VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

KAT4DISNEY said:

Sorry I can't help DLI. I currently am holding a VGC reservation for New Years and am trying to decide if I've gone crazy! What I've read about that time is it's pretty insane but the stories do vary depending on what your park expectations are and also if you get to the parks right when they open or think you'll try later in the day.

Click to expand...

Yeah it seems like you can't really go there with the expectation to really be able to do to much as far as rides. I guess we just need to decide if it would be worth spending all that money to go and just hang out at the parks without doing anything. Ugh. Why can't the hockey game be sometime in January.

Happy Monday folks!! The rain has finally subsided, our area met and passed a record of consecutive rainfall days, something like 11 straight days. We briefly saw the sun last Thurs. But we are back up where we need to be to fill the lakes and ponds. God gives us what we need when we need it. Sleepy, I know you are glad to see the rain go away! Now for the ground to dry a little.

Regarding the AP changes, DVC folks still get a good discount, wish we had an option to opt out of PhotoPass as this isnt a draw for us. But it is what it is, we will deal with the changes and move forward. Looking over the pricing, it seems the price is same for the Seasonal pass as it is for the standard AP with a DVC discount, sort of a no brainer. The times that would be blockout days for Seasonal wouldnt really affect when we go, might overlap in Dec but we could adjust for that.

jimmytammy said:

Regarding the AP changes, DVC folks still get a good discount, wish we had an option to opt out of PhotoPass as this isnt a draw for us. But it is what it is, we will deal with the changes and move forward. Looking over the pricing, it seems the price is same for the Seasonal pass as it is for the standard AP with a DVC discount, sort of a no brainer. The times that would be blockout days for Seasonal wouldnt really affect when we go, might overlap in Dec but we could adjust for that.

Click to expand...

You saw my post on FB so you already know how I feel about the price increase. To say I'm not happy about it would be an understatement. We have our Christmas plans carved in stone at this point so I have no choice but to find a way to deal with it. My AP expires 12/20. I guess I'll have to get a regular park hopper. At least my TIW is good through June. The buck literally stops here for me. Everyone has their breaking point & I've reached mine. I'm not going to be forced to pay more to get something I already had. I couldn't care less about Memory Maker. Can you imagine what the lines will be like now at Christmas? One change too many & too many price increases. 2 in one year. Really Disney? If their goal is to drive away loyal guests it worked with me. We sent in the paperwork last night to sell our SSR points. Take the money & run. I guess I should thank them for jacking up the direct prices because that works in my favor. I'll make a very nice profit & will spend that money on a fabulous family trip to Europe next summer. We'll keep our VWL & BCV points but the days of me going to WDW 2-3x a year are done I guess. One of the things I'm most sad about is I won't get to see my wonderful Disney friends as often. I see friends more at Disney then I do at home!

Aren't you glad I popped in to say hi! Debbie Downer here! Sorry about that & sorry I've been gone so long. You think it's only been a week or soon then all of a sudden it's more like a month. I hope everyone is doing well. I have no chance of catching up on all that I've missed. I did read back a few pages. Looks like we had some groupies having fun in the World. I'm looking forward to getting down there on Thu. Super excited that The Chew will be filming. I couldn't get tickets but I hope to at least see the taping without a seat or even better see the hosts out & about in the park. I think I might be having a groupie meet as well. You know who you are! I want to stop in at the Lodge too. I didn't get a chance to stop by when I was there a few weeks ago for a conference.

I will make more of an effort to keep up!

Take care groupie friends!

horselover said:

Aren't you glad I popped in to say hi! Debbie Downer here! Sorry about that & sorry I've been gone so long. You think it's only been a week or soon then all of a sudden it's more like a month. I hope everyone is doing well. I have no chance of catching up on all that I've missed. I did read back a few pages. Looks like we had some groupies having fun in the World. I'm looking forward to getting down there on Thu. Super excited that The Chew will be filming. I couldn't get tickets but I hope to at least see the taping without a seat or even better see the hosts out & about in the park. I think I might be having a groupie meet as well. You know who you are! I want to stop in at the Lodge too. I didn't get a chance to stop by when I was there a few weeks ago for a conference.

