Disaver Club

[Joe A.]

Now more information is coming to light. I suspect that if I ask DU any questions regarding the trip the 10% starts coming back into the picture and the discount/rebate starts disappearing.

 

[Kelsie]

Actually, questions are free But, as it states in the FAQ's, there is a charge for changes made by the Client.

However, If DU finds a better discount for the client (which is something they will be required to continue checking), the client will not be charged the fee for that change.

 

[Joe A.]

Sorry Nick I missed your last post. To answer your question I was considering using DU this year but I'm not comfortable with this membership thing they are trying to sell.

 

[Kelsie]

Thanks for the great questions Joe A! I do understand that travel services are not for everyone.

I am sure that in time, as people start to see that DISavers is exactly as advertised, more and more will feel confident using this service and saving money on their Vacations.

 

[tmli]

I believe I am the target of the club, and the type of customer the marketing people who thought of this idea were looking for. I would not normally book my vacation thru DU, however if I'm saving the cost of my commission I will be joining and booking all future travel with DU. Now they have made my fee and my service charges. Profit they weren't going to get from me previously.

If the US travel industry works similar to the CDN one, the more product you sell from a particular tour company the higher the commission rates you earn. Therefore while the profit they are making on club members is less, the commissions earned from regular bookings could potentially be higher. Remember, DU is not paying you the rebate; they are simply forwarding the money they received from WDW to you. As a former travel agent and current business owner, I think the concept is a brilliant way to get more business from the increasing amount of consumers doing there own reservations.

 

[Humpbacks1962]

I see, so all this is about is getting money from the typical self-sufficient traveler who would never book through an agent. If they can't get a $300 comission anyway, they'll get membership and fees, but at least we won't be using the boards for free.

Smart cookies on these boards. I like smart consumers not afraid of inquiring further rather than going along with the flow pledging blinded loyalty because if "so-and-so says it it must be good"...


Wanda

 

[Rhonda]

Wanda: Yes! It is a win-win situation! DU would not normally be getting anything, but now they get the membership fee + $15. You would not normally be getting a 10% rebate, but now you will! Everyone is happy!

I'm not quite sure I understand what you mean about the board though. These boards are always free - you won't have to join DISavers to keep accessing the boards. Is that what you meant?

 

[Humpbacks1962]

No Rhonda, what I meant was the plan to get at lea$t $omething out of those who never pay travel agents, cashing in from people who normally do not pay an agent. You know, marketing to those who use the resources for codes and discounts for free, so they won't be as available for free!

The thing is, for ~ $85 in fees here and there, you'd have to book expenses totalling over $850 to come out even. Frankly, well over that to make money...

While it may be a good idea for a long, expensive resort trip it may not work out for the traditional guest on a budget who books AS resorts for 4 or 5 days.




Wanda

 

[Kelsie]

Wanda,

You are absolutely correct, DISavers is not for everyone and it will work best for those who book trips in excess of $700.00 or multiple trips during the year.

I am still not sure what you mean about accessing codes and discounts for free? Since they are not DIS codes and are released from WDW, they will always be available to anyone who can to use them.

DISavers is an alternative! It is a way for people who travel to save just a bit more on their vacations. It is not just Disney related and can be utilized for all of your travel needs.

 

[Trekker]

Your point is well taken Wanda, and as I've mentioneed on other threads this will be a good program for some and then for others they will not see/reap the benefit, and again still others will just be to leary/negative about anything offered over the internet. And that is certainly thier choice.

It is nice to see people asking good legitimate questions in order to make up thier own minds as to the benefits of any program/club.

 

[AF Brenda]

OK, so DU use to make a commission (from Disney) off of people who booked through them because they didn't know how to do it themselves or wanted DU to keep an eye out for a better deal for them. Now they will still be making that commission off of people who don't know how to do it themselves, plus they will be making $64 ($84 after introductory) off of people who normally do, do it themselves. Like you said, DU & the customer both win!

