Are all Disney resort perks fair?

[SmithSmith]

Just food for thought and Im not sure what others might think of this but perhaps the difference is the perception of a "Disney" vacation vs a "florida vacation". Gotta say Ive not thought about it before but I cant help but think that this might be why some really love onsite, while others are the opposite. I really enjoy Disney, Ive been going since I was a child and deep down inside I imagine no matter how old I will get I always will. That said growing up if our family was going to DL or later when we went to DW, it was a "part of" and not the whole of our holiday. In Cali we would also go to San Fran, San Diego, beaches etc. In Florida we always(or almost always ) do something other than Orlando, and when we do just Orlando it involves more than Disney. When asked where we're going on holidays the response will be , Orlando, or Siesta Key, or a stop to and from the Caribbean or.....We will add that we're also going to do Disney or U, or whatever else we have planned but it is never just about D, while Ive noticed a great deal of the onsiters talk not about going to Florida, but rather about going to Disney. It is sort of like our friends who do all inclusives who don't say we're going to Jamaica, or Mexico, they talk instead about the resort. In the bigger picture neither approach is better imho but rather just different in terms of what one wants from their vacation.

This!^

Exactly! I think you nailed it, LB.

Eta: Have a fun trip!

 

[smidgy]

And this is why there is onsite and offsite with choices for all. What you just described for me sounds like prison camp. Seriously....I would stress worrying about my luggage getting to and from (Ive had way too many airline issues with luggage already),when we take a cruise and they want the luggage outside the room in the night I'd rather struggle with mine in the am than leave it to end up gawd knows where . And no rental car....omg. When we went to Costa Rica 2 years ago, for the first time in all our travels and we've done a number of continents dh and I decided to forgo driving for part of our trip. That wont happen again. We felt as though we were at the mercy of the property. We didn't explore as much as we normally do...quite frankly although we loved cr we felt as though we missed something. It will be a long time before I do another holiday without a rental car at our disposal. I just feel we miss too much for our style/preference for a holiday.

Just food for thought and Im not sure what others might think of this but perhaps the difference is the perception of a "Disney" vacation vs a "florida vacation". Gotta say Ive not thought about it before but I cant help but think that this might be why some really love onsite, while others are the opposite. I really enjoy Disney, Ive been going since I was a child and deep down inside I imagine no matter how old I will get I always will. That said growing up if our family was going to DL or later when we went to DW, it was a "part of" and not the whole of our holiday. In Cali we would also go to San Fran, San Diego, beaches etc. In Florida we always(or almost always ) do something other than Orlando, and when we do just Orlando it involves more than Disney. When asked where we're going on holidays the response will be , Orlando, or Siesta Key, or a stop to and from the Caribbean or.....We will add that we're also going to do Disney or U, or whatever else we have planned but it is never just about D, while Ive noticed a great deal of the onsiters talk not about going to Florida, but rather about going to Disney. It is sort of like our friends who do all inclusives who don't say we're going to Jamaica, or Mexico, they talk instead about the resort. In the bigger picture neither approach is better imho but rather just different in terms of what one wants from their vacation.

 

[Luckybee]

This!^

Exactly! I think you nailed it, LB.

Eta: Have a fun trip!

See what happens when Im running on adrenaline...I write agreeable posts ( joke in case anyone is hesitant )

Thanks for the well wishes

The real pain in the butt is before a holiday getting all our work out of the way so we're not on the phone every hour once we leave. Both dh and I still have a ton to do and I can see us packing Thurs am right before the flight.....and now I am so wound up I cant sleep and have to be up again for work in 4 hours...grrrrrrrr

 

[SmithSmith]

See what happens when Im running on adrenaline...I write agreeable posts ( joke in case anyone is hesitant )

Thanks for the well wishes

Hey now, I don't always disagree with you.

No prob, safe travels.

