Any news when DVC members can get an annual pass???

[New Mouse]

There still is extra magic hours, boat rentals, movies and campfires. Magical Express was removed due to Mears raising the price higher than Disney was willing to pay and the access to Uber and other quicker options were cutting into the advantage of Disney offering it. Also, the luggage handling company went out of business.
Yes, they were stopped during the Pandemic, but they are back and have been for months. I have no idea what resort transportation means? I think people have forgotten that perks and such are not a guarantee. If they are disappointed that is on them, as DVC has that all over the webEurope!

Boat rentals, movies, campfires And emh have all been gutted.

Perks aren't a guarantee, but when your price your "deluxe" resorts out of the stratosphere, taking away even a single one of those perks is absurd. My point again, there is no longer anything deluxe that really makes those resorts stand out.

 

[tjkraz]

Boat rentals, movies, campfires And emh have all been gutted.

Movies and campfires have been back to a normal nightly schedule for quite some time.

 

[Sammie]

Boat rentals, movies, campfires And emh have all been gutted.

Perks aren't a guarantee, but when your price your "deluxe" resorts out of the stratosphere, taking away even a single one of those perks is absurd. My point again, there is no longer anything deluxe that really makes those resorts stand out.

Boat rentals dropped the sprites due to too many accidents; you can still rent pontoon boats. The movies and campfires are back. EMH is still available. My point is everything that made the deluxe resorts, "deluxe" is still there. Resort transportation is even better with the addition of the Skyliner.

 

[New Mouse]

Movies and campfires have been back to a normal nightly schedule for quite some time.

View attachment 730666

Weird, this isn't the case at Polyesian and hasn't been for some time well before Covid.

There still used to be a lot more activities previously.

 

[Nappy1380]

Weird, this isn't the case at Polyesian and hasn't been for some time well before Covid.

There still used to be a lot more activities previously.

We stayed at the Poly in March and did not see the campfire but they certainly had the outdoor movies.

 

[DeeBee3]

I can't compare too much since I only had 2 DVC trips before Covid hit, but our multiple experiences since then have been good. The activities have been fine and my kids have enjoyed them. I don't know anything about the water craft stuff.

I do think the rooms are "just rooms." Nothing extra special except for the theming here and there. They are nice, but there are plenty of hotels with nicer rooms. I still love the place and glad I got to enjoy Wilderness Lodge this past Christmas.

 

[Sammie]

Weird, this isn't the case at Polyesian and hasn't been for some time well before Covid.

There still used to be a lot more activities previously.

Actually, it is back at the Polynesian and has been for months, I know it was back since Jan. 2022. There are 11 activities available.
Campfire
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5:30-6:30 PM | Beach

Take in the views of Magic Kingdom Park and the Seven Seas Lagoon while enjoying complimentary marshmallows. 50th Anniversary Celebration s’mores kits are available for purchase.

Movie Under the Stars​

Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday at 7:30 PM | Great Ceremonial House Lawn

Sunday | “101 Dalmatians” (1961) (G)
Tuesday | “Lightyear” (PG)
Thursday | “Hercules” (G)
Saturday | “Frozen II” (PG)
Cozy up for a favorite Disney film shown outside in the fresh evening air. Enjoy relaxing evening entertainment that’s fun for the whole family!

 

[Robbie Cottam]

It didn’t happen today

 

[New Mouse]

Actually, it is back at the Polynesian and has been for months, I know it was back since Jan. 2022. There are 11 activities available.

Yes, I'm aware of this but the campfire and movies were 7 days a week previously and the activities were significantly longer/more previously. Not to mention the loss of the club and the pirate cruise which left from GF.

 

[Sammie]

Yes, I'm aware of this but the campfire and movies were 7 days a week previously and the activities were significantly longer/more previously. Not to mention the loss of the club and the pirate cruise which left from GF.

When was it 7 days a week, in the 80s?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

When was it 7 days a week, in the 80s?

I recall the beautiful lush, tropical, Polynesian themed river…. Before they ripped it out to install the putting green / movie area.
That’s just one thing that has soured me on Disney.

 

[Sammie]

I recall the beautiful lush, tropical, Polynesian themed river…. Before they ripped it out to install the putting green / movie area.
That’s just one thing that has soured me on Disney.

Everything changes or dies. We accept it or we remain bitter. I choose to accept change and enjoy it. I liked the river etc., but it does not affect my enjoyment of the resort. For those that it does, maybe time to vacation somewhere else.

 

[New Mouse]

When was it 7 days a week, in the 80s?

It's changed progressively over time. Maybe 3 years ago was the biggest change?

I know the 80s comment is facetious, but the price of the resorts in the 80s vs what you got in the 80s truly made it feel like a deluxe resort worth the higher price. It kind of amplifies the point.

The same could be said about the parks which certainly peaked from a guest value perspective somewhere around several decades ago.

