Advice on using AAA vs. WDW Travel

[Knuckleball]

I've booked POR for the President's Week in Feb. directly through Disney using the Disney Visa card promo. Here are the details. There are 2 adults and one junior. We will be there 6 nights in a standard view room, we have 7-day MYW tickets with the free hopper and water park and more option that was included in the package, and we also got the Disney dining plan. Total cost was $2449.

My friend is telling me that I should have booked through AAA because I would have gotten a lower price for the same package. I was skeptical because a few weeks ago (before the recent codes came out) I had asked my local AAA agent for a quote and the agent's price actually was a few dollars higher than the price I was quoted by Disney Travel at the time. Still, I thought that I might as well check it out so I called Disney to ask but they said that they can't give me a quote on a AAA package, I have to go through a AAA agent. I am hesitant to ask this same AAA agent to "run the numbers" when I have no intention of changing unless the deal is that much better. I really don't want to waste the agent's time...again.

Can anyone tell me whether the AAA price for this package really would be better than the deal I currently have through Disney using the Visa code? Does anyone have a similar package that they got through AAA for less? Thanks a lot for the help!

 

[jenseib]

I have not booked for either yet, but from everything I have read they are coming out about the same.

 

[tinan]

I would call AAA and call again. I'm not sure what the pricing is, but they should be able to get you the free add on as well. When we went in Feb. I was able to add on the free upgraded tickets on my AAA package.

We're going in Dec. and at first I set our package with 10 day base tickets. I later decided that I wanted to add on the hopper option and was told via Disney that it would cost me about an extra $40/person. I called my AAA agent and she came back with some gosh awful high price, something like an extra $200/person. I explained to the agent that the price she was given is incorrect and I kindly asked her to call again. Once she called again, she was quoted just under the $40/person. So she held that until she got my payment. She said that even they as agents sometimes get CMs that screw up and they have some key people they ask to talk to that they know are good. It could be that your agent ended up with one of the bad CMs.

 

[Disneyland_Mama]

I booked with AAA vs. WDW Travel and actually came out about $200 less than WDW Travel. Since we are a group of 10, we saved about $700 total by going through our AAA agent. Now I don't know if we got an additional discount b/c we always use the same agent from AAA.

 

[bab31]

I am staying late January 7 nights moderate coronada springs with park hoppers. but no dining. There was no differnce in price between the new code and my AAA rate. I did verify it on the disney site.

 

[Tinksalot]

I priced a 5 night/6 day trip in mid-january online and then booked it through AAA. The price was basically the same, but since the trip is a surprise Chiristmas gift, I did not want anything coming to the house. You do get some discounts and a parking pass with AAA, but we are on the DDP and do not plan to get a car. When the park hopper discounts came out, I had to call my agent and ask her to add them...she knew nothing about it. If you are reading these boards you probably know more than the agent and I am sure you did very well for yourself! Enjoy your trip!

 

[krissylynne]

AAA is saving us around 200.00 during the new deal. It also saved us 500 on our December portion of the trip.
BUT I will say you do need to watch or listen to what you are getting. We have a package booked for the 1-9 of Jan. We also got a room only at the Pop century during those times for a marathon runner. We all know January 1 starts value season. I went ahead and did it thorugh AAA. BIG mistake. After calling to verify everything I was made aware that AAA's rate they gave me for Pop in a perferred room was 140. That's WAY to much. I can not go back now and book through Disney, they are all booked. So I am stuck with this rate. AAA wont change it. The rate for a friend in a preferred room is 85.00. Do your homework. We made out well with some parts, but with other parts we got the shaft.

 

[jenseib]

So the deal is no good anymore as Disney is booked? Well that sucks. Can you still get rtoom in the first two weeks of January at all? I swear every week I am thinking of going gets booked before I can get DH to agree. It is supposedly a slow time of year, but yet resorts are booked. Doesn't make much sense does it?

 

[krissylynne]

So the deal is no good anymore as Disney is booked? Well that sucks. Can you still get rtoom in the first two weeks of January at all? I swear every week I am thinking of going gets booked before I can get DH to agree. It is supposedly a slow time of year, but yet resorts are booked. Doesn't make much sense does it?

You need to call and set up some reservations for now. They will give you two weeks to pay deposit. This way you will have something on hold. The deal still is good, but they are booked for the beginning of it. Many people will cancel reservations between now and then. I would call and get something on hold. Dont get discouraged.

 

[Knuckleball]

Thanks to everyone for your advice. It looks as though the price I got using the Disney Visa code is pretty much the same I'd get through AAA. Maybe I won't get the preferred parking or something but that's no big deal. I appreciate the help!

 

[jenseib]

You need to call and set up some reservations for now. They will give you two weeks to pay deposit. This way you will have something on hold. The deal still is good, but they are booked for the beginning of it. Many people will cancel reservations between now and then. I would call and get something on hold. Dont get discouraged.

