Question for Pete - I just don't understand

[wdwowner]

This is something I have wanted to ask Pete for a few weeks now.

With no disrespect to you or the podcast team, I still do not understand how and where a 'loyalty' program was ASSUMED by so many to be part of this RU23 advertising thing? Can you please fill me in on this?

I can understand your want of a 'loyalty' club for the theme parks. You do get a bunch of discounts by being an AP holder on rooms, shopping, tours, ect. Florida residents get TONS of deals that only they get, but why link this to D23, even after it was announced to be something not specific to the theme parks?

AP holders and people who do multiple visits per year are a very small percentage of visitors, compared to business travelers who frequent hotels across the US and world. When there are 3 hotels in on town you have a choice, and a loyalty card will probably push you in one direction. There is only 1 WDW and 1 DL, so is there really a need for a loyalty program?

If anything FL residents get a lot of benefits that many other visitors don't. To me it sounds like WDW is being loyal to FL residents by offering discounts in the first place.

This is just my opinion.
Thanks.

[luke]

I know this is directed at Pete and the team, but my understanding of the whole feeling of being underwhelmed by d23 is due more to that. It being pretty underwhelming to some.
The whole buzz about it was about it being something for the fans and I'd imagine most people on here are fans of the resort first and foremost, rather than primarilly Disney and it's history (not that the two things are mutually exclusive).

At least that's the way I see it.
Even the most podcasts I've listened to who are happy with d23 say that it's not the theme park/resort fans that are being targeted by this.

Just my two pence worth :)

:goodvibes

[fakereadhed]

We all understand that you are D23's biggest fan, with the biggest signature to prove it. Why can't you understand that not everyone is of your opinion? :rolleyes:

[Disneybridein2k3]

Please, just let it go. It's over now and it's time to move on.

[FireDancer]

I have a great motion-gif of a man beating a dead horse I would insert here but photobucket thinks it violates their terms of service.

[DisneyKevin]

I realize that I'm not Pete and I certainly dont speak for him, but I am part of the team.

It seems to me that this is an attempt to start another heated discussion regarding a topic that is for intents and purposes is dead. D23 is the proverbial dead horse. It's time to get off and stop beating it.

This has been discussed and debated vigorously on the boards and we have discussed it on more than one occasion on the podcast.

You have heard and read everyone's view on this subject and everyone has read yours.

We disagree. It's that simple.

D23 will survive or fail on it's own.

As I have said on more than one occasion...I am thrilled that you are happy with your purchase and your enrollment. It's eveident from your signature that you are a proud member of D23.

Many, many others do not feel the same way.

It's really time to let this go and move on.

[wdwowner]

Just to make everyone happy here, I will not post any more.

I have listened to the podcast from the beginning, even when it was really bad at the beginning.

I have asked questions to the team, to find out answers and to interact with the show. I have called in while on vacation in WDW to share my experiences with others.

I felt like I lost a member of my family when Bob passed. I have made a donation to GKTW with nothing wanted in return, plus increased the donation with my companies matching funds.

Now I am being asked to leave this 'club' because I am not part of their 'click' and asks questions that other feel I should not ask. All I wanted was for Pete to answer my question. I hope Pete answers it, preferably in private as to not offend others.

[DisneyKevin]

No one has asked you to leave or not post.

If that's what you take away from this...then I truly apologize.

You have made it perfectly clear that you do not agree with what we have said, what I have posted or with what we we believe on more than one occasion.

I get that. I just dont feel the need to keep explaining the very same thing over and over.

Again...while I dont speak for Pete.....he has explained his position VERY clearly.

I certainly appreciate every single person that posts here, whether you make 100 posts a day or post once a year. I also appreciate every single person that listens to the show.

If you feel the need to leave because people disagree with you....well, I am very sorry to hear that. It doesnt change my opinion of D23, but it does make me sad.

As for being part of a "clique"....it's not something I have ever been a part of or wanted to participate in. I will and have talked to everyone that has posted or written. I try to make everyone feel included and part of the "show". We have made ourselves as accessible as humanly possible.

I dont know how to make you feel like you are more a part of the group than to keep doing the what I do.

[ADP]

Just to make everyone happy here, I will not post any more.

I have listened to the podcast from the beginning, even when it was really bad at the beginning.

I have asked questions to the team, to find out answers and to interact with the show. I have called in while on vacation in WDW to share my experiences with others.

I felt like I lost a member of my family when Bob passed. I have made a donation to GKTW with nothing wanted in return, plus increased the donation with my companies matching funds.

Now I am being asked to leave this 'club' because I am not part of their 'click' and asks questions that other feel I should not ask. All I wanted was for Pete to answer my question. I hope Pete answers it, preferably in private as to not offend others.

I just wanted to chime in because I honestly feel these boards and forums are the friendliest place I've ever seen.

We really do respect one another. I also know we respect everyone's opinions, even yours. I personally like reading your posts because I know every topic has differing opinions. Whether you agree or disagree with a post its nice to know your opinion will be respected.

