Would Someone Please Explain Why???

[Justthe8ofus]

Many places around the globe offer resident discounts(including Colleges). The DCL resident rates come out close to sailings. It's a way to fill ships.

Maybe if enough jealous people complain to Disney they can ruin it for the residents. I mean we are all about "fairness" now a days aren't we?

 

[Justthe8ofus]

I guess that I am going to throw some gas on this discussion...

At least in So Cal, the local AP folks really do not support the operations of Disneyland / DCA because 1) they really do not pay that much for an annual pass, 2) the bored HS kids come and cause problems, 3) theres WAY too many of them and most important 4) they really don't spend much money in the parks.

I don't know if all of that holds true for the Florida parks, but I assume that the locals do not spend as much on stuff once in the park (how many WDW mugs can one person own) and if they happen to buy a meal, they as AP holders get what, 25% off of the meal price!!

And now lets move on to DCL, the locals periodically (now more than ever except for after 911) get great rates on rooms onboard. Since the cruise is "All Inclusive" the only way DCL "makes" any extra money from this group is through souvineers, shore excursions and any onboard activities that carry a fee (hey, maybe that's why the spa is full - they are all FL residents!).

I understand the need to fill the rooms so they can have consistant staffing levels (can't be adding and dropping staff cruise to cruise), but if DCL is able to "break even" on the FL residents sailing with the discount, that means they are making a killing on the rest of us.

And finally FL residents - don't complain about the tourists. I wonder what percentage of your state taxes we pay. My favorite example is: I have rented cars in Orlando and So Cal. The same $25/day car in Florida runs me close to $50 after all of the "recovery taxes, fees and surcharges". The same car in So Cal ran me under $27.

Sorry about the rant, we now continue with the civilized conversation that we have been having!

Yikes! They make meds for this type of anger.

I wonder why anyone wouldn't want your type of tourist visiting often?

I wonder what % of EVERYONE'S federal taxes are going to bail out your state? See we can all play this game. At least you got a vacation out of your deal. If you don't like it you can vacation elsewhere. Do the US taxpayers have that choice?

Are you seeing how silly you sound?

 

[jrabbit]

Yikes! They make meds for this type of anger.

Wow, if you really thinks that sounds angry you should be on the boards when DCL decides to move a ship out of Florida for the summer: "How dare they move the Magic to... (CA, MED, etc)!!!" OR let's talk about how dressed up you must be to be able to go to Formal Night Dinner on the Magic.

I really don't think that I sounded that angry, just bringing up some observations.

I wonder why anyone wouldn't want your type of tourist visiting often?

You mean the kind that is polite, picks up trash after other, picks up merchandise off of the floor and puts it back on the shelf where it belongs, etc. Oh yea, and we come back year after year dropping hundreds of TAX dollars into your state coffers to pay for your needs.

I wonder what % of EVERYONE'S federal taxes are going to bail out your state? See we can all play this game. At least you got a vacation out of your deal. If you don't like it you can vacation elsewhere. Do the US taxpayers have that choice?

Since I live in the northwest it's a very small % because we don't get squat!! Sorry Rush lost the election.

Are you seeing how silly you sound?

Oh yeah, totally unreasonable

 

[mr.b]

My wife and I have been Florida residents for over 10 years. We deserve every single discount that Disney provides. First: we average going to the theme parks at WDW between 22-24 days per year. We always stay on Disney property...average 7-10 days per year. We have purchased annual passes, try for either Florida resident discounts at their hotels, or annual passholder rates. When we go to the parks, we spend money on food and tips, purchase occasional gifts for family and friends. When we call WDW to make a reservation, the operator will say something like: 'I see this is your 117th stay with us'.(I've lost count of the total stays).

When the economy (like now) is in a downturn, we are the people who support Disney. We go to the parks, we stay at the hotels, we eat at the parks. Out of state people, out of economic necessity, do not. They don't come to Florida, simply because they cannot afford to do so. Just last month, the tourism figures showed that fewer people came to WDW in 2008. We were at the parks on 22 days. We have had castmembers thank us, saying that without support from people like us, they would not have jobs.

We are heading out in April for our 8th DCL cruise. This was a Florida resident rate. Of all our cruises, only 2 have not been resident rates. We tip well, are gracious to the castmembers, and are huge Disney fans. We also have an Eastern cruise scheduled in Nov., and as soon as they post a Florida resident rate, we will jump on it. We also have booked the eastern trans-atlantic cruise. We support WDW and the DCL. It is people like us, who fill the ships up, and help the wait staff, cabin steward, and others; make a decent salary.

We in Florida, are good neighbors to Disney, supportive thru good and bad times. So, yes, when they have a Florida resident rate, we Florida residents are there for Disney.

 

[aristocats_lover]

I guess that I am going to throw some gas on this discussion...

At least in So Cal, the local AP folks really do not support the operations of Disneyland / DCA because 1) they really do not pay that much for an annual pass, 2) the bored HS kids come and cause problems, 3) theres WAY too many of them and most important 4) they really don't spend much money in the parks.

