Am I the only who thinks Disney / DVC is screwing us on Annual Passes?

[DougandBeth]

Not sure if I don't understand this or if we are being screwed.

So last year we took advantage of the PAP for $399 which was great!

We activated them in April 2013, used them in April, went back down in August for 3 days, used them again and now will be using them for half our trip this April because they expire on 4/12 half way through our trip.

So what am I missing this year?

I have to buy them by April and activate by 1/31/15???

That means if I don't go back down until next April I am screwed?? Which means those that want to buy them must use them literally by May of this year in order for it to cover next year also. That seems pathetic to me and a way for people to only be able to use them once.

What am I missing?

 

[jmcdonnell04]

I think the new PAP discount is not working out for your this time. The $ 399 PAP deal did not work for my family last time but I did not feel cheated or deprived. I was looking foward to this new deal but I am slightly disappointed because there was no additional discount on the regular AP. I can pay $ 20 more and get a PAP but I am not sure that we would take advantage of waterparks and I am positive we will not visit DisneyQuest. Perhaps, next time the additional discounts will work for both of us.

 

[DougandBeth]

I think the issue I have is last time they gave us a while to activate and yes I get it January 2015 is a while however if you go in the spring to Disney this deal is just not for you unfortunately.

 

[tjkraz]

...if you go in the spring to Disney this deal is just not for you unfortunately.

If the discounted PAPs are activated in spring 2014, they can still be used in spring 2015. Or they could be activated in summer '14 and used in summer '15. Or activated December '14 and used in December '15.

Like the previous poster said, it just so happens this offer doesn't work out well for you. It doesn't for me, either. But there are people who weren't able to take advantage of the fall 2012 PAP discounts.

You could CHOOSE to visit some time other than April '14 and April '15 to take advantage of the offer. Can't agree you are being "screwed" because the pass dates don't mesh with your travel plans.

 

[DebbieB]

Not sure if I don't understand this or if we are being screwed.

So last year we took advantage of the PAP for $399 which was great!

We activated them in April 2013, used them in April, went back down in August for 3 days, used them again and now will be using them for half our trip this April because they expire on 4/12 half way through our trip.

So what am I missing this year?

I have to buy them by April and activate by 1/31/15???

That means if I don't go back down until next April I am screwed?? Which means those that want to buy them must use them literally by May of this year in order for it to cover next year also. That seems pathetic to me and a way for people to only be able to use them once.
What am I missing?

I'm not following you. Someone could buy it now, activate it in December and it would be good until December 2015.

It doesn't work for everyone. It doesn't work for me but I don't say I'm being "screwed". I activated the Promo PAP last November, so it will expire this November. I don't plan a trip between November and January so I will not be buying this one. I'm planning a trip to DL in May of 2015, doesn't work for me there either. Maybe by then there will be another promo.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Not sure if I don't understand this or if we are being screwed.

So last year we took advantage of the PAP for $399 which was great!

We activated them in April 2013, used them in April, went back down in August for 3 days, used them again and now will be using them for half our trip this April because they expire on 4/12 half way through our trip.

So what am I missing this year?

I have to buy them by April and activate by 1/31/15???

That means if I don't go back down until next April I am screwed?? Which means those that want to buy them must use them literally by May of this year in order for it to cover next year also. That seems pathetic to me and a way for people to only be able to use them once.

What am I missing?

What am I missing? Some discount doesn't work for you and you are being "Screwed"

Maybe it's just me but when I bought DVC I bought a place to stay. Anything else is just a bonus and if they don't all work for me it's not a personal attack by Disney.

I also don't follow your logic on why I have to use them by May of this year?? HUH? I can buy it in April and activate it the following January.

 

[DougandBeth]

Let me clarify before I get a bunch of threatening posts and replies

I mean they should just allow the date of purchase a year from that point to activate and not necessarily minimize the activation time.

