Free dining package not much better than AAA discount

[borgthe]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

 

[MemoryMakers2669]

Disney gives the free meal at PH as well.

Interesting about the AAA being around the same price, but I think it all depends on how many are in your party. Just two adults might run the same, but if you had two older kids, I think you would see a bigger difference, as your percentage off would be higher

 

[mommykds]

Yep, we saved $800 with the free dining promo. If we had stayed with AAA we were saving $400.

You get the PH voucher with Disney too..& I wouldn't give up that savings to have a 20 minute character story time.

woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Disney here we come! (& we are hungry!)

 

[Lewisc]

The free dining is basically a per person discount equal to the price of the dining plan. The AAA discount is a % discount off the hotel rate. What you found is even at the most expensive hotel at WDW the free dining works out better than the % discount.

 

[Disneynutbsv]

We are saving more by switching to the free dining. Instead of saving $260 with AAA, we are saving around $700 to a rack rate package. Great deal to me!

 

[yellowfish78]

Just to let everyone know, AAA has their own code out for this right now. I can only be booked by an AAA agent. It's the "Disney Visa AAA Free Dining Promo" code. Starting Tuesday, it will just be the "AAA Free Dining Promo".
Currently I'm on a AAA package at a cost of $1824. I talked with AAA agent today and asked for the Disney Visa AAA Free Dining Promo and they came back with a cost of $1204. By doing it this way, I'm still getting my Character Storytelling, AAA Diamond Rewards Card and all the other perks for being an AAA member.

 

[kellyanne731]

Just to let everyone know, AAA has their own code out for this right now. I can only be booked by an AAA agent. It's the "Disney Visa AAA Free Dining Promo" code. Starting Tuesday, it will just be the "AAA Free Dining Promo".
Currently I'm on a AAA package at a cost of $1824. I talked with AAA agent today and asked for the Disney Visa AAA Free Dining Promo and they came back with a cost of $1204. By doing it this way, I'm still getting my Character Storytelling, AAA Diamond Rewards Card and all the other perks for being an AAA member.

Could you please re-explain this? So you were able to get the AAA rate + free dining? I just want to make sure I'm clear since we booked our first AAA trip this year. I thought you couldn't have both at the same time.

 

[yellowfish78]

You may not get a discount on the room portion of the package (which is what happens when you book a regular AAA package) but you still get all your AAA benefits.
If I package with Disney is the same price as an AAA package, but you get more free stuff when booking with AAA then to me that's the way to go.

 

[frankiemom]

I called my AAA agent this morning---she was great. I was paying 1722.43 for All Star Sports---for myself, DH, DS (who is 8) and Dd (she is free). It is for 7 nights. I got the price down to 1226.06! That includes tickets and the free dining! So it is much better the AAA discount---almost $500! It is cheaper for me to go to Disney than the Jersey shore!

 

[bizeemom4]

We are saving 50% off of the package price so for us, it smashes any AAA or AP rate. This even beats the 7/4 package that we did back in 2003. But we have a party of 6 - 5 of which would be paying the adult price for dining.

 

[alicenwonder99]

The free dining is $380 less than the AAA discount for our family. The free dining works better for us because there are 5 in the family (3 paying adult dining prices). We were there in December with the dining plan and I really LOVE it. I can't imagine doing WDW without the dining plan now.

Mary

 

[lark]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

I think you must be going only with one adult, and your party must be small. The savings of the free dining increases the more in your party and the more adults you have.

Your AAA discount for value season should be about $60 to $80 a day, depending on what room you have reserved.

The savings of free dining depends on your party size. If it's 1A and 1C, the you save about $55 a day. If it's 2A and 1C, it would increase to about $90 per day.

The $67 doesn't really seem to make sense, and you might want to have it rerun for you. If you're travelling with more than 1 adult, I think you got a bad calculation, unless you're staying in some super expensive room category at the GF, like RPC, in which case your AAA discount is upwards of $130 or so. But that's a very special case and your experience would be quite different from others.

Bottom line -- if you have at least 1A and 1C, free dining will almost always be a better (and usually much better) deal than just an AAA room discount.

 

[kizmac]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

Not true for us! We have two rooms for 9 nights reserved with the AAA discount and paying for Dining and 1 day base tix for all and our current price
is $5159.28. I just priced everything out paying rack rate, 1 day tix, free dining and the savings is $1800. There are 6 adults and 3 kids traveling in our party. I can't wait till the 4th!!! I only hope there are enough rooms to go around after the Disney Visa bookings.

