AAA's On Board Gift/Benefit For Disney Cruise Line

An example of an 8X10 photo

Four 8X10’s and three 6X8’s—our AAA on board gift for our upcoming cruise.  That’s right, the moment we walk onto the ship, okay, into our stateroom, we will find a certificate honoring us with credits for the photos.  All we’ll need to do is provide Shutters, the on board photography headquarters, with the certificate and then pick out our photos.  But wait. . . (insert screeching sound).

Selecting seven photos from the hundreds that will be taken during our 7 night sailing will be difficult.  Not only because of the quantity but also because of the quality—and some photos only come in certain sizes. 

An example of a 6X8 photo.

Instead of lamenting over which photos to select, I have a different plan.  (This is where the husband would say, “of course you do.”)  I plan on using the photo credits towards the purchase of the photo CD from Shutters which would include ALL of our photos.  And, often, there is a special where the prints are also included as well—ALL of the prints.  I will happily pay the difference!

A "Lifestyle Portrait"

In addition to the character photos, there are photo opportunities with the ship’s Captain on formal night.  Also, “Lifestyle Portraits” are available each evening before and after dinner with various backgrounds.  Our packing list includes clothing for family photos with the idea of holiday cards in the future.  Ship’s photographers are also found on Castaway Cay and in the dining rooms to capture candid photos.  See what I mean about hundreds of photos?

Not purchasing photos was one of two regrets after our first Disney Cruise (the other was not rebooking onboard).  We won’t make that mistake again and recommend photo purchases to others—click here to read our top travel tips for Disney Cruise Line.

Now the bad news.  Bad news?  Yes, there is bad news.  Disney Cruise Line has discontinued its partnership with AAA and there is no longer a AAA gift or benefit when booking a Disney Cruise.  AAA and its agents can still handle Disney Cruise Line reservations and bookings, and our travel agent will continue to handle our reservations, it’s just that there will no longer be any benefits.  And, if you are a AAA member and receive AAA’s Living magazine, you will notice the lack of advertising for Disney Cruise Line amongst the pages of the magazine.  Walt Disney World—yes;  other cruise lines—yes, but not Disney Cruise Line.

The AAA gifts have varied over the years—free fruit basket in your stateroom, on board credits, drink credits, free float/tube rental at Castaway Cay, photo credits, etc. and were based on the length of the cruise and category of stateroom.  Each year, AAA negotiated with Disney Cruise Line about the on board gift/benefit. 

We are planning to enjoy this one last AAA gift/benefit and make the most of it!

Wishes Reserved Viewing--AAA Member Benefit

Wouldn’t it be great to find a seat to watch Wishes the nighttime spectacular at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World after a long day of park touring?  I can think of only a handful of ways to make that happen one of which is the Wishes Dessert Party which we have done—click here to read more, and the other is AAA’s Reserved Wishes Viewing.

AAA’s Reserved Wishes Viewing is a member benefit for guests who purchase packages that include a Dining Plan—any of the plans including Quick Service.  A voucher for the reserved viewing comes in the package paperwork booklet.  On the back of the voucher there is a number to call to make a reservation for the reserved viewing and the voucher and reservation are required to enter the reserved viewing area.

The Cast Members at the entrance

The area for the AAA Reserved Wishes viewing is located near The Plaza on Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.  The area is actually half of the patio located near the water’s edge to the right of Cinderella’s Castle and the entrance to the area is located just off Main Street to the right.  The area is roped off and staffed 3 hours prior to the fireworks.  The other half of the patio is a smoking location and is fair game for all the other guests in the park.

The reserved area

We were told that the seating is first come first serve and we were fortunate to get seats when we made our entrance to the area after watching the parade from Main Street very near the entrance to the reserved viewing location.

At the entrance our names were checked for our reservation and our voucher was taken.  We were able to leave the location once settled to use the restroom—located just to the left of The Plaza restaurant.  It would have also been okay to bring a snack or something to eat or drink. 

Our seats and view!

The view of Wishes and the castle show just prior to Wishes was great!  Tinker Bell also flew right by us!