 

[smidgy]

and you are right, I was talking about a strictly "disney" vacation. if you are going to other places in florida, ten offsite might work better for you.
when we go to Universal, we take a cab from the airport, and stay onsite at universal love it! love the universal express. then a cab to disney.
but we only do that every other year.

anyway if you are strictly doing a disney trip then magical express is a WONDERFUL!! perk... I have never had a problem with it. and since my hubby is disabled it is a great perk/


I still stand firm in my belief that if you are staying on disney prperty, you shoudl get extra perks, as opposed to the person paying $40 a night at the Knight's Inn on 192.

and before everyone gets all "up in arms".... lol. we have stayed at that Knight's Inn nad the Motel 6 and th eRodeway Inn. when we use to drive, before hubby'
s eyes got too bad,, we used to leave a day or 2 early. and get those room coupons at the rest stop. all these hotels were clean nothing against them. or nothing against anyone who satyas there for their entire trip....

how do you know that the peopl paying $40 a night at the rodeway INN don't have reservations for the $100dinner at VIctoria and Alberts? at GF? maybe they thought they would rather spend the money at a swanky restaurant and who cares where they sleep?

all that said.. I still think there should be perks for paying to stay on site,....and you need to do the research and see which makes more sense for your family and your familie's needs/

 

[Nancyg56]

you forgot magical express!! (or, as hubby nebo calls it, when you are going home.. magical DEpress) nothing better than getting your luggage in your room, and at check out, chcecking in your luggage at the resort and picking up your boarding passes! easy peezy! no rental car! no cab!

LOL! YOur post made me think of another thread. Someone named the DME return trip to the airport DIsney's Tragical Express. I am still chuckling!

there is giving disney "theme park" money. and giving disney "lodging" money. those that give disney their "lodging" money should get more perks than those only giving them the "theme park" money. (because they are probably spending money at seea world, universal ,gator land, lego land, etc. etc.)/

now. the difference in the LEVEL of the resort? that is made up for by the ammenities. the all star guest is staying onsite. the Grand Floridian guest is staying onsite. the THEME PARK perks should remain the same. the RESORT perks should not. value resorts? no sit down restaurant. no indoor bar. no pool slide.
moderate resorts? still no inside corridors. but slides and sit down restaurant (ol not FQ, but it is a sister resort with POR)

this is why AK and WL and the 2 cheaper deluxe resorts. proximity. not monorail resorts. not Crescent Lake resorts (boat or walk to epcot and DHS)

the difference in price for onsite resorts determines the amenities. GF guests get a LOT more than All star guests (and I have stayed at both) but ALL on site guests should get the same theme park perks. IMHO

I agree. I think the level of resot should not matter at all when Disney offers onsite guests a perk because those guests are giving Disney a pretty big financial commitment when they choose a Disney Resort. We always stay onsite, so I am a bit biased, but I think that giving guests who make that commitment a little jump start to FP or allowing ADR booking for length of stay is a fair decision. Now as much as I love a little bonus, I would have a hard time justifying a shut out of offsite guests. Something about Disney playing as fairly as possible makes me glad to spend my money there.

And this is why there is onsite and offsite with choices for all. What you just described for me sounds like prison camp. Seriously....I would stress worrying about my luggage getting to and from (Ive had way too many airline issues with luggage already),when we take a cruise and they want the luggage outside the room in the night I'd rather struggle with mine in the am than leave it to end up gawd knows where . And no rental car....omg. When we went to Costa Rica 2 years ago, for the first time in all our travels and we've done a number of continents dh and I decided to forgo driving for part of our trip. That wont happen again. We felt as though we were at the mercy of the property. We didn't explore as much as we normally do...quite frankly although we loved cr we felt as though we missed something. It will be a long time before I do another holiday without a rental car at our disposal. I just feel we miss too much for our style/preference for a holiday.