To bring it back on topic, to me this is not about the DVC ability get an AP being taken away, it's about the package DVC sold (yes, they used everything to sell DVC) being completely removed or made unattainable.

Did anyone think they were buying into a system that would only be accessible by the wealthy? That's the direction we've been headed for a while now.

Sure, dues are going up 8% a year, but passes are also going up substantially more with the ap removal, merchandise is significantly up, fastpass is a completely new revenue stream, removal of magical express is a new cost. We will soon be paying $10k plus a year to take a family to that "discounted" hotel. That discount really disappears when they just take it away from you in other areas.

 

[Sammie]

It's changed progressively over time. Maybe 3 years ago was the biggest change?

I know the 80s comment is facetious, but the price of the resorts in the 80s vs what you got in the 80s truly made it feel like a deluxe resort worth the higher price. It kind of amplifies the point.

The same could be said about the parks which certainly peaked from a guest value perspective somewhere around several decades ago.

To bring it back on topic, to me this is not about the DVC ability get an AP being taken away, it's about the package DVC sold (yes, they used everything to sell DVC) being completely removed or made unattainable.

Did anyone think they were buying into a system that would only be accessible by the wealthy? That's the direction we've been headed for a while now.

Sure, dues are going up 8% a year, but passes are also going up substantially more with the ap removal, merchandise is significantly up, fastpass is a completely new revenue stream, removal of magical express is a new cost. We will soon be paying $10k plus a year to take a family to that "discounted" hotel. That discount really disappears when they just take it away from you in other areas.

Actually 80s cost adjusted to 2023 dollars is probably not that far off. I went back to 2019 and they had movies less than now. I understand what you are saying but I refuse to be one of those people who lives in the past and never seem to accept change. Certainly everyone has to decide on their own if what is offered today is valuable to them. We have been going regularly since the 80s and bought DVC in 2000 when perks were a few dining discounts. Actually when we bought, since there were very few perks and discounts etc. we were sold a discounted room and nothing else. Maybe other years, other sales agents have not been as forthcoming. Again though that is always on the buyer. It's there in print.
I was pleased then and still are. YMMV.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Everything changes or dies. We accept it or we remain bitter. I choose to accept change and enjoy it. I liked the river etc., but it does not affect my enjoyment of the resort. For those that it does, maybe time to vacation somewhere else.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Personally I like to speak up and be vocal. Although I’m only one voice, if others joined in perhaps our concerns would be heard.

 

[Sammie]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Personally I like to speak up and be vocal. Although I’m only one voice, if others joined in perhaps our concerns would be heard.

I really don't think that DVC is against giving a ticket discount to members, why would they? People are complaining to the wrong division.

 

[PinkTink63]

I'm really frustrated that we have not yet been able to buy ANY kind of annual pass or discount tickets for multiple trips--what good are all our points when one trip's tickets costs are so exorbitant that we can't return. We banked our points after one trip last year and are still waiting for some announcement about DVC annual passes. Why haven't they come up with a DVC specific ticket? We have routinely added points to our ownership over the years, but after this experience, I don't think we will do that anymore.

What is frustrating is that we had a brand new annual pass the week the parks closed so we gave them up and now we haven't been able to buy them again. It's just not the Disney service I expected.

Has anyone heard anything?

We feel the same way! It’s a good thing we used up our points in 2019 for the next year. Then I banked the following year. Now I am renting out that years points. Haven’t been there since pre pandemic. Went to Disneyland for a couple of days last year. Wow!\that was costly!Waiting to see where Disney takes this!Not sure if it is going to make sense for us in the future.

 

[SL6827]

Kinda surprised about this too. Disneyland has been offered at times, but I thought Disneyland is where the APs were such a problem.

 

[jimim]

Anything new? Ok see u all next month.

 

[PinkTink63]

It's changed progressively over time. Maybe 3 years ago was the biggest change?

I know the 80s comment is facetious, but the price of the resorts in the 80s vs what you got in the 80s truly made it feel like a deluxe resort worth the higher price. It kind of amplifies the point.

The same could be said about the parks which certainly peaked from a guest value perspective somewhere around several decades ago.

To bring it back on topic, to me this is not about the DVC ability get an AP being taken away, it's about the package DVC sold (yes, they used everything to sell DVC) being completely removed or made unattainable.

Did anyone think they were buying into a system that would only be accessible by the wealthy? That's the direction we've been headed for a while now.

Sure, dues are going up 8% a year, but passes are also going up substantially more with the ap removal, merchandise is significantly up, fastpass is a completely new revenue stream, removal of magical express is a new cost. We will soon be paying $10k plus a year to take a family to that "discounted" hotel. That discount really disappears when they just take it away from you in other areas.

I don’t think anyone feels that their prices should go up but factor in that the average income isn’t going up that much. Well, mine hasn’t any!