Here are some tips for getting the most out of AAA’s Reserved Wishes Viewing:

• Don’t wait for the voucher to arrive in your packet.  Have your AAA travel agent make the reservation at the same time dining reservations are made.  We have tried on two other occasions to get this reservation AFTER our paperwork arrived only to find that there were no open spots.  I counted less than 50 guests in the reserved viewing area.
• Know the time of Wishes during your stay as the time changes throughout the year.  You can find this information on any park calendar but www.wdwmagic.com has a great calendar including parades and fireworks.  This way you can determine the 3 hour window when the area is roped off and check-in during the window to make sure you have a seat.
• You could watch the parade that is typically just prior to Wishes from the reserved viewing location but you would only see portions of the floats that are taller than the people watching near the street.  I would make this trade off for a seat in a not crowded area!
• OR if there is a second parade at Magic Kingdom—which there is during peak travel times, I would take advantage of the park when people are queued up for the parade, make my way to the location for Reserved Wishes Viewing about 30 minutes before Wishes and THEN watch the second parade.

I know that we will put AAA’s Reserved Wishes Viewing at the Magic Kingdom into our plans again.

NOTE:  Reserved Wishes Viewing and Disney Story Time—click here to read more—are AAA Member Benefits and are a part of travel packages booked through a AAA travel agent.

"New" Experiences for Summer 2013 Trip to Walt Disney World

“Haven’t you already done everything?” was a question posed by some well meaning non-Disney folks when they heard we were returning to the most magical place on earth yet again.  Our reply, “No!”  Alas, the expansive Walt Disney World Resort still has some parts our family has yet to see and experience.  But, with each trip comes an opportunity to try something new in combination with tried and true favorites.  Here is our list of new experiences we are looking forward to for our next trip to Walt Disney World:

Photopass +.  As long time fans of Disney’s Photopass service, we are now venturing into a new offering which is Photopass +.  The “+” part includes dining photos at select locations and ride photos for those rides offering photos, such as Splash Mountain.  We pre-paid for Photopass + through our travel agent and a voucher came with our documents.  The plan is to exchange the voucher for the lanyard, etc. at EPCOT’s Photopass store.

Spirit of Aloha Dinner at the Poly.  Booked for our anniversary, this luau themed dinner show rounds out our dinner show experiences at Walt Disney World.  After this, we will be able to declare a favorite.  This is a pay-in-advance experience and our tickets are waiting to be picked up at our resort.

Reserved viewing for Wishes.  This AAA Member benefit had eluded us for our last 2 trips.  I am curious to see how this works.  Expect a full report upon our return.  And, oh, I am also looking forward to Wishes.  Our family certainly enjoyed our local 4^th of July fireworks display, but after you’ve experienced Disney fireworks, nothing quite compares.  We’ve been spoiled to say the least.

Nine Dragons at the China Pavilion in EPCOT.  Slowly we are ticking off nations around World Showcase Lagoon as we attempt to eat around the world.  It will have taken us 11 trips to make it to China.  The husband is really looking forward to this ADR.  We will be eating across Asia this day as lunch is at Nine Dragons and dinner at Teppan Edo.  It will be a great day!

The Plaza Restaurant.  Our new dining experiences theme continues with a trip to The Plaza Restaurant in Magic Kingdom.  Looking forward to the experience and of course, writing a post.  Oh, what we do for our readers!

Be Our Guest.  Eating at this new restaurant in the Magic Kingdom was the boy's request as soon as he knew we were going to Walt Disney World.  When we attempted to get an ADR for dinner, it was at 8:30 pm, not ideal for our family.  We held onto the reservation anyway.  Then, when our travel agent called to check on something else for us, she double checked Be Our Guest and sure enough, a 5:30 ADR had opened up.  We will be dining her on our last evening in the parks.

Rainforest Café.  While technically not new, as we have previously dined at a Rainforest Café, it was not on Disney property.  Our day at Animal Kingdom will be topped off by a visit to Rainforest Café.  The husband has already checked out the menu on-line. 

Blizzard Beach.  Our family loves swimming pools and water parks.  We are looking forward to spending some time at both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.  We’ve made two previous trips to Typhoon Lagoon, but this year, the boy is going on Crushin’ Gusher!

Disney Quest.  This 5 story indoor arcade at Downtown Disney’s West Side has been researched the most for our upcoming trip.  The boy has already figured out there is the Fix It Felix game from Wreck-It Ralph.  I’m betting we lose track of time.  But not so much that we miss our ADR at Rose & Crown for some Illuminations viewing.

