Discounts to DVC owners...or lack thereof

[Happy Birthday Cat]

When I was at HHI last April for the first time, I was stunned at the number of businesses outside of the Disney Resort were offering discounts to those of us staying at Disney. Every time we went out to eat, I made sure to take advantage of the discounts offered. We chose places that had the discount and some were top notch.

In Orlando, we are for the most part a captive audiance because we choose to be at WDW. I think businesses and restaurants outside WDW should start offering discounts like they do on HHI. Maybe if more people ventured outside the world, then Disney would start offering more discounts to its most loyal customers.

HBC

 

[DVCPAT]

Originally posted by Happy Birthday Cat
Maybe if more people ventured outside the world, then Disney would start offering more discounts to its most loyal customers.
HBC

Or, stop using room keys and Disney Visa cards to charge your purchases. No DVC spending data translates into no DVC member purchasing. Disney will only give us discounts when the data tells them to.

 

[Lisa P.]

HBC, there are discounts offered to guests staying at different timeshares on HHI. Marriott guests get them too. Also, the touristy freebie magazines available in check-in lobbies on HHI usually include some discount offers, including the lobby of the DVC HHI resort. Since there isn't an onsite, sitdown restaurant at that resort, there's no competition to worry about. Do they have the discount offers at VB too?

One of the best deals on HHI used to be an offer to prepurchase $20 certificates good at a varied list of restaurants on the island. The certificates took $40 off the final bill! You could be staying anyplace to take advantage of this but I think they were only sold on certain days of the week. Don't know if they still have them anyway.

I think businesses and restaurants outside WDW should start offering discounts like they do on HHI.

They do. Go offsite to one of the convenience stores, drug stores, restaurant lobbies, hotel/timeshare resort lobbies, etc. You'll find those same kinds of touristy magazines with discount coupons. Disney doesn't keep those at their Disney resorts. I guess it would compete with their Disney restaurants.

 

[Shamus]

Originally posted by Richyams
I also think that it is shortsighted of them to not offer discounts. We spent more days in the parks and spending money with the "Golden Handcuffs"(free passes) than we do now....even though we have Fl Res passes, our guests and family don't, so we spend more time elsewhere.

That is why the offer the discount on the UHP (LOS). It is their attempt at getting DVCers and/or their guest into a pair of "Temporary Golden Handcuffs." All other ticket options allow guests the flexibility of spending the day offsite while wasting little or none of the money they invested in Disney Tickets.

IMHO - When it comes to Ticket Discounts for DVC Members - "Disney has already looked at the numbers, and until our habits change, the discounts will remain the same."

Shamus

 

[vernon]

While I'd agree there's no such thing as a "free lunch", there is such a thing as a symbiotic relationship that benefits both parties. Giving DVC members similar breaks as say Fl residents on passes could be argued to, potentially, be such a relationship. Members would get the chance to get better value for the same amount (or slightly more) for park tickets and Disney would get access to the member's spending while they are "trapped" in Disney parks. At the moment Disney either doesn't think the benefits outweigh the risk or they are happy with the slice they currently extract from our wallets. Although IMHO that is likely to decrease as the years go by.

Until Disney sees that a substantial part of DVC members are going off site to spend the majority of their money this is unlikely to change. I did get a survey from my most recent trip that did seem to concentrate almost completely on my spending patterns so perhaps it is an area they are at least monitoring to see if they are losing out. IMHO as more DVC members becoming long standing return visitors they will find that unless they can get good value out of an AP they will look for other alternatives to amuse themselves. With the great value that USF and SW/BG offer there is a possibility that members will take a year off from the WDW parks and try the other great parks in the area. I also find this has the effect of "freshening" your appetite for the Disney parks and I enjoy them more if I take a year off every now and then.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I don't see any point in Disney offering extensive discounts for DVC members. Unless you sell the thing you WILL go to Disney and apparently most of you will spend money in the parks, the restaurants, the shops.

