Need some myth busting for trip

tractorm3

tractorm3

Active Member
Ok there are alot of questions for my trip in jan 09 and i knwo Disney does there best but cant guarentee prices which I hav no problem with but as far as pricing goes i need help

Myth 1

When i book if i book a package like room, tickets, and meal plan i will save then if i bought each seperatly

myth 2

AAA discounts in the moderate resorts for that time ranges from 30%-40% (taken from disney operator) off room only however if i book totally through AAA i save enen more

myth 3

After new years the crowds seem to go away over night so the 2nd-9th of Jan09 should be pretty good time to visit




Now i just need advice on a hotel because they all seem nice and all offer the same quality of living along with the same price. its between carribean beach, riderside, and french quarter. any one like one better than the other?
 
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Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
OK, I can answer 1 and 3.

1~~Using the dining plan does save you. If you were to add up all of the table services alone you'd save. Then there are counter and snacks, too. We did it last summer and it was a great value, we thought. This year there are some changes, like paying a tip and no dessert. It is still fine.

3~~I have stayed at 3/4 Mods....POR, CBR and CSR. We loved them all, honestly. I have yet to stay at a Disney owned resort and been dissatisfied...including 2/4 of the values. CSR is my favorite resort. It was fun, beautiful landscaping, great room, delicious food court and walks were very leisurely. There is also the really cool pool and fun activites to do. Honestly, you really can't go wrong with any mod. Check out the resort maps and choose one that works best for your family.:)
 
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sbkline

sbkline

Well-Known Member
I don't know about #2 and #3, but regarding booking seperately vs booking a package, the dining plan will save you money. Now, if you just compare the room and tickets and exclude the dining plan, then booking the room and tickets as a package will not save you (nor cost you extra for that matter) any money vs booking the room alone and then buying the tickets. The only real benefit of booking as a package is that you have to do so in order to qualify to buy the dining plan. And yes, the dining plan definitely does (or can if you do it right) save you money on food vs eating at those places out of pocket...even with having to pay the gratuity and appetizer out of pocket on the DDP now.
 
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flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
tractorm3 said:
Ok there are alot of questions for my trip in jan 09 and i knwo Disney does there best but cant guarentee prices which I hav no problem with but as far as pricing goes i need help

Myth 1

When i book if i book a package like room, tickets, and meal plan i will save then if i bought each seperatly
Click to expand...

Depends on your situation and any discounts you may be using. For instance, if you are military, you can buy park tickets at a steep discount seperate from your rooms. For most guests, tickets are generally independant of room rates/discounts. The big exception to this is when Disney is offering the free Dining plan promotions, which you need to buy things together.

In general, you aren't going to pay any different UNLESS you are buying under a special promotion which has bundling requirements.

myth 2

tractorm3 said:
AAA discounts in the moderate resorts for that time ranges from 30%-40% (taken from disney operator) off room only however if i book totally through AAA i save enen more
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Disney can book AAA rates directly - no need to go through AAA. Only exception would be is if AAA travel were offering some special promo. But if you are just looking at AAA discounted room rates, Disney can book those directly. The discounts are not 30-40% unless there is some unique promotion going on.

tractorm3 said:
After new years the crowds seem to go away over night so the 2nd-9th of Jan09 should be pretty good time to visit
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The rest of January is less - but I wouldn't count on it being an overnight exodus. NYE is a Wednesday night this year. That means those that travel are likely to stay through the rest of the week as well. NYE/XMAS is BYFAR the busiest time of the year at the parks. Those types of crowds do not disappear in a single day or two. The nature of the beast is people are on holiday, and there will be variation in the length people stay. It is not just a 'locals only' crowd. For 2009, I wouldn't expect a big drop off until the following week at least.

CBR and FQ are roughly the same. Picking is going to be down to minor things like which has the better bus stops and route sharing.
 
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figmentmom

figmentmom

Well-Known Member
You've already gotten great advice about your first several points, so I'm going to move on to the resorts - our favorite is Port Orleans Riverside! You just can't beat the gorgeous grounds, great location, amenities, and overall atmosphere. Very relaxing, beautiful...wish I were there right now! :wave:
 
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MagicalMonorail

MagicalMonorail

New Member
Disneykidder said:
OK, I can answer 1 and 3.

1~~Using the dining plan does save you. If you were to add up all of the table services alone you'd save. Then there are counter and snacks, too. We did it last summer and it was a great value, we thought. This year there are some changes, like paying a tip and no dessert. It is still fine.
QUOTE]

Are there really no desserts this year? I couldn't find any info on it on WDW's official site, but Deb's site still says it covers dessert.

Edit: Sorry about the quote, I couldn't figure out how to quote correctly.
Click to expand...
 