I don't know if all of that holds true for the Florida parks, but I assume that the locals do not spend as much on stuff once in the park (how many WDW mugs can one person own) and if they happen to buy a meal, they as AP holders get what, 25% off of the meal price!!

And now lets move on to DCL, the locals periodically (now more than ever except for after 911) get great rates on rooms onboard. Since the cruise is "All Inclusive" the only way DCL "makes" any extra money from this group is through souvineers, shore excursions and any onboard activities that carry a fee (hey, maybe that's why the spa is full - they are all FL residents!).

I understand the need to fill the rooms so they can have consistant staffing levels (can't be adding and dropping staff cruise to cruise), but if DCL is able to "break even" on the FL residents sailing with the discount, that means they are making a killing on the rest of us.

And finally FL residents - don't complain about the tourists. I wonder what percentage of your state taxes we pay. My favorite example is: I have rented cars in Orlando and So Cal. The same $25/day car in Florida runs me close to $50 after all of the "recovery taxes, fees and surcharges". The same car in So Cal ran me under $27.

Sorry about the rant, we now continue with the civilized conversation that we have been having!

There is no dining discount with annual passes at WDW, unless you purchase an incredibly overpriced AP dining plan that would require you to spend over $400 just to break even, and then after that it is only 20% off each meal at "select locations".

Also, I think we spend a lot of money at WDW every year. We live two hours away and go for the day and weekend trips. We always stay onsite, buy our food in the parks, and buy souveniers. We're pin traders...Disney made $60 million off pin traders in one year. A lot of people may collect a few pins here and there, but the serious money makers are the locals (people will stand in line for hours, there are special events, etc). We go to all the parties (Halloween, Pirate and Princess). I've had CMs who remember me. So yeah, Disney makes mucho bucks off of my family. All we get is a small discount on hotel rooms at certain times of the year with our APs. Did I mention we don't even have kids yet?

And we choose Disney cruise line because we wanted too. Not because of some FL discount. Yes, I a FL resident am paying FULL PRICE to crusie.

Also, lots of FL places offer resident passes, for example our local aquarium. Everytime we go, and bring guests, we eat lunch, give donations for feeding the animals, etc. A resident who goes 10X a year for 5 years is better than a tourist who comes 1X OR 2x in 5 years!

BTW, the only problem I have with tourists is elderly visitors who cause a significant number of car accidents in our area. Driving during the season is scary! I don't even mind the drunk college kids...they can't rent cars and at least they are amusing to watch all off coolers at the beach!

I feel incredibly sad for people when I hear someone at WDW say something like "It's ok, we'll be back in a couple of years." I feel blessed to be able to go so often. Disney trips are expensive. However, there's a lot of trips we don't take because of the expense that the locals enjoy frequently because of their discounts (particularly Williamsburg VA...I really want to go but a weekend cost more than a week at WDW for us!)

 

[Bracy]

And don't forget that we are the people who work for and whose teens work for peanuts at WDW. Keeping us happy makes for good neighbors and definitely helps the bottom line. I can hear the fire works from my house but still stay at their hotels annually, and eat in their restaurants, and buy their merchandise, and yes, take advantage of their DCL resident specials.

I will never complain about the tourists because they are why i don't pay a state income tax, but i also choose to live outside of the tourist corridor.

Good points by all of my fellow Floridians.

The simplest way to get the same rate i am paying for my cruise is to refuse to pay double. Take the WDW trip but choose another cruiseline. It wouldn't take long for Disney to lower their prices. It's been said before, they have no reason to lower their rates as long as people will pay them.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

It's to pay us back for having to deal with tourists all the time!

that is what I was going to say!!!
I have taken 4 cruises, and only got the Fl Res Rate on the last one which happen to be my VR cruise.. I got upgraded to a Secret Veranda Room but lost my Visa credit

 

[jrabbit]

I really do not begrude all of you floridians the "breaks" you get for being local. Afterall you have cockroaches the size of a small VW, hurricaanes and Rush (for the righties) and Randi (for the lefties).

What I do have a problem with is why do your "North / South" highways go east and west and the East / West ones go North and South confused3:

In my 20 or so trips to central florida I probably have gotten lost 18 of them The worst time was when we were heading to cape kennedy and ended up on a toll road to Miami (ok that was a long time ago and the detour signs weren't really well layed out)


Still wished I was "brave" and moved to Orlando in the early/mid 80's.

 

[DisneyDmbNut]

those highways are Federal! Don't blame us!! haha

and yes..we have "10ft cockroaches" as I screamed when I was 5

 

[aristocats_lover]

Don't forget alligators, giant spiders, and black snakes.

 

[skohrs]

What I do have a problem with is why do your "North / South" highways go east and west and the East / West ones go North and South confused3:

In my 20 or so trips to central florida I probably have gotten lost 18 of them The worst time was when we were heading to cape kennedy and ended up on a toll road to Miami (ok that was a long time ago and the detour signs weren't really well layed out)

Believe it or not, there is an explanation for this. I assume you are referring to I-4 (east & west, but seeming to travel north & south), and 417 (north & south, but seeming to travel east & west). You have to look at a map and see the bigger picture. While I-4 does run north/south through the Orlando area, but it starts in Tampa on the west coast and ends in Daytona on the east coast (hence the east/west designation). While 417 does seem to travel east/west from Disney to the 528/beachline, it actually starts in the south by Disney and ends in the north in Seminole County. On a map, 417 actually looks like a large, backwards letter C.

