Resort discounts?

[DisneyAddict]

We just booked pop century this year from a magazine but reading here about discounts and wondering if we were a bit silly

What kind of discounts are available on hotel rooms and how do we get them?

[Tink]

Well, I don't often stay at WDW resorts for "cash" as I'm a DVC member and use my points to stay at DVC villas, but I can tell you that an Annual Pass can lead you to some nice discounts.

WDW has AP rates periodically throughout the year. If you have an AP at the time of check-in, you can avail yourself of those rates which are quite often a big reduction over rack rate.

Also, the AAA (I think AA in the UK?) has reduced rates too. Those reductions won't be as much as the AP rates, but it's still something off.

There used to be Post Cards send out from WDW to people who had stayed, and those cards were offering special reduced rates.

You can also sometimes get a reduced rate if you book your next holiday during the time you are there for your current holiday.

I'm sure there are other ways, but those are the ones I know about.

Hope that helps! :smiley4:

[Keith]

Also, the AAA (I think AA in the UK?) has reduced rates too. Those reductions won't be as much as the AP rates, but it's still something off.

this is a good one! AP rates though deeper, have become much rarer than they were

Some travel agents won't know, but the AA card in the UK is fine for the AAA discount on rooms and this discount is MUCH easier to get and becomes available MUCH sooner than AP rates! so you can get an AA discount and then if you catch wind of a better discount, you can just apply it instead of the AA as long as there's availability.

The other discounts recently have been the so called "bounce-back" offers. These are special cards in your disney resort room which will offer you special rates if you call before you leave! they're very specific about that, you MUST call before your holiday ends but you can get great discounts from that 30 or 40% even!

There's also the free dining plan offered for the last few years around September time which can work out really great but no guarantee that's going to be made available every year.

[Tink]

That's the term I was looking for, bounce back. I know WDW used to have a bounce back ticket, but wasn't sure if that term also applied to the "book your next holiday before you leave" discounts that are sometimes available.

Does the AA UK card also allow one to park in the AAA diamond parking Keith, do you know?

[Keith]

Does the AA UK card also allow one to park in the AAA diamond parking Keith, do you know?

I dont actually... the AA card now has the international AAA style symbols on them which does help but still it seems to depend who you talk to as to which benefits they'll allow you to get.

[Tink]

Well! We'll have to have one of our UK members with an AA card AND a rental try it out and see!

Ohhhhhhhh Weeennnnnnnnddddy!

[Keith]

Well! We'll have to have one of our UK members with an AA card AND a rental try it out and see!

Ohhhhhhhh Weeennnnnnnnddddy!

sounds like a job for SUPERWEN!

[Taja]

WDW usually releases room only discounts about 6 to 12 weeks prior to the beginning of the effective dates. They typically release them to Disney VISA holders first, then AP/Florida Resident Passholders, then the general public. Sometimes all within one week, others spread out over a week or two. There are limited rooms available and not always at all resorts.

We had a decent discount at Pop Century last December, but not nearly as good as in the past.

Discounts are WDW's method of attracting more guests to their resorts if the bookings are lower than they like, so they hold off as long as possible.

AAA/AA discounts also are decent--usually about 15% to 20% on the room. I've read that if you book through AAA (US--not sure if it applies to AA UK), you can book a package with the room discount. Since AAA/AA is the travel agent in this case, I tend to avoid it. Only good experiences with travel agents to date, but my life shifts quickly and I sometimes have to adjust accordingly with little notice. So I book directly with WDW and request an AAA rate (subject to availability), then apply an other discounts that may become available at that time.

Not sure how the AAA Diamond parking works for non-US members. If I remember correctly, US members have to book a package through AAA to qualify. Could be wrong, though!

[BarryandCaron]

We got a great rate last week with the General Public code for GF @ $309 a night, just a little more than our AAA rate at Poly.

Caron

[Tink]

Wow! That is a great rate for the GF!