January free park hopper

[Jenniww]

I went to WDW this past Jan. I paid $200 for our family of four to have the park hopper. I read many people got it for free....

For those who got it for free how did you find out about it?

Also was that deal available if you booked with AAA?

 

[jmpellet]

I think they just gave it to us when we called CRO. Iy was not a AAA thing.

 

[Seahunt]

Just keep watching here on the DIS for deals! They will be posted as soon as they hit - and there's also a discount section here on the DIS that keeps track of all the discounts currently available:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts.html

The Free Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More packages for last Jan-March trips first showed in October, 2006. It was offered first to Disney VISA cardholders, and then the general public (Canadian res had a special with this also) - here's what the offer looked like when it first came out in October, 2006:

Disney is offering discounted packages for stays 1/1/07-3/8/07 (1/12/07-1/14/07 may be blacked out). The packages include discounted accommodations and Magic Your Way tickets, plus FREE Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More ticket upgrades.

You must book using a Disney Rewards Visa card. No group rates or other discounts apply. The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets and options must be used within 14 days of first use. Water Parks subject to seasonal and weather closures.

A similar package for the general public is expected to be released 11/2/06.

To book the Disney Visa package, request booking code ZCJ for the standard Magic Your Way package, or ZCI for Magic Your Way Plus Dining.
***********

Then when the general code came out in November for 1/1-3/8/07 stays, this showed:

Disney is offering discounted vacation packages for stays 1/1/07-3/8/07 (1/12/07-1/14/07 may be blacked out). The packages include discounted accommodations and Magic Your Way tickets, plus FREE Park Hopper and Water Park Fun & More ticket upgrades. The ticket upgrades alone are worth $101.18 per person.

Some sample savings:

Two adults and two children (ages 5 & 7), preferred room at All-Star Sports, 6 nights/7 days (1/14/07-1/20/07), with Dining Plan - savings of $97 on the package, plus FREE ticket upgrades valued at $404.72 (Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More options added to all 4 tickets for no extra charge).

Two adults and a Junior (age 15), standard room at Port Orleans Riverside, 6 nights/7 days (2/18/07-2/24/07), with Dining Plan - savings of $175 on the package, plus FREE ticket upgrades valued at $303.54 (Park Hopper and Water Park Fun and More options added to all 3 tickets for no extra charge).

Other resorts, room types and dates are available at varying savings.

You must book by 12/16/06. No group rates or other discounts apply. The number of rooms allocated for this offer is limited. Tickets and options must be used within 14 days of first use. Water Parks subject to seasonal and weather closures.

To book the Disney Visa package, contact a Disney Specialist travel agent and request booking code ZCK for the standard Magic Your Way package, or ZCL for Magic Your Way Plus Dining.
*****
If you were already booked you had to call in to see if they could apply the discounts to your ressie - it wasn't automatically applied, and was based on availability. That's why you have to be checking here on the DIS so often- so you don't miss anything that might save you some $$$!

 

[nittanyliongirl02]

I thought someone wrote that the code for last Jan was ONLY for a ticket upgrade, and no discounts on rooms. If there was a discount on rooms....then WOO HOO....I'll hope for the same type of code again this year!

 

[Jenniww]

Boy I feel even more robbed I bought Disney Quest tickets for our family of four also. I really could have saved like $350.

Just to confirm if a code does come out can I use it with me AAA reservation? I'm still a little confused about that.

Thanks!

 

[Jenniww]

OH and an extra thanks to SEAHUNT! Thanks for taking the time to share the info. I got the Disney Visa in Feb so I will be looking out for a code.

 

[hockeybabe]

Sorry, I don't have the answer to the AAA question, but I just wanted to add that Disney will rarely if ever offer you the code/discount without asking for it. I booked the free dining in 06 and went through the whole process, mentioning the great deal I was getting with free dining, and in the end the price did not include free dining. I asked the CM why his numbers didn't match mine, and whether or not he included free dining, and he said that I had never given him the code...so I gave him the code and he went on to say that they weren't allowed to offer the codes and could only apply them when the customer provided them or asked for them. So the best thing is to stay on these boards and tell them the code when you call.

 

[carcam51]

I was able to get in on this deal (free hopper/water park and more) in May 2006. I know there was a code, which I found on this board, but I don't recall what it was or when it was released. It was a general public code though.