Sometimes the written word can be interpreted in so many ways versus verbal communication. Just know that providing a fresh perspective or opinion on a topic can be enlightening to all of us.

I also feel the more people involved in this community the better it is. Please don't feel like you shouldn't post again. I think we'd all miss your perspective and opinion. :)

[Halbleib1]

Not to start an argument/debate here but sometimes the way people post
comes off as abrupt. Do they mean for it to come off that way possibly not. It is hard sometimes to get your point across or to articulate exactly what you mean in written form. Many times I have had people take my posts in a way that I never meant for them to be taken. I am sure I am guilty of doing this myself. Sometimes it does feel like certain people are excluded from the bigger group. Esp. if you are going against the grain and not agreeing with the overall group. Is this intentional? Maybe/maybe not but I can understand where the OP is coming from. Perhaps we are doing it to ourselves and perhaps not. It is hard to know for sure.

[Disneybridein2k3]

Sometimes the written word can be interpreted in so many ways versus verbal communication. Just know that providing a fresh perspective or opinion on a topic can be enlightening to all of us.

I also feel the more people involved in this community the better it is. Please don't feel like you shouldn't post again. I think we'd all miss your perspective and opinion. :)
An excellent point Aaron. Last week, Pete was talking about the Segway lawsuit and an attorney (Jack) posted a thread that explained the suit in detail. I found it very interesting - each of us come from different backgrounds and bring something different to the table. That is what makes our group so unique and un-clique-like (is that even a word???) While we may not always agree with each other, we do respect each other, often with a lot of teasing. When I saw the same topic come up over and over, I started to cringe. This forum is so friendly but when the proverbial dead horse keeps getting beaten down, posters do look to the OP. Instead of continuing, it is really best to just end the discussion.

[Halbleib1]

I just wanted to chime in because I honestly feel these boards and forums are the friendliest place I've ever seen.

We really do respect one another. I also know we respect everyone's opinions, even yours. I personally like reading your posts because I know every topic has differing opinions. Whether you agree or disagree with a post its nice to know your opinion will be respected.

Sometimes the written word can be interpreted in so many ways versus verbal communication. Just know that providing a fresh perspective or opinion on a topic can be enlightening to all of us.

I also feel the more people involved in this community the better it is. Please don't feel like you shouldn't post again. I think we'd all miss your perspective and opinion. :)


There are times that it does not feel like people's opinions are wanted. Esp. when they disagree with the majority. When you are in the minority at times it feels like you are being attacked. That is life though.

[Halbleib1]

An excellent point Aaron. Last week, Pete was talking about the Segway lawsuit and an attorney (Jack) posted a thread that explained the suit in detail. I found it very interesting - each of us come from different backgrounds and bring something different to the table. That is what makes our group so unique and un-clique-like (is that even a word???) While we may not always agree with each other, we do respect each other, often with a lot of teasing. When I saw the same topic come up over and over, I started to cringe. This forum is so friendly but when the proverbial dead horse keeps getting beaten down, posters do look to the OP. Instead of continuing, it is really best to just end the discussion.

I can understand the frustration with topics coming up over and over again however I do not think an OP should be ignored and pushed aside just because they are bringing up a topic that is touchy. From reading the OPs post I think he/she thought long and hard before posting. But in the end really wanted to know what Pete had to say when he heard it from a different perspective.

[DisneyKevin]

I dont believe anyone was ignored.

This same topic was the subject of numerous posts for several days and I know that the OP participated in those threads because we had discussions back and forth.

This same topic has been the subject of discussion on more than one podcast and everyone that had an opinion expressed it.

Ar some point it, when everyone's opinion has already been expressed and we know that there is disagreement, further discussion just becomes argumentative.

[wdwowner]

I have heard all of Pete's rants on D23, but we, as the listeners, have not been able to ask him questions about his point of view, and where his opinions were formed from. That's all I tried to do with this post.

Kevin I have read your point on this many times, in replies to my posts. Thank you for your point of view.

[Halbleib1]

I dont believe anyone was ignored.

This same topic was the subject of numerous posts for several days and I know that the OP participated in those threads because we had discussions back and forth.

This same topic has been the subject of discussion on more than one podcast and everyone that had an opinion expressed it.

Ar some point it, when everyone's opinion has already been expressed and we know that there is disagreement, further discussion just becomes argumentative.

I can understand that. I read some of the D23 posts but by no means all of them. I was not aware that the OP participated to the extent that he/she did. I was commenting based on what was said on this thread. I saw where you mentioned that they had let their opinion be known but did not realize it was an ongoing thing.

[DVCsince02]

I think what the OP was trying to determine was where did the "Loyalty Program" come from. Was it advertised as a loyalty program, or just another fan club?

[georgemoe]

I think what the OP was trying to determine was where did the "Loyalty Program" come from. Was it advertised as a loyalty program, or just another fan club?

And was there an expectation of cake? ;)

[froggy5657]

Ummm... CAKE IS THE BEST!!!!!:cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake::cake ::cake::cake:

[Halbleib1]

I think what the OP was trying to determine was where did the "Loyalty Program" come from. Was it advertised as a loyalty program, or just another fan club?