Just food for thought and Im not sure what others might think of this but perhaps the difference is the perception of a "Disney" vacation vs a "florida vacation". Gotta say Ive not thought about it before but I cant help but think that this might be why some really love onsite, while others are the opposite. I really enjoy Disney, Ive been going since I was a child and deep down inside I imagine no matter how old I will get I always will. That said growing up if our family was going to DL or later when we went to DW, it was a "part of" and not the whole of our holiday. In Cali we would also go to San Fran, San Diego, beaches etc. In Florida we always(or almost always ) do something other than Orlando, and when we do just Orlando it involves more than Disney. When asked where we're going on holidays the response will be , Orlando, or Siesta Key, or a stop to and from the Caribbean or.....We will add that we're also going to do Disney or U, or whatever else we have planned but it is never just about D, while Ive noticed a great deal of the onsiters talk not about going to Florida, but rather about going to Disney. It is sort of like our friends who do all inclusives who don't say we're going to Jamaica, or Mexico, they talk instead about the resort. In the bigger picture neither approach is better imho but rather just different in terms of what one wants from their vacation.

Prison camp? LOL!!! Clearly you have never had the pleasure of driving with me! LOL!!! Or traveling with me! The only thing that puts my DH mind at ease when I leave for a WDW vacation is that I am not floundering all over Orlando looking for the interstate. He knows that once I find DME (yes, it is an adventure each time) I am pretty much all set, as is my family. And anyone in my path!

All joking aside, what some find restrictive, we find freeing. My husband drives for a living. If he joins us, he never needs to get behind the wheel, someone else does that for him. My DD, who would rather chew glass and die than drink one drop of alcohol and then get behind a wheel, can have a mojito or two without worry. And I already shared my rather skewed sense of direction, so DME and Disney transportation is a Godsend in my case.

SO far we stick to Disney when we travel to the Orlando area, so we stay on Disney property. WHen we choose to plan an Orlando area vacation, we will focus on offiste, as you pointed out. In DLR, there are so many other attractions in the area, offsite makes perfect sense.

 

[momof2n2]

the difference is the perception of a "Disney" vacation vs a "florida vacation".

YES! I've been saying this for years.
When my family travels to Florida - we go to FLORIDA and visit WDW, along with other places.

I don't think I am "Bubble" material. It's why I CAN do DCL. I get Disney fun on the ship, but we visit other places and we can de-Dis a bit.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

The main problem with "extra perks" is that Disney has tipped toed/been non committal about it.

They want to constantly price tweak to maximize revenue...they want you to "think" it's for reasons to your benefit...but they also
Want to not be too "exlusionary" when it comes to their new miracle system
And spread that capability out to possibly hundreds of thousands each day of the year.

They're sitting on a fence post. I wish they would just formalize "what you get" for your hotel
Price, ticket option, or even if it is an upsell package - and be done with it.

I'd even rather have a standard block of spots for each hotel type reserved for fastpasses - they could then release the excess when present day of to
Provide an added bonus as you move down the food chain.

But this is a standard tact: "we're 100% dedicated to providing a once in a lifetime vacation experience...but we also 100% won't put it in writing"

 

[Nancyg56]

The main problem with "extra perks" is that Disney has tipped toed/been non committal about it.

They want to constantly price tweak to maximize revenue...they want you to "think" it's for reasons to your benefit...but they also
Want to not be too "exlusionary" when it comes to their new miracle system
And spread that capability out to possibly hundreds of thousands each day of the year.

They're sitting on a fence post. I wish they would just formalize "what you get" for your hotel
Price, ticket option, or even if it is an upsell package - and be done with it.

I'd even rather have a standard block of spots for each hotel type reserved for fastpasses - they could then release the excess when present day of to
Provide an added bonus as you move down the food chain.

But this is a standard tact: "we're 100% dedicated to providing a once in a lifetime vacation experience...but we also 100% won't put it in writing"

I think it is a delicate balance they are trying to strike, and I really don't envy the decision makers on this one. We all have the luxury of discussing this from teh comfort of our homes with nothing to lose or gain and with only the facts we can scavenge up. The folks who need to figure out how to best entice guests to willingly become a captive group of people who will likely spend the lions share of their vacation dollar on Disney property without offending those guests who will spend plenty of money , but not all of their funds on Disney products. These folks have it rough. They need to make sure that the WDW resorts have high occupancy, the WDW restaurants, all of them, not just the"headliners" have guests, and the gift shops get revenues. All without reducing the monies they have to produce at the end of the quarter. And all without making the difference between onsite and offsite guests so apparent that everyone is angry.

