Sorry, I was referring to the Disney owned resorts - yes, Swan & Dolphin offer other discounts.
Was not aware of the 5% coupon, though I don't closely read all the emails they send
Thanks for the heads-up.
Well here is an example. We are going for one night in August, staying at the Swan. I went to the AARP Travel Center to check the rate for a Disney-owned hotel for the same date -- picked AKL because it is my favorite. The price for the same night at AKL, standard view, through the AARP travel site with the 5% coupon is $228. The price for the same night, AKL standard room, through the Disney website with no discount is $338. The price on the AARP travel site is slightly cheaper than a Florida resident rate at AKL for the same room, same date, through WDW.
I don't know how the AARP travel site's prices usually compare to the WDW site, but definitely worth comparing I would say, if you can't get some other discount through WDW.
I stay at the Disney hotels when I can get a good Florida resident rate or if I have some reason I want to be in a specific location (like AKL). But we started staying at the Swan most of the time because of the proximity to Epcot, amenities, and availability of a Government rate. For my upcoming trip, I could not get a Gov rate, but noticed the AARP rates were available. AARP has been pestering me to join for a while, so for $16 I joined and got the rate.
We also like the Swan because we joined SPG so we get points for all other SPG hotels.
Have you tried booking through the AARP site before? Just curious since I am new to AARP, so don't know if the above pricing is typical.