Wow, that is a long list of new things.  Combine it with all the other items on our agenda and no wonder we haven’t seen it all or done it all, even after so many trips.  Oh, well, we’ll just have to go back!

AAA's ExploreMore Rewards Program

Just recently a Williams Family Blog reader asked about why we use a Travel Agent or Agency to help us with our travel needs.  In the world of websites, apps, and Smartphones why would we go to a person and/or an agency to book our travel?

It may seen old fashioned, but the real answer is the service.  And, now there are rewards!

As far as service goes, our travel agent is wonderful.  Emails and telephone calls are responded to promptly.  Even as much as I like to be “in control” of our travel plans, our travel agent is great at making flight reservations, booking ADR’s for Walt Disney World, and changing plans if necessary. 

A family of frequent “do it yourself” travelers told me how they accidentally booked flights using an on-line website for February instead of March as they had intended because the month layout was exactly the same.  Their change fees to get the flights they wanted and needed for March cost them way more than any travel agent’s fee, times 20 trips!  And recently it was reported that airline change fees are netting the airlines millions.

We have had to change flights—when the airline changed our flight times considerably and due to storms.  We have never had to pay a change flight fee.  Our travel agent has taken care of everything for us.  What she can’t control are delayed or canceled flights, though I have called her when our pre-Adventure’s by Disney flights were delayed and I knew the tour group was waiting for us in Phoenix.  She called Adventures by Disney and reassured us that they would wait for us, or make other arrangements if we were going to be significantly delayed.

Since our travel agent and I work as a team, it is comforting knowing that I am not alone in making travel decisions that can be quite costly.  I also appreciate how she keeps track of all of our “numbers” for us.  Do we have multiple frequent flier and hotel rewards accounts?  Yes!  And she keeps track of all of them for us and puts the appropriate ones on reservations.  The only time I see the frequent flier numbers actually is when they appear on our AAA Invoice. 

And, now, I am being rewarded for using an independent AAA travel agent with AAA’s ExploreMore Rewards program.  ExploreMore came out in mid 2012 to not a lot of fanfare.  The program awards members with points for every dollar spent on qualified AAA travel (I think this means packages, tours, and cruises, but not flights.)  When the balance reaches 10,000 points, members receive a $100 voucher off their next AAA qualified travel reservation.

My favorite part of the program are the referral vouchers.  When referrals book qualified AAA travel, I get 500 points added to my ExploreMore Rewards account.  Guests can check their ExploreMore accounts on-line—click here to read more and check your points.  Just enter your AAA member number. (I'll post later on how we get a discount on our AAA Membership.)

Since the program started in mid-2012, points were only earned for travel booked in 2012.  So even though we traveled to Walt Disney World in March of 2012, the trip was booked in 2011, so we did not get points.  Also, we sailed with Disney in March of 2012, but alas, the trip was also booked in 2011 and did not qualify for rewards.  I did protest a bit and remind that the Walt Disney World portion of our December 2012 trip was added on later. . . in 2012.  We did receive the points after some checking.  We have yet to receive any points for our upcoming trip.  There is still confusion as to whether the points are added when you are paid in full or after your travel.  I will know more very soon!

With our trip to Walt Disney World just handfuls of days away and our Disney Cruise next summer, it is not going to take us very long to earn the $100 travel voucher.

As of right now, the points don’t expire.  Our AAA agent can also check our ExploreMore Rewards balance on-line, which is another benefit.

AAA Member Benefits for Walt Disney World Dependant on Dining Plan Being Included

We learned this week the AAA member benefits for Walt Disney World vary by what is included in the package, such as dining plans.

Here’s what happened . . .

When our Disney documents arrived last week (click here to read more), I looked through them and discovered that we did not have a voucher for Wishes reserved viewing, which is a AAA member benefit, even though we had a reservation and a confirmation number.  Our AAA Story Time (click here to read more) voucher was also missing, but we weren’t planning on that particular activity.

I phoned our travel agent and discovered that those particular vouchers are only included with packages where a Disney Dining Plan is also included.  Ah, didn’t know that!  This was the first time in 11 trips that we hadn’t included a dining plan. 

The mystery question still remains as to how we were able to get a reservation for Wishes reserved viewing and a confirmation number if we didn’t meet the criteria at the time.  Note, that when we booked our vacation I inquired about AAA member benefits and after hearing that reserved viewing for Wishes was one of them, asked for it to be reserved at the same time that our dining reservations were made and it was no problem.  We have before, waited until the vouchers arrived with our documents and attempted to obtain a reservation only to discover that it was either full or not available during our vacation.  Call and plan ahead is the lesson here.

This became a dilemma and a somewhat ethical one I might add.  Would we use our confirmation number to obtain admittance without the voucher and feign ignorance?  Would we watch Wishes from another location?  Would we add a dining plan to our reservation?  Which one would you do?

After much thought, deliberation, and calculation, we have now added the Basic Dining Plan to our package and reservation.  The Basic Dining Plan gives us 1 table service credit, 1 counter service credit, and 1 snack credit per person per night of your stay that can be used in any order.  It also includes 1 refillable mug per person.  (The husband said, “Oh great, we’ll have to squeeze 3 more mugs into our cupboard.”)

The math worked out—and possibly to our advantage after I checked menu prices for the time of our stay.  And, now I don’t have to worry about the food budget. 

While we have credits for 11 table service meals, we actually have dining reservations for 15 meals.  One is the Spirit of Aloha dinner and that is paid in full already including gratuity.  Two reservations are for T-Rex Café at Downtown Disney and Rainforest Café at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  We will be using Landry gift cards earned through Swagbucks (click here to read more) to pay for these meals, along with a $25 voucher from Landry Select Club.  That leaves one meal in which we will need to pay for out of pocket beyond the Disney Dining Plan and I think our dinner at The Plaza or our dinner at Rose & Crown will be our out of pocket meal.  

Our counter service meal credits will be used for some breakfasts, lunches, and at least one dinner (arrival day).  And, we will have 33 snack credits to be used between all of us.  Can you say funnel cake or turkey leg?

After we made the decision about adding the Dining Plan, I told the husband that we just can’t go to Disney without it.  We tried to give it up and it didn’t work.  He corrected me in saying that it was me who couldn’t give it up, not we.  He was just an enabler.

Hopefully, the plans are all set.  The voucher for Wishes reserved viewing is on its way to us via mail.  And, we are looking forward to dining at ‘Ohana’s for both breakfast and dinner, Akershus with the Disney princesses, Nine Dragons in the China Pavilion at EPCOT, Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Tusker House with Donald and the gang at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary Resort, Teppan Edo at the Japan Pavilion in EPCOT, Mama Melrose at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, The Plaza in the Magic Kingdom, and Rose & Crown at EPCOT’s United Kingdom Pavilion. 

Disney Documents Arrived For Our Next Trip to Walt Disney World!

Our Disney documents arrived for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World!  Inside the quarter inch thick envelope is package information, luggage identity tags, and the famous, and colorful, Magical Express luggage tags.

Easy stuff first, the luggage identity tags—which have a new design.  We have many of these from our various trips that are already on our luggage, but have always found that we add a new bag or two and need the new luggage tags.  Find the paper insert to record your identity information inside the booklet—usually 2-3 pages in.  

We only write our last name and cell phone on this little card before putting it inside the luggage tag.  Why?  Well, if I put our address on it, folks know what house is empty, but with our name and cell phone, if the luggage is lost or misplaced, there is enough information for us to be contacted.

These tags work great on other bags as well, like the boy’s lunchbox that he is taking to his summer programs, the soccer bag, backpacks, etc.  I have even seen folks put the plastic cord through zipper pulls and use them for their children in case they become lost (think ski lift tag).

Now the colorful Disney’s Magical Express luggage tags—which have adhesive.  There will be one per person in your travel party if you have registered to use Disney’s Magical Express service—click here to read more. 

These tags go on your checked luggage, prior to checking.  Forgetting to tag the bags almost happened to us one time when the husband got a head start at the airport and I hadn’t put the tags on the bags yet.  Yikes! 

When adhering the tags, pull them through the luggage handle prior to removing the adhesive on both ends of the tag.  Once through the handle, remove the adhesive on both ends and then press together.  The whole tag does not have to stick together, just the ends.  And, trust me, you only want the ends sticking together as even those are tough to pull apart when you remove the tags for the trip home.

