Disney Clubs

[wdwowner]

Let's see, what kind of Disney Clubs are there and already have a loyalty component to them (inspired by one of my favorite podcasts):

1. Annual Pass. Visit WDW or DL as many times as you want within 365 days, discounts on lodging, shopping, reduced renewal rates compared to new AP.

2. Tables in Wonderland. You get 20% discount on dinning, plus free valet parking.

3. Disney Visa Credit Card. 1% return on all purchases (that can be put towards you WDW or DL stay), plus 10% discount on shopping at World of Disney.

4. Disney Vacation Club. Discount on AP tickets, the DVC magazine, 25% discount on DVC rack rate rooms when available.

See, there are many loyalty programs already in place with Disney, and most of these you have to pay to be in some type of 'club' (buy DVC, purchase a Tables in Wonderland card, purchase Annual Passes). Plus just being a Disney fan we get WDW and DL promotions, postcard codes mailed to people for discounts on WDW or DL rooms or vacation packages.

I'm sure there are more, please add to this list if you know of them.

 

[DisneyKevin]

We dont have the same definition of loyalty programs.

You shouldn;t have to pay to be part of a loyalty program

I have an annual pass and as a FL resident, I pay $345 per year for the right to visit the parks. By this definition, a paid gym membership is a loyalty program.

John and I have Tables in Wonderland cards. For these cards we pay $85 per year for the priveledge of getting a discount in Disney restaurants.

The Disney Visa Card is credit card and not a loyalty program. You pay interest on any balance you carry forward.

DVC is approximately $107 per point. 100 points is $10,700 before interest on your loan. By this definition, timeshare is a loyalty program.


The things you have mentioned are perks that Disney offers after you have paid handsomely for the right to use their programs.

As I said at the beginning, we have a different definition of a loyalty program.

 

[Commando2319]

Each of those are more discount programs. You buy a certain amount and you get a discount.

A true loyalty program offers greater discounts and perks based on the amount that you come back and be a customer over and over.

For example. The cost of an annual pass and its perks are the same for someone who buys it for the first time and someone who has been an annual pass holder for 20 years in a row. So there are no incentives to be an affinity member, coming back year after year.

 

[LuccaDrake]

I wouldn't consider the examples you provided to be a Loyalty Program. Those are simply products/services that offer additional incentives should you sign up (pay) for them. IMHO, a Loyalty Program is not something you should have to pay for ex. (Frequent Flyer Program).

 

[wdwowner]

We dont have the same definition of loyalty programs.

I have an annual pass and as a FL resident, I pay $345 per year for the right to visit the parks. By this definition, a paid gym membership is a loyalty program.

And by being loyal to the gym you will get a discount on your membership renewal, just as you do with your AP renewal. Discount for being a loyal customer. Same as a grocery store for using your customer card.

John and I have Tables in Wonderland cards. For these cards we pay $85 per year for the privilege of getting a discount in Disney restaurants.

Same as buying into Sam's Club, you purchased a membership to have the privilege of shopping there, or as this, to get a discount on your dining.

The Disney Visa Card is credit card and not a loyalty program. You pay interest on any balance you carry forward.

Not if you pay off the balance each month. Plus you do get cash back just for using the card, which can go towards your WDW stays.

DVC is approximately $107 per point. 100 points is $10,700 before interest on your loan. By this definition, timeshare is a loyalty program.

But you do get an AP discount for being a DVC member, which non-DVC member do not get.

There are discounts and such that you would not get if you were not loyal to Disney by being a repeat customer and buying into. A normal family that goes once every 5 years will never use most of the discounts listed above because they do not have loyalty to visit WDW each year or multiple times each year. Disney actually makes less off of you by being an AP holder that the normal family. Your $345 divided by the number of visits is a very small $ per visit compared to the normal family and the full price they paid for their stay. AP's do cost more because of this, and Disney hope you buy stuff to make up for that difference by you using the Tables in Wonderland card.

How would you put together a Loyalty program? Remember, you have to still make the same profit you currently are, because the Shareholders are demanding it.

 

[DisneyKevin]

And by being loyal to the gym you will get a discount on your membership renewal, just as you do with your AP renewal. Discount for being a loyal customer. Same as a grocery store for using your customer card.

My annual pass is the same price year after year after year, unless Disney raises the price. I get nothing additional for buying my 15th annual pass then I did for buying my first. Obviously, Disney sees a profit from my many trips to the park using my pass, just as a grocery store would by issuing a grocery card or offering BOGO promos. It's a loss leader. You come in for the offered specials and spend much more on other things.