I wish Disney would offer discounts on AP's for DVC'ers...as a stockholder I'm not actually sure why they don't. A decent price on an AP with my DVC would tend to encourage me to buy more points or to rent extra days to supplement the DVC and stay longer. As it is the price of the hoppers are enough to give me pause...I need to get full value out of every day I spend in the parks (unless I have an AP). And if I'm not going to be in the parks 8 days in a given year I will not buy an AP. If the break even point was at six days I'd probably buy one every year. But would I want to pay for this benefit out of my maintenance? No I wouldn't.

Discounts system wide...I don't see how Disney would benefit from that at all. Discounts on underutilized outlets (mini-golf, water-mice, room service, hair stylists, Disney Quest, hotel restaurants) makes total sense.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by DrTomorrow
If you check out the Resort Board, GadgetRick, you'll find out that AP holders are Disney's most loyal fans!

We just bought into SSR, and the availability, quantity or amount of any discounts played no role in our decision to buy; that is, except the $10/pt new property incentive. And, at least right now, I can't see how 10% off meals, or tickets, would be a driving factor in buying more points - that would depend on a reassessment of our vacation needs; and how much our Addonitis was acting up....

Yep, and DVC members are often AP holders too (like us). That is really the ONLY perk I would like. Give me the chance to buy an AP at Florida Residants prices, and I would be a happy camper!

 

[Lisa P.]

Giving DVC members similar breaks as say Fl residents on passes...

I always thought this. It occurs to me, though, that the reason they give FL residents a discount is because they most likely won't visit WDW otherwise. Either people don't visit the tourist sites "in their own backyard" or they choose less expensive competitors elsewhere.

DVC members, OTOH, will visit. If they trade out, someone else will trade in, in their place, and purchase full-priced tickets. No incentive for DVC to offer discounted APs.

I do see the angle on encouraging more points sales. I wonder if an AP discount would make sense as a high-points-ownership benefit. These would appeal to the same group of people, I'd think, encouraging purchases of both - APs and more DVC points.

 

[Dean]

While DVC may be an investment from our side, it's not from the DVC side of things. As for giving an across the board discount, Disney doesn't have that authority as it doesn't own or control many of the venues. It is however my opinion that Disney should offer the discounts it does offer to DVC members routinely.

 

[childsplay]

Originally posted by Richyams

We spent more days in the parks and spending money with the "Golden Handcuffs"(free passes) than we do now

I agree with this. And while I understand that our circumstances may not be the norm, the fact remains that we spent more than twice as much when we had the free passes.
We would take the kids to a character breakfast and ride a few rides, or sneak over to Epcot for a late dinner while grandma and grandpa watched the kids, now we won't set foot in the parks if its not going to be an all day experience. With free passes we went almost everyday, if only for a parade or show now....on our last 6 day trip we went to the parks 2 days.
Like I said, I'm sure we're not typical....and Disney has the data,..........but hey, discounts, no discounts, we have a great time either way

 

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

I would love to see a discount on our AP's. Now that the Disney Club is going away. No more discounts. And stockholders don't get anything anymore. We used to get the the Magic Kingdom Club, when it switched, nothing.

We've been buying AP's for several years now. I keep telling my DH we're saving money. Of course, what we save and a lot more is spent at DTD in the World of Disney.

And I'm always thinking, how many trips can I get on that AP.

 

[disneycrazed139]

I agree this would be a great benefit, but maybe part of their thinking is that if one can afford to purchase DVC and come to Disney regularly, one can, therefore, afford park passes at full price. If they know you're going to buy them, why discount them? It's like other posters said, they will try to entice customers and certain populations where it is needed only. How to convince them that it is needed for DVC? That's the question. I'm not sure they'll find a reason, but there are still plenty of discount ticket brokers to buy from.

 

[DVCtinkerbell]

Many companies are truely thankful for the business their best customers bring to them. Department stores, auto makers, grocery stores, etc. make small thank-yous offered from time to time. I just don't feel that small thank-you from Disney. It feels like they have you hook, line, and sinker if you are a DVC member. I don't feel a blanket discounts are appropriate. The UPH ticket discount does not mean much to us because we feel the pressure to be in the parks every minute of the day. We usually buy PH Plus tickets so if the kids get sick, tired or whatever, we won't drag them to the parks just to get our money's worth. We would love to run into the park on some days for dinner, fireworks, or parade but just don't.

