Perks for Booking thru AAA

[goofydad621]

I was wondering what the incentives or added perks are for booking thru AAA.
The price is the same for what I got from Disney. Do they the agent at AAA I was talking to said that there was some added discounts and other stuff but did not know exactly what they were.

Help Please? Thanks Dave Goofydad Dionne

 

[iteachlit]

You should have received some kind of savings. I booked a package through Disney at a rate of $3500 (6 nights; 2 rooms; PH/PP Tix; dining; 3 adults/2 kids). After checking out the DIS, I realized I should have booked through AAA to save some $$$.

I got the same trip for $200 less. Your AAA TA might not be aware of how to get the discounts. For example, my local AAA TA didn't have any discounts available. I called the regional 800 number and got the savings the very next day. My local AAA TA just called yesterday with a great savings of $26 off of what I was paying WDTC.

As far as perks, you get preferred AAA Diamond parking spaces at the parks (if available) and a free drink at a lounge at the MK. I think you also get a Diamond Card that offers some savings on shopping.

Call your AAA regional number if you are not having success with your local AAA TA.

Good luck.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If you book a package through AAA, you should be getting a portion of your room discounted - so there WILL be a difference in price than if you booked through Disney. All pertinent cutoff dates are the same for payment, etc. when you book through AAA. One caveat, my local AAA was not very WDW-savvy and kept giving me a quote for the same price that Disney was quoting me. I found a new agent in South Carolina (another DISboarder recommendation!) and voila, suddenly my stay was cheaper.

You also get an AAA diamond parking pass when you book through AAA. This allows you to park in certain preferred areas of the parking lots in WDW. Also, there are merchandise and food discounts that vary. I also see that my resort room requests are noted on the reservation, as well.

Good luck and have a great vacation!!

 

[kelleigh1]

I booked my trip through WDW Travel with the AAA discount. Then I went to my local AAA office and they got the same quote. I am definitely getting the discount even though I didn't use a AAA agent. I'd compared the price to without AAA discount. So it is possible to call at AAA TA and get the same quote that you got through WDW Travel.

As for the perks with going through a AAA TA, you get the Diamond Card which provides you with preferred parking at the parks, one visit and complimentary beverage at the AAA area at MK, and discounts at selected restaurants.

 

[SCBuzz]

I booked through AAA and called the agent myself so I could ask some questions about the dining plan. I ran the package through the Disney site and it was a little over $100 more through Disney. This is what I reserved:
6 nights @ All-Star Movies
2 Adult 3 day passes and 1 child 3 day pass, all with park hopper
Dining plan
Also bought the insurance plan in case of sickness.
$1692.20 through AAA
$1799.36 through Disney

The only perks I am aware of: AAA VIP lounge @ the Magic Kingdom and a discount card for 20% discount @ resturants and gift shops..

 

[kelleigh1]

Just to clarify...if you called WDW and asked for the AAA rate, you could get the same price as you'd get calling AAA. That is what happened to me.

However, if there are no more AAA discounted rooms available during your stay, you could still get the same price. What happens is that there are only a certain number of rooms blocked off for the discounted AAA rate. Once all these rooms are sold, you'll be quoted the rack rate...no matter who you call for a AAA rate.

I originally requested a quote through the WDW website and through another agency. WDW was $1662 and the other agency was $1566. When I called WDW and asked for the same resort and park ticket combo at the AAA room rate, the quote was $1436. Then I went over to AAA and requested a quote and they gave me the same $1436.

 

[meatballsmom]

I booked my trip through WDW Travel with the AAA discount. Then I went to my local AAA office and they got the same quote. I am definitely getting the discount even though I didn't use a AAA agent. I'd compared the price to without AAA discount. So it is possible to call at AAA TA and get the same quote that you got through WDW Travel.

As for the perks with going through a AAA TA, you get the Diamond Card which provides you with preferred parking at the parks, one visit and complimentary beverage at the AAA area at MK, and discounts at selected restaurants.

WDW Travel can only book room only AAA discounts. They will not book a AAA package rate. Are you sure you got the AAA package rate??? Or was this a room only rate?

 

[meatballsmom]

Just to clarify...if you called WDW and asked for the AAA rate, you could get the same price as you'd get calling AAA. That is what happened to me.

However, if there are no more AAA discounted rooms available during your stay, you could still get the same price. What happens is that there are only a certain number of rooms blocked off for the discounted AAA rate. Once all these rooms are sold, you'll be quoted the rack rate...no matter who you call for a AAA rate.

I originally requested a quote through the WDW website and through another agency. WDW was $1662 and the other agency was $1566. When I called WDW and asked for the same resort and park ticket combo at the AAA room rate, the quote was $1436. Then I went over to AAA and requested a quote and they gave me the same $1436.

Every time I have asked WDW for a AAA room and ticket combo they told me that you couldn't get the package through them. That's very odd.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

One note:

The MYW package with the free dining is the same through AAA or Disney, because you must pay rack rate on the room for the free dining.

Otherwise, you will always get a MYW package cheaper through AAA than you will through WDW because you're getting the AAA discount on the room portion of the package.

If your AAA agent is giving you the same quote that CRO is giving you, you need a new AAA agent.

 

[goofydad621]

They told me it was the package rate with free dining

 

[kelleigh1]

From what I was told by both AAA and WDW Travel, there is no AAA package discount. The discount comes off the room only so the rates are the same. You can reserve room and tickets together, but only the room is discounted either way.

 

[kelleigh1]

They told me it was the package rate with free dining

There's your answer. You can't get a AAA discount on top of the free dining package. You get either free dining or a AAA discount on your room rate.