I will make more of an effort to keep up!

Take care groupie friends!

Click to expand...

LOL, not Debbie Downer in the least. While Disney is definitely a place where everyone can be a kid, unfortunately us "big" kids some times have to be adults and look at the bottom line.

My issue with it, is the erroneous assumption that tiered pricing will forced guest to go at less crowded times. Most folks who travel to Disney during the summer do so because their choices are limited. usually by child raising issues or by job obligations. So basically the crowds will simply be forced to cough up more money to an already expensive vacation. (just my opinion).

I have been going back and forth on selling my dvc for about a year. It's a bit sad for me because I had plans on really ramping up my visits next year when I plan on retiring.
Now that the passes will have blackout dates burns me to no end. The object of me having the dvc was for me to go economically whenever I wanted. Yes I can still go during the holiday season but that would be a significant additional charge. seriously?

Lastly while I love the lodge, I've been majorly underwhelmed with the parks. H.S. and AK are both a little long in the tooth and could use some updating, while there have been announcements to upgrades it seems that they will be years in the making.

I do know I will not be renewing my annual passes.

Good to see you, horsey, and as for Debbie Downer, you'll have to get in line behind me--you just didn't scroll back far enough. I've been quite vocal about what I perceive to be Disney's lack of allegiance to what in the past had been its most vocal supporters--DVC owners. I have a work colleague looking into DVC and flatly told him I can't recommend it. It's not just one experience here, one slight price increase there. No, there's a wholesale run on ramping up prices and decreasing benefits while tamping down the magical experiences. All the while, Disney is disingenuous by claiming they're "improving the customer experience." So, they added Photopass--how many times does we need that service if we've been going 2-3 times a year for a decade? As you said, it's a non-player for us, too. A 50% increase in TiW card? Wow. We won't do that anymore, and since we pay OOP for all our meals, that means we'll just eat out at Disney less, and when we do go to a TS, we'll order less (good for our waist lines! lol). AKL and DHS essentially half-day parks, yet we get two price increases in 8 months for APs with no light at the end of the tunnel for when anything new will be finished. It's the little things over time that indicate how unimportant we are to Disney except as a bottom line number: price increases, reduced discounts, over-crowding, homogenization of new builds and refurbs, loss of attractions. Sigh. I told luv this morning that if not for her, I'd sell our DVC immediately and likely not go back to Disney. I can only imagine what Disneyland patrons must be feeling (no blackout dates AP went up $300!).

eliza: I know Disney's stated objective is to reduce crowding, but who's fault is it that such crowding has become commonplace? Theirs. Who will pay? We will. They know full well that people who are just beginning to feel the Disney magic for their generation will suffer the price increases, while those of us who have been doing this for a longer time will begin to cut back in some cases. In the end, they win again. What bothers me most is I absolutely believe these are cold, calculating steps to bring in more money knowing they will lose some long term Disney fans but figuring they'll make it up because people simply will pay. I see more hanging out by the pool, cooking in the room times ahead and far less park hopping. And, that's okay, too.

In more optimistic news, yes JT, the sun is supposed to creep out later today and be around the next 3-4 days. Like you, I'm thankful for the rain, and thankful we didn't get more than we could handle. My thoughts go out to those in SC, particularly, as they face severe flooding. Yowser. We needed rain and we got it. Wind was blustery but not terrifying. Fortunate here.

If it puts a smile on anyone's face, a thought just crossed my mind relating to VWL construction, increased TIW costs, and eating more in-room...

The VWL construction is sure to bring a beautiful new grilling area to the villas, something that has been missing unless you love the singular old gill hidden behind the boat rentals. With a bit of luck, it will be like the gas grills over at the poly and at GCV.

twinklebug said:

If it puts a smile on anyone's face, a thought just crossed my mind relating to VWL construction, increased TIW costs, and eating more in-room...

The VWL construction is sure to bring a beautiful new grilling area to the villas, something that has been missing unless you love the singular old gill hidden behind the boat rentals. With a bit of luck, it will be like the gas grills over at the poly and at GCV.

