Here's what Simple Escapes & Hotwire offers...

[Trixiezzz]

Today I joined Simple Escapes and thought I'd post what I've found out about them.
(It's almost identical to Hotwires, with a few different restaurants and others included.)

They tell you VERY LITTLE of exactly what deals & restaurants are included. So here's a list of their "products" so if you're considering it you can make up your mind.....

Terms:
You can join for $1.00 for the first month as a Trial Period. After that you have to pay $14.95 per month to be a member. You can't rejoin within 12 months after canceling.


What Simple Escapes offers ~ by category:

1)*** THEME PARKS & MORE ***

Adventure Island®

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens® Williamsburg

Disneyland® Resort
~Adult 2-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Ticket - $90.16
~Child 2-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Ticket - $71.76
~Adult 3-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Ticket - $111.60
~Child 3-Day Disneyland® Resort Park Hopper® Ticket - $84.60

Dorney Park

SeaWorld® Orlando

SeaWorld® San Antonio

SeaWorld® San Diego

Sesame Place®

Six Flags®

Universal Orlando® Resort

Universal Studios Hollywood®

Walt Disney World® Resort Parks:
~Disney's 4-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket - $ 208.96
~Disney's 4-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket - $167.75

~Disney's 5-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket - $248.27
~Disney's 5-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket - $199.38

~Disney's 6-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket - $276.07
~Disney's 6-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket - $221.42

~Disney's 7-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket - $302.90
~Disney's 7-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket - $242.51


Walt Disney World® Resort Meals
~Breakfast Feature Meal Certificates – Adult $18.25
~Breakfast Feature Meal Certificates – Child $11.00
~Vacation Kingdom Lunch Certificates – Adult $31.00
~Vacation Kingdom Lunch Certificates – Child $12.75
~Quick and Casual Lunch or Dinner Certificates - $11.50

Water Country USA®



2)***SHOPPING ***
($25 Gift Cards for $20.00)

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Borders Books & Music®

Circuit City®

Coupon Book

Foot Locker

JCPenney®

Media Play

Orvis®

Mrs. Fields®

Kmart

Sam Goody®

Suncoast®

The Sports Authority

TextbookX.com

Target®

Waldenbooks®


3)*** MOVIES *** "as low as $4.50"

AMC® Theatres

BLOCKBUSTER®

Cinemark®

Crown Theatres®

Hollywood Video®

Loews/Cineplex Odeon/Magic Johnson®/Star Theatres

National Amusements®/Multiplex®

Regal Entertainment (Regal, Edwards & United Artists Theatres



5) *** DINING ***
($25 Gift Card for $20 ~ Except Burger King & KFC: $10 Cards for $8)

Burger King®

Bahama Breeze®

Chuck E. Cheese's

Hard Rock Cafe

KFC®

Olive Garden®

Outback Steakhouse

Planet Hollywood

Red Lobster®

Smokey Bones® BBQ & Sports Bar

Rewards Network

Steak & Ale®


6) *** Travel ***

5% Travel Rebate

Car Rentals

Hotel Directory

Online Travel Agency

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts


7) *** Books & Magazines ***

Complimentary Magazine Subscription

Frommer's Guide — Canada

Frommer's Guide — Caribbean

Frommer's Guide — Europe

Frommer's Guide — Hawaii

Frommer's Guide — USA

Hope this helps!!

~Trixie

 

[Disney4me04]

Thanks! I will be saving this list for when I go in 2005.

I think the Disney passes are the cheapest I have seen.

 

[Amirah95]

Trixie you have been a big help! Now I need to find out what Hotwire has. After canceling with Hotwire do they make you wait 12 months to sign up again also?

 

[Trixiezzz]

Ok Tanya, here it is....

