Do we deserve to be treated differently?

[SnackyStacky]

This is more of a community board discussion, so I'm going to bop it over there.

 

[starwood]

AP holders get little perks. People staying onsite get little perks. Disney Visa holders get little perks. Notice I said "little". I do wish the perks were a bit bigger.

But do I want to see a class system at Disney? No, I want each and every guest to be treated like they are the most important guest that day.

DVC members also get little perks (dining discounts and AP discounts).

Does anyone remember the Magic Kingdom Club. Certain businesses could get you membership with room and ticket discounts. That morphed into the Disney Club which anyone could join for a fee (also got 10% off at the disney store when it was still owned by Disney). I really miss those days.

 

[IMGONNABE40!]

It would be nice to have a "frequent flier" program like all the large hotel chains have. At Hilton or Marriott, etc, a return guest can earn perks like upgrades, etc. Why not at Disney?

That's what I was thinking. The Universal hotels do this through their Loews First program. It is quite nice to book a standard room there and qualify for an upgrade to a KingSuite at the time of booking.

I know Disney is their own brand, and I am sure they could implement such a program, but I don't think they have an incentive to do so. It's not like they have trouble filling rooms.

 

[cardaway]

Of course I would love a discount or somethintg like a special fastpass to say thank-you for repeat business, but the reality is, it's more in their best interest to give me something like that only if I DON'T come back for a couple years. At this point they can see we go to WDW or DL once a year for the last 8 years including to DL this upcoming Halloween. Obviously they don't need to dangle a carrot in our face to get us back.

 

[purvislets]

I think anyone who is a repeat visitor should get SOME kind of perk.

But don't leave the Floridians out! We still have to make a long trip (we're in northern FL, near GA) and spend a lot of money too! Our Florida Resident discount for a one day ticket is only like $8, so it's not really like we're getting special treatment!

 

[palmtreegirl]

Deserve? No.

 

[salmoneous]

Do families that go to WDW regularly deserve special perks?

Simple answer - no. Now I'm curious to read what others have posted.

PS - While we don't deserve perks, we do have a whole lot of inside knowledge that is better than perks.

 

[JR6ooo4]

even something as little as a limited edition pin would be great.

Mikeeee

 

[perdidobay]

Everyone that pays admission deserves the same treatment.

 

[Reflection]

I don't see vacations as being an item that someone deserves. It is a good/service that one pays for. If you can pay for the level of service and caliber (quality) of vacation that you want, then that is what you get.

As for repeat visitors, they are spending their money several times at a destination that presumably has value to them. It would seem they are going to go anyway, so I'm not sure why a company would spend additional money to attract customers they have successfully retained.

 

[diznygirl]

How do you run such a program? Is it based on being a frequent visitor? Then it would apply to locals. You don't want it to apply to locals, then you would have to set some sort of criteria to exclude them, like zip code or mileage.

BTW - the zip code 34747 gets you out of most surveys.

 

[NMAmy]

I would love to see the Disney hotels allow visitors to earn points as other hotels do.

That's actually one reason why we usually stay at the Swan/Dolphin instead of a Disney resort. I earn a bunch of points for all the money I spend at the hotel, get discounted rates, AND I usually get a free upgrade without all the coyness involved with trying to get an upgrade at a Disney owned hotel. Since that's what I want, that's where I spend my money.

 

[juligrl]

Disney really doesn't need to do the incentives to attract more people there - people go regardless.

It would be nice (in juligrl dream world) if Disney were to say to me "Okay juligrl, we see you've been a loyal customer for x number of years. You always pay for a value resort. This time you can book a deluxe resort at the value price." I guarantee that every trip after that we would be booking that deluxe - I hear they're addictive.

 

[diznygirl]

I would love to see the Disney hotels allow visitors to earn points as other hotels do.

That's actually one reason why we usually stay at the Swan/Dolphin instead of a Disney resort. I earn a bunch of points for all the money I spend at the hotel, get discounted rates, AND I usually get a free upgrade without all the coyness involved with trying to get an upgrade at a Disney owned hotel. Since that's what I want, that's where I spend my money.

A hotel points program would be fair, I think. Most locals don't need the hotels. But it's not exclusionary because there would always be the ability to participate if they wanted.

 

[dvcnewgirl]

Everyone that pays admission deserves the same treatment.

That is why I should get a pin code!!

 

[mickeyfan2]

I go twice a year and I am already getting special treatment. I buy an AP and great a great resort discount and park admission rate.

 

[Mickeyistheman]

Simply stated no.

Disney has always had the motto to treat everyone the same. It should not matter if you only have the oppurtunity to visit once in your life or every weekend.

Walt felt that everyone was the same.

However, there are many discounts for those that travel frequently

Florida residents. Free Dining a great perk, Annual Passes and then you get the Disney Dining Discount card. I even think you get 10% off of your Purchase at the Disney Store in Downtown Disney.

I don't know about others that have booked but I get postcards and or emails about upcoming savings for future trips.

Think about how you would feel if a family who saved every last penny they could just to come for 3 or 4 days only and they didn't get the same treatment of a family who has been there over 50 times. That is what Walt wanted.

"To all who come here....Welcome" - Walt Disney

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

I didn't read the other responses, but my answer is that loyalty should be rewarded in some way. We're all here because we love WDW, but there are thousands of other places we could go and Disney should recognize that. There was a time when all of my vacation money was spent at WDW, but I've come to realize that WDW is never a bargain and I like to get bang for my buck. If I can get a deal elsewhere, I go elsewhere, and deals are easy to find.

WDW knows exactly how many times we've all visited. Every time I call CRO the CM says something about all of my visits. That's nice and all, but a price break would be even nicer.

 

[allisonswonderland]

Heck guys someone mentioned that they tracked your stays...well I order MVMCP ticks yesterday for our Nov trip and they said well your last trip was Aug '05 - I was like UGH try I have been there May '06, Married there Nov '06, came back in May '07 - what the heck? -I did not actually go through all of those dates, I just told them I was just there in May...

But I understand your point, I mean you consider that I got married there spent a bunch on my wedding and then brought them all this business for them with guest- I go there twice a year.

Now think of someone who is REALLY loaded and GOES ALL the time and spends TONS of money would it make you mad that they get more stuff than you or would you be happy knowing that you are just getting something back toward your stays?

I do not see anything wrong with a reward card...where you get points like at the grocery store or something... where you are buliding based on what you spend and everyone's point is worth the same.

 

[ducklite]

I would love for there to be some sort of loyalty program, like the ones Hilton, Marriott, et.al. have. For every dollar you spend at their hotels and in their hotel restaurants you earn points that can be used towards free rooms, meal gift certificates, etc. Just like Hilton and Marriotts charge more "points for their higher end resorts (up to 60,000 per night) than their budget accomodations (as few as 10,000 per night) the same thing could happen with Disney, using the type of resort and time of year to determine nightly point values, along the lines of how DVC works. Havi blackout dates and capacity controls to try to bring people in during the slower times might work to their advantage as well.

I don't think it should be limited to just people who travel a long distance and come every year. I'm sure there are plenty of people who live in the state of Florida who go to WDW just as much each year, they just make shorter trips more often--and usually in the slowest periods when WDW really needs their business.

That said, do I think anyone DESERVES a loylaty program, uh no.