Annual Passes Anytime Soon

[Shikedants]

I just emailed DVc this message. I'm sure I'm not the first to express these sentiments. I wonder if I'll get a reply:

We all had an unusual last 12 months. In that time we had to make changes and sacrifices and no one escaped the affects of the pandemic. One obvious sacrifice made by theme park enthusiasts is that we just didn’t have the opportunity to visit our favorite spots as much as we would have liked. That certainly applies to DVC members like myself.

The parks in WDW had to significantly reduce capacity for public health reasons. That was a good decision as far as I’m concerned and am grateful that the parks were even able to open at all. One of the things that we DVC members are used to is having annual passes. We typically visit WDW multiple times a year and can do so affordably because of annual passes. That is a factor in our decision to purchase DVC, although who could have predicted that a pandemic would occur. Yet, none the less, we did make the investment, and had to live with the affects of Covid19.

Disney continued to make annual passes available to existing holders of them. They were not available to DVC members. I understand the need to reduce capacity of the parks, so Disney had to make a choice. For a year now, DVC members had to live with this choice, and it doesn’t seem as this situation will change anytime soon. Although just as loyal a fan base as DVC members, annual passholders have not really made an investment with Disney as have we. They have past experiences that I’m sure they treasure, but beyond what time is left on their existing passes, there’s really nothing that Disney owes them and there should be no expectations on their part. DVC members have made long term investments of which a return is expected and of which I hold Disney responsible for delivering. We also bore 100% of the short term expense of our annual dues.

Going into this year, I have nearly 600 points to use, 250 of which will expire next February. I’ve made reservations for a couple of stays, but right now this vaccinated DVC member and his vaccinated family face the prospect of spending quite a few days at the resort with having to buy daily tickets. I don’t need to tell anyone how much more expensive that is than having annual passes.
I’m not suggesting that you open the floodgates and let capacity return to 100%. What I am asking is for you to realize that you allowed one group of loyal fans the opportunity to retain annual passes and that now is the time to consider making that other group of loyal customers, DVC Members who have made an investment with you, the top priority and make them eligible for the purchase of annual passes.
Thank you.

 

[davper]

DVC members have made long term investments of which a return is expected and of which I hold Disney responsible for delivering.

Disney has no responsibility for providing any return of your investment other than providing you a comfortable room equivalent to your point usage. Anything else beyond that was extra and should not have been considered when deciding to purchase.

If the parks closed permanently tomorrow, Disney would owe you nothing except to provide you a comfortable room.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Right. The return on your investment is the discounted accommodations. Nothing more.
I think that comes across as very entitled.

 

[JETSDAD]

Whether or not an AP was able to be renewed had nothing to do with whether or not someone was a DVC member or just an AP holder. You seem to be saying people are either DVC or AP but that isn't the case. There are many DVC members with active AP's.

 

[Brett Wyman]

OP why didn't you have an AP before the pandemic but require one now? If you did have one prior you can get it reinstated, if the previous AP was active until at least 3-31-20.

 

[RoseGold]

I'm always stunned at these responses from people who already have theirs. Too bad for you! It's pretty gross that even Blue Card can't get a new one.

I'm canceling my summer trip, because I still can't get an AP. Honestly, I will sell most of my points if I can't get an AP. There's no way I'm going for two weeks in the summer without an AP, which was my 2020 plan.

DVC is going to be a tough sell when APs are still not available. But, I still believe Disney will roll them out as soon as they can crank up occupancy. They need money, and APs are a good way to print some. If I'm wrong, I guess I'll be listing some contracts this Christmas.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

I'm always stunned at these responses from people who already have theirs. Too bad for you! It's pretty gross that even Blue Card can't get a new one.

I think the frustration is fair.. but so is the criticism. OP's post has some inaccuracies and really is a "read your contract" type of moment.

 

[TeamRiley]

Too many people here think that somehow Disney has all the answers. They implemented some policies when covid hit - both good and bad - and are now trying to get back to normal.

Unfortunately, when you are lying on a gurney and the paramedic is frantically trying to stop the bleeding to keep you alive, he will most likely not pay attention to you when you tell him you are uncomfortable. It sucks, but that is how it goes.

 

[sethschroeder]

Too many people here think that somehow Disney has all the answers. They implemented some policies when covid hit - both good and bad - and are now trying to get back to normal.