I would love to see discounts on AP's since the Disney Club is going away. As one guide said to us, "The big white glove is not here to give anything away. He's there to collect!" Yikes, that was at our first DVC tour. I have to say, I full-heartedly agree with that guide.

Kim

 

[GadgetRick]

I'm glad I started this thread, lots of great thoughts out there.

Anyway, one theme I've seen here is, "Disney will not make out if they offer us discounts." Do I really care if Disney makes out or not? I know I'd do well if they offered more discounts. I really don't care if Disney makes x% on my visits or x-1% on my visit. The bottom line is I'm looking at ways to save myself (and other DVCers of course) money.

Another thing is, as I've said (and others have), I think it's clear we'd probably all spend more money given more discounts. Let's face it, many people will go into a store if there is a sale (or a discount offered) but probably pass by it if there isn't a sale. How many times have you gone into a store during a sale just to see what's on sale? More importantly, how many times have you taken advantage of a discount offered to you at a particular store? I can tell you myself and my wife constantly do this. Heck, we just got a 20% off coupon from Bed, Bath and Beyond the other day and we'll wind up buying some sheets or something. While we're there I'm sure we'll find other things we need/want and wind up spending more money there as well. The moral of this story is, we probably would not have gone into the store, much less bought anything, if it weren't for the discount.

I understand Disney does not own everything in Disneyworld. But let's be honest, they call the shots and the stores will basically do what's asked of them by Disney. I don't think it would be difficult to go to everybody and say, "Alright people, everyone will offer a 10-15% discount to anyone holding a valid DVC member card."

Also, Disney DOES control the ticket sales. Why on earth can I get a DVC discount on tickets when staying at a DVC resort but not when I'm at a non-DVC resort? I'll be running into this next month as we could not get into any of the DVC resorts so we're staying at CBR. Also, how about a discount for an AP? It wouldn't be much to ask for. Let's face it, Disney makes money on the tickets but not as much as you think. They make the bulk of their money on what we spend while on property. I'm sure they have very detailed breakdowns on what they sell per ticket per day and that's broken down into demographic groups. Is it too much to ask for a discount on tickets no matter where we stay???

I also agree with people who've mentioned Disney keeps close tabs on what DVC members spend. Sure, if we all stopped spending they'd do something to encourage us to spend but if we don't at least let Disney/DVC know we're not overly thrilled with the discounts they'll certainly never change them. If enough of us complain they might change. It's worth a shot.

Thanks.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by GadgetRick
Anyway, one theme I've seen here is, "Disney will not make out if they offer us discounts." Do I really care if Disney makes out or not? I know I'd do well if they offered more discounts. I really don't care if Disney makes x% on my visits or x-1% on my visit.

Well, I guess the point that people are trying to make is that Disney won't offer discounts if there's nothing in it for them. It's not like Walt (or Eisner ) is sitting there with a big bag 'o cash looking for loyal customers to reward. Even in the situations DVCtinkerbell (correctly) identifies, the businesses are offering "thank you's" in order to retain customers in highly-competitive markets. And IMHO, Disney isn't in a competitive market with the DVC. Nobody else can sell DVC except Disney (even resales have Disney's ROFR); SSR is selling fast and points at existing resorts get snapped up quickly - so why would any Disney suit suggest "Hey, let's lower our bottom line"?
So keep fighting the good fight, GadgetRick; I just got our temporary DVC cards (sent the FedEx last Sat) and I'm trying to find out if they're good for the discounts yet! But keep in mind that, when trying to convince Disney to offer more discounts, "We're loyal customers" won't work nearly as well as "We're loyal customers and your ROI will go up 1%".

 

[GadgetRick]

You mean they're not sitting there with a big bag of cash?? LOL!

Anyway, my main point is this would help Disney make more money. I know I'd wind up spending more if there were more discounts. I know I look at the sheet they give you which has a list of retailers where you can get discounts and, quite often, I wind up stopping in on many of them (even spending money!). I know Disney has been VERY public about them not making the money on the parks they've been. What a better way to add a few dollars to the bottom line?

Of course, I know this wouldn't affect Disney directly in some of the retailers since they're not owned by Disney. But heck, even if Disney told us they'd do this for us throughout the parks and any Disney-owned retailer I'd be happy.