 

[mybgirl]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

I WAS GOING TO CHANGE MY DATES

NOW I AM NOT

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INFO


my date our 10/13/06 to 10/23/06 and this will be are first trip to MNSSHP

WE ARE GOING TWO NIGHTS


TAKE CARE

AND THANK YOU AGAIN

MARY IN PA

 

[ga9497]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

I don't think they quoted you with the free dining
for 7 nights of dining you should be saving $531.86

 

[pooch]

got mine this morning. MY AAA ta not available, but got another who was SUPER about taking care of me !! Nine night at WL for 3 adults & 1 Jr., 8 day hoppers & FREE DINING. Reduced the cost of my package $700!!!! and added 2 dining days and 2 park days to what I already had! How can you beat this!!

Pooch

 

[WDW4us2006]

I am confused. So WHAT is the deal? Are people getting the free dining with AAA packages they have already reserved? We booked with AAA for Sept. at the BC, and when I called CRO yesterday (I have the Visa), I would still be paying a little MORE with the free dining since my room rate was so good, and it's just 2 adults. The AAA branch offices are closed on Sunday, is there a national # I could call today?

 

[borgthe]

Hey all,

I just wanted everyone to know that the new free dining deal is not much better than the AAA discount, and with AAA you can go whenever you want, if they have availability.

I booked Dec. 2-9, 2206 at GF with 8 day park hoppers and dining plan for $3717. I just called to check if the new deal would save a ton of money. Gave dates as 09/30-10/07, which by the way, as long as one of your days is within 09/30 you get the special deal for all your days.

Got quoted for same deal as above, GF, 8 day PH, dining for $3648. So for $69 more, I get to go when I want to go, so in my opinion it's not worth it.

Also, AAA has other benefits, such as a free meal at Planet Hollywood and a free character storytelling.

Just thought you all might want to know this.

Val

I called to check again and it is really about $3530. The $3648 included insurance, which was not included in my $3717 quote. Anyway, I think this deal only really works out if you are in a value or moderate and have more than 2 adults. Since we only have 2 adults and one child, it is not such a big savings.

 

[janets]

but you must book directly through a AAA agent to get the benefit.

I guess I don't understand why anyone who has AAA would not book directly through them to get the AAA room discount as well as the free dining instead of paying rack rate w/ CRO.

I understand that a lot of us have not gotten the best of service from AAA...me included. I went over to my local branch office yesterday, with my Disney Visa in hand, to book a package to WDW instead of taking a cruise in September. The agent had no idea what I was talking about, didn't have any information and didn't even know the right questions to ask CRO when he called. He kept saying I had to purchase length of stay passes, which we all know is not required any longer. I left.

After seeing these posts this morning that indeed AAA can book it for Disney Visa holders, I'm now on hold w/ the region travel office waiting for a quote. I've looked at the rack rates, taken the appropriate AAA discount and added in the cost of 1 day base tickets for my family. The discount to me will be somewhere in the mid $200 to mid $300 range over rack rate. Why pay Disney any more than I have to?

I know what I want and know what the prices should be so I can tell the prices.

Okay, as I'm typing, the rep comes back on and says that Disney is telling her it isn't available until Tuesday. We all know this is incorrect. I have a Disney Visa so I should be able to book it, and I should be able to use AAA to do it since I am a member of both.

Why is this always so hard? I can see why others don't want to have this hassle for a small savings, but I hate to pay what I don't have to when it's there for me.

Will update shortly.

 

[LakeAriel]

I called to check again and it is really about $3530. The $3648 included insurance, which was not included in my $3717 quote. Anyway, I think this deal only really works out if you are in a value or moderate and have more than 2 adults. Since we only have 2 adults and one child, it is not such a big savings.

I am staying at POFQ for 4 nights in August with my adult daughter. I had the AAA discount and was awaiting an AP discount. I was going to purchase the DDP.
Even having to purchase a one day ticket (I have AP's) I am only paying $172 dollars more for my dining. My one day tickets I will upgrade to AP's when mine expire. That leaves the difference at about $50 for 2 people to have the DDP for 4 days. Normally it is $38 per person per day or $76 per day X 4 = $308! Big differnence even with only two people. Now if I could get the DDP for my DVC stay, Wow! I am grateful for small (big) favors!