Disney Vacation Account.

[Magic Fanatic]

This is interesting.
https://disneyvacationaccount.disney.go.com/
I guess the next step it for Disney to organize and become their own bank.

 

[qv09vvp]

Ok...

so I am actually interested in this.... here's why

the plan is for a june 2015 trip

the usual suspects me, hubby , 2 kids...

however, add on four more, young adults. these 4 young adults have never and although they are all good kids I need to make SURE they are all committed and saving for this trip.

so the timing on the Disney vacation account is pretty good...

however, I need more info....when its time will I be able to pay for our trip from more than one account??? and (gasp) if one of these kids pull out, how will they get there money back out of the account??

 

[KateB]

Wow! That would be great except DVC don't book through Disney (technically). Wish they would include on some of these new endeavors.

 

[Magic Fanatic]

My guess is this is an "account" that you can use to pay towards any Disney reservation whether it is resort, cruise, vacation club, Disney Adventures...etc. Not a bad idea in my opinion. With interest rates so poor, traditional savings accounts are not paying anything so why not?

My biggest concern is being able to get money refunded in a timely manner if plans were to change. Also, how will this affect Disney authorized travel agents? There are many out there that do great work and provide great service. I would forgo this option if it meant not being able to support Magical Journeys.

 

[Zannon]

I just messed with it a bit and created an account for our trip next June.

Essentially it's a savings account that you can set up automatic payments into and then use the account like a gift card to pay for your booked trip on the Disney Resorts site. The perk to doing it is that once you use it to pay for your trip, you can request a $20 Disney Gift Card for every $1000 you saved this way and then used to pay for your trip. There are no costs involved with setting up an account and you can save for 2 trips at a time. You can set up auto-payments once a week, every two week, or every month and you can make one time payments as well.

Now, the thing is, it looks like you can use your Disney Visa to make the payments to the Disney Vacation Account site, collect your 2% cash back to use at Disney and then get the $20 gift card per $1000 spent. Essentially this doubles the amount you get back using the Disney Visa. So, it's an extra step to get an extra 2% back to use for spending money on your trip. Not bad I guess.

I set it up to take minimal payments every two weeks until April with a savings goal of $200, then right before I would normally make a large payment to the Disney Site on my booked vacation, I'll make it to this savings plan instead and then transfer it to the Disney site. I can live with a quick extra step for a few bucks off.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

My guess is this is an "account" that you can use to pay towards any Disney reservation whether it is resort, cruise, vacation club, Disney Adventures...etc. Not a bad idea in my opinion. With interest rates so poor, traditional savings accounts are not paying anything so why not?

My biggest concern is being able to get money refunded in a timely manner if plans were to change. Also, how will this affect Disney authorized travel agents? There are many out there that do great work and provide great service. I would forgo this option if it meant not being able to support Magical Journeys.

Aren't travel agents obselete? Especially with Disney?

I worked for a time on Disney's side of the wholesale travel game a good while ago...
Before online booking of anything...
And the agents were pretty obselete then.

A copy of birnbaums and a 20 minute phone call would garner much the same information. That was THEN.

So it Disney is actively trying to cut out the middle man... Well... Yeah... Probably could see that coming

 

[Magic Fanatic]

Aren't travel agents obselete? Especially with Disney? I worked for a time on Disney's side of the wholesale travel game a good while ago... Before online booking of anything... And the agents were pretty obselete then. A copy of birnbaums and a 20 minute phone call would garner much the same information. That was THEN. So it Disney is actively trying to cut out the middle man... Well... Yeah... Probably could see that coming

I don't think agents are obsolete by any means. In fact Disney actively promotes independent agency to become Disney "authorized", or whatever term they use. You are right though, making reservations through Disney is as easy as logging onto a computer or calling a phone number. I prefer using agents such as Magical Journeys (there are many others out there, some that sponsor this board).

It cost you nothing to use an agent, all pricing is set by Disney. What I like is that once I make a reservation the agent continues to work on my behalf by monitoring specials and discounts and applying them to my reservation as they occur. It saves me from calling back to Disney or having to constantly track things myself. I also had a situation where I had made a future reservation on a Disney cruise. I then authorized Magical Journeys to take over managing the reservation. While reviewing the reservation Nancy pointed out that there was a room with a veranda available for less money then our inside stateroom and got us moved. This was not pointed out to me when I made the initial reservation with Disney. This is just one example. There have been many times where Nancy has found us a campsite at Ft Wilderness when Disney was sold out or rooms at resorts when all were sold out.