I don't know what the answer is, but so far, giving onsite guests a head start to FP, and allowing onsite to book ADR's for their 10 days in into the length of stay seems to be a compromise that is working to an extent. It does not completely shut out offsite guests who purchase their tickets early, and allows offsite guests to book meals without waiting til nothing is left.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

Yes, the current philosophy is correct. No marketing strategy is designed to target everyone. Disney has always, and is still, focused on the "vacationing young to middle aged families with kids 3-9" crowd. This is, I'd say, the most lucrative market to go after, because people spending money as a family unit spend a lot of money on trips. They are not at all going after the teen market or the single adult market. Now sure they have some things for these folks, but it is not their sweet spot. As a parent w kids in the target audience, who watch the movies, shows, and characters, I can tell you Disney has it nailed. When our kids are older, we will probly not do Disney as much, in favor of something more adventurous.



What a silly thing to say. As if you are some authority on what is better? That is so subjective. I happen to think the parks were really awesome when I was young, were really awesome thru my early adulthood, and are really awesome now. And I've been going consistently for over 30 years. If I could, today, go to the Disney World of 1980 vs the Disney World of 2015, I would absolutely pick the WDW of today. The good rides from back then have survived the times, and the technology has come so far in new rides.



I don't see any erosion of value or stagnation. I see a solid company, offering a solid product. The company is doing well not because they are bloodsuckers, but because they are offering a solid product that millions of people want. You cannot argue w movies like Frozen, Nemo, Toy Story, Avengers, Star Wars, etc. These are industry-leading movies, and Disney leverages them to make money in so many ways.

Stagnation? They are doing some awesome things. On one hand ppl will complain about construction and removing dated rides like Maelstrom to satiate their princesses w a Frozen ride, and then they'll complain about the Frozen ride too. Disney is building what the people want. 6 hours waiting for A&E. Remember those days? Frozen is big. Star Wars will be too. And the AK nighttime show, and Pandora. And new awesome coaster for my younger kids in the center of Fantasyland. Downtown Disney is getting revamped too, and oh yeah our fav resort the Poly. Pretty much everything in Disney World is being redone, and ppl still talk of stagnation. It's just amazing.

I have planning to do. This new EMH schedule has me having to make some touch choices.

I am a parent in the category you describe...and yes...there is the definite possibility for kids to move beyond wdw and it's offerings. What will the next generation want? They are risking vulnerability with the leech management philosophy. I suppose we'll disagree.

Wdw peaked from 1997-2001. I'll just Let that one breath a little. Yes - I know - pre Bibbidi bobbity boutique.

They are "revamping" on a schedule that actually contributes to stagnation. That is deliberate to take "budgeting" to an extreme level for somebody's with Disney's pockets. It's quite simple: the longer it takes - the less the consumer gets on the whole. Downtown is the most important development - maybe in the properties history - what we get will very much show how committed they are to provide longterm value/quality. The jury is out.

And the 6 hour frozen waits is definition of stagnation - not the "gone with the wind" effect of frozen. But that's an argument that's really off the map. My opinion there.

You do realize what they are doing at the poly, right? And it's only the beginning. I think that the "pros" of DVC for me far outweigh the "cons"...but I have no illusions. The place isn't going to be the same. I hate to break it to anyone. But the DVC transition period is only just beginning.

 

[ArwenMarie]

there is giving disney "theme park" money. and giving disney "lodging" money. those that give disney their "lodging" money should get more perks than those only giving them the "theme park" money. (because they are probably spending money at seea world, universal ,gator land, lego land, etc. etc.)/

now. the difference in the LEVEL of the resort? that is made up for by the ammenities. the all star guest is staying onsite. the Grand Floridian guest is staying onsite. the THEME PARK perks should remain the same. the RESORT perks should not. value resorts? no sit down restaurant. no indoor bar. no pool slide.
moderate resorts? still no inside corridors. but slides and sit down restaurant (ol not FQ, but it is a sister resort with POR)

this is why AK and WL and the 2 cheaper deluxe resorts. proximity. not monorail resorts. not Crescent Lake resorts (boat or walk to epcot and DHS)

the difference in price for onsite resorts determines the amenities. GF guests get a LOT more than All star guests (and I have stayed at both) but ALL on site guests should get the same theme park perks. IMHO

I agree with you, but the resorts and the parks are the same company. So it makes sense they are being linked now. I don't like this (we stay offsite as well as onsite) but it's really the same company.

