About Discounts - AAA and AP

[kat401]

Please help:
We are planning our Christmas trip to WDW and it will be the first time ever for my DH and DD and the 1st time since 1972 for me. Right now I have a room only hold for 12/10/04 - 12/17/04 for a garden view room at the GF with a AAA discount. (I think they will only hold it for me for a week but I keep changing things on it every few days as I learn more and more)

My question is if and when the AP rates come out can I take both the AP discount and the AAA discount at the same time? I am holding off on getting our park tickets until the AP rate for December is put out. Am I right in thinking I can get one AP and two park hopper passes and get the room at the AP discount?

There's also a AAA sojourner package called Mickey's Merry Holidays that I'm looking into It includes:
Price includes:
• 5 nights accommodations at Walt Disney World® Resort Hotel
• Daily breakfast
• Holiday Dinner
• 5-day Park Hopper Ticket
• Innovation in Action – Adults' tour
• Story-telling in Magic Kingdom – Kids
• Candlelight Processional – preferential seating
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• Farewell Reception Dessert Party
• Minnie/Mickey Holiday Photos
• Round trip airport transfers
They will allow us to add days but they're not sure yet if we can stay at the GF. They only have it priced for certain resorts. The Deluxe price is for the AK Lodge and it's $1049 for for adults and $ 499 for kids. Has anyone heard of this?

 

[lark]

On the package deal, it kind of depends on how you value the stuff other than the hotel and the park tickets. I think you'll probably do better with a room only reservation, particularly if you get an AP dicount. If you actually would pay for all that other stuff, or value it highly, then maybe it makes sense. If you do the package, for example, and then pay for your own breakfast a couple of times (e.g., because you want to do a character breakfast or check out another resort or go early to the parks) it starts to not make sense.

The WDW unofficial guide has a very good section on evaluating packages.

You can't have both the AP and the AAA discount. If both would apply, you get whichever is best.

Yes, just one person in the group needs an AP. I believe that if your hotel reservation includes a child (3-9), you can make the child the AP holder, but you should double check that. That saves you a little (although you give some of it back because then you need to buy an adult park hopper).

You can go ahead and book your room with an AAA discount and then convert over later if an AP rate will apply to your stay. What you really need to do is find out if garden view/GF rates historically have AP rates applied and what the discount is at that time of the year. Checkout mousesavers.com. Among other things it has a calculator to check out of you're saving money by purchasing the AP. With a 7 day stay, you likely are, assuming you can get the AP rate on the room you want.

 

[webray]

You can only take advantage of one discount.

Good luck.

 

[kat401]

Ok. So AAA finally got me the rates for this package at the GF :
$1475 for adults and $555 per child. And $320 per night to stay an extra 2 nights. I've been trying to figure out the break down if I were to buy each of these features a la carte and it turns out this deal is not really a deal after all. I'm just estimating the meal costs but I think I was pretty generous. It comes out to $4145 for the package versus $4165. So I think I'm going to pass.

"There's also a AAA sojourner package called Mickey's Merry Holidays that I'm looking into It includes:
Price includes:
• 5 nights accommodations at Walt Disney World® Resort Hotel
• Daily breakfast
• Holiday Dinner
• 5-day Park Hopper Ticket
• Innovation in Action – Adults' tour
• Story-telling in Magic Kingdom – Kids
• Candlelight Processional – preferential seating
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• Farewell Reception Dessert Party
• Minnie/Mickey Holiday Photos
• Round trip airport transfers
They will allow us to add days but they're not sure yet if we can stay at the GF. They only have it priced for certain resorts. The Deluxe price is for the AK Lodge and it's $1049 for for adults and $ 499 for kids. "

 

[p2oh]

Can you tell me how you found out about the package through AAA? I am very interested. Thanks in advance!

 

[kat401]

Here is the link :
http://www.csaa.com/travel/travelofferdetail/0,1438,1003020207%7C4213,00.html