AAA discount -- any difference in price between package and separate parts?

[CleveRocks]

Frankly, I'm used to answering questions here, but now it's my turn to ask a question and hope y'all can help me out.

I thought I understood all of the mechanics of how the AAA discount works, but it seems there's a gap in my knowledge big enough to ride the monorail through.

I know Disney's definitions of a room-only reservation and of a package. I know I can get the AAA discount (if available) on a room-only reservation directly through WDW or through the TA of my choice. I know if I want the AAA discount on a package that I must go through a AAA TA.

I'm just not 100% clear on what the AAA package discount actually discounts. Does it discount ONLY the room rate?

A few details ... it's unlikely we'll buy the DDP (although the new quick-service option looks semi-appealing to me). Whether I buy my tickets through WDW as an add-on to my room-only, or book the tickets as part of a package with AAA discount, or buy them at my local AAA office ... frankly I don't care. I just want to save the most money possible.

If I'm not buying the DDP, then the small differences between a room-only and a package are totally unimportant to me. I guess the bottom-line question (FINALLY!) is ...

Will an AAA room-only discount plus my cost of park tickets be the same price as an AAA package discount? Is there any FINANCIAL benefit of one versus the other (I'm not talking about a Planet Hollywood voucher or a souvenir luggage tag or different terms for payments and cancellation, I'm talking bottom-line money money money)???

Thank you for your help!:wave:

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there Cleve, I know that the AAA discount is definitely on the room portion. I would imagine it would be on the tickets as well as you can purchase AAA discounted tickets as well through them, so it wouldnt seem to make sense to me that they wouldnt have a ticket piece discount. I do know that if you purchase AAA tickets they are limited in the types they offer at the discount ( 5 day hopper was one of the types available and I think the other was a 7 day but you had to get the Water Parks & more option as well as the Hopper part. I am not 100% sure on the 7 day one though as a friend of mine who bought did not choose that option) I would think the only way to know for sure is to contact AAA and ask. Belle

 

[TestTrack]

Hi there Cleve, I know that the AAA discount is definitely on the room portion. I would imagine it would be on the tickets as well as you can purchase AAA discounted tickets as well through them, so it wouldnt seem to make sense to me that they wouldnt have a ticket piece discount. I do know that if you purchase AAA tickets they are limited in the types they offer at the discount ( 5 day hopper was one of the types available and I think the other was a 7 day but you had to get the Water Parks & more option as well as the Hopper part. I am not 100% sure on the 7 day one though as a friend of mine who bought did not choose that option) I would think the only way to know for sure is to contact AAA and ask. Belle

I asked AAA this very question when I booked last year for my trip this December. The answer is the discount is strictly on room...there is no discount on the tickets besides the AAA "perks"

 

[CleveRocks]

Thanks, Belle!

I called AAA earlier just to find out ticket prices ... the agent I once spoke with doesn't work until Thursday, so I have to wait to talk to her until then.

But when I called the ask about tickets, the person told me that AAA, at least my local office, started using a new system just last week. Using this new system, they go to a part of the Disney website and they can sell you ANY flavor of MYW ticket you want ... it's no longer just certain types.

On the tickets alone (not a package), the 8-day adult base ticket was $2 cheaper than the Disney price, and the 8-day child base ticket was $4 cheaper than the Disney price.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi Cleve, One of my friends bought the 5 day park hopper ticket recently at AAA for $265.00 which included tax and everything. Maybe only certain types of tickets are discounted with AAA? I know that any ticket can be completely customized. If there is a discount on said customized ticket is a completely different question!!! Sorry I couldnt be of more help! Belle

 

[jeffb]

CleveRocks,

For a 2008 trip that I booked in early 08, my conclusion is that the discount is stricly on the room. I had them price out both a package and room only. I was able to take the room only rates and add the regular prices of passes to produce their package rate.

 

[DisneyJoe]

From my experience, the discount on MYW tickets varies by AAA office location, IF there is a discount at all.

 

[WickedQueen22]

It is worth waiting until Thursday to at least get a quote. Always explore all your options. We saved $500 on 2 adults and a junior (littlest daughter was free). I don't know where we saved the money from (tickets, room) I just know we did... :shrug:

I am hoping they can throw more pixie dust our way this year since the oldest is now and adult at 10 and at 3 the littlest daughter we actually have to pay for.

Let me know how it goes!! and Good Luck!!

 

[snookie5605]

AAA discount questions reply

i always book through my travel agent at AAA. she allows me to pick whatever options i want (eg: tickets, rooms, dining, water park options, etc...). i do not know exactly what they discount but i know i just booked another trip for june of 09 and they saved me about $500 total compared to disney's price. they also will give you any discounts that disney offers in the future or the disney visa card. for example, this year we have the free dining plan because we booked with our disney visa card! so AA is definitely worth looking into!:sohappy:

 

[betteratmk]

I,m not sure of the actual break down but we have traditionally saved between$250.00-$450.00 depending on what type of resort we stayed at:sohappy: Last April for the first time we booked a package with Hotels.com What a disastor that was. Never again, either Disney or AAA. 122 more days:xmas:

 

[WickedQueen22]

Here's a funny AAA story!

I sent in a quote form and got two different prices for our Oct 2009 trip. One was $3247, the other $3559

Same office too! :shrug:

Either way it was lower than the $3800 that disney.com quoted :ROFLOL: