Learn How I Saved Hundreds On Theme Park Tickets & Hotel Rooms

I used to be a person who believed that you could not get a better price than ordering directly from the park, hotel, or manufacturer. I am not that person anymore. In fact, I now know that there are smarter and cheaper ways to travel. 

Everyone that plans for a vacation should be researching prices and comparing all available options. There are better ways and cheaper ways to experience your vacation. As time goes by we will focus on some of those, but for today, in this article, we will learn how I was able to save over $150 off the gate prices at Universal Studios tickets and over a $100 off the gate prices on 5 day Disney World Tickets.

Not only did I save on the tickets, but I also received a discount on my hotel room. In just two days the discounts received paid for the very service I used to obtain these steep discounts. 

I stumbled on this one day as I was doing my own research. I was spending hours upon hours reading forums, looking up articles, and reading anything I could find on theme park discounts and travel discounts. I wanted to find a way to save money on my vacation including the tickets and the hotels. 

My Discovery That Saved Me Hundreds…

All the research lead me to visit the AAA website.  At first, I was like I wasn’t paying the then $52 a year membership price for the service. After reading more about the benefits, my view on the membership fee shifted greatly. 

At first, I was unaware of the available discounts for AAA members. Once I discovered I could get a daily discount on the hotel rooms, I was sold. I added up the cost of the hotel room that I was going to get for our trip to Florida. I was blown away that after doing this calculation, the cost savings alone on this hotel was more than the actual fee to join AAA. In fact, in just two-night stays, the savings covered the entire year membership fee.  

So that was enough for me. I pulled the trigger and purchased the membership. When I got my membership ID, I signed up on the website and entered our Member ID, and I was shocked. I saw that I could purchase Theme Park tickets at a discounted rate through AAA.

I seriously felt like I won the lottery. Not only did I save on my hotel rooms with the AAA discounts, but I also purchased all of my Theme Park Tickets to Universal Studios Orlando right through the AAA website. The Discount was by far the cheapest I found online without having to sit through an hour-long presentation at a timeshare location, which is something we’ll cover in a future article. 

I was able to save $150 off the gate price at Universal. Not only were the tickets cheaper, but I also was surprised to find out that you also got a 10% merchandise and food discount voucher for when we were in the park. Again, the savings blew away the cost of the yearly membership of AAA. 

*As a disclaimer, the prices will vary and it’s possible they can get updated to new pricing at any time. So it’s always best to compare the prices before making the purchase. 

Update – February 2019

 am excited to say that I had another great experience with purchasing tickets through AAA. We recently purchased 3 5 day tickets to Disney World and again, after comparing prices, we were able to save over a $100 on our purchase. 

So there you have it. If you are going on a vacation, do the math. Do the research. Do not settle from purchasing directly without looking at and comparing your options. Of course, always be careful, there are a ton of scams out there, but when it comes to discounts, AAA is one of those you need to seriously look into joining. The cost savings alone have always paid our yearly membership. I see no difference for you. It’s smart and it keeps more money in your pocket. 

For the record, there are also many other add on bonuses for signing up with AAA. They have a directory of discounts on many things including food, entertainment, shopping, & of course the roadside assistance and towing will also give you peace of mind on your next road trip.