Here is why...We go down once a year however last year we went twice and in 2014 we are going three times. Every time we go I drop $2,000-$3,000 over a 5 day period.

If they were able to give more time to go I would go more often but in this case I will now only go 1 time and not visit parks the entire time which saves me a boat load of money but not good for disney.

Anyway I know disney could care less about just one person but I do think they are losing about $10,000 on my this year because the passes are not flexible

 

[DebbieB]

Let me clarify before I get a bunch of threatening posts and replies

I mean they should just allow the date of purchase a year from that point to activate and not necessarily minimize the activation time.

Here is why...We go down once a year however last year we went twice and in 2014 we are going three times. Every time we go I drop $2,000-$3,000 over a 5 day period.

If they were able to give more time to go I would go more often but in this case I will now only go 1 time and not visit parks the entire time which saves me a boat load of money but not good for disney.

Anyway I know disney could care less about just one person but I do think they are losing about $10,000 on my this year because the passes are not flexible

Stiil not following you. You said your current AP expires 4/12. Is April your last trip of 2014? If not, why not activate it on the next trip?

 

[Missyrose]

Let me clarify before I get a bunch of threatening posts and replies

I mean they should just allow the date of purchase a year from that point to activate and not necessarily minimize the activation time.

Here is why...We go down once a year however last year we went twice and in 2014 we are going three times. Every time we go I drop $2,000-$3,000 over a 5 day period.

If they were able to give more time to go I would go more often but in this case I will now only go 1 time and not visit parks the entire time which saves me a boat load of money but not good for disney.

Anyway I know disney could care less about just one person but I do think they are losing about $10,000 on my this year because the passes are not flexible

Guess what? There's a good chance DVC isn't the one who set the activation deadline, everything has to be negotiated with the ticketing office.

 

[drusba]

You are suffering from Claire Bilby syndrome. Claire was head of DVC from Aug 2011 to end of Jan 2013, during which time DVC adopted the $399 PAP, added a number of other decent discounts, and generally seemed to be actually trying to treat the members like they were special. She left for a new position at Disneyland Paris and many suspected she was moved for being too nice to the members. We now have smiling Ken Potrock at the helm, who talks a great story but produces little (and some things are even starting to disappear). Kind of reminds me of Jim Lewis.

 

[bwvBound]

You are suffering from Claire Bilby syndrome. Claire was head of DVC from Aug 2011 to end of Jan 2013, during which time DVC adopted the $399 PAP, added a number of other decent discounts, and generally seemed to be actually trying to treat the embers like they were special. She left for a new position at Disneyland Paris and many suspected she was moved for being too nice to the members. We now have smiling Ken Potrock at the helm, who talks a great story but produces little (and some things are even starting to disappear). Kind of reminds me of Jim Lewis.

Yep, that is a perfect summary of a conversation my husband and I had yesterday. We simply miss Claire.

 

[vicki_c]

Last time it didn't work for us. This time it will, IF we decide to buy PAPs. Just a timing thing. I hardly feel screwed over by Disney. I'm happy that there are deals at all, when we joined there were no AP offers at all for DVC.

 

[Brian Noble]

I mean they should just allow the date of purchase a year from that point to activate and not necessarily minimize the activation time.

They could. They didn't. That's a bummer, but maybe there will be another, similar deal next year---a deal that will be useful to you.

 

[ElizabethG]

Well, you would have been able to take advantage of this if you hadn't used the last one. That is the reason it won't work for us. We typically go in the fall. I activated the 399 PAP on 11/1/2013. I will still be able to use that one for our 2014 trip. So, if I didn't already have that, it would have been a great deal.

 

[hjgaus]

We are So Cal locals & it does not seem to be going in our favor for the DVC discount Disneyland Deluxe AP's either. We would STILL NEED to pay for parking! Only 1 person out of my family of 4 could benefit from this so called discount so not much of a deal!