My point here is to consider using agents. They bring much more to the table than just being an"order taker". The good ones really work for you!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't think agents are obsolete by any means. In fact Disney actively promotes independent agency to become Disney "authorized", or whatever term they use. You are right though, making reservations through Disney is as easy as logging onto a computer or calling a phone number. I prefer using agents such as Magical Journeys (there are many others out there, some that sponsor this board).

It cost you nothing to use an agent, all pricing is set by Disney. What I like is that once I make a reservation the agent continues to work on my behalf by monitoring specials and discounts and applying them to my reservation as they occur. It saves me from calling back to Disney or having to constantly track things myself. I also had a situation where I had made a future reservation on a Disney cruise. I then authorized Magical Journeys to take over managing the reservation. While reviewing the reservation Nancy pointed out that there was a room with a veranda available for less money then our inside stateroom and got us moved. This was not pointed out to me when I made the initial reservation with Disney. This is just one example. There have been many times where Nancy has found us a campsite at Ft Wilderness when Disney was sold out or rooms at resorts when all were sold out.

My point here is to consider using agents. They bring much more to the table than just being an"order taker". The good ones really work for you!

Valid points...
My point is and has always been...however...that booking at disney world is beyond easy. Especially since the finally got around to a web system.

I actually know a couple of people who are ex travel agents (one who had a chain of 10 agencies)... Who says travel agents are obsolete...not only that - but next to impossible to sustain since the airlines killed commissions. That's why few remain.

 

[bcrook]

Valid points...
My point is and has always been...however...that booking at disney world is beyond easy. Especially since the finally got around to a web system.

I actually know a couple of people who are ex travel agents (one who had a chain of 10 agencies)... Who says travel agents are obsolete...not only that - but next to impossible to sustain since the airlines killed commissions. That's why few remain.

I haven't used a travel agent since 1991 for a trip to the Rockies. I needed help finding bed and breakfast locations. That was a chore pre-internet.

But! After trying to keep up with 10 different people and FP+ reservations for the entire crew for five days, I would consider handing the whole situation over to a travel agent. Especially if I go back during food and wine and purchase a bunch of seminar tickets. Maybe this FP+ will lead to a Renaissance in Disney travel agent use.

 

[Magic Fanatic]

Valid points... My point is and has always been...however...that booking at disney world is beyond easy. Especially since the finally got around to a web system. I actually know a couple of people who are ex travel agents (one who had a chain of 10 agencies)... Who says travel agents are obsolete...not only that - but next to impossible to sustain since the airlines killed commissions. That's why few remain.

I respectfully disagree with your assessment that few agents remain. There are many travel agents that remain in the market and Disney actively promotes their training and certifications. Granted, the business has evolved but there are by no means obsolete.

 

[afnaechiquita]

aside from the gift card perk, i don't understand why disney thinks someone would want this as opposed to, i don't know, saving in their own bank?

i just wonder where this idea came from.

 

[Magic Fanatic]

aside from the gift card perk, i don't understand why disney thinks someone would want this as opposed to, i don't know, saving in their own bank? i just wonder where this idea came from.

As a banker, I agree with you. I think it is a smart marketing ploy to show people that are hit with the sticker shock of a Disney Vacation another option to save. By providing a way to pay monthly (in a way that is fully refundable) I am guessing that people may opt for more expensive accommodations and simply push their reservations out further to pay for them. This is exactly how car dealerships sell cars, not by the sticker price but by the monthly payment. While it is not for everyone, it is brilliant. The problem I see is that the money is kept in a non interest bearing account. That is not a problem with today's interest rates, most savings accounts are earning next to zero anyway. Now, if rates were to rise it would make more sense to keep the money in your own account.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I respectfully disagree with your assessment that few agents remain. There are many travel agents that remain in the market and Disney actively promotes their training and certifications. Granted, the business has evolved but there are by no means obsolete.

It could be a regional thing...
As few remain in my area outside liberty (who have closed offices), AAA, and those that cater to ESL...