Here's what Hotwire offers through its website hotwiresavingsclub.com, which is a sister company to Simple Escapes.

~~~HOTWIRE~~~

* * * Shopping * * *
($25 Gift Cards for $20)

Barnes & Noble Booksellers

Babies''R''Us®

BLOCKBUSTER®

Borders Books & Music®

Circuit City®

Foot Locker

Hollywood Video®

JCPenney®

Linens'n Things

Kmart®

Lillian Vernon®

Macy's

Orvis®

Sam Goody®

Media Play

Suncoast®

Target®

The Sports Authority

Toys''R''Us®

Waldenbooks®




* * * $4.50 Movie Tickets * * *

AMC® Theatres

Cinemark®

Crown Theatres®

Loews / Cineplex Odeon / Magic Johnson®/Star Theatres

National Amusements®/Multiplex®

Regal Entertainment(Regal, Edwards & United Artists Theatres)



* * * Restaurants * * *
($25 Gift Cards for $20)

Bahama Breeze®

Chuck E. Cheese's

Hard Rock Cafe

Olive Garden®

Outback Steakhouse

Planet Hollywood

Red Lobster®

Smokey Bones® BBQ & Sports Bar

Steak and Ale®




* * * Online Deals * * *
1-800-FLOWERS.COM®

Cooking.com

ebags.com

FTD.COM®

Samsonite®

Spa Finder

The Sharper Image®



* * * Theme Parks & More * * *

Adventure Island®

Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay

Busch Gardens® Williamsburg

Disneyland® Resort

SeaWorld® Orlando

SeaWorld® San Antonio

SeaWorld® San Diego

Sesame Place®

Six Flags®

Universal Orlando® Resort

Universal Studios Hollywood®

Walt Disney World® Resort Parks
~Disney's 4-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket (Same Prices as Simple Escapes: see previous post)
~Disney's 4-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket
~Disney's 5-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket
~Disney's 5-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket
~Disney's 6-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket
~Disney's 6-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket
~Disney's 7-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Adult Ticket
~Disney's 7-Day Park Hopper® PLUS Child Ticket

Walt Disney World® Resort Meals
~Breakfast Feature Meal Certificates – Adult (Same Prices as Simple Escapes: see previous post)
~Breakfast Feature Meal Certificates – Child
~Vacation Kingdom Lunch Certificates – Adult
~Vacation Kingdom Lunch Certificates – Child
~Quick and Casual Lunch or Dinner Certificates
Water Country USA®

Hope this helps in your trip planning!

Trixie

 

[Trixiezzz]

About canceling, I read on their website that you have to wait 12 months. But once I talked to a customer service person on the phone and he said after you cancel your account you can't re-join until after 90 days. So, I really don't know which is right.

Also, both Hotwire and Simple Escapes LIMIT how many of each thing you can buy. I don't have the info in front of me for all the items, but these I know:

YEARLY LIMITS:

*GIFTCARDS:
15 of each store & restaurant's $25 Gift cards per year ($300 worth per merchant)

*DISNEY MEAL VOUCHERS:
40 of each type per year (40 adult & 40 child for each type voucher)

Now, I really don't know whether that's CALENDAR year, or 1 year from the date you join. I hope it's calendar year!! Maybe someone else can fill us in on that.

~Trixie

 

[Candleshoe]

Thanks so much, Trixiezzz!!

I've been wondering about this info.

-shoe

 

[2Disneybuggs]

i joined hotwire for the free trial. If you want the 25 gift card for 20 you need to be a member when they credit your account the $5 for each gift card. I think it takes 2 billing cycles to do this. Not a good deal if you onlt want the free trial.

 

[Trixiezzz]

Originally posted by 2Disneybuggs
i joined hotwire for the free trial. If you want the 25 gift card for 20 you need to be a member when they credit your account the $5 for each gift card. I think it takes 2 billing cycles to do this. Not a good deal if you onlt want the free trial.

Well, you can do it all in one 30-day period if you time it right.

They credit your CC once a month ~ the first week of every month ~ for all the cards you've bought anytime in the previous calendar month. (As a matter of fact, the CC credit from Hotwire came through just yesterday, Aug 3).

So, if you had joined Hotwire on July 5th or later, your credit would've been posted on Aug 3rd. Then you could call up on Aug 4th ~~ and still quit within the 30 day period.

(Last month, the credit came through on the 2nd of the month)


Just don't quit until that credit shows up on your statement!

~Trixie

 

[dturner]

Thanks so much for posting what Simple Escapes has to offer. I joined the other day through one of my credit cards and have been anxiously awaiting the material to see what I got myself into, LOL!!

