Deciding about AAA?

[eeyoresmountainpals]

We're planning a trip in Oct; Polynesian Concierge Lagoon View for myself, DH and 3 DSs. I've priced the trip for myself through WDW reservations and also through AAA. Triple AAA discount for entire package is about $300.00.

I'm just wondering what people think about going through AAA. $300.00 doesn't sound like too big of a discount to me for the total of this trip.

Would I be better off just booking myself and not getting the AAA discount? I always worry about involving a "middleman" and recourse for any problems.

We've been to WDW several times and stayed on-site and have always booked ourselves. We've never gone through any "middleman."

Any suggestions or in-sight would be greatly appreciated!

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Good Morning,

Well I'll tell ya......I feel the same way sometimes.

The AAA discounts can be nice , as well as the discounted dining in the downtown area and the AAA lounge in the MK. In the beginning when we were new to the Disney thing, it was a relief to have a TA that new her stuff.

However after finding the DIS as well as others, respectfully I say, most of the time, I know as much if not more than the AAA TA's. I too, can find the "middle person" to be an inconvience. But we love road trips and the one thing I cant live w/o is the AAA road service. It's there just in case. Also the discounted hotels on the way down, we like Hampton Inns.

If ya need the discount go for it, or go for the AP if ya can.

Gary

 

[TigerLilyBlossom]

For this trip, we opted to go through AAA to save something...we aren't the lucky few with e-mail or postcard pin codes, and AP makes no sense for us, so AAA was the only discount available.

I sat there as the AAA TA called Disney--so I don't see how things can go terribly astray any more so than with me calling Disney directly to make the same reservations. It's not as though the TA went off on her own, everything from prices to what was included in the package, was directly from Disney, only with a lower price tag than they would have given me (and a few AAA perks). I also like that I can call the TA with my PS (or AR--whatever they go by now) and not have to call myself, and that I can pay the balance at my local AAA office rather than wrestling with the Disney website (which for whatever reason gave me hassle about paying off my April trip onlne--had to call CRO). The TA said she keeps track of the paperwork and all that, as well as arrange any shows or things along those lines that we may want. She is currently looking for the best airfare for us to add onto the package.

Granted, we aren't going to retire on the savings, but a few hundred dollars is extra spending money in the park, or an extra perk we can toss into the slightly bigger spending budget.

Also, with the extra small perks like that AAA lounge w/ free drink, the Diamond CLub Card for savings at certain places, a middleman isn't a bad thing in this case, IMO.

I actually feel more secure in a way having booked through AAA this time than when I booked it through Disney myself.