Help for a confused newbie, please :-)

[abay]

Hi everyone,

I have been lurking for a couple days because I just convinced my husband to take our first anniversary trip to WDW!!!!! I have been a whole bunch of times as a kid, but this will be his very first time ever (can you believe that???).

We are going to spend 6 nights at POFQ (I hope hope hope) and 4 days in the parks. We need to be cost effective because we hadn't anticipated this into our yearly budget, but I am just dying to go!

So, I have a few questions for all those more experienced.
1) We were thinking about getting a AAA card to make the trip less expensive, are there really substantial savings from this?
2) If we do get the AAA card, do we have to book the package though AAA or can we call WDW and just give them our number?

3) We were thinking of getting the Disney Visa card to book the trip with so that we would get the 6 months 0% interest, can we use the Visa and the AAA card?
4) If we are going to use the Visa and the AAA card, do we call AAA or WDW reservations?

Sorry for this being long, I am just so excited and I can't wait to book the trip!
Thanks everyone!

 

[cobbler]

I can help you with the AAA part. You can book a room only through Disney's CRO, if you want a package you have to book through AAA. I hear there is an AAA savings on the package but I am really not sure how much or what that is all about.

I do know that during value season you can save 20% off your room only reservations at values and moderates and 15% off at deluxes. During regular season you get 15% off at values and moderates and I think 10% off at deluxes.

 

[abay]

thanks cobbler,

that helps! oh, when are you going in October? We will be there from the 6-12!

 

[CherCrazy]

I used to work at AAA selling travel....the AAA Disney packages are really good...they throw in a lot of extras. You can also book rooms without packages directly at AAA for WDW hotels including in the park. No matter where you call, you only get the discount if the room is available at that discounted rate. You can talk to a travel agent and have him/her compare the pricing either way to find out what is best for you.

You can also purchase admission tickets for most theme parks at your local AAA office at a discount(including WDW). You may even find some local theme parks tickets on sale there.

The membership has lots of benefits including the travel stuff. You can get maps and tour books for free too. They are really useful!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The difference between a 4-day and a 7-day MYW base ticket is less than $15.

The difference between a 4-day and a 6-day MYW Hopper is only $2.13, if that 6-day Hopper is purchased in advance. A 7-day Hopper is only $3.20 more than a 4-day Hopper.

For that little bit of extra money, you could visit the parks on two or three extra days. This logic applies whether you choose a package or a room-only reservation, so you may want to keep it in mind when choosing your passes.

 

[canwegosoon]

Wanted to say welcome, and tell you one of my favorite tips...besides checking out www.mousesavers.com and www.allearsnet.com (which I hope you have already done), and that is if you need airfare I like to look over at www.itasoftware.com.

 

[abay]

mad4themouse,

Yay, thanks for the inside info. I think that I will call AAA and see what they offer me and then call WDW and see what they offer me. I will definetly report back my findings!