APH advantage ????

[macraven]

please give me direction in this matter.
would the aph be better for me in the long run?

i already bought the 5 day 2 park pass. i can use them anytime, they are nonexpiring.

i go yearly for 4-5 days to uo/ioa. i don't rent a car but use car service.
so, the free parking isn't something that sways me.


i use AAA for room discounts for onsite hotels and for food/merch.

i have been reading that the ap rate drops greatly in october and becomes lower than the AAA rate discount.

talking to others on line, they are telling me my $183.20/night rate at rph will be beat by the APH rate when it drops to $149. in october.

is this a sure thing? right now the aph rate for oct 6-10 is $207./night

i would save $100 on the room at least and then be able to book the 2007 hotel in advance with the ap next year. so that is a plus.


just don't know if i really need the ap and if i can for sure get a lower hotel rate.

tell me what you think.

 

[keishashadow]

I don't profess to be a Universal expert but...

Last year we initially booked the HRH for the week before Pres. Day w/AAA discount & bought multi-day park tix (Buy 2 days, get 1 free) online via a FAN discount.

Late November the APH discounts came out. The discount was enough to cover the additional cost of my AP & still save @ least $150. We also were offered a "free" night @ time of booking but, had to turn it down since we were locked into WDW plans.

All I needed to do was take my unused tix to the guest services window & pay the upcharge to the PAP. Strangely enough, they did ask to see the CC I used to purchase the tix - glad I had it with me.

I didn't have to have the PAP with me when I checked into the HRH...they said to just bring it back that evening after we toured the park.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

You can probably afford a wait and see attitude here. I just returned from a weekend at HRH ( ). Word from our driver (we went with Murray Hill) is that the Orlando hotels are finally getting back to the rates pre 9/11/01. If this is the case, we may never see those low rates we all got accustomed to. So, will you get $149 at RPR? Who knows. What you can do is keep checking the rates. If as your trip approaches the AP rate is more worthwhile, you can switch to that rate and upgrade your 5 day pass to an AP. If you plan carefully, you can probably do HHN '07 on the same AP. As for booking the "07 trip in advance--not sure how this would work out. It may well be that initially the AAA rates for '07 are better than the AP rates. Then, that may change, or, it may not. Same for this year.

 

[macraven]

thanks all for the 411

 

[yaytezIOA]

Generally the time to book rooms with the AP is about a month or two in advanced, the same time HHN is announced. The rates are going to be sky high if you try to get them this far in advanced. I dont know about the AAA rate, but you can try out the Florida resident and AP pass simply by entering in codes when you try to book your room. Those two are generally the same, though AP will usually bump you up to the next level for free.
Enter APH or FLO in the codes form to see what you get. In October, the most available and least expensive ends up being PBH. They have so many rooms, and RPR and HRH are so popular...RPR for the price, and HRH for the atmosphere. We got the PBH for $189 last HHN, but we only stayed one night....the more you stay the more you save generally holds up.

 

[macraven]

thanks for your comments. maybe i confused the issue so let me restate it.

i booked rph for second weekend of oct 2 weeks ago. used the AAA rate which is $183.20/night. the AP rate is $207 for same room.


i called universal about my ressie i already have and asked if the AP rates drop, could i modify my present ressie from the AAA discount i presently have to the AP rate. they told me yes and that would not be a problem.

they told me to call late aug/early sept to see what the ap rate is at that time.
when i booked the room, aaa was a better discount than the ap.


i don't have an ap. i would buy one if it would be to my advantage for a better room discount.

my question: does rph limit the number of rooms that can given out on the ap rate. people are booking now with an ap discount and they can modify it with no problem later in sept. i would have to buy the ap in sept to modify my rate.

don't know if i should buy an ap now and modify my ressie or wait until sept. i have a room for 4 days now but looking for a better deal

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

I have never been asked for any identifying information from my AP when I book using the AP rate. I am told that I will have to present my AP upon check-in. So, you don't actually have to have the AP to request the AP rate--you just need to make sure that you have it when you are there. You can determine in Aug. or Sept. whether the AP rate is better. If you switch to the AP rate at that time, you will need to be prepared to upgrade your tickets. If you have not done that prior to check-in, they are usually pretty flexible about letting you get your pass and present it after check in. I believe that if you go to guest services with your present ticket, you can upgrade it to an AP. If you are picking up a ticket from the kiosk, I would skip that and bring your order info to guest services and let them know that instead of the ticket you ordered, you would like an AP.