Same as buying into Sam's Club, you purchased a membership to have the privilege of shopping there, or as this, to get a discount on your dining.

Exactly. I purchased a product that Disney sells. In this case, they are selling a discount.

Not if you pay off the balance each month. Plus you do get cash back just for using the card, which can go towards your WDW stays.

As I said..."on any balance you carry forward". Discover offers 2% back and offers you cash back at the end of the year. Everyone using a Disney Visa gets the same perks. The perks dont increase from year to year. Thats not a loyalty program.

But you do get an AP discount for being a DVC member, which non-DVC member do not get.

Again....this is a perk and not a loyalty program. When I buy new tires I get to sit in the air conditioned waiting room. People that arent buying new tires dont get to do that.

There are discounts and such that you would not get if you were not loyal to Disney by being a repeat customer and buying into. A normal family that goes once every 5 years will never use most of the discounts listed above because they do not have loyalty to visit WDW each year or multiple times each year. Disney actually makes less off of you by being an AP holder that the normal family. Your $345 divided by the number of visits is a very small $ per visit compared to the normal family and the full price they paid for their stay. AP's do cost more because of this, and Disney hope you buy stuff to make up for that difference by you using the Tables in Wonderland card.

Everything you listed is available to the first time visitor as well as the person going for their 300th time. That right there shows you that it's not a loyalty program. It's a paid program and it only makes sense to buy something you will receive value from.

There have been numerous threads regarding TIW and people asking if they will see a value if they only use it on one trip. There have been charts and graphs drawn showing you that you might or might not see a savings.

As for my annual pass and the "normal family",...there is really no comparison.
Disney would rather allow me the opportunity to visit their parks regularly and drop money on dinner and whatnot then have my $75 once a year (which is what would happen if there were no annual passes.

How would you put together a Loyalty program? Remember, you have to still make the same profit you currently are, because the Shareholders are demanding it.

1. Make my annual pass a small percentage cheaper each consecutive year. Show me that you WANT me to keep coming back.

2. Reward frequent hotel guests. There are many folks who show loyalty to one hotel or another. Look at the boards. Each resort has it's own fan club. Make every xth night free...like almost every other hotelier in the world. Stay a certain number of nghts and get your xth night free.

3. Offer a frequent diner program (that you are not required to pay to join). Your 12th meal at LeCellier could be free. I even see restrictions such as your free meal must be used during shoulder periods and not during peak dining times.

4. actually provide the things you already promise. Everyone that sits around the podcast table is an annual passholder. Two of us get the Mickey Monitor, which all annual passholders are supposed to receive.

Those are just some of the ideas that pop into my head.

 

[tickledtink33]

I agree that these are all discount programs and NOT loyalty programs. I have been coming to WDW on a regular basis since 1988. I have spent 553 nights at Disney resort hotels. Yes, I know its sick that I have kept count. It would be nice if Disney had a loyalty program to reward me for this but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for one. I'm sure Disney thinks it already has me, why bother. Well I got some bad news for Disney. With all of the changes and cutbacks of late I decided to try another type of vacation, cruising. I went on 2 Royal Caribbean cruises last year and loved it. This was money I would have normally spent at Disney. Next year I have 2 non Disney cruises booked. Again, money Disney is losing out on. Disney doesn't listen when I speak verbally or in writing so I am now speaking with my pocket book. Don't get me wrong, I still love Disney and will continue to vacation there. Just a little less than before. Oh, and BTW, the cruise lines DO have loyalty programs. Just sayin

 

[irisbud]

I agree, these are not loyalty programs, they are discount programs. In a way, I think DVC is in some ways the antithesis of a loyalty program: I don't think Disney will ever do anything to reward those who travel often (we are only once a year, give or take, usually so not super often like others) by giving them a break so instead we purchased a prepaid vacation plan to help even out our costs in the long term and provide us with continuing opportunities to vacation. Is this a loyalty program? No. It's a discount plan, if used properly.

(Please, this is just my view, not trying to start a DVC debate).

 

[*NikkiBell*]

Quite honestly, my version of a loyalty program would be something similar to what Kevin already mentioned above: every xth night free or at a discounted rate. This would pose an interesting situation for DVC members like me though. Would they not have to use points for that particular night? Would they get some other type of discount? I can imagine that this would pose another set of things to think about.

My other thought is what about the Florida residents or people who do not stay on property. That's where the other discounts Kevin mentioned could come into play. Just thinking about all of the possibilities can almost justify why they haven't come up with something yet. However, Disney is a big company which has done some amazing things. I think they have the brains and know-how to figure the logistics out.