 

[tjkraz]

If they were able to give more time to go I would go more often but in this case I will now only go 1 time and not visit parks the entire time which saves me a boat load of money but not good for disney.

Anyway I know disney could care less about just one person but I do think they are losing about $10,000 on my this year because the passes are not flexible

It's a convenient argument to make (charge less and I'll spend more) but it rarely translates into greater profits. Disney still has overhead to cover--whether it's the cost of the food you're served, the cost to manufacture a t-shirt or the cost to staff and maintain a theme park.

Discounts don't reduce operating overhead...they reduce profits.

Besides, all of the DVC villas will be filled one way or another. Disney may be losing "your" money but they are gaining someone else's. The DVC resorts will still be at capacity even if you aren't there.

In the aggregate, charge less for admission and most guests will simply pocket the difference. "Thanks for the lower prices, Disney!" Meanwhile attendance balloons and people don't understand why the parks are as crowded as ever.

That's exactly why Disney typically does not discount park admission. Instead prices increase every year...sometimes 2x per year.

I'm mildly surprised this AP offer has surfaced again. In addition to the comments above, DVC has now established a trend. In 2015 / 2016 and beyond, there will be thousands of members waiting for the next offer before firming-up their plans. And many outspoken critics if the next offer doesn't stack up.

 

[granmanh603]

You are suffering from Claire Bilby syndrome. Claire was head of DVC from Aug 2011 to end of Jan 2013, during which time DVC adopted the $399 PAP, added a number of other decent discounts, and generally seemed to be actually trying to treat the members like they were special. She left for a new position at Disneyland Paris and many suspected she was moved for being too nice to the members. We now have smiling Ken Potrock at the helm, who talks a great story but produces little (and some things are even starting to disappear). Kind of reminds me of Jim Lewis.

Yeah that is exactly what I was thinking...Clair was too good to be true and they moved her on ... quickly after she gave us that great PAP deal last year. And the new guy heard his name once when announced and since then could say a thing about him..... who ? what? do we actually have a head at the helm?

 

[nkosiek]

No, I don't think we've gotten screwed. I think this isn't as good a deal as the last one but it is still a large chunk off of the PAP as well as the Premier Pass. It would've been better for those wanting the Premier Pass if they sold vouchers instead of making them get that one at the park, but otherwise these are solid offers. As others have noted, these deals work for some and not for others. This one doesn't work for me as we have the PAP that expires this August and aren't planning any trips until next August. I don't feel slighted, I'm just hoping something like this comes up next year.

 

[tjkraz]

...Clair was too good to be true and they moved her on ... quickly after she gave us that great PAP deal last year.

Yeah, but the AP offer has reappeared--and expanded to Disneyland--so I don't see how we can conclude that Claire was being disciplined for making such an offer. If higher-ups were dissatisfied with the 2012 PAP special, it never would have been heard from again.

Claire was definitely a more relatable and visible leader than others but other than the PAP offer, I don't really see an expansive list of other perks she introduced which went above-and-beyond the norm. We could spend all day discussing Jim Lewis' shortcomings but it was on his watch that the original AP and PAP offers were introduced in 2005. From '91-05, DVC owners had no discounts on Annual Passes.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Personally I too feel like they're limiting when there's little point to it. Fine - limit the length of time it's available for purchase but the activation limitations are a negative to the offers. It's over complicating things and is creating ill-will for some members that really isn't necessary.

Strange thought that discounts just deduct from the bottom line. I'd say they weren't structured correctly if that's the case. Before the last PAP deal we were going to branch out. We'd still be staying at our DVC but were going to spend more time at Universal and finally head over to Sea World where I hadn't been since the 80's. The PAP happened and thus all our days went to Disney parks, F&B and stores.

This new offer is not automatically creating that shift of direction. If there wasn't a limit on the time to purchase though I imagine I'd probably get sucked in eventually. Instead I'm planning again for non-Disney stuff along with a little Disney after our current AP's expire in Dec.