American Express Discounts Staying at Downtown Disney?

[lazyg]

Hoping for some insight from anyone who's done this before...

I am staying at Courtyard by Marriott at Downtown Disney in September. It carries most of the benefits of staying on-site (surprise mornings, transportation, resort ID card, etc.) as far as I know. I am paying with my American Express Blue card.

Does anyone know if I am eligible for White Glove treatment? I called the Marriott and whoever I talked to wasn't aware of the program, so I'm not expecting the fanny pack, but if I flash my Resort ID and pay with AmEx, will I get the food and merchandise discounts?

Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

[TravelSheryl]

I'm not aware if that program still exists or not, but it would not apply to this hotel. It is/was only for Disney-owned properties.

 

[lazyg]

darn, that's too bad. I may look into staying at one of the All Star resorts instead so I can tap into the AmEx discounts.

Thanks for the info.

 

[FoodLover]

You can use pretty much all of the American Express discounts on restaurants, etc. without paying for your room with Amex. Face it, if you go to DisneyQuest and ask for the Amex discount, how are they going to tell whether you used your Amex at the All Stars, the Marriott, or not at all? They aren't even going to ask you, trust me. As long as you're paying for the meal, entrance fee or whatever with your American Express card, you'll be fine.

We have always paid for our stays at Disney resorts with Amex. We have used numerous Amex discounts, including the ones on water mice, restaurants, DisneyQuest, etc. and we have NEVER been asked to prove that we had paid for our hotel with Amex.

So don't sweat it!

Mary
MouseSavers.com

 

[Lewisc]

Mary--No longer true. I stayed off site in April and tried to get the AMEX discount in World of Disney (DD) and they wouldn't give me the AMEX discount without a current resort ID. A poster on these boards couldn't get the AMEX discount on a tour because he didn't pay for a resort room with an AMEX card. I don't know if they check to see if you paid for the resort with AMEX but they absolutely check to see if you have a current Disney resort id.

 

[lazyg]

thanks for the replies.

but you do get a resort ID when you check into the non-Disney-owned LBV hotels in Downton Disney, don't you? I would assume that's what you use for surprise mornings, which I know you are entitled to at the DD properties.

I am waffling between the Courtyard by Marriott and some of the cheaper Disney properties still. I like the convenience of having a hotel next to DD, but since I wanted to catch the gospel brunch at House of Blues and will probably buy a truckload of stuff, whether the AmEx discount applies may be a deciding factor for me.

thanks again,
Chris

 

[Lewisc]

NO, Courtyard is not a WDW resort. If they check (as they did in April) your Courtyard resort id won't count.
DC gives you a 10% discount over $25 as opposed to 15% over $50 for AMEX. DC also gives you 20% discount for House of Blues.
I'm not sure I'd base my decision on where to stay on the extra 5% discount (assuming you have or get DC). If you want to buy a lot of souveniers you might also try the Disney outlet stores.

 

[FoodLover]

Lewisc, that's interesting. We were just there two weeks ago and used almost every one of the Amex discounts (except the two you cited -- World of Disney and tours) and never got "carded." Perhaps it depends on the individual CM.

In that case, lazyg might have problems getting some of the Amex discounts, since Downtown Disney hotels don't qualify. Of course, as you pointed out, Disney Club (and AAA) will offer some of the same discounts, so this doesn't strike me as such a big deal.

lazyg, I think there are lots of good reasons to stay at a Disney resort, but the Amex discount isn't one of them.