AP sales…

[Rochester Disney Fan]

If the annual passes are not going to be offered I would hope that DVC would let members purchase their tickets with a % discount that was similar to the annual passes .

 

[Pinnochio]

Same here. BCV is one of our homes, but a big part of why we love it is eating & shopping in the PM in Epcot or DHS & If we’re forced to keep skimping on base tix… well

BCV & BWV are our home resorts and we love the eating & shopping in Epcot & DHS too....we took a 12 night trip in Feb, normally have an AP, but this time bought a 4 day pass (could not justify an 11 day ticket that now cost more than an AP)....that said, i calculated Disney lost: $200 at Le Cellier, $150 at Tutto, $150 Mexico, $150 Norway, $200 Brown Derby and $150 Mama Melrose....Will they feel that?....I dunno....but we did find some very good offsite restaurants in the process....just my 2cents

 

[Pinnochio]

A lot of times we go into a park just to enjoy a meal at one of the restaurants housed within the park. I guess going forward that will change, no pass means no entry into park which means we can’t eat at favorite restaurants within park. This could equate to a loss of revenue for the restaurants within the parks if enough people do the same thing.

we do the same, go in sometimes just for dinner....its our favorite time in the parks (eat/drink/walk stroll slowly/people watch)... my wife and i calculated that they lost over $1,500 from us on our 12 night trip in Feb.....hopefully a lot of us do this and they start to feel that pinch....fingers crossed....

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

that said, i calculated Disney lost: $200 at Le Cellier, $150 at Tutto, $150 Mexico, $150 Norway, $200 Brown Derby and $150 Mama Melrose...

Were there day of reservations available for any of those restaurants? Because if not, Disney didn’t lose any money. Again, I think this stinks from a customer satisfaction perspective, but Disney is not losing money right now because of unfilled restaurant reservations. This is part of why they do not care.

 

[Sandisw]

If the annual passes are not going to be offered I would hope that DVC would let members purchase their tickets with a % discount that was similar to the annual passes .

DVC doesn’t have a say in offering tickets at a discount. It still has to be something negotiated with DPEP.

That is why it is clear in the POS and the membership extra documents that these are incidental and none of it is guaranteed to us.

Of course, it would be great and last year, they did include DVC in the same ticket deal they offered cash guests. However, right now, they are not having an issue filling the parks so no real need,

And, while DVC sales are down, not so much so that it can’t be attributed to other factors.

 

[Pinnochio]

Were there day of reservations available for any of those restaurants?
i sure hope so!

 

[RoseGold]

If the annual passes are not going to be offered I would hope that DVC would let members purchase their tickets with a % discount that was similar to the annual passes .

They couldn’t even be bothered to cough up $50 when the incredipass was for sale. Blue Card hasn’t stepped up at all when it comes to tickets.

On site only tickets make sense to me though, as a clear delineation that they should be able to fill (known number of people). There’s always at least room at Epcot.

 

[gregskellington]

Annual passes exist for a reason and they will be back for that reason. Who knows if that time comes next week or next year.

 

[CarolMN]

Or, if they can make a class for it, maybe the solution is something like an on-site only AP, which would be a big boost for DVC and an awesome Blue Card perk.

I would really love an annual pass like this - good for any day one is staying in an on-site resort.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

I would really love an annual pass like this - good for any day one is staying in an on-site resort.

At some point after the current travel boom ends I almost think they *have* to do something like this, and not for just DVC. On-site benefits are nearly completely gone now. The benefit to staying onsite for LL is minimal, and it is non-existent for genie+. The loss of so many other onsite perks are eventually going to make people realize that staying on site isn’t really worth it unless you’re at a hotel in walking or monorail/gondola distance from one of the parks. Too many nicer and cheaper resorts in Orlando.

This could also be why we see new DVC additions popping up along the monorail (GFV, PVB), and not stand-alones like Reflections.

 

[CarolMN]

I would really love an annual pass like this - good for any day one is staying in an on-site resort.

Forgot to say that such a pass would "reward" some of DVD's best customers and encourage more purchases. The more you stay on site, more value the pass would have.

I also like it because it's not much of a benefit to those who own to mostly rent points.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

For a long time I was angry about the lack of annual passes. But in the end, I’m glad this annual pass hiatus happened. It got me to take off my rose colored Disney glasses and realize there is more to my vacation time than just Disney. I have two more trips planned-ish because I already have purchased tickets, but after that I don’t think I will be going to Disney nearly as often. Maybe every 3-5 years. While annual passes make the trip affordable and making going 3-4 times in a year super enticing, there are other things I would rather do now.
So thank you Disney for forcing me from my annual pass routine. I’m enjoying exploring our world and going on truly new and exciting adventures. Very glad the rental market for my points is so strong! Our latest adventure outside the bubble:

 

[Pinnochio]

For a long time I was angry about the lack of annual passes. But in the end, I’m glad this annual pass hiatus happened. It got me to take off my rose colored Disney glasses and realize there is more to my vacation time than just Disney. While annual passes make the trip affordable and making going 3-4 times in a year super enticing, there are other things I would rather do now.
So thank you Disney for forcing me from my annual pass routine. I’m enjoying exploring our world and going on truly new and exciting adventures. Very glad the rental market for my points is so strong!
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100% agree.....In the time without AP's we have gone to Yosemite, Carmel, Monterey & San Fran (one trip) and Saratoga NY & Burlington VT (also one trip)....You said it best, "thank you Disney for forcing me from my annual pass routine".