But my take is If you can book vacation destinations, flights, cruise lines, and Europe all with a few clicks at home...where's the mystery?
That's just me

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I haven't used a travel agent since 1991 for a trip to the Rockies. I needed help finding bed and breakfast locations. That was a chore pre-internet.

But! After trying to keep up with 10 different people and FP+ reservations for the entire crew for five days, I would consider handing the whole situation over to a travel agent. Especially if I go back during food and wine and purchase a bunch of seminar tickets. Maybe this FP+ will lead to a Renaissance in Disney travel agent use.

I don't see how fast passes should be handled by a travel agent...it's highly personalized down to the minute, and if you miss things (pretty common) and have to make changes...you might be perilized to do so.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

As a banker, I agree with you. I think it is a smart marketing ploy to show people that are hit with the sticker shock of a Disney Vacation another option to save. By providing a way to pay monthly (in a way that is fully refundable) I am guessing that people may opt for more expensive accommodations and simply push their reservations out further to pay for them. This is exactly how car dealerships sell cars, not by the sticker price but by the monthly payment. While it is not for everyone, it is brilliant. The problem I see is that the money is kept in a non interest bearing account. That is not a problem with today's interest rates, most savings accounts are earning next to zero anyway. Now, if rates were to rise it would make more sense to keep the money in your own account.

I think you nailed it...sticker shock

Plus... Once they've got it... They're not giving it back.

Officially, I don't think disney has any real expectations for this... I think they're taking a shot and see if it sticks. Their brand allows them to chase a few geese

 

[Magic Fanatic]

It could be a regional thing... As few remain in my area outside liberty (who have closed offices), AAA, and those that cater to ESL... But my take is If you can book vacation destinations, flights, cruise lines, and Europe all with a few clicks at home...where's the mystery? That's just me

I do agree with you. The agency I use, Magical Journeys, is located in Pennsylvania, I live in Atlanta. I have known Nanci for over 12 years but have never met face to face. The magic comes into play when Disney offers a room or package discount or free dining comes into play. My agent will pick up the phone and call or email me to let me know and modify my plans if I wish. Disney will not do that, nor would I expect them to.

 

[Magic Fanatic]

I think you nailed it...sticker shock Plus... Once they've got it... They're not giving it back. Officially, I don't think disney has any real expectations for this... I think they're taking a shot and see if it sticks. Their brand allows them to chase a few geese

According to the terms and conditions the money saved is fully refundable with no penalties or fees should you cancel you trip. Regular cancellation policy's still apply.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

According to the terms and conditions the money saved is fully refundable with no penalties or fees should you cancel you trip. Regular cancellation policy's still apply.

Correct...however what would be the consumer's tendency after they put money into a "magic Mickey account"?

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I do agree with you. The agency I use, Magical Journeys, is located in Pennsylvania, I live in Atlanta. I have known Nanci for over 12 years but have never met face to face.

The muster comes into play when Disney offers a room or package discount or free dining comes into play. My agent will pick up the phone and call or email me to let me know and modify my plans if I wish. Disney will not do that, nor would I expect them to.

I was born and raised in pa and have lived on the western edge, the dead center, and now miles from the eastern edge...
The people here are...jittery...and demanding and want everything "cheap"...so I guess there's a niche.

Magical journeys...correct me if I'm wrong...gets most of their business off Internet sponsorship/referrals. It's a smart tactic and they've been successful. Credit due.
They are a sponsor here, I believe...and there are "other" boards were any mention of travel agencies gets you a demerit. (One I can think of in particular run by a pompous propaganda peddler)...

But again, I like this conversation. Of course...anyone can call up and get a promotion...but it is a little bit of a nuisance that requires patience and some attention that people may not have to give.

 

[afnaechiquita]

Correct...however what would be the consumer's tendency after they put money into a "magic Mickey account"?

exactly. thinking more on my original statement, your savings account you still have control over. you label a portion of it as a disney fund, but when circumstances change you can use that money for something else, and then disney does not get it.

with this, the money is "out of sight out of mind" and you're probably less likely to go through pulling it out unless the circumstance is truly dire.

oh disney.

also, i always see people mentioning paying for their trips by buying target gift cards, which i presume is because you get a kick-back from that, right? (i've never done it myself) maybe this is disney's answer to people doing it that way.