Transfer res to AAA

[jnadelman]

We book our trip though DCL directly. I just got a call from AAA saying that if we transfer our res to them (based on the cat and number of night we are booked for) we would get $200 in OBC.
What is the catch? Should I do this? Besides needing to deal with them for changes and not DCL, what are the down sides for doing this?
What would you do?

We have booked our last WDW trips with AAA and have been very happy with them.

 

[kcashner]

The "catch" is that any further communication about the trip will have to go thru them, you cannot talk directly with DCL.

There are MANY good TAs out there who will give you an OBC. My local AAA does not know DCL or WDW and is not good. I did look into booking with them at one point, but it became obvious in one conversation that the woman had never been to WDW or DCL and basically knew nothing.

If you're happy with your local agency, it could be a good thing. Do they have an 800 number if there is a problem while you are traveling? What kind of hours is it answered? What services can they provide other than the OBC?

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We have done this. I booked my last cruise on DCL and then transferred it to my local AAA agent. He is great and has handled our last 2 cruises. We received the OBC and I had no problem getting my preferred dining time, linking our reservation with another famlies, DCL transfers, WDW resort pre-cruise stays and Magical Express service. I would go in and make payments and my agent would call DCL while I sat there to make them.

To me it wasn't an issue of giving up control of my reservation. The OBC was worth it and my AAA is literally a block away.

 

[jnadelman]

I don't think it would be with my local agent. I got a call from them so I have no idea where in the country they could be.
But does it really make a difference? What kind of problems would I have at this point that I would need to deal with an agent anyway?
We are booked, we have the rooms we want, we have the dinning we want. We just need to make final payment.
What else is there????

 

[Carol G]

I booked with AAA this time. I talk to my TA and make payments. If she can't answer certain questions she calls DCL while I'm there. If office is closed and I have a question DCL is more than happy to answer questions.

 

[Vanvmom]

My AAA agent has cruised DCL several times before, so she knows it well. On both of our past cruises we booked thru DCL & then transferred to AAA to gain the extra shipboard credit.

As for getting questions answered... this forum has always been our best resource!

 

[HallsofVA]

I don't think it would be with my local agent. I got a call from them so I have no idea where in the country they could be.
But does it really make a difference? What kind of problems would I have at this point that I would need to deal with an agent anyway?
We are booked, we have the rooms we want, we have the dinning we want. We just need to make final payment.
What else is there????

The part that you mention above would greatly concern me, where you said that they called you. Have you verified that it is actually AAA that called you? Typically, AAA offers a $150 OBC so the mention of the $200 OBC and the fact that they called you makes me just a little bit suspicious. On one cruise where we were part of the AAA group, we also got a special AAA group stateroom gift, but that was a situation where the AAA group had blocked out a bunch of rooms for the cruise in advance.

If you do end up moving your reservation to AAA, I would initiate that process yourself by calling your regular AAA representative or office. I'm an auditor and a privacy consultant, so hopefully I'm just paranoid, but if for some reason they weren't legit, and you made your final payment to them, then you would be out that money and have no cruise.

 

[kcashner]

If you didn't book thru them...how do these people know that you have a DCL cruise booked?

I'm always suspicious when someone calls ME rather than the other way around.

 

[jnadelman]

The part that you mention above would greatly concern me, where you said that they called you. Have you verified that it is actually AAA that called you? Typically, AAA offers a $150 OBC so the mention of the $200 OBC and the fact that they called you makes me just a little bit suspicious. On one cruise where we were part of the AAA group, we also got a special AAA group stateroom gift, but that was a situation where the AAA group had blocked out a bunch of rooms for the cruise in advance.

If you do end up moving your reservation to AAA, I would initiate that process yourself by calling your regular AAA representative or office. I'm an auditor and a privacy consultant, so hopefully I'm just paranoid, but if for some reason they weren't legit, and you made your final payment to them, then you would be out that money and have no cruise.

I never thought of them not being legit. I have booked WDW before with them so I just assumed they had my number from that. They did say that the normal OBC is $150, but they are running specials for the month of May for an extra $50.
I just looked at AAA online and they do say it is Disney month. For my cruise they are offering $150 in OBC plus pre-paid tips (which is worth more than $50)
If I do it, I would love to use the agent who I spoke to, she was very nice. But now I guess I need to somehow confirm that she is really with AAA

 

[HallsofVA]

I never thought of them not being legit. I have booked WDW before with them so I just assumed they had my number from that. They did say that the normal OBC is $150, but they are running specials for the month of May for an extra $50.
I just looked at AAA online and they do say it is Disney month. For my cruise they are offering $150 in OBC plus pre-paid tips (which is worth more than $50)
If I do it, I would love to use the agent who I spoke to, she was very nice. But now I guess I need to somehow confirm that she is really with AAA

That should be easy enough to confirm by contacting AAA and asking for her. Or you can look up her phone number on the internet to see if it's owned by a AAA office. Or you can always contact her back at any number she gave you and ask which office she's located in, and then call her separately through that office. I never agree to give money to anyone who contacts me unless I've asked them to call me, or until I've verified their identity. But it sounds like it is probably legit. But better safe than sorry.