA agent down to get an additonal discount on my room only reservation.

Yes, it was only about a $40 savings, but it was $40... that is $40 towards my vacation.

 

[SleepingBet]

Sounds to me like your AAA TA messed up and booked you a package. They should have booked everything separate. I'd call and ask them to fix it. Book everything separately.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

From experience and from what I have read here, dealing with AAA is a real headache. Just call Disney and book your trip yourself and give them your AAA information, sure makes life alot easier and if a mistake is made, then you can only blame Disney or yourself. I find that dealing with Disney directly is really easier nad since I can talk to a CM myself, I can fix problems before they even become problems. Good Luck.

Suzanne

 

[Mickiethepooh]

If you are booking just the room separately then yes you can call and make the res with Disney and get the AAA discount BUT if you DO want a package with tickets or dining plan you HAVE to book through AAA.

I think part of the problem is that there are way too few AAA agents for the numbers of AAA members seeking service and they don't have the time to research as they should etc.
I just made my res today for Nov with AAA and it seems that all went well but who knows what I will find when I get the paperwork, the man seemed very harried and overworked on the phone. He was not rude but you could tell he was trying to handle ten things at once.
I much prefer to make my own arrangements and it would be a huge help if AAA website allowed more leeway for members to book things themselves and leave the agents to handle just what they HAVE to handle, but no such luck it seems.

 

[petchie]

Did you book the free dining package? I am betting that is why it may have been done like it was. Did you TELL the AAA agent what your plans were or did you just assume you would get the tickets in advance?

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

If you are booking just the room separately then yes you can call and make the res with Disney and get the AAA discount BUT if you DO want a package with tickets or dining plan you HAVE to book through AAA.

I think part of the problem is that there are way too few AAA agents for the numbers of AAA members seeking service and they don't have the time to research as they should etc.
I just made my res today for Nov with AAA and it seems that all went well but who knows what I will find when I get the paperwork, the man seemed very harried and overworked on the phone. He was not rude but you could tell he was trying to handle ten things at once.
I much prefer to make my own arrangements and it would be a huge help if AAA website allowed more leeway for members to book things themselves and leave the agents to handle just what they HAVE to handle, but no such luck it seems.

You can't get a discount on the package, only on the room. The package is the same price no matter who books it, unless Disney comes out with a discount like the recent one. So why bother with AAA. They need to educate their TA's better, send them to the College of Disney knowledge, or just not let them book Disney vacations if they don't know what they are doing.

Suzanne

 

[cccm]

Don't even get me started. I booked online and no one can help me now. They messed up getting the reservation correct for the number and names of the guests in the room. I needed to fix it to get DME taken care of.

AAA said call RI and talk to internet folks. Internet folks are like we fix internet, but fix travel. No one could help me, finally internet lady took responsibility and said it was fixed.

Now I need to make sure the two reservations are tied together. We are staying at CBR and I don't want DSister being on the other side of the resort. Even though I got a good discount, probably will use someone else.

 

[Ilovestitch]

You can't get a discount on the package, only on the room. The package is the same price no matter who books it, unless Disney comes out with a discount like the recent one. So why bother with AAA.
Suzanne

AAA can discount packages.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

AAA can discount packages.

Since when? I asked about that and was told that there is no AAA discount for packages, only for room only reservations.

Suzanne

 

[csclemons]

Wow... gotta say, I can't believe what I'm reading. AAA has always been a dream to deal with here. Our TA even calls to confirm or ask us questions as we go. She notifies us if other rooms open up even after we've booked just to make sure we don't want to make last minute changes. We always get nice discounts and lots of extra help whether we're headed to WDW or elsewhere. MAybe you are just working with the wrong person?

 

[Chantilly]

Since when? I asked about that and was told that there is no AAA discount for packages, only for room only reservations.

Suzanne

When you book a package with AAA - package meaning accommodations + tickets - you do get your AAA discount on the room rate portion of the package. You don't get an additional discount on tickets, DDP, etc. So, yes, technically you could say you're booking a discounted package because the same package booked through ABC Travel agency would not have the AAA discount applied to the room rate.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here as a TA - and an AAA TA at that. My job is to help you have the most magical vacation possible. However, I work for an agency that plans worldwide travel which means I have to be knowledgeable about everywhere in the world anyone could want to go. I have completed my graduate studies at the College Of Disney Knowledge but that doesn't mean I have a direct line to Lake Buena Vista. That's why I hang out here. You all know the rumors and rumblings before anybody else.

So please, please, please, if you're not happy with the service you receive from your TA - AAA or anywhere - let their manager know! Also, spell out exactly what you want - even if you think it makes you sound like a control freak or you think you shouldn't have to 'cause you're talking to an "expert" - because you may be talking to a brand new still-wet-behind-the-ears agent or a really old one who refuses to enter the new Millenium.

Okay, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

You can't get a discount on the package, only on the room. The package is the same price no matter who books it, unless Disney comes out with a discount like the recent one. So why bother with AAA. They need to educate their TA's better, send them to the College of Disney knowledge, or just not let them book Disney vacations if they don't know what they are doing.

Suzanne

That's just not true. I have a Magic Moments AAA Disney package booked and I got it at an almost 600.00 savings over Disney website. My AAA agent is wonderful. She will scan every resort Disney has to find me a package with a discount.

 

[imatoad]

I've never had any problem with AAA, in fact I've had nothing but great Disney vacations through them and they've saved me quite a bit of cash.

