Has anyone booked thru AAA?

[Minnie824]

I'm wondering what the difference is and any advantage/disadvantage. I'm new to looking for discount codes, etc. Normally I just call disney direct, book the package and thats it. But since I heard you can get a discount thru AAA I thought I'd look into it. So, can anyone whose done this tell me the details? Also, would I be able to call Disney directly and give them my AAA number for the discount, or would I have to book thru AAA? Thanks!

 

[Disney Spaz]

We have done both AAA packages and room only discounts. I found that the price difference was minimal compared to the hassle of having no control over your own reservation. Plus you can book your own AAA discounted room through CRO. I do know that some AAA agents are experts as WDW and have heard they are very helpful but on a whole my experience has not been great. If nothing else I would get together the dates and things you want in a package and get them to quote you a price so you can compare with CRPO rates.

 

[DznyDreams]

I'm wondering what the difference is and any advantage/disadvantage. I'm new to looking for discount codes, etc. Normally I just call disney direct, book the package and thats it. But since I heard you can get a discount thru AAA I thought I'd look into it. So, can anyone whose done this tell me the details? Also, would I be able to call Disney directly and give them my AAA number for the discount, or would I have to book thru AAA? Thanks!

If you want the Disney Dining plan AND your AAA discount on the room portion of your package, you MUST book with a AAA agent. If you only want a room with a AAA discount, then book through Disney.

AAA offers a special parking permit (parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis) for use in the theme park parking lots (AK, Epcot, MGM and TTC lots). If you don't drive, then the permit is not really much of a "perk." There's also a special character story telling event in the MK that you and your family can participate in when you are booked directly through AAA. These are the only "perks" that I can really think of. There may be some discounts on shopping and some restaurants in DTD, but I'm not 100% certain about this.

Basically, there's just not much of an advantage to booking directly through AAA, UNLESS you just want to be guaranteed a slight discount now and be done with it. Depending on your dates of travel, there are likely to be general public discounts available (eventually) that will beat the AAA discount -- You just have to stay tuned to this board so you'll know when to call.

 

[JohnsonsRUs]

We just booked thru AAA a few weeks ago and through my investigation, found out that it was cheaper to book a package which includes dining through them than book the package through Disney because you only get the AAA discount on the rooms that way. If you are only booking the rooms through Disney, then you can get the AAA discount on them, I was told that the discount for the dining outweighs the discount for the rooms, or something like that.

January is AAA Disney month, so if you book through them you get a $25 gift card which basically pays for the booking fee they charge.

You also get somekind of special story telling experience at DW, but since this is the first time we've used them, that's all I know.

When I was doing the research, if you just type AAA in the Disboards search, you can get a lot of info.

Good luck!!

 

[beth_cam]

aaa offers a discount off your room rate of

value and moderate resorts - 20% in value season; 15% in regular, summer, and peak seasons.
Delux resorts - 15% in value season; 10% in regular, summer, and peak seasons.

If you want a room only you can book direct through disney or through aaa.

If you want a package you must call aaa. The discount for a package is the exact same as it would have been for a room only - the % off the room there is nothing extra off the tickets or dining. The discount is not off the total package price.

There are some aaa benefits that you can only get if you book with aaa (I dont know if they apply for room only) I dont remember everything but you get a diamond card that has some discount at dtd, story time, discounts off tours, diamond parking (closer section of lot). Some AAA agents especially if they are Disney specialists can be very helpful.

Disadvantage you cannot view your reservation on the disney site or get information from disney about it. Any changes or updates must be filtered through AAA. Some agents become less than helpful for any changes that might need to be made, and are not very knowledgable or helpful in deciding what you need. Best bet is to know what you want and how much it should cost (this is fairly easily figured out since the discounts are published and rates are published) before calling. I look at aaa more of an avenue to a discount than as a travel agent.

 

[WDWBetsy]

January is AAA Disney month, so if you book through them you get a $25 gift card which basically pays for the booking fee they charge.

Not all AAA travel agencies charge a booking fee. Mine in South Carolina didn't.

 

[kelleigh1]

I went through the South Carolina AAA office also (even though I live in MA) and no booking fee charged either. The reason I used the SC AAA office is because the TA was highly recommended by others on this board and even though we're still many months away from our trip, I'd be happy to recommend her.

 

[ribbot]

I just booked our trip through AAA and saved $245 I got Pop Century, Dining and 8 days MYW which saved us $170--then for booking in January, I got $50off PLUS we will get a $25 Disney gift card when checking into the hotel.

Not a bad deal for paying $46 to join AAA. Plus we saved $180 off a pair of glasses at one of our local eyeglass stores. So a savings of $425 just in January!

The agents have been more than friendly and said if I wanted to apply a code just to call, that they would take care of it for me and there would be no charges for any type of changes or cancellations. We did take the insurance.

I normally book travel by myself, but am trying this way to see how it works. So far I'm pretty impressed.

 

[disguy1]

I usually book through AAA. Theres some extra promotions that I got with AAA. Last year I saved $150 by using AAA over Disney for the trip. I always look at the options for the exact time I plan on going. Quite simply, The lowest price of em all will always get my money

 

[disneyboundinne]

I went through the South Carolina AAA office also (even though I live in MA) and no booking fee charged either. The reason I used the SC AAA office is because the TA was highly recommended by others on this board and even though we're still many months away from our trip, I'd be happy to recommend her.

Would you mind sharing the contact information for that office in SC with me please? I'm also in Mass and I haven't had luck with my local AAA office. Thanks so much!