Passholder hotel discount questions

[jbarone3]

Hello all. I just purchased a Premier Passport on my last trip to DL and plan on visiting WDW in late Sept. I have never had an annual pass of any kind, so this is all kind of overwhelming to me! Besides park admission, I see the real benefit of the pass being the hotel discounts. However, I have little idea how these work.

Do I have to call to get the discount, or will they e-mail this PIN number I keep reading about? Also, is it usually pretty easy to get a discounted room, or do I have to call like 5 mins after the discount is made public? Are the discounts usually in the 30%-40% range?

For my Sept trip I am looking to get a standard room at a value (Pop) or a Mod (either PO-FQ or maybe Coranado Springs). I called the reservation number and was told that discounts weren’t available for late Sept yet, but also that the current passholder discount is only 15% for a Value. I think the reservationist was confused and gave me the general public discount.

Any insight into this would be great. I need to use as many discounts as possible to make the pass worth it!

 

[Golf4food]

You might get an email about a discount, but if you hang out around the DIS you'll know about them here first, more likely. When you log in on the website it recognizes you as a passholder and will automatically apply the passholder room discount if you click on the link (they always advertise the pass holder deals in little boxes/banners). Or you can call and tell them you want the passholder rate. But they do have to be officially announced before you can get them.

Yes, 30-40% is a normal range. I don't know that I've seen them any higher than 40% before (for a straight % discount).

 

[jbarone3]

Thanks. The problem with logging in is that since I have the Premier Passport, I can't log into the WDW passholder site. It doesn't recognize it as one of their AP options. I called and asked about it and they said they were working on it and that for now I should just call.

This adds to my frustration: that I can't access either the DL or WDW passholder sites because they don't recognize the PP. So I have no idea what's going on! And of course calling takes forever.

 

[DISNEYNY]

I have always found it here on the codes & rates board. I have only had my pass since last August, but I have used the resort discount 3 times already. Last Dec, Feb & for Aug. I just called and told the CM I wanted the AP rate-I guess they can see I have an AP when they call up my name?? I have had no trouble getting what I wanted, but I did call the first day I saw it on the boards.

 

[raven69david]

I just called and told the CM I wanted the AP rate-I guess they can see I have an AP when they call up my name??

No they can't. There's no way for them to know if you have an AP or not. I booked my resort a month ago (on my flight home as I'm typing this) and told them I had an AP (which I didnt at the time). They gave me the discount no questions asked. I did online check-in, got my packet, went to my room, dropped off luggage and went to parks with my 7 day parkhoper. Now, if I was dishonest, I could always get away with it, however I'm not that kinda person and I did purchase AP's for my family upon entering our first park and we're good 'til 4/24/11. This is our 3rd year for AP's.

 

[gpeters93]

Room discounts for late September are available now. I just booked one this morning.

 

[Nicole786]

Room discounts for late September are available now. I just booked one this morning.

I just called and they only go until 8/14..are you talking about the general public discount?

 

[gpeters93]

Sorry ... I meant AP discounts, as mentioned by the OP.

 

[Nicole786]

Sorry ... I meant AP discounts, as mentioned by the OP.

When are you traveling? I'm trying to book a room with the AP discount so I can add the DDP but I'm going at the end of August

 

[LilGMom]

Thanks. The problem with logging in is that since I have the Premier Passport, I can't log into the WDW passholder site. It doesn't recognize it as one of their AP options. I called and asked about it and they said they were working on it and that for now I should just call.

This adds to my frustration: that I can't access either the DL or WDW passholder sites because they don't recognize the PP. So I have no idea what's going on! And of course calling takes forever.

Ahhhh, WDW and their wonderful websites. Mousesavers is another good site to check to see about AP discounts. Generally the discounts seem to be released in 4 month 'blocks', so a discount for December might not be released until Sept. There are only a certain amount of rooms available at the resorts for AP discounts so the sooner you can call the better. If you have a room already booked at rack rate once the AP discount is released you can call to see if there is availability at your resort at the AP rate and they can change your ressie.

 

[gpeters93]

When are you traveling? I'm trying to book a room with the AP discount so I can add the DDP but I'm going at the end of August

We'll be at the GF in mid-September (celebrating our 25th anniversary ). I got the discount code through the special disney passholder website. Log in and then select the "Special Offers" icon and it will give you all the details. Good luck!

 

[Glory49]

I just looked at the Passholder website. The AP's discounts are only until Aug. 14th. If you looked at where it says Passholder packages you paid rack rate for the room & they let you add on the Dining Plan without having to purchase a one day base ticket. You might want to call reservations to see how much you were charged a night & then if you look under the general rates at the home page of the Disney site you will see how much rack rate is for the middle of Sept.. Then you will be able to see that you may have not gotten a discount on the room. (I could be wrong) Please correct me if I am because I am looking for a AP discount also for the end of Sept.

 

[gpeters93]

Please correct me if I am because I am looking for a AP discount also for the end of Sept.

I get the inmpression that the passholder site is still a work in progress, and that not every passholder will have the same experience on the site. I had some trouble registering my voucher and e-mailed customer service to get it fixed. Funny thing is that it's fixed, but not because of the instructions they sent me. (I'm having a mental image of the Shoe comic strip where the IT guy is dressed as Merlin and waves a wand over the PC.)

Anyway - because the whole process is kind of confusing, I can't really say more than that I used the info I found on the passholder site to reduce my room rate by a little more than $200 per night (GF; Lagoon View; mid-Sept.). I didn't ask for or receive any meal plan. It's a room only reservation. It feels like a discount and quacks like a discount, so that's what I'm going with.

YMMV

 

[Momto8]

I get the inmpression that the passholder site is still a work in progress, and that not every passholder will have the same experience on the site. I had some trouble registering my voucher and e-mailed customer service to get it fixed. Funny thing is that it's fixed, but not because of the instructions they sent me. (I'm having a mental image of the Shoe comic strip where the IT guy is dressed as Merlin and waves a wand over the PC.)

Anyway - because the whole process is kind of confusing, I can't really say more than that I used the info I found on the passholder site to reduce my room rate by a little more than $200 per night (GF; Lagoon View; mid-Sept.). I didn't ask for or receive any meal plan. It's a room only reservation. It feels like a discount and quacks like a discount, so that's what I'm going with.

YMMV

I checked the passholder site and there are no passholder discounts for after 8/14. I even called Disney and the CM put me on hold to check. Came back and said there was nothing past 8/14. What you probably have is the GP discount of 40% off room only that was just released. That would work out to about $200 off per night for the GF lagoon view room.

I'm waiting on AP discounts too for late August, because they are generally better than the GP discounts and you can add the dining plan (which is what we want to do), but you cannot do that with the GP discounts.

 

[gpeters93]

Good grief, I think you're right Mom. I have a GP discount. I apologize to anyone I confused about this.

So it just gets better from here when the AP discounts come out?

 

[Momto8]

Good grief, I think you're right Mom. I have a GP discount. I apologize to anyone I confused about this.

So it just gets better from here when the AP discounts come out?

Yes, the AP discounts are usually better than the GP discounts. We're staying at CBR 8/15 thru 8/22, and I hope they have 40% off room only then like they do this spring. We have a 40% room only discount now at POP for 5/16-5/21. Moderate is also 40% off and deluxe is 45% off. This is for stays 4 days or more. Stays for 1-3 days are slightly less.

 

[Sandi]

For the after 8/14 AP discounts, are we all guessing those will be released in mid-June? I have a GP room only discount for our 8/14 - 8/22 stay, but I'd love to upgrade. I hate waiting!!!!