I think I understand how this works, however if I'm correct, DU WILL NOT be making the commission on DISavers bookings, they will only be making the fee and booking charge.

If someone books through DU, not DISavers, DU gets the commission.

Is that right?

 

[RobDoc]

If someone books through DU, not DISavers, DU gets the commission.

That's correct. DISavers is a separate program.

Dreams will still offer the full service program it always has- including Priority Seating, Trip Planning Itinerary, etc. Guests who choose to utilize these services will still get the benefit of the attention provided by the personal vacation planners at Dreams. This includes assistance with all aspects of the trip.

DISaver members won't get any of the planning services but will get the benefit of the additional discount offered by the commission rebate.

Each service offers something to the guests, it just depends on the needs of that individual and their own level of Disney travel experience.

Enjoy!

 

[AF Brenda]

So, if I were to continue doing what I normally do, which is plan all of my own trips, but join DISavers and book through them, I would get the 10% commission back into my bank account.

OK, I think I understand it now.

 

[Kelsie]

Yes..

 

[jennymouse]

Very informative thread as I was having trouble understanding this thing too. Thanks Wanda & Joe for asking the questions I was too embarrassed to ask! Right now, I'm booked through DU for our trip in October....I would've joined this instead as the control freak in me still wants to do all the work. But, given the amount of changes I've made so far I would've been paying way more than the fee & fifteen dollars.

 

[KaraJade]

One more comment for Joe and anyone else who shared his concerns... The way I see it, besides everything the others have all said about this club, one BIG thing it does is promote good word of mouth advertising. If I book thru Dissavers and like the service, the discount, etc.... I am much more likely to recommend DU/ Dissavers to friends and family members, and anyone else who asks about my trip. I am ALSO more likely to use DU for OTHER trips I might take in the future. For example, if I can talk my DBf into going on a Disney Cruise with me someday, I'll likely use DU, and they will make the commission off of me for that trip. Or I might use Dissavers, to book vacations to other places that we tend to travel to each year. Whenever a friend or someone who is a Disney rookie tells me they are planning a trip, I recommend the Rita Aero book to them. Now, if I've tried and liked this program, I might be more inclined to ALSO recommend DU to them, knowing the folks there are reliable and good service. It may not seem like much, but when you take into account all the folks that join the service, thats a lot of good, free advertising. Makes good buisiness sense to me.

 

[Gillian]

I don't know if Joe is still around, but if you were considering using Dreams, and don't want to pay a membership fee, you can still use Dreams. You won't get the rebate, but you won't have to pay the fees either. And you will get the full trip planning experience that DU offers

I have a friend who is planning a Disney trip & while she would LOVE the rebate, she needs the planning help more than the money. She wants hand holding, so Dreams is better for her than DISavers.

 

[maepartner]

Good point Gillian,,,,,,so if you're boooking a 4-day AS trip,,,,you could STILL save but just wont get a commission or any fees,,,,,how can you beat that? I waswondering, do they book the cruises too,,,,,cuz if they do, Ill definitely use them for my trip next yr. Thanks, MAE

 

[sncbird]

This is very intersting......... I understand the fact that DU will rebate thier 10% commision that they receive from Disney back to you. I am not very familiar with DU and their rates. Do they offer the lowest available rates? I picked up an outstanding rate last Oct. off of mousesavers that saved us $1200.00 off our resort. We are also members of the DC. Are DU rates lower than what I could book through the DC or codes off of the site mousesavers? I understand how it works on the back end but are you saving money as well on the front end. For example, if I can save 15% off of a room with a code through mousesavers, would I be better off booking it on my own vs only saving the 10% through DU OR are these codes avail. to DU and we would save 15% up from off the room as well as a 10% rebate through DU at the end of our trip.


Also, what happens if the rooms rates are discounted after you book your vacation? Does DU automatically lower your rate or do you have to call them to do so? Would their be a charge for this?

We're thinking about going back to WDW during Thanksgiving week this year so any input would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[WebmasterAlex]

The savings is ON TOP of those codes... so you can combine them all