Unfortunately, when you are lying on a gurney and the paramedic is frantically trying to stop the bleeding to keep you alive, he will most likely not pay attention to you when you tell him you are uncomfortable. It sucks, but that is how it goes.

At this point they have had way more than enough time to respond, address questions/issues, and outline future state policies. An example would be AP sales for WDW would not return prior to 100% capacity is resumed or something similar.

Also little over dramatic response for a company that has $16b in cash on hand and $13.78b in profit over the past 3 years/12 quarters. I still remember people talking about how Disney might go out of business or go bankrupt or be bought out when it was never really plausible.

I think the frustration is fair.. but so is the criticism. OP's post has some inaccuracies and really is a "read your contract" type of moment.

Its a letter to DVC. So I think its less "read your contract" and more so "Disney is still actively marketing the perk/incentive/discount".

If we want to have a discussion on if Disney could remove APs lets do it but that isn't really the point of this thread IMO.

 

[sethschroeder]

Hopefully more people write them as well in some capacity. It may seem like it will do nothing but it does remind them that people do want certain perks. No doubt that team talks about the emails and feedback they are getting and that does get bubbled up to some extent.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

If we want to have a discussion on if Disney could remove APs lets do it but that isn't really the point of this thread IMO.

Interesting. I read the OP as though it’s ENTIRELY about removing/reinstating AP’s.

 

[TeamRiley]

This is a bit more telling of where they stand financially. They took a huge hit in 2020.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/273556/net-income-of-the-walt-disney-company/

 

[bwvBound]

OP why didn't you have an AP before the pandemic but require one now? If you did have one prior you can get it reinstated, if the previous AP was active until at least 3-31-20.

Tiny note: DLR APs were cancelled and refunded. I had one at the closure and held on to it … waiting, waiting, waiting for re-opening. Before re-opening, DLR closed all outstanding APs, refunded the balance and gave us a new title, “Legacy AP.” We had no choice in the matter. We are w/out APs.

 

[sethschroeder]

Interesting. I read the OP as though it’s ENTIRELY about removing/reinstating AP’s.

Except that is an email TO Disney and the ones who are actively marketing AP perks and have full control over who does or does not get access to APs.

It is not about the legal restrictions on Disney its about the belief of what Disney should do.

Also I never read anything stating Disney has done anything legally wrong but maybe I missed it. If we want a separate discussion on what the limitation is on Disney legally happy to have that but this thread does not seem aligned to that discussion.

 

[CSLucas]

APs don't do anything for us because we don't go enough, but I absolutely agree with OP. Just because Disney doesn't owe someone something doesn't mean it's "entitled behavior" to write and ask about it (while making very valid points about the loyalty and investments made by constituents). Disney made a choice to prioritize current passholders, and I think the OP has a very solid argument that DVC owners should be considered for that same treatment regardless of whether they had a preexisting annual pass.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Except that is an email TO Disney and the ones who are actively marketing AP perks and have full control over who does or does not get access to APs.

It is not about the legal restrictions on Disney its about the belief of what Disney should do.

Also I never read anything stating Disney has done anything legally wrong but maybe I missed it. If we want a separate discussion on what the limitation is on Disney legally happy to have that but this thread does not seem aligned to that discussion.

Okay… I read the “could they do it ” as in might they do it, whereas you meant it from a can they legally do it standpoint.

 

[Castillo Mom]

I just emailed DVc this message. I'm sure I'm not the first to express these sentiments. I wonder if I'll get a reply:

We all had an unusual last 12 months. In that time we had to make changes and sacrifices and no one escaped the affects of the pandemic. One obvious sacrifice made by theme park enthusiasts is that we just didn’t have the opportunity to visit our favorite spots as much as we would have liked. That certainly applies to DVC members like myself.

The parks in WDW had to significantly reduce capacity for public health reasons. That was a good decision as far as I’m concerned and am grateful that the parks were even able to open at all. One of the things that we DVC members are used to is having annual passes. We typically visit WDW multiple times a year and can do so affordably because of annual passes. That is a factor in our decision to purchase DVC, although who could have predicted that a pandemic would occur. Yet, none the less, we did make the investment, and had to live with the affects of Covid19.

Disney continued to make annual passes available to existing holders of them. They were not available to DVC members. I understand the need to reduce capacity of the parks, so Disney had to make a choice. For a year now, DVC members had to live with this choice, and it doesn’t seem as this situation will change anytime soon. Although just as loyal a fan base as DVC members, annual passholders have not really made an investment with Disney as have we. They have past experiences that I’m sure they treasure, but beyond what time is left on their existing passes, there’s really nothing that Disney owes them and there should be no expectations on their part. DVC members have made long term investments of which a return is expected and of which I hold Disney responsible for delivering. We also bore 100% of the short term expense of our annual dues.