Click to expand...

They'll probably charge you for its use. . . Okay, okay! I'm done!

No, really. . .

sleepydog25 said:

They'll probably charge you for its use. . . Okay, okay! I'm done!

No, really. . .

Click to expand...

Bam! I'm sorry that was funny. You & I are sympatico Sly. I wish we weren't at least on this issue.

We've never used a grill at Disney because of cross contamination issues with DS15's Celiac Disease. Maybe if it was just DH & I we would.

Okay, I have gone through my accelerated mourning process and have backed off my first impulse...which was to sell my DVC.

Instead, we may just cut back on our trips and rent out our points more often...which would cover the maintenance fees and make DVC have no annual impact on cash flow. Or in a few months we may just shrug and go back to our twice per year schedule.

I look at ALL the price increases (APs, TIW, DVC points) and I'm thinking wow, will Disney actually be able to make this work? And then I go to WDW in SEPTEMBER (before Food & Wine started) and while the park attendance was a little lighter it was still pretty high. 60 minute waits at Space Mountain and Peter Pan, 45 minute wait at Haunted Mansion, etc. But the capper to me was the 55 MINUTE WAIT for The Great Movie Ride! Really? So I guess Disney is just exercising their freedom to see what the market will bear. If they increase prices 10% and attendance only goes down 5%, they come out ahead and in fact people might be happier that the parks are a little less crowded.

We are very blessed in that we can afford the increased pricing if we want to. I really feel for those who have to really scrimp and save to be able to afford Disney.

Yesterday a friend of mine posted this on facebook:

Never push a loyal person to the point where they walk away and no longer give a dxxx.

Hmmmm Disney?

In the past, Disney used to expand. I actually don't think crowding is a huge consideration of Disney for this although they would most likely enjoy distributing even more evenly as they've had good success in doing so far. A 5th gate or else real expansion in the parks could take care of over crowding and probably bring in more money. This past year just seems to be Disney pushing the limits to establish they are not leaving a single nickel or dime on the table that could be in the Disney pockets.

Granny said:

Okay, I have gone through my accelerated mourning process and have backed off my first impulse...which was to sell my DVC.

Instead, we may just cut back on our trips and rent out our points more often...which would cover the maintenance fees and make DVC have no annual impact on cash flow. Or in a few months we may just shrug and go back to our twice per year schedule.


We are very blessed in that we can afford the increased pricing if we want to. I really feel for those who have to really scrimp and save to be able to afford Disney.

Click to expand...

Which is another danger when you continually have widespread price hikes Granny. at some point it does become a situation of "diminishing" returns.

For example, we had a few family "traditions" when going to the world. One was to try a new "add-on or restaurant" each trip and the other was getting family hoodies.

One year we did the segwey tour of Epcot, one year the fireworks cruise, you get the idea. when you continually raise the price, that usually puts me into "cut back" mode simply because my vacation budget is only flexible to a certain amount.

Now a company runs the risk of unintended consequences and not even meeting the original goal. tiered pricing will probably NOT decrease crowds in any significant way AND those that are coming now have spent considerably less because they have to make up the difference.

Or the second consequences is that it may very well send some running. At work here we have a huge Disney fan base but they are very much like me in that they vacation a certain way. Many stay deluxe. they are not going to down grade to a moderate or value in order to make up the extra the park tickets now are throwing on them.

KAT4DISNEY said:

Yesterday a friend of mine posted this on facebook:

Never push a loyal person to the point where they walk away and no longer give a dxxx.

Hmmmm Disney?

In the past, Disney used to expand. I actually don't think crowding is a huge consideration of Disney for this although they would most likely enjoy distributing even more evenly as they've had good success in doing so far. A 5th gate or else real expansion in the parks could take care of over crowding and probably bring in more money. This past year just seems to be Disney pushing the limits to establish they are not leaving a single nickel or dime on the table that could be in the Disney pockets.

Click to expand...

Kat, what's so funny about that is on the theme park boards a vocal few are calling those complaining about the price hike as Disney haters.