 

[CanadianGuy]

To the OP:

Yes, your TA booked you a package at Poly. Clearly there was a miscommunication about your travel plans and what you intended to do with your vacation.

If your trip had been booked with your stay at the Poly FIRST, this would not be an issue, but since Poly has been booked SECOND, you're seeing the situation.

Everything you have been told is true. Because they booked you a package.

Your choices at this point are :

1) Do as your TA suggested and stop by Disney to get your tickets separated out from your package once you get in Orlando. You have been correctly informed however, if you do this, the tickets can NOT be added back to your room key at the Poly when you check-in.

2) Cancel what you have booked at the Poly and re-book as room only and purchase the tickets separately. If you are more than 45 days from check-in this should not be any problem whatsoever. If you are closer than 45 days from check-in, Guest Services may still be able to sort this out for you. Your TA would need to call Guest Services and explain the situation.

3) MOVE what you have booked around, so you check into the Poly FIRST and then move to Universal for the second part of your stay. Then, you would receive your tickets at check-in and be able to use them in the later days of your vacation while you are staying at a Universal Hotel.

-----

As for the poster who indicated that AAA saved them 600$ off a package, I assure you that unless you were staying at Deluxe with AAA room savings, then what you were booked on was a general public discount.

AAA can only discount the room portion of their vacations. The amount off AAA discount varies by type of resort and time of year. The maximum AAA discount is 20% available at certain levels of resorts at very specific times of year. The AAA discount is not available when you choose ANOTHER Disney offer like Free Dining.

Hope this helps!

Knox

 

[Laz]

When you book a package with AAA - package meaning accommodations + tickets - you do get your AAA discount on the room rate portion of the package. You don't get an additional discount on tickets, DDP, etc. So, yes, technically you could say you're booking a discounted package because the same package booked through ABC Travel agency would not have the AAA discount applied to the room rate.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here as a TA - and an AAA TA at that. My job is to help you have the most magical vacation possible. However, I work for an agency that plans worldwide travel which means I have to be knowledgeable about everywhere in the world anyone could want to go. I have completed my graduate studies at the College Of Disney Knowledge but that doesn't mean I have a direct line to Lake Buena Vista. That's why I hang out here. You all know the rumors and rumblings before anybody else.

So please, please, please, if you're not happy with the service you receive from your TA - AAA or anywhere - let their manager know! Also, spell out exactly what you want - even if you think it makes you sound like a control freak or you think you shouldn't have to 'cause you're talking to an "expert" - because you may be talking to a brand new still-wet-behind-the-ears agent or a really old one who refuses to enter the new Millenium.

Okay, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

I have been a member of AAA since 1975. I have never had a bad experience booking a Disney vacation thru AAA. However, I do my homework before I talk to them. Sometimes I can do better than AAA. I agree, if you do not like the service or are not getting the info you want, talk to the manager.

 

[sassyat30]

When you book a package with AAA - package meaning accommodations + tickets - you do get your AAA discount on the room rate portion of the package. You don't get an additional discount on tickets, DDP, etc. So, yes, technically you could say you're booking a discounted package because the same package booked through ABC Travel agency would not have the AAA discount applied to the room rate.

I'm gonna stick my neck out here as a TA - and an AAA TA at that. My job is to help you have the most magical vacation possible. However, I work for an agency that plans worldwide travel which means I have to be knowledgeable about everywhere in the world anyone could want to go. I have completed my graduate studies at the College Of Disney Knowledge but that doesn't mean I have a direct line to Lake Buena Vista. That's why I hang out here. You all know the rumors and rumblings before anybody else.

So please, please, please, if you're not happy with the service you receive from your TA - AAA or anywhere - let their manager know! Also, spell out exactly what you want - even if you think it makes you sound like a control freak or you think you shouldn't have to 'cause you're talking to an "expert" - because you may be talking to a brand new still-wet-behind-the-ears agent or a really old one who refuses to enter the new Millenium.

Okay, rant over. Back to your regularly scheduled thread.

Hmmm, that's funny. My AAA TA told me that AAA does have a direct line to Disney...so they don't "deal with the same CM's as the general public."

Frankly, with some of the errors I've caught, it scares me to turn *my* vacation plans over to someone else.

OP, I don't have any advice for you, but I would be making some phone calls until it's fixed.

Good luck!

 

[rpach10115]

Ok,
After 17 e-mails, and 5 phone calls I STILL do not know what is going on. I am now talking to the AAA Utica Travel office manager. She is trying to help me, I think. The original agent that I had sounded like she was 12 years old. I'm sure she is new. I have dealt with AAA for many years. I have booked disney trips for 4 straight years and have NEVER had the problems that I'm having now. They have ALWAYS sent me my park tickets with my document package. I have my Universal tickets in my document package, just not the disney tickets.

Also; In reading my travel package, I have found no less than 8 mistakes in my reservation. My receipt says 4 nights at the poly, I paid for 5. My Travel itinerary says 7 nights! They made no mention as to the longhouse that I requested.

The only reason that I use AAA is for the Diamond Parking Pass that they give you. This pass is great, but I don't think it now outweighs the problems that I am having now. Yes, you can get the same deals directly from Disney Travel that you get from AAA. Next time I think that I will be calling Disney directly to book my trips.

BTW, still no resolution as to when I will be receiving My disney tickets.