And this is why there is onsite and offsite with choices for all. What you just described for me sounds like prison camp. Seriously....I would stress worrying about my luggage getting to and from (Ive had way too many airline issues with luggage already),when we take a cruise and they want the luggage outside the room in the night I'd rather struggle with mine in the am than leave it to end up gawd knows where . And no rental car....omg. When we went to Costa Rica 2 years ago, for the first time in all our travels and we've done a number of continents dh and I decided to forgo driving for part of our trip. That wont happen again. We felt as though we were at the mercy of the property. We didn't explore as much as we normally do...quite frankly although we loved cr we felt as though we missed something. It will be a long time before I do another holiday without a rental car at our disposal. I just feel we miss too much for our style/preference for a holiday.

I feel the same way about Disney transportation and we always rent a car, but I also have my husband to drive. If I was traveling by myself, I would be on the buses! So I do think it is a huge onsite perk to customers who don't want to drive or perhaps can't drive for some reason. It's baked into the price of course, definitely not "free" but a perk nevertheless. But as you said, choices are good. And you never know when you might want it or need to use it.

The main problem with "extra perks" is that Disney has tipped toed/been non committal about it.

They want to constantly price tweak to maximize revenue...they want you to "think" it's for reasons to your benefit...but they also
Want to not be too "exlusionary" when it comes to their new miracle system
And spread that capability out to possibly hundreds of thousands each day of the year.

They're sitting on a fence post. I wish they would just formalize "what you get" for your hotel
Price, ticket option, or even if it is an upsell package - and be done with it.

I'd even rather have a standard block of spots for each hotel type reserved for fastpasses - they could then release the excess when present day of to
Provide an added bonus as you move down the food chain.

But this is a standard tact: "we're 100% dedicated to providing a once in a lifetime vacation experience...but we also 100% won't put it in writing"

Yeah, they are kind of in this spot now where they want everyone's money and now FP+ is the currency. Give too much to onsite, alienate offsite.

 

[JanaDee]

I expect that the when the troll account is made to make fun of me, that it be called "IAmALovelyBear". Thank you in advance.

I sure hope you aren't accusing the poster you are addressing as making up troll accounts. Last I knew, personal attacks weren't allowed.

 

[dpswift]

We booked room only but did not buy our tickets until 30 days out. We still got what we wanted for FP. We always stay onsite bur rarely book 180 days out. I have gotten all our ADRs it just takes a little more work on our part.

Guests staying on property deserve a few extra perks. Look at Universal their delux hotels have access to the front of the line, however their value guests do not. Compared to this Disney is being more than fair.

The Disney guests that are being treated unfairly are the locals who have APs.

 

[ArwenMarie]

We booked room only but did not buy our tickets until 30 days out. We still got what we wanted for FP. We always stay onsite bur rarely book 180 days out. I have gotten all our ADRs it just takes a little more work on our part.

Guests staying on property deserve a few extra perks. Look at Universal their delux hotels have access to the front of the line, however their value guests do not. Compared to this Disney is being more than fair.

The Disney guests that are being treated unfairly are the locals who have APs.

Why are the locals with APs being treated unfairly?

 

[itchin2go]

I thought so too, but if you've never had to book within 30 days, there's really no reason to know it's any different than booking at 60. I don't assume everyone knows everything about every detail of FP+ both for off site and on. I appreciate PG's polite explanation of how it worked as I was completely unaware.

Yes, I'm aware that if you have a unique keyword, your search time is much faster. However, when it's a subject such as FP+. you're likely to get a lot of posts when you search me.