 

[sheilafri]

I feel about the opposite. We prefer visiting the familiar in these uncertain times and as we have FL Resident APs we’ve been able to go when we have felt comfortable about it. I am SO looking forward to being able to travel elsewhere, though, and will actually get on an airplane next week for the first time in over two years.

 

[cm8]

I don’t understand why anyone would purchase a product that tells you upfront they don’t tie ownership interest into the park access.

Yes, having accommodations close to the parks are nice but they are not mutually exclusive of each other. Buy the tickets to visit or just use your accommodations else where.

I don’t really see lots of people selling DVC just because they can’t access the parks due to lack of AP’s. Tickets are available for purchase and yes they are very expensive if we use them like we would an AP.

 

[Madame]

I don’t understand why anyone would purchase a product that tells you upfront they don’t not tie ownership interest into the park access.

Yes, having accommodations close to the parks are nice but they are not mutually exclusive of each other. Buy the tickets to visit or just use your accommodations else where.

I don’t really see lots of people selling DVC just because they can’t access the parks due to lack of AP’s. Tickets are available for purchase and yes they are very expensive if we use them like we would an AP.

Because they tout APs as how to do WDW in the sales pitch. If the DL and WDW resorts were geographically located anywhere else, they wouldn’t sell nearly as well. Why can Universal get its act together and yet WDW can’t? No skin off our nose. We have 3 days booked ahead of a cruise in Aug and we’ve already purchased USO APs

 

[Sandisw]

Because they tout APs as how to do WDW in the sales pitch. If the DL and WDW resorts were geographically located anywhere else, they wouldn’t sell nearly as well. Why can Universal get its act together and yet WDW can’t? No skin off our nose. We have 3 days booked ahead of a cruise in Aug and we’ve already purchased USO APs

Sure, they bring up the potential for perks. However, you are given the membership perks document and have to sign off on it when you are buying as part of the closing documents,

Those do clearly say these are incidental and not guaranteed. So, no one buys without being given the information in plain sight and not buried deep in terms and conditions.

I get disappointment and frustration and all that, but I certainly don’t think people should be angry because they were given time to read it all and know what they were getting,

It is why there is the 10 day cancellation given via FL law. To make sure buyers have time to read everything and back out if they don’t feel they are getting what they think.

 

[Madame]

Sure, they bring up the potential for perks. However, you are given the membership perks document and have to sign off on it when you are buying as part of the closing documents,

Those do clearly say these are incidental and not guaranteed. So, no one buys without being given the information in plain sight and not buried deep in terms and conditions.

I get disappointment and frustration and all that, but I certainly don’t think people should be angry because they were given time to read it all and know what they were getting,

It is why there is the 10 day cancellation given via FL law. To make sure buyers have time to read everything and back out if they don’t feel they are getting what they think.

I don’t think myself or anyone in this thread has said we’re (currently) angry. Disillusioned & a bit disgusted maybe.

There is the sale and then the reality of the product for sure, but then they’ll be just another timeshare whose sales pitch rests heavily on geographic location to the parent company’s theme parks…. Which again brings us to the product they’re marketing and access to those theme parks.

Perhaps the VGF resort studios reflect the new mindset (short visit, drop as much cash as you can and get out) as much as their higher ups’ public disdain for passholders. If that’s the new direction, then it is what it is. There’s a reason they’re highlighting the 1 & 2 bds at VGF 1 to sell VGF2 though….

ETA I think WDW in general is having a bit of an identity crisis.

 

[DisBuckMan]

Why can Universal get its act together and yet WDW can’t?

Universal is definitely more customer friendly than WDW is these days.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

For a long time I was angry about the lack of annual passes. But in the end, I’m glad this annual pass hiatus happened. It got me to take off my rose colored Disney glasses and realize there is more to my vacation time than just Disney. I have two more trips planned-ish because I already have purchased tickets, but after that I don’t think I will be going to Disney nearly as often. Maybe every 3-5 years. While annual passes make the trip affordable and making going 3-4 times in a year super enticing, there are other things I would rather do now.
So thank you Disney for forcing me from my annual pass routine. I’m enjoying exploring our world and going on truly new and exciting adventures. Very glad the rental market for my points is so strong! Our latest adventure outside the bubble:
View attachment 655936

I feel the same way about Genie+ and the complete destruction of almost all on-site perks. Since there’s no longer any onsite fastpass benefit I tried an offsite timeshare resort for the first time last Christmas (the Vistana) and I was blown away by how nice it was, and how cheap! I will now be spending far less at Disney World by staying offsite for many of my trips, so thanks Bob Chapek for helping me save money!