I think that is what they were asking as well.

If I remember correctly I think Pete had said that instead of what they are offering with D23 they would better serve their loyal fans (which is what Disney said this program was for -to recognize their loyal fans- I believe Pete said they announced this in a press conference)by offering a loyalty program since D23 was not for the loyal fan it is more for the collector and history person.

[jrgutknecht]

Not only was there supposed to be cake :rotfl: but.....

Bob Iger is responsible for injecting talk of a "loyalty" program into the rumors when he mentioned the upcoming "affinity" program.

I don't have time to look for it now (I'm at "work" :rolleyes1 ) but I seem to recall a few days / weeks before the official announcement, Iger made a public comment about their upcoming program to address their highest affinity group.

I'm not in the travel business, but even to me an "affinity" program is something that's designed to reward frequent customer. Back when I used to travel for business, I was in several "affinity" programs for various hotels and even now still have my frequent flyer numbers with various airlines, these are all "affinity" or "loyalty" programs and when I hear Iger's comments, I (like many others I'm sure) thought this would be something to reward frequent customers.

Disney has an affinity program for people who buy their movies, I guess what I expected was a program that would tie ALL Disney purchases together; movies, theme parks, travel, etc... so that you could be rewarded for all of your Disney purchases.

As I recall I believe Pete even made a comment on the podcast a week or two before the official announcement that addressed Iger's comments, however the memory is not what is used to be and as I said, I'm supposed to be "working" :rolleyes1

Of all of the debate about this the ONE thing that really bothers me is that I, like many thousands of others, signed up to be the "FIRST TO KNOW" what D23 was all about... it's been 20 days now and still haven't gotten an e-mail from Disney.... did ANYONE get an e-mail??

[Halbleib1]

Why does every controversial thread have to become a joke about dessert? That gets annoying after awhile. I realize you are trying to lighten the mood and change the subject but it does get very annoying. If you do not like the topic of a thread skip over it. I do it every day. Is there some sort of "inside" joke I am not getting with all the dessert posts?

[Halbleib1]

Not only was there supposed to be cake :rotfl: but.....

Bob Iger is responsible for injecting talk of a "loyalty" program into the rumors when he mentioned the upcoming "affinity" program.

I don't have time to look for it now (I'm at "work" :rolleyes1 ) but I seem to recall a few days / weeks before the official announcement, Iger made a public comment about their upcoming program to address their highest affinity group.

I'm not in the travel business, but even to me an "affinity" program is something that's designed to reward frequent customer. Back when I used to travel for business, I was in several "affinity" programs for various hotels and even now still have my frequent flyer numbers with various airlines, these are all "affinity" or "loyalty" programs and when I hear Iger's comments, I (like many others I'm sure) thought this would be something to reward frequent customers.

Disney has an affinity program for people who buy their movies, I guess what I expected was a program that would tie ALL Disney purchases together; movies, theme parks, travel, etc... so that you could be rewarded for all of your Disney purchases.

As I recall I believe Pete even made a comment on the podcast a week or two before the official announcement that addressed Iger's comments, however the memory is not what is used to be and as I said, I'm supposed to be "working" :rolleyes1

Of all of the debate about this the ONE thing that really bothers me is that I, like many thousands of others, signed up to be the "FIRST TO KNOW" what D23 was all about... it's been 20 days now and still haven't gotten an e-mail from Disney.... did ANYONE get an e-mail??


I received an email later on that evening. Better late than never right. :confused3

[DVCsince02]

Why does every controversial thread have to become a joke about dessert? That gets annoying after awhile. I realize you are trying to lighten the mood and change the subject but it does get very annoying. If you do not like the topic of a thread skip over it. I do it every day. Is there some sort of "inside" joke I am not getting with all the dessert posts?

Wow! I've seen you post may times and have even chatted with you in chatzy but I see you are not wanting to make things light here. If you find CAKE to be annoying, I will refrain from responding to your posts anymore.

Best wishes in the future.

[Halbleib1]

Wow! I've seen you post may times and have even chatted with you in chatzy but I see you are not wanting to make things light here. If you find CAKE to be annoying, I will refrain from responding to your posts anymore.

Best wishes in the future.


No I have no problem with Cake as a dessert but it is not my life. It seems like lately every thread has become about it though. Seems I am missing something here if it bothers you that much that I asked why the need to post about it all the time. Why such a harsh response? Esp. considering you were not the poster I was talking to? Must be an inside joke I am missing? More going on here than meets the eye that is for sure.

[wdwowner]

Bob Iger is responsible for injecting talk of a "loyalty" program into the rumors when he mentioned the upcoming "affinity" program.

I hate to break it to everyone but there are many more overall fans of Disney ("affinity" group) than just Disney Park fans. I know you don't believe it, but it is true.

[DisneyKevin]

And this is why I suggested that this is a "dead horse".

This issue has been discussed at length, breadth and width, Very little will come of any further discussion.

If you desire Pete's thoughts on this subject, I would suggest you write to him at Podcast@wdwinfo.com.

With that, I am locking this thread before it disintegrates further.