join AAA or buy one annual pass???

[smahoney6]

which gives me the best discount???

 

[disneyfan61]

I was wondering about this AP business. Aren't the AP passes really expensive
the first time. And How much to renew these passes every year?? It seems
too expensive to me to get the AP pass. I went on WDW to check the price & it was like over $500.00 for one pass. Unless you live in FL & go 3 or 4 times a year I wouldn't think it would be worth it. Maybe someone can help with these questions & explain this. My AAA membership is only $70 for the year.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

The AP discounts are almost always better but they were a little more difficult to get this year (fewer rooms made available). For the summer months, Disney offered a flat discount rate to AP holders. For 4/17 - 7/4, the discounts were $25 off Value resorts, $40 off Moderate resorts and $100 off Deluxe and Home-Away-From-Home resorts. For 7/5-8/27 the rates were $25 off Value resorts, $50 off Moderate resorts and $75 off Deluxe and Home-Away-From-Home resorts.

AAA offers a straight percentage savings which varies depending on the season. For Value Season it's 15% off at Deluxe and Home-Away-From-Home resorts, 20% off at Values, Moderates and Ft. Wilderness. For Regular Season it's 10% off at the Deluxes and Home-Away-From-Home resorts, 15% off at the Values, Moderates and Ft. Wilderness. For Peak Season it's 10% off Deluxe and Home-Away-From-Home resorts, 15% off at Values and Moderates and Fort Wilderness. There are no AAA discounts during Holiday Season.

Whether it is worth purchasing an AP depends on how long you're staying and whether you're able to secure a discounted room. Last summer, I got a room at a deluxe resort for 5 nights during value season. The AP discount was $85 off the rack rate. With taxes, I saved $474, more than the cost of my AP. An adult AP now costs $420.68 with a renewal cost of $378.08. For me, it was worth it.

This spring, we wanted to stay at CSR. I could have gotten an AP disocunt at POFQ, but we really wanted CSR. Of course, there were no AP rates for our dates at CSR. I had to settle for the AAA discount. But, I still had my AP from last summer, so it felt like I was getting into the parks for free.

In general, I would not advise purchasing an AP just to get a room discount. With the new MYW passes, you would have to visit the parks about 13 times just to breakeven on admission cost. But if you plan to visit the parks more than 13 times in the course of 365 days, or if you're able to get an AP discounted room for a stay lasting several days, then it may be worth the purchase.

 

[smahoney6]

I was only thinking of buying one for our group and then using it....can I use both discounts at the same time for a room?


Thanks for all of your help

 

[KristiKelly]

With an AP, you can also purchase the DDE card for $50 (I think). This gives you a 20% discount at alot of the restaurants on WDW property. Here's a link to a list of restaurants (might be easier to print off and read). It might be worth it to get one AP in order to get the DDE card, I think it's good for 8 or 10 people.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

You cannot combine the AAA discount and the AP discount. It's either one or the other.

When we went last summer, I was the only one with an AP. We actually used it for 2 rooms, since my DB and his family were vacationing with us, so we saved closer to $950 on two rooms. AP holders can reserve up to 3 rooms at the discounted rate. I actually compared what it would have cost us for the rooms at a "AAA rate & 5-day PHPs for everyone" vs. the "AP rate, an AP for me 5-day PHPs for everyone else". The AP rate won hands-down.

But, things have changed since last summer. The MYW tickets are more affordable for longer stays. And the AP discounts are not as steep. If you're not staying very long or are choosing a value resort, the room savings may not offset the cost of an AP. Try using the following to calculate whether it's worth buying an AP:

• A= (cost of an AP) - (cost of one adult MYW pass) = extra cost of buying an AP.
• B= (# nights) x (AP discount for room) x (1.115) = savings using an room discount
  Note; 1.115 represents the tax rate for most hotel rooms. For AllStar hotels, substitute 1.135 into the equation.
• C= (A) - (B) = the cost difference
  If C is a negative number, you should not buy an AP. It will cost you more than you will save. If C is a positive number, continue with the following calculations.
• D = (# nights) x (AAA room discount rate) x (rack rate for room) x (1.115) = cost of a AAA discounted room
  Note; 1.115 represents the tax rate for most hotel rooms. For AllStar hotels, substitute 1.135 into the equation.
• E = cost of AAA membership This varies by region.
• F = (D) - (E) = savings using AAA discount
  If C is larger than F, then you should buy an AP. If F is bigger than C, you should go with the AAA discount.

Now, does your head hurt with all that math? I know mine does! Trying to figure out the best way to go can be mind-numbing! If you want to post your info (resort, dates, type of tickets, AAA region), maybe I can help crunch the numbers for you.

 

[gary4jenn]

no- you can't use both discounts. But if one of the people in your group has an annual pass he/she can reserve up to 3 rooms with the discount.

You could always see what the savings would be and see if those other guests in your party would at least contribute to your AP since they are saving so much money w/ the room discount.

I personally like the AAA discount since I can't be sure I would get back to WDW within a year and since the discount on Value resorts with AAA is 20% vs. 25% with an AP (we are going at value season), it works better for me.

 

[lovethemouse]

How much of a discount does AAA give for tickets?

 

[powellrj]

we bought our tickets from AAA several years ago, and at that time different AAA offices were offering different prices, but with the new tickets I am not sure if thats still true. I don't think its enough of a savings to buy AAA just for the ticket discount.

We have been AAA members for years because of the auto services they provide. The ticket discounts are just an added bonus.