Pin code fake out

If you are a daily reader of this blog, you may recall that I had a challenging evening last week. You may also recall that the evening was redeemed by the arrival (via US mail) of a coveted “pin code.”

If this sounds slightly mysterious, welcome to the club.

A pin code is basically a discount coupon from Disney. Each code is personal and unique to the recipient: a code sent to your neighbor will not work for you. Disney typically releases pin codes each season, with the deepest discounts available during off-peak times. Getting a pin code from Disney always feels a little like winning a prize: since the Disneyland hotel properties are independent, there is no loyalty club, which means that you can never pay for a room at a Disneyland hotel with points. As rooms at Disneyland properties start at $300/night, a discount in the form of a pin code is a perk that can save you hundreds of dollars; there is even a “pin code trick” discussed in detail on the Disboards.

I’ve been on pin code watch for the last few weeks. Since September is one of the lightest months crowd-wise, I was confident that I would get a pin code good for our early September dates, especially because I’ve received codes regularly for the past few years.

But that is where this story takes a turn for the worse.

I ripped open the flyer, expecting to see the good news. However, all I saw was a cheery invitation to visit the Park. Regular rates were quoted. I read the copy through a couple of times, thinking that perhaps I had missed something…but no. Alas.

So all-righty then. This trip just got a lot more expensive. But I’m looking at the silver lining: I’m that much more motivated to get every ounce of bang for my buck.