So I don't have to put NOTHING down for two weeks if I don't want to? I thought you had to put something down in order to hold it? Well if thats the case, I may call tomorrow.

We are dairy farmers and DH can only leave when it is conveinient for both him and his brother. His brothers wife is having surgery Jan. 16, so we were hoping ot go before it. Looks like maybe mid Feb. might work out better now.
Thanks everyone for the info so far.

 

[CarolA]

If you go AAA try to get someone on these boards to send you one of the agent contacts who KNOWS what they are doing. Sadly there are MANY more AAA agents who seem clueless. You don't have to use your local AAA.

Based on what I have read here, I am afraid to use AAA!

 

[krissylynne]

If you go AAA try to get someone on these boards to send you one of the agent contacts who KNOWS what they are doing. Sadly there are MANY more AAA agents who seem clueless. You don't have to use your local AAA.

Based on what I have read here, I am afraid to use AAA!

Even though we booked with AAA, I do agree. I do not like the feeling of not having control. I think it could of went a lot better. She started off in my city then moved to an office 45 minutes away. I still have not received anything yet, and I am paid in full. It boils down to you usually get the discount but you put up with a bunch of junk. I think it would go good if you had an agent that was very knowledgable in Disney instead of trying to yank you around.

 

[jenseib]

So I don't have to put NOTHING down for two weeks if I don't want to? I thought you had to put something down in order to hold it? Well if thats the case, I may call tomorrow.

We are dairy farmers and DH can only leave when it is conveinient for both him and his brother. His brothers wife is having surgery Jan. 16, so we were hoping ot go before it. Looks like maybe mid Feb. might work out better now.
Thanks everyone for the info so far.

I was just hoping to get an answer to this???? You said that they will hold it for two weeks, but do you have to put anything at all down, or will they just hold it?

 

[HGD24]

I've found that not just with Disney vacations, but with basic air and hotel arrangements, many times, AAA comes out higher than what I can get online or by calling a hotel or airline directly. It's not the money-saving travel agency it once was.

We just went to England and Ireland in May and they would not help us at all, but they did offer to sell us a travel book for $12, 1/2 the cover price...wasn't that nice of them?

 

[Knuckleball]

jenseib - I booked our package directly through Disney using the Visa code a couple of weeks ago. I had to put $200 down immediately (it was charged to my card that very moment) and I have until early January to pay the remaining amount in full. I don't know how it works if you book through a AAA agent but I suspect that it's the same. Hope that answers your question.

 

[krissylynne]

I was just hoping to get an answer to this???? You said that they will hold it for two weeks, but do you have to put anything at all down, or will they just hold it?

If it is within the right time frame you do not have to put anything down. Some TA are pushy, but you do not have to. If your time frame is outside of thier 45 day time frame then you definately do not have to put anything immediately down.
All balances are due at the 45 day until arrival point.
Another option is to reserve a room only. This will get you your time slot reserved, and give you some days to play with for your reservation. You can add on the package later. I hope this helps. anything to help get someone to Disney.

 

[beth_cam]

You only get one discount : either the AAA or the current deal.

AAA on a moderate hotel during value season is 20% off the hotel part only. I think it is maybe 15% if your trip is during peak.

So in a moderate hotel that saves you about 194 in value season or 165 in peak, for your entire trip.

With the package deal you get not only free upgrades but you also get a bit of a discount on your room which i figured in another case to be about 10% but that probably varies depending on where/when you are staying. SO assuming you were going to pay for the upgrades (it's not a savings if you weren't paying for it anyway right?) you save about 300 for the upgrades + some more unknown amount on your accomidations. And as I said AAA can't make your package price less than that.

In my case, we dont pay for the upgrades nor have much use for them so I'd probably still save a small amount by doing AAA but would probably do the deal just because for that small difference I have the option of using the hopping etc....I think someone earlier broke it down in a value as like $50 more to get the package with the free upgrades than to do AAA with base tickets. AAA can however book the exact same package for you that WDW does but be careful as was stated before, people have reported strange figures coming up. Be sure you know what it should be first.

 

[beth_cam]

If it is within the right time frame you do not have to put anything down. Some TA are pushy, but you do not have to. If your time frame is outside of thier 45 day time frame then you definately do not have to put anything immediately down.
All balances are due at the 45 day until arrival point.
Another option is to reserve a room only. This will get you your time slot reserved, and give you some days to play with for your reservation. You can add on the package later. I hope this helps. anything to help get someone to Disney.

Booking straight through Disney not any TA's I was required to put down a deposit for my package upon booking.

 

[krissylynne]

Booking straight through Disney not any TA's I was required to put down a deposit for my package upon booking.

That is odd, becuase with Disney you are supposed to get a two week period to put down the depost. The same goes for travel agents. They are not required to give Disney a deposit either until the two week period. I would call back and book through another Disney person if theyare trying to get you to put down your deposit money immediately. You have a two week grace period where they will hold any reservation for you.