 

[WDWKevin]

As others have said, it's Florida resident's close proximity to the parks/port that afford us the discounts. Florida resident's don't get Disneyland discounts, but California resident's do.

 

[tampabrat22]

First I want to say that I am very thankful for the tourists who choose to vacation here, last year an estimated 82+ MILLION visitors came to our state (http://media.visitflorida.org/news/news.php?id=48)! But you have to remember not everything tourism brings is good! Like the traffic congestion, pollution, more crime (visitors being scammed/robbed) and last but not least...the damage to Florida's protected natural areas (like our rivers, mangroves, the Everglades, coral reefs). Some of those things far outweigh the benefits.

As for the theme parks & cruise lines offering us discounts, I agree with the other posters, why wouldn't they? They need to fill the park or the cabins on the ship to stay in business so why not offer discounts to the people who are more likely to take advantage of last minute specials? And honestly, I would still travel when I do regardless of the FL res discounts. I only go to theme parks Oct. thru early April anyways, you couldn't pay me to go during the crowded months when its steaming hot! Thats not vacation, thats torture !

And I just wanted to add that most other cruise lines do offer the FL res rate...but the best thing with that is its year round, not just on certain dates like DCL!!!

 

[kingcole]

I am pretty sure that in the UK / Europe such discounts being only available to a particular group of people would be viewed as discrimination and therefore illegal!

 

[dursin]

I really do not begrude all of you floridians the "breaks" you get for being local. Afterall you have cockroaches the size of a small VW, hurricaanes and Rush (for the righties) and Randi (for the lefties).

I pay a pest control service about $40 per month and am lucky if I see a cockroach every couple years...and never see the big ones. Hurricane's can be a hassle, but I'm from the midwest where we had tornadoes...at least with a hurricane I'm given DAYS to prepare and get out of it's way! Don't waste my time with Rush or Randi...I listen to Howard on satellite radio.

What I do have a problem with is why do your "North / South" highways go east and west and the East / West ones go North and South confused3:

Only major highway which really effects me is I4 and it does primarily go east and west between Daytona and Tampa. Does go N/S as it's passing through Orlando though, so that can be a little confusing. Can see where your coming from though. I grew up near Chicago and was confused by I-55 being designated N/S when from my perspective it was clearly an E/W highway!

Still wished I was "brave" and moved to Orlando in the early/mid 80's.

I got brave back around 1990. Haven't regretted it at all. Weather is great, enjoy the resident discounts at all the parks and best of all...we don't pay any state income tax. All you tourists pay that for us!

 

[cats mom]

As others have said, it's Florida resident's close proximity to the parks/port that afford us the discounts. Florida resident's don't get Disneyland discounts, but California resident's do.

Gotcha, EXCEPT...
I didn't pay much attention to the 2008 West Coast Cruises, but I know FL resident rates were available on the 2005 Mexican Riviera sailings. So why not CA resident rates then? Makes more sense if you go with the proximity arguement, right?

Actually I do understand why DCL stuck with FL resident rates (well, kind of) Obviously they have a loyal FL following who are already familiar with the discount program and are willing to jump on the last minute deals. Plus I'm sure they didn't want to come into a new market and open up discount programs right away.

But I will be watching with interest to see what happens when DCL sails from the West Coast on a regular basis.

 

[WDWKevin]

I am pretty sure that in the UK / Europe such discounts being only available to a particular group of people would be viewed as discrimination and therefore illegal!

Florida Resident Rates are not discrimination. There are many different groups that are offered discounts throughout the hospitality industry including AAA Members, AARP Members, Military Members (Which applies to active duty US Military as well as members of US Allies including Great Britain).

As long as the discounts are not based on race, gender, religion, etc, they are legal.

On a side note, I do not agree with FL residents getting discounts on West Coast cruises unless CA discounts were already being offered (and I am a Florida resident).

As for the Florida resident discounts, case in point my cruise tomorrow. I booked it just 5-days ago when they released additional cabins to FL residents. It is more likely that someone like me who lives 45-minutes from the port can make a last minute cruise than someone who is out of state. In the hotel business, we also offer FL residents additional discounts, mostly on slower periods and with short notice.

 

[lillygator]

It's to pay us back for having to deal with tourists all the time!

exactly!

 

[MelissaE1]

Something else that I forgot to mention in my original answer... Although it's true that resident rates are often offered across multiple categories, Disney does "Cat 12 specials" for everyone who is quick enough to get them. I have seen where people from other states have booked a cat 12 for 4 people (automatic upgrade to 11) for less than the current resident rate for an 11. So it's not like if you don't live in the state you can never get good deals. They do offer discounts to everyone at times.

 

[tvguy]

And don't forget that we are the people who work for and whose teens work for peanuts at WDW. .

Don't know about WDW, but according to Dave Koenig's Mouse Tails series of books, pay and benefits are good enough at the original Disneyland that many who take jobs there intending to work there through college, end up making Disney a career.