 

[lonegungal17]

I agree that none of those examples are anything to do with a loyalty program.

I find it completely strange the US Disney parks don't offer any discounts for their annual pass holders. I have been an annual passholder at Disneyland Paris about just over four years now and about a month before I renew my annual pass I always get an offer for 6 months free on top of that yearly pass if I renew before it expires. This has really helped me and my husband out, we had a whole year free where we ended up having an extra 3 trips there just to get our money's worth. I don't understand if a loyalty program like that is already happening at Disneyland Paris why they couldn't roll it out to all the Disney parks worldwide? I'm sure they would get their money back through hotel stays, restaurant meals and people buying things in the shops like Disneyland Paris does.

Mel

 

[FireDancer]

I completely agree with Kevin on this one. I think the D23 program would be much more inclusive if it was a tiered program.

Let's face it, there are probably more people out there that are the Disney movie and history fans than those of us who go weekly, monthly, yearly, or semi-yearly to the parks. When looked at that way, the D23 program makes sense.

But, it does completely ignore the part of the fan community that considers themselves fans of the parks first (of which I am one). My personal choice would have been a tiered D23 program that would have let members prioritize what they want.

Off the top of my head a tier like this:

Base member: The current D23 program. Aimed at the Disney Historian.

Silver member: Base + availability to get the new DVD releases early, like what they did with the Bolt Blue-Ray. I would like this to include discounts for purchasing movies through iTUnes, but maybe there are licensing issues with that. This is aimed at the Disney Movie buff.

Gold member: Silver + a parks loyalty program. This could be exactly what Kevin described. You get a credit each time you eat at a Disney restaurant (maybe 2 for those that are 2 table credits) and after x credits you get a free entrée with purchase of a second or even just a free entrée. Same for the resorts. You get 1 credit for a night at a value, 2 a mod, 3 a deluxe and after so many you can chose from a free night at a value, a free upgrade at a mod, or a free upgrade to concierge at a value.

Of course for this to be a value it has to be priced right. If the Gold membership is $999 it would almost be worse than not offering it.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[WaltD4Me]

I can't even tell you how many loyalty programs I am in. I have so many little membership cards on my keychain it isn't funny. I have a ton of purchase punch cards in my wallet and not one of them cost me a penny. They are all free. The ONLY other pay loyalty program I can think of is Barnes & Noble. They charge $35 a year I think and I refuse to pay to shop at their store. I buy ALOT of books.....at Borders. Their rewards membership is free.

 

[G66]

I can't even tell you how many loyalty programs I am in. I have so many little membership cards on my keychain it isn't funny. I have a ton of purchase punch cards in my wallet and not one of them cost me a penny. They are all free.

Are any of those programs for non-commodity items?

 

[G66]

Can anyone name another non-commodity premium product with a loyalty program?

A poster commented in the "What recession" thread about his experience in the Apple Store he works in. Apple is the perfect example. If anything it's a more easily substitutable product. No loyalty program there. You get what Steve want's you to have and you are happy to pay it.

Doesn't that same Steve guy own a few Disney shares

 

[DisneyKevin]

Can anyone name another non-commodity premium product with a loyalty program?

A poster commented in the "What recession" thread about his experience in the Apple Store he works in. Apple is the perfect example. If anything it's a more easily substitutable product. No loyalty program there. You get what Steve want's you to have and you are happy to pay it.

Doesn't that same Steve guy own a few Disney shares

Apple is not in the hospitality industry, Disney is.

Most (note that I said most) folks arent buying more than one iPod, iPhone, laptop etc per year.

The majority of retail establishments do not offer a loyalty program,...but they arent trying to sell you a hotel room, all your meals, theme park tickets etc.

Also, most retail establishments dont have the rabidly loyal fan base that Disney has. Apple might...but again, we are talking apples and oranges. (I couldnt help myself)

 

[G66]

Hey Kevin!

I know this is a sensitive topic and as a new poster I was very hesitant to even chime in. I guess my point is that Disney holds a unique status. There was only one Walt and there's only one WDW.

Among techies there is a saying that if your going to be on the cutting edge, you should be prepared to shed a little blood. Well, Disney is the cutting edge of vacation travel. I try to limit my bleeding in both tech and Disney. I pick my entry points carefully. Unfortunately, I like the good stuff. So a little blood loss comes with the territory.