 

[SCBuzz]

I had called Disney the day before I had made the ressie and the agent gave me the $1799.36 rate and informed me that there was no AAA discount available with this package... so I called AAA and saved $100 .

 

[iteachlit]

My wife and I were discussing the whole "not being able to book a AAA package through Disney" thing. It's interesting that they will take a room-only reservation, but they will not take package reservations. As far as I can tell, the package discount received from AAA is not much more than what the AAA room-only discount would have been.

So here's my question: Why doesn't Disney simply let AAA book the reduced rates directly?

The only thing I can figure is that they assume the AAA TA is doing all of the legwork involved in the choosing a package. However, the AAA TAs simply make the booking with Disney anyway.

It would be interesting to know how many of us book a package with Disney (or call for pricing) and then go through AAA. It seems many of us on these boards have done just that. If Disney's CMs are doing all of this work anyway, it would be logical to simply let them book the discounted package rates without using a AAA TA.

I'm guessing that Disney CMs often do the legwork, sometimes book the package, and then lose the package to AAA. It doesn't make much sense to me.

Any thoughts?

 

[alicenwonder99]

I just booked with AAA yesterday. I originally had a room-only AAA discount ressie through Disney. I also had my park tix bought. I wanted to add the dining plan, but Disney said I would have to book a package through AAA. I had to cancel my ressies with Disney, and cancel my tix. The CM said you usually can't cancel your park tix because they are nonrefundable, but she said for some reason, mine weren't "processed" yet (whatever that means). So, then I went through my AAA agent. She booked my MYW dining package for me. I got a $100 savings. I booked POP-preferred for 5 nights in December for 1 adult and 2 children, and base-only 5 day park tix. It was $1215 (around there).

I agree with "IteachLit". It doesn't make sense that Disney will book a AAA room-only, but not a package.

Mary

 

[Terk-1]

Before I made my deposit with AAA for my WDW MYW package (room, meals, pass), I called WDWTC to see if I could book the same package with the AAA discount directly through them. I was told no. I was told that they could only book "room only's" with the AAA discount and not packages and that I would have to contact me local AAA office to book the package. Called back later on, spoke to a different CM and was told the same thing. So I called my AAA agent and booked the package through her. She sent me an itinerary that had all the info on it, including room preferences (i.e. non-smoking, 101 building, etc.). I ended up saving about $150-200 using AAA versus WDWTC.

As far as the perks, if you swing my your local AAA office, they have WDW brochures, which you can find all the perks inside the front cover. I'll see if I can find mine and let you know.

 

[KristiMc]

I also don't understand why you can't just book a AAA package through Disney on your own. I went through a AAA TA and saved a little over $200 on our package (Wilderness Lodge 6 nights/7 days hopper with dining) so I am happy. It would be nice to be able to call Disney directly though instead of going through the TA.

Kristi

 

[freakylick]

So here's my question: Why doesn't Disney simply let AAA book the reduced rates directly?

This is all speculation on my part, but here it goes:

They have many agencies that book discounted packages..TA's have a number of resources to go through other than CRO that they can get discounted packages from. I talked to one TA that got me 3 different quotes that were lower than rack...and none of those were AAA. But she could NOT get me any room-only ressies. Disney wants to strongly encourage guests to book packages. To do that they don't allow TA's to book room-only's...so the only way to get room-only is to call CRO and ask. If you don't ask, they certainly won't recommend it.

I guess in summary, they want to discourage room-only's and to do that, they maintain full control of that process.

Now the reason that Disney won't book a AAA package is that AAA probably worked the deal out that way. AAA won't make as much commissions if Disney is directly booking some of their packages. Plus, I am sure that it takes some of the strain off of the CRO system.

 

[iteachlit]

Plus, I am sure that it takes some of the strain off of the CRO system.

That's just my point... I don't think that it does. In other words, many people call CRO/WDTC to get a price quote on a package. They spend 10 minutes or so going over all of the package options. You then have a decision to make: book now or check around.

Either way CRO/WDTC has already done some of the work. Quite a few of us then call a AAA TA to get a price. They have to access Disney's system to get the prices. Again, a decision: book or keep shopping.

In my case, I called Disney, booked the package and then did some shopping. I went through AAA, saved $205, and cancelled my WDTC reservation (again "taxing" the CRO system).

I would guess that Disney CMs help a large percentage (50%+) of vacationers do some comparison shopping. I just think that Disney is losing bookings to AAA TAs AFTER they (Disney) do the same amount of work they would have done had they been booking the package.

Disney isn't "losing" any more money booking a AAA package versus and room-only AAA discount; the savings are the same. They are, however, losing efficiency (and direct business) by doing the legwork and then losing the package to AAA.

Just my thoughts...

 

[freakylick]

Sure a lot of people are still calling both. But then again, there are a lot of people that never call Disney (like myself) and have only dealt with AAA. The one and only time that I have called Disney so far was for ADR's. But I have constantly been in contact w/ my AAA agent with various questions. My agent is earning her commission (But she has been wonderful and I have even helped her along the way, so I am not a total P-I-T-A. )

These are the people taking the strain off of CRO. All of those people that you mentioned would be calling CRO with or without AAA...so they aren't really putting much add'l pressure on CRO. As I said before, I am just speculating here...I am sure there are some advantages for Disney as they have been doing it this way for a long time.

Another reason that Disney probably doesn't do AAA packages is that AAA will offer you the same package for the same price AND the AAA perks. A customer would have little benefit to doing a AAA package through CRO since they don't get those added perks. And AAA surely wouldn't pay to provide some of those perks if they weren't getting a cut of the business.

I suppose in the end, Disney and CRO have created a symbiotic relationship that helps each other. Does Disney benefit a whole lot?! I have know idea, but in the end, it helps make the customer happy and that helps Disney.