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carenyllie

carenyllie

New Member
I would add that the dining plan does not ALWAYS save you. It depends on your family and their eating habits. My son is 10 and if we used the dining plan we would have to pay the adult rate for him and to save money, he would have to get an adult meal. Sometimes he likes to get a kids meal, and sometimes he and I share an adult meal. This happened A LOT on our last trip and I know I spent way less on food than if we had done the meal plan. Also, my youngest is 3. We would have had to pay for him on the meal plan. MOST times, he just shares off our plates as he eats very little. If we found he was eager to eat at any time, we would get him a side item for himself. So, my point is, it really depends on your family and their eating habits. Reviewing the menus is a great way to plan what everyone would like to get and how much it will cost one way vs. the other.
 
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Disneykidder

Disneykidder

Well-Known Member
Sorry about that...I knew they dropped one of them but thought I read it was dessert. I guess that makes sense, though. Desseerts are cheaper to keep than desserts.:)

Oh, to add...I have been to Disney 3 times during the weeks you are thinking of. It was awesome. Less crowds....decorations still up. You can really get a lot accomplished when going during that time. Weather isn't that bad, either!!:wave:
 
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CleveRocks

CleveRocks

Active Member
The Disney Dining Plan is only a money-saver if you will be eating a table-service meal each day. If you are like my family, where we eat only one or two table-service meals in an entire week, then the DDP is a very BAD buy.

If you want a AAA discount on a PACKAGE, then you must book through AAA directly. But if you want a AAA discount on a room-only reservation, then you can book through Disney as well as through most travel agents.
 
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bfbulldog

bfbulldog

Member
myth 2

Disney can book AAA rates directly - no need to go through AAA. Only exception would be is if AAA travel were offering some special promo. But if you are just looking at AAA discounted room rates, Disney can book those directly. The discounts are not 30-40% unless there is some unique promotion going on.



You cannot book AAA discounts through Disney, you must book travel through AAA to get the discount on the rooms. I just canceled my trip in December through Disney because they cannot give the AAA discount. I re-booked through AAA the same package and saved $350 off the package, which included FT Wilderness cabin, dining plan and them park tickets.
 
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Goofy Tourist

Goofy Tourist

Member
We have stayed at CBR several times in the past, and have always enjoyed it. Our favorite building was Martinique 25. It was very close to the food court and had a great view. The resorts you mentioned have very different theming, I would base a lot of your decision on which you prefer the most.
 
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Moustronaut

Moustronaut

New Member
bfbulldog said:
You cannot book AAA discounts through Disney, you must book travel through AAA to get the discount on the rooms. I just canceled my trip in December through Disney because they cannot give the AAA discount. I re-booked through AAA the same package and saved $350 off the package, which included FT Wilderness cabin, dining plan and them park tickets.
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You can book a AAA room only rate through Disney reservations (typically 10% off the rack rate as others have said). The AAA discount is limited availablity like every other discount type so they many not have any available during the time you want to stay.

AAA Discount Packages, as the previous posters have said, must be booked through AAA.
 
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S

santa's surpriz

New Member
As far as the dining plan is concerned I decided to take a new approach for the 2009 trip...I figured out where I want to eat b/c I'll need to make ADR anyways went to allearsnet.com priced out our meals (easy for flat rate meals and just guessed based the rest on my typical dining habits) and added on extra for snacks and counter service. Then I compared this figure to the cost of the dining plan. The dining plan will save me roughly $148.
 
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WickedQueen22

WickedQueen22

New Member
I do exactly what santassurprise does.

Went to allears.net looked at what I would want to eat at the restaurants and figured out if it worked for my family. The ease of having it prepaid (except tip) was enough for me to sign up.

We booked through AAA and saved enough off our package price from the quote WDW gave me it was as if dining was free. We will probably always book through AAA (also use the local Six Flags discount each summer) and search for the best price on airfare ourselves.


Have a great trip!! HAPPY PLANNING!!
 
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Carolyn1717

Carolyn1717

New Member
tractorm3 said:
Ok there are alot of questions for my trip in jan 09 and i knwo Disney does there best but cant guarentee prices which I hav no problem with but as far as pricing goes i need help

Myth 1

When i book if i book a package like room, tickets, and meal plan i will save then if i bought each seperatly

myth 2

AAA discounts in the moderate resorts for that time ranges from 30%-40% (taken from disney operator) off room only however if i book totally through AAA i save enen more

myth 3

After new years the crowds seem to go away over night so the 2nd-9th of Jan09 should be pretty good time to visit




Now i just need advice on a hotel because they all seem nice and all offer the same quality of living along with the same price. its between carribean beach, riderside, and french quarter. any one like one better than the other?
Click to expand...

AAA room only can be booked by anyone. AAA packages can only be booked by a AAA Travel Agent.

Room & tickets are the same whether you book a package of purchase separately. Only difference is should you have to cancel the tickets are non-refundable when purchased alone. And, like the others told you if you want the Dine plan you must be on a package.
 
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