Are all Disney resort perks fair?

[atilley01]

I hope this isn't a controversial topic as I don't mean it to be. I'd just like to hear other's opinions on the subject. And I haven't seen a topic like this posted recently but I apologize if it's been covered in the past.

I'm planning my family's first ever trip to Disney next year. Thanks to a lot of research and the great people on this message board, I feel like I'm in a really good place to plan a great trip for my family. One thing that has confused me in my research though, is some of the park perks that onsite people get over people staying offsite. I decided pretty early on that an offsite resort would work better for my family and that meant giving up some perks that I didn't feel were necessarily fair. The two that I'm referring to most are the advantage of booking early ADRs and FPs.

It's just my opinion that anything having to do with attractions or dining inside the parks should be a level playing field for all ticket holders, regardless of your choice of lodging. I understand that the onsite perks are to encourage people to stay on Disney property but if I pay the same ticket price as an onsite person, shouldn't I have the same opportunity to book FP and park ADRs? I know I'm giving up part of the Disney experience by staying offsite and that's a choice I've made but now I'm also at a disadvantage for a system that Disney has made necessary as a part of the planning process.

I know my concerns won't change the way things are done and that's fine. I just want to hear opinions from other offsite people as well as onsite guests. And again, I don't want my post to ruffle any feathers. No matter where we stay, I'm planning for wonderful time.

 

[hultrain]

1) Disney isn't required to make anything fair
2) Yes, you are paying the same for entrance to the park, but a person staying at a Disney Resort is giving Disney more money. So Disney has decided to entice more people to give Disney more money by giving them extra perks.

 

[butterfly71076]

Staying offsite, you can still book your ADR's at 180 days, you just have to do them day by day, you miss the +10. True, you can't book your FP+ at 60 days, but that is the choice you make when you decide to stay offsite. Could Disney remove this from onsite guests only? Of course, but why would they? People pay to stay onsite for the perks of being a Disney resort guest and to become totally immersed in the "Disney Bubble".

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I dunno. Is it fair that you and your family get to pay less for lodging offsite of Disney property? I mean, if we were getting the exact same perks for our vacation, shouldn't we be paying the same amount?

 

[Asc341]

I just returned from my first off-site trip, and I never felt like I was at a disadvantage. My family even got into BOG for breakfast and dinner, although we had to check the site MANY times to secure a slot. Our park strategy did change from our routine when we stay at Disney resorts, but it was manageable - and even fun to improvise!

 

[tjevans]

I have stayed onsite multiple times and I have stayed offsite multiple times. I personally prefer offsite because we get more room for the same or less money than onsite. That said, all future trips will likely be onsite because I have seen so many reports from people who are unable to get their desired FP's at 30 days.

Do I like this? No.

Do I think Disney cares? No, not as long as what they're doing puts more money in their pockets.

What would I like to see? Open the FP window at the same time to all guests. Let onsite guests reserve more FP's. I don't have a problem with ADR's because onsite guests have always had an advantage. It used to be offsite guests couldn't make ADR's (or whatever they were called then) until the day you dined.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

I've stayed both onsite and offsite, and I just accept this as part of the deal. It isn't much difference than onsite guests at Universal getting front of the line access or people being allowed to purchase better access at almost every other major theme park or VIP tours. Your way of purchasing extra time is to stay onsite.

 

[atilley01]

I just returned from my first off-site trip, and I never felt like I was at a disadvantage. My family even got into BOG for breakfast and dinner, although we had to check the site MANY times to secure a slot. Our park strategy did change from our routine when we stay at Disney resorts, but it was manageable - and even fun to improvise!

Thanks for that. Definitely good news to hear.

 

[123SA]

1) Disney isn't required to make anything fair
2) Yes, you are paying the same for entrance to the park, but a person staying at a Disney Resort is giving Disney more money. So Disney has decided to entice more people to give Disney more money by giving them extra perks.

I agree with this.

 

[RustManFan]

I agree with the existence of perks for onsite guests.

 

[NavyDad]

"Fair" is a very subjective term.

Any business is going to have a financial incentive to get people to spend more of their money with them. You mention spending the same on tickets. That is one factor but Disney is also going to want to provide incentive to guests who are also paying them for lodging. That's just the way the world works today. Walt is not running the show anymore - board members and share-holders have the power. The basic job description of any CEO is to maximize share-holder value.

