Does Anyone Else Feel Like DVC Members Just Lost Another Perk?

[DHar]

i didnt read all the posts in this thread...sorry if this was asked and answered...is there wifi at bay lake tower?

thanks

 

[ssawka]

It's 2011! Every hotel room should come with free wifi! It should be as standard as having a telephone in your room. Soon having a hotel advertise free wifi will be as humorous as seeing an old hotel with a sign out front advertising "Air Conditioning" or "Color TV".

 

[mello]

I, for one, am thrilled I no longer have to fiddle with the router immediately upon arrival to appease my kids so they can access the internet with their iPods. It's a win/win situation for me and it sure as heck doesn't matter to me that cash guests can do the same.

That's my take on it as well. I'm just happy to now have wireless!!!

 

[Inkmahm]

It's 2011! Every hotel room should come with free wifi! It should be as standard as having a telephone in your room. Soon having a hotel advertise free wifi will be as humorous as seeing an old hotel with a sign out front advertising "Air Conditioning" or "Color TV".

Exactly! I love seeing those old signs. Definitely classice motels/hotels.

Wifi is so basic, it really should be included in all hotel rooms the same as A/C, phones, TV, etc. I have no problem with other Disney visitors getting free wifi as long as I have it, too!

 

[Anna114]

I just want wi-fi. We bring our airport express so we have wireless in the room. My IPAD has 3g but my husband's is just wi-fi. I think it's about time Disney updated their internet service. I don't feel like I've lost some value to my DVC because having free internet did not play a part in our decision making.

 

[eporter66]

They should have wifi in all the resorts, not just deluxe. I am often surprised how behind the times Disney can be on certain things, while so forward thinking on others.

Anyway - I spend as little time online as possible while away.

We are happy with our DVC, and sure, I would love some additional perks, but we knew what we were getting buying in.

 

[Tigger1]

I am using the annual pass for the first time. We live to far away to go to Disney more than once a year. I am just lucky to get to go several times this year. The annual pass discount is great but I would like to see a discount on magic your way tickets so all DVC members would have a perk, not just those who get enough time off work and live close enough to Disney to go more than once a year.

I wonder how many members use the Annual pass discount. Its not really a perk if you live in Florida and can already get discounts.

 

[Sandisw]

It is hard for me to be disappointed with this change. For me, it means that at this point, my "free internet" has became a bit more secure.

With any perk DVC members receive, they are all subject to change. By the resorts investing in wi fi for all guests, it means that as a DVC member, I will also be included in its benefit!

 

[vicki_c]

I, for one, am thrilled I no longer have to fiddle with the router immediately upon arrival to appease my kids so they can access the internet with their iPods. It's a win/win situation for me and it sure as heck doesn't matter to me that cash guests can do the same.

That's exactly what I was going to say. We haven't found it that easy on all our trips to get the router up and running - sometimes it was, sometimes it was not and it became a real hassle that "had to be done". I really don't like spending my vacation time doing IT troubleshooting, so I only see it as a plus and don't begrudge anyone else getting it or feel that I lost anything.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Sure there will be some flames here...

But now that all the deluxe resorts have free wifi, available to everyone, does anyone feel like DVC members have lost yet another perk? That being free internet access.

I'll share your flame retardent suit. I feel like giving perks to DVC members is kind of like a rewards program for frequent, regular visitors. And we just lost a perk of being a frequent visitor. Nw if the wireless doesn't remain free...

 

[BBG-BLT]

OMG free wifi for everyone!! that's great.

YEAH!!

 

[Lynne M]

I'll share your flame retardent suit. I feel like giving perks to DVC members is kind of like a rewards program for frequent, regular visitors. And we just lost a perk of being a frequent visitor. Nw if the wireless doesn't remain free...

But that is absolutely, positively, not what DVC is. Disney doesn't even claim that. Some members may wish that DVC were like a frequent flyer program, but it isn't, and never has been. It's a timeshare, nothing else. And DVD states very plainly in the contract that the perks are not part of your vacation ownership.

And I'm still baffled...what have we lost?

 

[tjkraz]

They should have wifi in all the resorts, not just deluxe. I am often surprised how behind the times Disney can be on certain things, while so forward thinking on others.

Wifi is coming to other resorts...they simply started with Deluxe and DVC.

Disney signed a short-sighted contract for the wired service 4-5 years ago and had to ride it out. In fairness, back then there was some confusion about the staying power of current wireless standards and things like smartphones, iPod Touches and tablet computers were barely on the radar.

Keeping a wifi router in my Owner's Locker was easy enough but will definitely take advantage of Disney wifi instead.

 

[taaren]

The only way you will have lost something is if you don't want to use the wired, and there are too many people using up bandwidth on the free wi-fi network, then your free wi-fi will be slower than it would have otherwise been with just DVC members on the network, which yes, is sort of like losing a perk.
If Disney correctly anticipates how much bandwidth the users of their resorts will use when its free/included, or if they go with one of the free for minimum bandwidth/pay for streaming high bandwidth, then you won't really have lost anything.
At VGC wi-fi is and has been included for guests of the Villas and of the Grand Californian, and the wi-fi runs substantially slower than the wired (which I've never stayed in the regular room portion, but I suspect that the non-villa guests don't have access to?), so I like the wired/ethernet access as a "perk".

 

[leanne2255]

Never thought that wi-fi was a lost perk, but actually glad now that we have wireless. Imagine that, Disney hotels are now in the 21st century!

 

[Sammie]

But that is absolutely, positively, not what DVC is. Disney doesn't even claim that. Some members may wish that DVC were like a frequent flyer program, but it isn't, and never has been. It's a timeshare, nothing else. And DVD states very plainly in the contract that the perks are not part of your vacation ownership.

And I'm still baffled...what have we lost?

Totally agree.

"Happiness never decreases by being shared"

 

[rentayenta]

Totally agree.

"Happiness never decreases by being shared"

Exactly! Someone else getting something nice never negates my good fortune. I will never understand that way of thinking.

 

[walkdmc]

Not at all. I'm always glad to see improvements to WDW. I was tired of people complaining (and rightly so) that it's ridiculous WDW doesn't offer free Wi-Fi.

The better WDW is, the more valuable my DVC membership is.

 

[TDC Nala]

So is a perk "we get something useful for no extra cost" or is it "we get something nobody else gets?" or both?

 

[twinklebug]

So is a perk "we get something useful for no extra cost" or is it "we get something nobody else gets?" or both?

There seems to be several different categories of perks, some that fall into the shared category, some that are exclusive to DVC (with examples):

Disney Guest Perks (anyone on site) - Disney Transportation.
Disney Resort Guest Perks - EMH
Disney Deluxe Resort Guest Perks - Free WiFi (for now, might change)
DVC Resort Guest Perks (owner or their guest on points) - Pool Hopping, Free internet access
DVC Perks - Discounts

Our OP here is upset as they believed free internet to be exclusive to DVC, and now is not. Some time back I had read a thread stating that CR guests not only had free internet, but had computers in their rooms to go with it ~prior~ to DVC being granted free internet. I'm not sure if that was just for concierge guests, but I recall seeing CR pics to go with the claim and researched reserving a room so we'd have a computer and internet on our stay. Assuming this is true, than free internet was not exclusive to DVC - never was.

ETA - found one posting stating she had a computer in her CR room in 2007, but internet was charged... perhaps it was concierge that I read was free...