Going into this year, I have nearly 600 points to use, 250 of which will expire next February. I’ve made reservations for a couple of stays, but right now this vaccinated DVC member and his vaccinated family face the prospect of spending quite a few days at the resort with having to buy daily tickets. I don’t need to tell anyone how much more expensive that is than having annual passes.
I’m not suggesting that you open the floodgates and let capacity return to 100%. What I am asking is for you to realize that you allowed one group of loyal fans the opportunity to retain annual passes and that now is the time to consider making that other group of loyal customers, DVC Members who have made an investment with you, the top priority and make them eligible for the purchase of annual passes.
Thank you.

I hear you! I too, am frustrated and in a similar situation. I have 15 nights booked in WDW this September for which I purchased 10-day tickets and another eight nights booked in February for which I'm holding out, plus more than likely another trip planned a few months after that. We also plan on Aulani next June, mainly because we haven't been and had to cancel our plans to go there last year, but also because we don't need park passes for that trip.

That being said, I know the comments about "read your contract" or "that's what you signed up for" can come off a bit harsh, but I've learned that the folks in this forum are truly trying to be helpful and won't sugarcoat things. The reality is that DVC has no obligation to ensure we have access to the parks nor is there a guarantee of any perk being permanent.

As for writing to DVC, I sent a pretty lengthy email to Terry Shultz about a month ago regarding APs. Long story short, she responded the next morning and confirmed that they're coming back, she just didn't have a firm date. For me, that was a satisfactory response. As a person who works for a large organization, I understand that for many companies, things are still a bit fluid and that there are many logistics involved with getting back to normal operations that simply can't be shared with the public. I'll continue to wait patiently and be a daily lurker on socials and this forum for any inkling that APs are returning hopefully before my trip in September. If that's the case, I can just upgrade at Guest Relations upon arrival and we'll be set. Honestly, I don't even care about a discount at this point, just give me my darn AP!

 

[DisneyOutsider]

Its a letter to DVC. So I think its less "read your contract" and more so "Disney is still actively marketing the perk/incentive/discount".

If we want to have a discussion on if Disney could remove APs lets do it but that isn't really the point of this thread IMO.

The "read your contract" remark from me was more about how the OP felt that Disney is responsible to provide them a "return" on their investment. It hints at a misunderstanding of what DVC is and what it isn't. Yes, I wouldn't expect DVC to reply in such a way, but the e-mail was posted here by the author for discussion, so I think the replies here on both sides are fair game.

As far as whether they could remove APs from the perks.. I don't think we need a discussion about that.. it's glaringly obvious that they can do that at any time they feel like. They could even make it a permanent change if they felt like it (though I don't expect that to happen anytime soon).

 

[sethschroeder]

This is a bit more telling of where they stand financially. They took a huge hit in 2020.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/273556/net-income-of-the-walt-disney-company/

You mean how they made almost $1b in the last quarter? Sure lets take a look at that. If we want to get a little more granular then sure lets do that and see the trend back towards massive profit coming with the 50th and 100% capacity and more people traveling.

I was more than happy to give Disney a break all of last year and even earlier this year but we are at the tipping point now where things need to be returning or timelines need to be shared.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/224415/quarterly-net-income-of-the-walt-disney-company/

 

[Leight19]

The "read your contract" remark from me was more about how the OP felt that Disney is responsible to provide them a "return" on their investment. It hints at a misunderstanding of what DVC is and what it isn't. Yes, I wouldn't expect DVC to reply in such a way, but the e-mail was posted here by the author for discussion, so I think the replies here on both sides are fair game.

As far as whether they could remove APs from the perks.. I don't think we need a discussion about that.. it's glaringly obvious that they can do that at any time they feel like. They could even make it a permanent change if they felt like it (though I don't expect that to happen anytime soon).

Any of these threads I’ll always come in to point out the current closing documents still lists annual pass discount as benefit with details on how to purchase new annual passes. For over a year this language has persisted in the closing documents through multiple revisions despite not being true. You can say they don’t “owe” discounts just the room but I don’t see how that holds for new contracts sold since the pause when it’s directly included in closing documents.