Mistake in New AP Discount Rates?

[DougK]

I saw there was a new AP discount beginning yesterday. The Disney web page said "Now, a Passholder saves at least 34% on rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels". I know they always say "select resorts" because there is no guarantee of availability at the resort and/or room type you may want, but in the past I have found you either get the discount or it is not available at all.

I looked at the rates for the Poly and saw Garden View for $294, Lagoon View for $399 and Theme Park View for $444. This was for the late October/early November time period (regular season). The rack rates are $415, $520 and $565 respectively. This amounts to a savings of somewhere around 20 something percent for the Lagoon and Theme Park views which is way less than the usual AP discount. This really surprised me especially in this economy.

Does anybody know if this is possibly an error or are the discounts not as good as they used to be? I'm not complaining because I understand these discounts are a bonus and are not guaranteed, but I am curious if someone can enlighten me. Maybe one of you experts can help!

Thanks!

 

[DougK]

I got 40% off a Ft Wilderness cabin in November with the current AP discount (regular $315/night, AP discount $189/night).

I think the discount is steeper for values and mods. They don't need to discount the Polynesian to fill rooms there, so why should they?

Well if that's the case they should say "save at least 34% except at the Poly because we don't have to discount it as much". Frankly in this economy I think they DO have to discount it, maybe even MORE than 34% (can you say: buy 4 get 3 free?).

 

[Wendy517]

So I'm new to this - we bought an AP but haven't activated it yet, though "they" do have a name and email address associated with the pass. I kind of assumed we might not get notified of anything until the pass was activated, but I was told that if the rates for our upcoming stay changed, we'd get the lower AP rate. Did you all get notified by email? Is there any place I can view the new rates? Thanks.

If you used a travel agent, they will usually watch for special rates for you and notify you if changes have been made. However, if you booked your vacation yourself, you are responsible to change the reservation in order to get the discount. You will need to CALL Disney, and give them your current reservation number so they can cancel or alter that one, then rebook using any discounts that are available. I've done this at least a dozen times (book at rack rate, then wait for AP discounts). When you call, mention that you see an AP discount is now available, and ask if your current room reservation qualifies. If it does, they switch everything over for you. If not, you can always ask if another room is availabe (different view, or even different resort). Good luck!