Once you check your bags with the colorful tags, you will not see them again until they are delivered to your room at your Disney Resort.  There will be a delay in their arrival, up to 5 hours, so pack what you need right away in your carry-on luggage.  We pack swimsuits, park necessities, jammies, and close for the next day in our carry-on luggage just in case.

If your flight arrives after 10:00 pm, most likely you will not receive tags, as you will retrieve your luggage from baggage claim and proceed to Disney’s Magical Express counter.  The luggage handling portion of Disney’s Magical Express ends at 10:00 pm each day.

Now for the booklet full of important information and vouchers!  Most important, put this booklet in a place where you can find it easily as it will be needed at the airport, Orlando International, at Disney’s Magical Express Counter.  You will also need it again when you arrive at your resort.

I put mine either on the outside pouch of my purse or bag, or if I am traveling with several travel documents, it is inside a folder which I can easily get to in my shoulder bag.

Inside the booklet are the tickets that get scanned for Disney’s Magical Express—you don’t have to pull them out, just turn to the page in the booklet and have them ready and visible.

Your reservation information is also included in the booklet and may be helpful at your resort in case there is confusion.  Most of the time this is all in Disney’s computer system, but there have been glitches at times.  Better safe than sorry.

Our favorite parts of the booklet are the vouchers!  There is a voucher for arcade points that can be used at any arcade at a Walt Disney World Resort.  I say “any” arcade, as during our last trip, while we were staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs, the boy used the arcade points at the arcade at the Contemporary as we had made a stop there for some exploring.  Just make sure the voucher is handy when going to the arcade.  (I give this voucher to the husband he puts it inside his lanyard wallet.)

There is also a AAA Diamond Parking certificate that allows for parking in special AAA spaces when available at three of four theme parks—Disney’s Animal Kingdom does not have special parking spaces available.  Guests still have to pay for parking, it just allows access to special parking spaces.  We have yet to ever use this perk, as we rely on Disney’s transportation system.

My favorite is the AAA Diamond Savings Card which allows for discounts for dining, shopping, spa treatments, and even special tours.  The best discount I have found is 10% off at World of Disney with a $75 or more purchase.  We wait until we are at Downtown Disney to purchase our “souvenirs” and take advantage of the discount.  I put this card in the pouch at the end of my lanyard with my Key to The World Card so I have it just in case. Other vouchers include discounts for boat rentals, child care, and miniature golf. 

A new voucher that was included with our package materials was for Disney’s Photopass + which I will need to exchange for our Photopass + card at any Photopass location in the parks or at Downtown Disney or at select deluxe resorts.  I also understand it can be exchanged at the restaurants that participate in the dining photo with Photopass +.   This voucher will too go in my lanyard pouch.

While it is important to have the package booklet handy when you arrive in Orlando and to your resort, it may not need to be carried with you throughout your Disney vacation.  Just make sure you have wanted/needed vouchers with you prior to leaving your resort for the day.  If miniature golf is on your agenda, grab the vouchers, or even if you think it might be on the agenda, take the vouchers.

This also brings me to another important point, be sure to read through your materials.  When ours arrived, we were missing a particular voucher—I’ll explain more another day—so I contacted my travel agent.  We are still working on solving the issue, but it is better now than after we have arrived in Orlando.  Also, if this is your first vacation or your first one in a long time, reading through the package information can be beneficial. 

It is exciting when the Disney Mail arrives as it means your magical Disney vacation is not far away!  That’s how we feel anyway!  

Our Disney Framed Art Arrived!

We are not big souvenir people, when it comes to trips to Walt Disney World.  And, if we do purchase souvenirs, it is most likely things we can use in our everyday lives to help keep the Disney magic alive.  Yet, one thing we collect—click here to read more about what we collect—is a piece of Disney art from every trip.  For our most recent trip, I didn’t have to buy one.  We got a framed Disney film cell of the Lion King as part of our AAA Member benefit for booking our trip!

A coupon to order the framed cell on-line was included in the booklet that comes with our trip paperwork.  I was able to order the framed art work before our trip.  It arrived about a week and half after we got home. 

The framed art work has two pieces of original film from the production and now hangs on the wall with the rest of our Disney art.