Would it kill them to offer a loyalty program? Probably not. I'm just not expecting one. I'm willing to pick my entry points. If more people were willing to do the same, we might see a change in attitude from the Mouse.

On the bright side, it makes for one heck of a Pete Rant. The only thing better than a Pete Rant is a sad little crabcake dining review Keep up the good work!

 

[jonmcguire]

I read and listen regularly, but I usually leave the posting to my DW (ChelleinNC). However, on this one I am feeling the strong desire to chime in, although it may be nicotine withdrawel.

I was all but yelling Amen in the car while listening to Pete go off on this subject in the podcast. They completely missed the boat. I put this in the same category as closing the PI clubs because guest feedback tells them that we are "looking for more retail opportunities". Someone in their marketing department does not get it.

It is not the idea of starting the club to me. In fact, it is not even the idea of charging a membership price. From what some are saying, D is putting out a valuable product in this club.

That said, the place they missed the boat is in their high affinity customers. Disney just does not know what to do with us. It is not the loud fan that should be their concern (although that is a definite demographic that deserves attention). The ones that feel dissed in all this the the high affinity money spenders.

How much would it have hurt them to offer a complimentary membership to D23 to identified high affinity groups such as AP holders, DVC members, and other big spenders/regulars? What it have cost them to give out the stupid magazine and in return have their high affinity spenders say "wow, thank you for letting me buy stuff"?

This would have had the additional benefit of immediately increasing their membership numbers significantly and adding credibility to the "club".

my 3 pennies...
Jon

 

[G66]

You know what irks me more than the lack of a loyalty program is the entire pin code system. I read how people say the codes are random. I don't buy that for a minute. The whole thing smacks of manipulation. Now they won't even look to see if there is a PIN Code attached to your name if you call and ask? I believe Pete would consider this a "guest hostile" policy.

How about sending the same pin code offers to all your repeat customers at the same time? Make it part of the D23 membership if you like. As a D23 member you are guaranteed first access to ALL Disney PIN codes. Although I don't see why it has to be linked to D23. In fact, I would rather it not be. I'm not a collector.

 

[DisneyKevin]

Hey Kevin!

I know this is a sensitive topic and as a new poster I was very hesitant to even chime in. I guess my point is that Disney holds a unique status. There was only one Walt and there's only one WDW.

Among techies there is a saying that if your going to be on the cutting edge, you should be prepared to shed a little blood. Well, Disney is the cutting edge of vacation travel. I try to limit my bleeding in both tech and Disney. I pick my entry points carefully. Unfortunately, I like the good stuff. So a little blood loss comes with the territory.

Would it kill them to offer a loyalty program? Probably not. I'm just not expecting one. I'm willing to pick my entry points. If more people were willing to do the same, we might see a change in attitude from the Mouse.

On the bright side, it makes for one heck of a Pete Rant. The only thing better than a Pete Rant is a sad little crabcake dining review Keep up the good work!

Hi G66 and jonmcguire...welcome to the boards!!! I was a bit lax in missing that you are new posters. Thanks for listening and posting. We're happy to have you join us.

On to the other stuff....I too love Disney. I have since I first stepped foot on Disney property in December 1971. I was 11 and I was hooked. I spent the next 24 years plotting, scheming and planning how I was going to get back each and every time. Luckily my folks were hooked as well.

I dont mean to come off as a cliche....but it was a different time. No one I knew had been to this glorius place. It was so new that there were no guidebooks, a few articles and very occasionally the Wonderful World of Color would talk about it on Sunday night. It was kinda like you had this AMAZING Neverland and people didnt believe you. There was no internet. I felt like an island.

My point is that I understand the undying love....no matter how bad Disney messes up. I still to this day love it.

As for being hesitant to jump in....there is only one way and thats with both feet.

We are an opinionated and vocal group....but I feel like I have "found me a home" (Thanks Jimmy!) This is the warmest and most supportive group on the net. The folks that post on this forum will bend over backwards to help.

That being said....some great discussions evolve....some get involved...some are "fluffier" but underneath there is great respect and commraderie and as you can see...every situation can be defused by the heated pie vs. cake vs. brownies debate.

I would hope that anyone that feels the urge to jump in would do so. Might you find folks that disagree....heck yeah...and they'll tell you..but you will always feel welcome.

As I said at the beginning welcome G66 and jonmcguire. I'm glad we found something to draw you out of the shadows.

 

[drakethib]

.

Also, most retail establishments dont have the rabidly loyal fan base that Disney has. Apple might...but again, we are talking apples and oranges. (I couldnt help myself)

Man that was a bad one Kevin.