 

[Sylvester McBean]

the AP and florida resident codes are like trying to figure out a calculus problem to me. I use the passholder website to look for the best deals and then use the FLO code to see what I can get over that. and it usuall brings up different types of rooms and suites. if you do come downannually, the current renewal rate on the AP is $99.95. it might pay for itself next year. you don't pay for parking, but the pass gives you nice discounts in the parks and citywalk. plus there are other perks. this month, the discounts were doubled at margaritaville, plus priority seating. there was also a free room upgrade at the resorts. you might not recoup the purchase price this year, but maybe in the future.

 

[patster734]

Keep your ressies with the AAA rate because switching to the currently higher priced APH rate doesn't guarantee that you'll get a lower APH rate later on. I believe that you're chances of changing to a lower APH rate, if available, is the same regardless if your initial reservation is with AAA or APH.

 

[disneyfreakk]

Hello macraven!

Arent you a loews first plat?? If that is the case then use your AAA. You cant use your loews first card if you use the APH code. The AAA and APH are usually pretty close.

How long are you staying, and how many in your group?? Do you go to HHN? We have been PAP holders for 3 years and I always save a bundle with my APH card! Heck, we dont really do the parks except for maybe 1 day ( we do HHN 2 nights in a row and saved ALOT of money on 12 tixs for each night. ) and we still come out ahead on the APH renewal price! I also go to the spa and the 10% discount adds up. I realize i am probably rambiling at this point, sry . My point is that even if you use the AAA room discount ( and you should if you are a loews member! ) look at all the other discounts you get with the APH. You might come out better having both! I know I sure do

 

[macraven]

thanks for the info. looks like the ap wont be to my benefit since it is not a guarantee on rates. going solo four nights rph in october.
have a water view upgrade. i am supposed to be at plat but at gold. for some reason my plat upgrade did not go thru last year. i call loews and they say they fixed it but it hasn't been. but, gold is better than blue. still get late check out and free upgrade at booking.

i do 3 nights of hhn and the ap gives much better ticket discounts. my aaa gives me the 10% off on food/merch/city walk. close enough to ap discount.

just wanted to come out ahead with the room rates. got a pm from someone and was told go for the ap as rates will drop for aph in early sept down to 149.......that savings and hhn ticket discount would be great if it could happen. i have the five day pass and would trade it up for the ap.

guess back where i started .........

thanks again for your help

 

[disneyfreakk]

I ran your dates ( assuming you are going during hell week because you are going to HHN 3 nights ) and you are already getting a 20% discount with your AAA discount as it stands right now. The APH discounts state that "Save up to 30% at On-Site Resorts, based on availability ". Sorry to have to tell you but there is NO WAY your room rate will drop to $149. $160.30 plus tax is 30% off the 229 rack rate. Are your friends taking into account that the rates have gone up this year?


That would be totally awesome if you got $149 a night tho! Good luck!

 

[macraven]

thanks freak, no i received a pm from someone on the boards who i don't know.

going 2nd weekend for hhn, hitting all 3 nights. 183. is with the aaa.
standard room is 229 water view a tad higher, but with the gold card, free upgrade when i booked

i know the discount for the hard ticket is good with the ap.

i am seeing the 149 on one thread for may and various dates in the summer.
maybe that is why i received a note from someone here for my fall trip.

yea, those rates keep climbing, that is why after many stays at hrh, i am switching to try rph, its cheaper.