I have to explain to them that DVC members are generally THE most loyal mouseworld fans. We've plunked down thousands of bucks as proof of our love for the mouse world.

eliza61 said:

Kat, what's so funny about that is on the theme park boards a vocal few are calling those complaining about the price hike as Disney haters.

I have to explain to them that DVC members are generally THE most loyal mouseworld fans. We've plunked down thousands of bucks as proof of our love for the mouse world.

Click to expand...

This is what bugs me. I've loved Disney for a long, long time as all of us have. That's doesn't mean I have to accept everything they dish out as sunshine & pixie dust. I'm allowed to say I really don't like this policy or that price increase without being called a hater. They're not always right just because "it's Disney"! I love the idea of Disney. Disney as a corporation not so much. If I was a stockholder perhaps I'd be seeing it differently but even then I'm not sure because the price increases would still be affecting me as a park guest.

eliza61 said:

Kat, what's so funny about that is on the theme park boards a vocal few are calling those complaining about the price hike as Disney haters.

I have to explain to them that DVC members are generally THE most loyal mouseworld fans. We've plunked down thousands of bucks as proof of our love for the mouse world.

Click to expand...

Well, when those same vocal few suddenly find themselves in the highest-priced tier for tickets (I feel certain it's coming as I agree that the AP price increase will do nothing to stem the overcrowding), they may sing a different tune. "It is all a matter of perspective," I keep telling myself. Of course, my perspective is that Disney has reached the upper quadrant of my PLCI. . .that would be Price Level Comfort Index. I have an automated alarm system that kicks into gear at any Disney financial news, and it first went off when VGF was offered. I mostly silenced the bells until the Poly announcement which was quickly followed by a continued upsurge in ticket prices, some slapdash refurbs, the Poly point charts release and pricing, ride closings, the new VWL build (with the Poly build still not completed), last-minute announcement for the end of the Osborne Lights, and then the one-two punch of the AP/TiW price increases. Due to my PLCI, I'm not a man who takes change easily, and as a consumer, I'm wary of continued "trust us, we're doing this to enhance/upgrade/better/improve/transport to new levels our patrons' experience and customer service" from any major corporation. Newer and bigger ain't always better (Exhibit A: STAR WARS I, II, & III--I rest my case). Anywho, my PLCI alarms are pinging all over the place, and the inside of my brain looks like the a police car and fire truck just had a baby.

Beyond that commentary, I have no opinion on the matter.

I have to say I am also disappointed in seeing these pass prices. I am a florida resident, and we will be purchasing fl resident weekday seasonal passes for our trip in December. I think they are around $220 or so. I guess I am a bit unfamiliar with the non fl resident passes that are available, but if this doesnt exist to dvc owners, why cant they make something similar available?

ok, I guess I was wrong. as of October 3rd, the same pass I talked about above is now $275 for florida residents. that makes me angry. I could have purchased tickets just last week and saved $200 for my family of 4. Wow. The normal 1 year increase up until now has been about $10/year or so. This is around a $50 increase. Not cool.

jmassey1samchi said:

ok, I guess I was wrong. as of October 3rd, the same pass I talked about above is now $275 for florida residents. that makes me angry. I could have purchased tickets just last week and saved $200 for my family of 4. Wow. The normal 1 year increase up until now has been about $10/year or so. This is around a $50 increase. Not cool.

Click to expand...

If you're going over Christmas make sure that Disney hasn't blocked out those dates for that pass.
APs until this go around didn't have any dates blocked out.

I think that this may finally be the impetus to get me to vacation differently.
Until now we went down 2 or 3 times a year. This price increase will have me looking at how to maximize an AP - go down 3 or 4 trips in a year and take a year off?
Don't know about others but we do a lot of TS and character meals - trying to spoil my granddaughters.
Askerhaus had become a staple for us - went there every trip and then added other TS reservations to round out the trip.
I'm on vacation I don't cook but I do do laundry.