The power that guests/consumers have is the CHOICE of when and how to spend their money. You have the choice to stay on-site or off. If the benefits of staying off-site are better for your family than you have to do what's best for you but it is still a choice. On the other hand if booking ADRs and FP are more important you can always make the choice to stay onsite. For those who feel WDW no longer offers value to them they can choose to spend their money at other places.

IMO the consumer has the real power in this scenario as long as they can live with their decisions...

 

[Jenny Sanders]

It's like going to a concert...pay more, get seats closer to the band, or pay the minimum and sit in the lawn seats waaaaaaay in the back...

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

We are going to Universal for 2 days before our big Disney vacation this summer. We chose, because of price, to stay at an affiliated hotel offsite. This will give us early entry to the parks but not
front of the line access. This perk is for those who pay the big bucks to stay at a deluxe. I am getting a room for $100/night versus around $300/night. There is nothing "not fair" about that.
As in everything in life, if you want more you need to pay more.

 

[tobikaye]

Many places or companies have releases to set groups of people before others. There are concert or theater tickets that are released to people that have a specific credit card or are a member of a certain radio stations fan club before they are released to the general public.

As for WDW resort guests getting first shot at ADRs and FP, WDW resorts wants to keep them coming back and those are two of the biggest reasons people will stay onsite. Many guests would probably look to staying off-site for a better rate on bigger accommodations without those options along with EMH.

Personally, I rarely book ADRS more than 30 days before a trip and only one trip had me making more than 3 ADRs before I actually arrived on-site. I have been lucky to usually get the ADR I want. Usually the ADRs I have made more than 30 days in advance were for hard to get times at places I wanted to try.

As for FP+, I have not gone since it started, but I like to do sporadic park hopping and have only planned 1 full trip where I actually had somewhat of a daily schedule. Even that schedule was more along the lines of start at this park and go to this ride at RD. I might have a different opinion once I try FP+, but it would only depend on the people I was traveling with.

 

[wdw4rfam]

I dunno. Is it fair that you and your family get to pay less for lodging offsite of Disney property? I mean, if we were getting the exact same perks for our vacation, shouldn't we be paying the same amount?

Right, but I am pretty sure those in value resorts get the same perks as those in deluxes

 

[atilley01]

I totally get that Disney makes the rules and you either choose to play or you don't. Staying offsite is a choice and I fully understand the consequences just like people who stay onsite understand the consequence of paying more for a room. I guess I just feel that the heftier Disney resort price buys you convenience to the parks and the opportunity to stay inside the "Disney bubble". But Disney is going to go what's best for the bottom line just like any other business and I guess perks are just part of that. Just expressing my opinion and I appreciate everyone else's.

 

[atilley01]

Right, but I am pretty sure those in value resorts get the same perks as those in deluxes

That's kind of what I'm getting at. I'm paying less for offsite lodging but I'm further from the park, don't get the Disney theming, paying for parking, etc.

 

[Kbee]

You pay the same price for your ticket, but its not your park ticket that gives you the perks, its the resort reservation that does. So yes, I think its fair.

 

[Felipe4]

I think the scenario mentioned above regarding FPs across the board but onsite guests get an extra is an interesting take.

Right now I'm a bit sad because I need to coordinate FPs with a friend who is NOT staying with us but visiting for a day;her window won't open for another 2 weeks (and I'm really not sure if we can add her for a single day to our reservation...and if the extra fee will be worth it). The FP that the BF and I were able to book for 7DMT on that day no longer has openings during that time, so we'll have to redo that FP once my friend's 30 days hits. Hopefully there will still be slots. Hopefully my friend will have purchased her ticket and linked it to MDE by then as well!

Also, although I'm staying on site, I didn't get the 180+10 advantage for ADRs either because I booked a couple weeks past that. I didn't realize onsite guests got extra time - I actually started making reservations day by day at 180 days out before I even booked the trip to guarantee we'd have something during the general time frame we were going (we were contemplating 10 days of 3 overlapping weeks).

 

[Alesia]

If you want the perks of stating onsite, stay onsite. If you want the perks of staying offsite, stay offsite.

You can stay offsite in an entire house (with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a full kitchen, and a private laundry) for less than the cost of a tiny onsite value room. If there weren't perks for onsite guests, why would anyone stay onsite?