I've also always been puzzled about the discount ticket thing. Still not sure why I get a discount if I stay at a DVC property but not if I stay at a non-DVC property. Anyone have any ideas on this one?

I must say it is an interesting discussion/debate. I love a good debate!

Fighting the good fight (I hope).

Congrats on your purchase DrTomorrow! Welcome to the club which doesn't show as much love as we'd like...

 

[crisi]

You may spend more (and therefore help Disney make more money), but not everyone would. The big question - worth millions of dollars to Disney by the time you give a discount to 75,000 members - is "would people purchase more - enough to make up for the discount" or "would people buy the same things using the discount, costing us millions." Some people would do the first, some the second, and where the balance hits is where Disney makes or loses money.

If Disney gave a 10% across the board discount, and your budget for tickets, meals, snacks, and souveniers has traditionally been $3000, would discounts encourage you to spend $3,500 (in which case Disney sees a return on the program), spend $3000 (Disney takes a loss - you spend the same, but their margin goes down) or $2,700 (another loss for Disney). How many people are the first type, how many people the second, and how many people the third. You need a LOT of the first type to make up for those second and third types out there. (I'm a type three, give me a discount and I'll take the money and run).

So if Disney ends up making money, its a win all around. But if they lose money on the program, they need to make it up somewhere. Prices might go up. Stock prices may go down. Investment in the parks may be reduced. Staff might be cut. A lot of risk involved.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Very nicely explained, crisi.

I've always wondered about the statement "If they offered discounts, I'd spend more." That really doesn't apply to my DW and I; we figure out what we want, then we try to get the best price on it (factoring in convenience ). Rarely will a discount induce me to buy more than I originally intended.

Now an across-the-board discount might make me direct more $$$ to Disney as opposed to other sources - dining would be a good example. But it wouldn't increase our overall spending.

 

[Richyams]

If Disney gave a 10% across the board discount, and your budget for tickets, meals, snacks, and souveniers has traditionally been $3000, would discounts encourage you to spend $3,500 (in which case Disney sees a return on the program), spend $3000 (Disney takes a loss - you spend the same, but their margin goes down) or $2,700 (another loss for Disney). How many people are the first type, how many people the second, and how many people the third. You need a LOT of the first type to make up for those second and third types out there. (I'm a type three, give me a discount and I'll take the money and run).

I really think that many would do the former. The number of days spent at WDW parks post free passes has definitely gone down for us. This trip my sister has about eight days left on various passes. she plans to only use those for the four of them. Only twoys in the parks on an eight day stay. If there was a reasonable discount on some sort of AP or LOS, a visit for dinner or something each and every day would happen.

While we had the free passes, we went with more people than we had free passes for and only having to buy 20-40% of the passes needed allowed us to go into the parks and spend money virtually every single day.

In all those years we spent two days off property. One at Seaworld and one at Universal. That is out of some 70+ days spent in OKW GVs, often with other family or friends having other units too.

Since the passes ran out, we have had Fla Res seasonal passes, but we are the only Fl residents, other family, also DVC members, do just like my sister is doing this trip. Buy a few hoppers, use a few days and save the rest for next year. I have been to Universal six or seven days since 2000, to Universal four days, if we had a decent discount those days would have seen an extra 10-14 people in the parks.

I don't know if the majority would be like me, but I suspect that enough would to make it worthwhile and I also suspect that is would make DVC even more valuable than it is today.

 

[DVCtinkerbell]

Ok, the bottom line for me. If I have $3000 to spend on food, drinks, gifts, etc. and a discount is offered, I will still spend $3000. But, given a discount on park tickets other than UPH's I would spend more time in the parks to eat, drink and shop. So, less room meals, not as many meals at TGIF's, Outback, Bahama Breeze. We would definitely give Disney a higher % of that $3000 spent. Disney ahead? Yes, even if we just walk into a park and head straight to a restaurant and leave after dinner. I believe the margin is bigger on food. We buy PH's every 2-3 trips, saving days for the next trip. We just bought 5 day PH's and came home with 3 days plus all of the plus features. Eight days at WDW and 2 days in the parks. There is room for growth for Disney to get a bigger % of my money.