I personally feel a responsibility NOT to post something with great authority and certainty if I'm not familiar with the particular issue, if I have no experience with it, or if I am simply unsure.

By way of example, I have no experience whatsoever with Magical Express so I would not post anything in regard to that.

For FP questions, I personally know to go to mesaboy2's excellent FP+ thread as a first point of reference. If a particular issue is not covered there, I agree that it could take some searching because it's probably a pretty uncommon issue.

Right or wrong, silly or not, I do feel a responsibility to people who come to these forums looking not for just "answers", but for the RIGHT answers.

 

[cakebaker]

I personally feel a responsibility NOT to post something with great authority and certainty if I'm not familiar with the particular issue, if I have no experience with it, or if I am simply unsure.

You are so right...and I subscribe to that as well. Some of us just aren't perfect sometimes though and we make mistakes. Bad, bad me.

 

[itchin2go]

You are so right...and I subscribe to that as well. Some of us just aren't perfect sometimes though and we make mistakes. Bad, bad me.

Live and learn.

 

[notnothin]

They're doing the EXACT opposite...

Instead of limiting capacity to preserve value...they're laying concrete and turf grass to accomodate more.

You know...under horrid Michael eisner's leadership... They built
Things (not always wisely or perfectly...not by a longshot) to attempt to saturate the property and provide enough things so that the stays would increase. Not everyone would go to PI or boardwalk...but the goal was to spread the net to capture as many fish as
Possible.

The problem is...primarily with Americans...that nobody is allowed time off. How can you leave your desk when you can respond to emails for 10+
Hours a day and have the same conversations with you're coworkers? (Never about money...of course...that's "not what this company is about")...
So the wall was hit and the strategy was shifted.

I never really disagreed with a "recentered" philosophy.

Now we've almost gone "hard to port" and we're off keel again. They're almost contracting the offerings...circling the wagons around stale offerings...

That isn't right either. Perhaps people will not come for more than a sat-sat trip...but perhaps the frequency will increase? That is/was the success of the 90's approach and DVC.

Now...we know the "1st time magicals" buy the junk... So they are going only after them....

But knowing somewhat how the Disney corporate mind thinks...I think they expect to be knocked off this 10 year tact...they're just running with it.
They're probably laughing at all of us...they aren't buying this "the guests are finding more value" nonsense...because they of all people know how hard it is to keep an attention span. And they know the amount of 1st timers who can afford the place is NOT unlimited. Contrary to the "not in the real world" economic analyses we see here alot.

I think they're all sipping wine in the 33 club in anaheim and laughing at us all...because they're almost conducting an Orwellian price experiment in a vacuum.

What hasn't/doesn't get nearly enough play is the ride tiering In the parks...that is 100% a flat out admission that they don't have enough to accomodate their crowds freely. And if they said "were working on it..." And had plans going forward in those parks... I'd give leeway. But they have not done that...no fires
Lit at all...and these are the two parks that have shown significant closures and decay...really going back along time. There's just no excuse (the bait is in the trap...go for it )

I think they're laughing at everyone. And when it hits the fan - the next plan is rolled out. Because they already probably expected to have used it right now...the consumers
Should have forced it by now.

I saw most of this mentioned in a post/article in the last couple of days but can't seem to find it again. Do you have the link?

 

[Doug M]

Some people say that anyone who buys a pass to a themepark should at least have the opportunity to be treated equally. I agree, at least during regular hours. I don't care about extra hours such as EMH because that is beyond the regular day. I don't think that the 60 day window is as big a deal as some but I see it as a troubling trend. Maybe.

Some people mention Universal being less fair because of Express but I think that they are more fair because I can access Express even if it costs me. I guess that it's all a matter of perspective.

You CAN access 60 day FP, you choose not to. There isnt some secret society here that you must be a member to get that perk. It is fair because anyone can get it, now because you dont choose it doent mean it isnt fair. Equal opportunity not equal outcomes.

 

[dpswift]

Why are the locals with APs being treated unfairly?

Sorry they have changed it. It used to be that they could not go 60 days out but now they can.