To me the size of this price increase feels like a huge money grab.
I know the price would have reached this in another 2 or 3 years but a 20% increase on top of the increase already this year is inexcusable.

eliza61 said:

Which is another danger when you continually have widespread price hikes Granny. at some point it does become a situation of "diminishing" returns.

For example, we had a few family "traditions" when going to the world. One was to try a new "add-on or restaurant" each trip and the other was getting family hoodies.

One year we did the segwey tour of Epcot, one year the fireworks cruise, you get the idea. when you continually raise the price, that usually puts me into "cut back" mode simply because my vacation budget is only flexible to a certain amount.

Now a company runs the risk of unintended consequences and not even meeting the original goal. tiered pricing will probably NOT decrease crowds in any significant way AND those that are coming now have spent considerably less because they have to make up the difference.

Or the second consequences is that it may very well send some running. At work here we have a huge Disney fan base but they are very much like me in that they vacation a certain way. Many stay deluxe. they are not going to down grade to a moderate or value in order to make up the extra the park tickets now are throwing on them.

Click to expand...

Very well said Eliza & my feelings as well.

I'm sure Disney has been thinking long and hard on this tiering strategy and been holding off on it for years. What provoked them into starting it off now? We may never know, but it seems more than coincidental that the DIS stock took a dive this last month, and they sprang this on us. If anything, other than the upcoming holidays, this seems to be absolute worst time for them to have introduced the new AP plans with EPCOT, AK and DHS are all in transition and nothing new to show for it other than some signage indicating to come back later.

I feel for all the young families out there with a Disney addict mom &/or dad who were counting on raising their kids on multi Disney trips. They will survive through. There are puddles to fish in, beaches to comb, kites to fly... Disney is still a viable option if they budget well and take their time preparing for a visit every so often.

Did I mention Sequoia National Parkis at the top of my bucket list? It's time to get serious about seeing the world.

twinklebug said:

Did I mention Sequoia National Parkis at the top of my bucket list? It's time to get serious about seeing the world.

Click to expand...

That's one I still need to see. I finally just visited Acadia - beautiful!!! Yosemite is just down the road and I'm checking into another bucket list item for next year of staying at the Grand Canyon, doing a mule ride down and staying in they valley at the Phantom Ranch to celebrate one of those first number changing birthdays. Then it's been awhile since Yellowstone. I actually have bucket list item of staying at many/all the historic national park hotels. We've made choices to spend a lot of our time and money with Disney but we have always done quite a bit of traveling and will likely just go back to more non-Disney trips once we get thru the current AP planned trips. Aulani ain't bad for a vacation either.

The way Disney is going I'm really quite thankful that DVC has their hands tied a bit with not increasing points for the resort (of course we'll see if they found a way with VWL/VWLII) and that the dues go to pay mostly actual expense. If not, can you imagine what we might be looking at there?!!?!

circhead said:

If you're going over Christmas make sure that Disney hasn't blocked out those dates for that pass.
APs until this go around didn't have any dates blocked out.

I think that this may finally be the impetus to get me to vacation differently.
Until now we went down 2 or 3 times a year. This price increase will have me looking at how to maximize an AP - go down 3 or 4 trips in a year and take a year off?
Don't know about others but we do a lot of TS and character meals - trying to spoil my granddaughters.
Askerhaus had become a staple for us - went there every trip and then added other TS reservations to round out the trip.
I'm on vacation I don't cook but I do do laundry.

To me the size of this price increase feels like a huge money grab.
I know the price would have reached this in another 2 or 3 years but a 20% increase on top of the increase already this year is inexcusable.

Click to expand...

I checked the blackout date on the seasonal pass for fl residents. it looks the same as the pre October 4th change, so that is good. I would be really ticked if my dates for the lodge (dec 10-12) weren't compatible with the pass days. And after cooling off on my long bicycle ride home yesterday, I realized that my family of 4 will probably get about 8 days in parks with our seasnal passes at a total ticket cost of $1100. Its pretty easy to spend that much on day and night activities while on vacation somewhere else. I actually asked a chat specialist while in the ordering process today to see if a pass that doesn't cover parking (the new priced pass includes free parking)was available and she said no.