I got mine for $1 for the first 30 days then $8.99/month, guess I should keep this as I'm planning on multiple trips to WDW in the next couple of years. Glad to hear about the WDW passes.

Thanks again.

 

[suz72]

about Simple Escapes. I was curious. I just joined hotwire, and plan to stay a member for at least 4-5 months...you know until I reach my limit of Target gift cards, etc.


Can you tell me the prices on Simple Escapes for Disneyland 2 day park hopper and 3 day park hopper (adult)?


I wonder why Simple Escapes costs more???


Thank you,
Susan

 

[Trixiezzz]

I went back and edited my previous post to include DisneyLand Prices.

(FYI:They are
2-day adult: 90.16
2-day child: 71.76

3-day adult: 111.60
3-day child: 84.60

~Trixie

 

[Trixiezzz]

Originally posted by dturner
Thanks so much for posting what Simple Escapes has to offer. I joined the other day through one of my credit cards and have been anxiously awaiting the material to see what I got myself into, LOL!!

I got mine for $1 for the first 30 days then $8.99/month, guess I should keep this as I'm planning on multiple trips to WDW in the next couple of years. Glad to hear about the WDW passes.

Thanks again.

At $108 per year (8.99 month), I'm afraid you may eat up any Hotwire savings by staying a member so long. It may be better to buy up everything you need now and then cancel after just 1-2 month's membership.

Disneyworld tickets unused days never expire, so tickets you buy today will be good in several years.

And, you can always rejoin Hotwire later.

Or,do what I did, and drop Hotwire and join a sister club later (Simple Escapes, Connections,etc)

~Trixie

 

[suz72]

I was just wondering if it was the same as Hotwire. (& it is)

Thanks for the quick reply,

Susan

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

I belong to Hotwire and find them to be cheaper per month than Simple Escapes ($7.95 vs $12.95) and Hotwire has Kids R Us.

 

[Amirah95]

Thanks Trixie!!! You have helped me out a lot and it will help in my planning big time. I want to have everything I need to buy in a list before I sign up. Thanks again!

 

[tiggers5]

Hi--I hope you don't mind me getting in on this conversation about Simple Escapes, but I would like to ask a few things.

I recently joined and my trial is almost up--but I am considering purchasing 6-day park hopper passes. I am buying ten of them--6 adult and 4 child passes for our trip in October.

I just would like to know if anyone has information on what the passes are like:

Are they credit card type plastic? or like card stock?

Do they have a black bar on the back like a regular Disney pass, so that you can enter it in the card machine at the main gates?

Can you use them to do Fast Pass?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[behappy]

Do the prices you have quoted include sales tax? TIA

 

[Trixiezzz]

Originally posted by tiggers5
Hi--I hope you don't mind me getting in on this conversation about Simple Escapes, but I would like to ask a few things.

I recently joined and my trial is almost up--but I am considering purchasing 6-day park hopper passes. I am buying ten of them--6 adult and 4 child passes for our trip in October.

I just would like to know if anyone has information on what the passes are like:

Are they credit card type plastic? or like card stock?

Do they have a black bar on the back like a regular Disney pass, so that you can enter it in the card machine at the main gates?

Can you use them to do Fast Pass?

Any help is appreciated!

I ordered four 4-Day Park Hopper Plus tickets from Hotwire.
The ones I received were the paper/cardboard type with a black magnetic strip on the back. They are supposed to be fine for FassPass. (It took them a little longer to come than the regular 4-5 days for Gift Cards)

Mine look like this:
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/trixiezzz/ParkHopper.jpg">
Trixie

 

[Ozymoe]

I really wish there was some way to keep this information at the top of the posting list (like the information about the Pal Mickey Swap)...then we could just refer all those ticket questions to it...and update it as necessary.

...or if this isn't a good idea, tell me why. It just seems to me that the information Trixiezzz has provided seems to be asked for quite regularly.

...ummmm...and puh-LEEZ won't SOMEone tell me what a tagfairy is?!!!

 

[tiggers5]

Trixiezz,

Thanks you so much! That is exactly what I needed to know--I plan to go ahead and purchase them, because it really is the cheapest prices that I have seen anywhere for the 6-day hopper pass!! Also, there are four "pluses" with these passes so that's an extra bonus!!
I am saving about $800 going with a room only ressie and buying these passes from Simple Escapes.