 

[nittanyliongirl02]

I was able to get in on this deal (free hopper/water park and more) in May 2006. I know there was a code, which I found on this board, but I don't recall what it was or when it was released. It was a general public code though.

So to just double check (sorry I'm OCD sometimes), did you get a discount on your hotel room in addition to the ticket upgrade??

Thanks!

 

[CanadianGuy]

You can have the ticket or room discount that Disney offers OR you can have the AAA discount. You cannot have both.. (there are RARE circumstances where this happens.. but it is by far NOT the norm)

Knox

 

[carcam51]

I believe our discount was only for the hopper upgrade and did not include a discounted room.

 

[Trekker]

Also just to be clear the park hopper tickets were not free - you still had to buy the base ticket - just the upgrade to park hopper and water park part was free...........

 

[carcam51]

Yes, for our trip, only the upgrade to the hopper was free. The base still needed to be purchased...they have to have something to upgrade

 

[Jenniww]

Thanks for all the info. I knew it was for an upgrade I just wasn't wording it very well. THANK YOU ALL!

I only saved $140 room discount with AAA. I spent $200 on the hopper and around $120 for Disney Quest.

Forget the room discount, I'll take the upgrades.....

 

[lorelei_smiles]

Sorry, I don't have the answer to the AAA question, but I just wanted to add that Disney will rarely if ever offer you the code/discount without asking for it. I booked the free dining in 06 and went through the whole process, mentioning the great deal I was getting with free dining, and in the end the price did not include free dining. I asked the CM why his numbers didn't match mine, and whether or not he included free dining, and he said that I had never given him the code...so I gave him the code and he went on to say that they weren't allowed to offer the codes and could only apply them when the customer provided them or asked for them. So the best thing is to stay on these boards and tell them the code when you call.

I am new to this so alot of things still are not clear.....

Are you saying that we can call Disney reservations and ask if there are any discount codes?

 

[Seahunt]

I am new to this so alot of things still are not clear.....

Are you saying that we can call Disney reservations and ask if there are any discount codes?

JMO, but not all CMs know about all the discounts so I think it's better to just keep watching these boards and the "current WDW discounts" section here on the DIS - it has a list of all the current codes and is updated as soon as a new deal comes out. Then YOU call them (or call your TA) with the code you want to apply- at least that way you know that they will be able to check for that particular code instead of glancing through and maybe missing one. Sometimes (lots of times!)you know more than they do

Always search through the current deals daily to see if any apply to your dates:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/discounts.html

If you see a deal/code there that comes out for the dates you want, and you haven't made a reservation yet, make a note of the code and call CRO or your TA ASAP and give them the code/deal info to try and get first choice of the resort you want using that code.

If you have already made a reservation and a code comes out later that applies to your dates, you need to call WDW or your TA again ASAP with the code/deal info to see if the code can be applied to your existing ressie - it won't be automatically applied to a previous reservation unless you ask to modify it.

For my trips I usually try and check the deals daily clear up to the day we check in, just in case!

 

[4littleboys]

I am wondering if this Free hopper and water parks upgrade promotion was good only with a package or if it worked if you were buying tickets only?

 

[jmpellet]

I think you definitely needed to get a package. And actually, it really wasn't that great of a code. It added the hopper plus the water parks and more -- not too valuable in January. We did go to DisneyQuest and had a good time though.

 

[lkaanda]

We went this past Feb. and got the free park hopper upgrade. I had already booked through AAA without the park hopper because I thought we could do without it. When I saw it advertised, I just called my AAA agent and she contacted Disney and added it on. It was nice because we took the kids to Disney Quest which we would not have paid to do. We are looking to go this Feb. again, and will probably book the same way. If the upgrade is offered that would be great, if not thats okay too. We will just see what happens.

 

[son3disfan]

We've used this special for the past two years.

It was AWESOME for us , because we only buy 2 day passes and stay at the resort for 5 days.

We received hoppers and THREE waterpark or more visits for free.That was 5 days of Disney "stuff " for the price of 2 ( kind of..). The hoppers allowed us to visit all 4 parks in the 2 days ( with EMH!). We have all our favorite rides covered.

I don't think with the changes in tickets this year it's such a great deal for us anymore. The WPAM option is only good for the amount of days on the ticket. One day pass will give us one WPAM option.

And I doubt Disney will offer it again.

Also usually one waterpark was CLOSED for referbishment during Jan /Feb/early March

Just my two cents!