Does Disney monitor room key charges ?

[DVCPAT]

When I joined DVC in 1998, my guide told me Disneys/DVC future profits will come from park passes and restaurant tabs. As membership years go by, it seems to me thats when you would begin to travel outside Disney and visit other attractions and restaurants in the surrounding area.
My question - Does Disney poll or monitor our spending habits and as DVC membership ages and do you think more discounts will be in our future ?

 

[CarolMN]

I have no specific knowledge, but I believe Disney does collect information on DVC spending habits. They also do a lot of surveys.

Based on what I heard at the BWV annual meeting, I do not believe any additional park admission discounts are in our future.

 

[crisi]

Disney has a large data mining operation - the envy of other IT organizations. If you are using cash, they can't track you through the parks, but use a credit card - or better yet - a room key - and they know exactly where you are (especially combined with coded park passes and coded information on the FastPass system) and what you've spent.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Several threads on this board have dealt with possible DVC member discounts to keep us in the parks. The theory being when Disney see's our spending drop,they'll offer discounts and the best way to track our spending is thru plastic.

 

[Sharper]

Originally posted by crisi
Disney has a large data mining operation - the envy of other IT organizations. If you are using cash, they can't track you through the parks, but use a credit card - or better yet - a room key - and they know exactly where you are (especially combined with coded park passes and coded information on the FastPass system) and what you've spent.

Where do you get this notion? They may get some info to try to see patterns from room charge keys (not sure about even that, though) but I don't see how you think Disney knows where you are at all times, particularly when you use a credit card. I also can't quite imagine how they could obtain and organize various data such as whether you are DVC, your precise entries into a particular park along with all purchases you made. Think about how complicated and expensive this would be to do with any real accuracy. They AREN'T big brother, tracking your every move. How creepy.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Originally posted by crisi

Disney has a large data mining operation - the envy of other IT organizations. If you are using cash, they can't track you through the parks, but use a credit card - or better yet - a room key - and they know exactly where you are (especially combined with coded park passes and coded information on the FastPass system) and what you've spent.

Although Disney likely has a large data mining operation, it is most unlikely that the kind of "real time" data analysis implied here is a part of it. Typically, data mining applies sophisticated statistical and data extraction techniques to large databases. These databases are built up over a period of time as clients go about their normal business. Rather substantial computer capability is needed to carry out the work.

Real time tracking of park visitors using information keyed to room key cards or other admission media is likely to be much more limited, focusing on verification that the media is valid for park entry, charging purchases to the room, and so forth. It would be possible to later "mine" the resulting data for various patterns, but this would certainly not be done in a timely enough manner to actually keep track of your progress through the various venues of WDW. Correlating data with that from credit card purchases would be even more challenging, although not impossible for at least some statistically significant sample of park visitors, since many visitors who don't charge to their rooms might use the same credit card for both room charges and purchases in restaurants and shops. This is no more complicated than American Express sending me discount coupons for local restaurants where I used the Amex credit card.

Overall, I wouldn't be too worried about "big brother" here.

Ralph

 

[KNWVIKING]

This is actually quite easily done, especially when a room key is used for charging and park pass. The card states right on it DVC member.they know every time you enter a park,use FP,all purchases. In effect, while you're on their property, they are Big Brother.

 

[Sharper]

It cannot be done quite easily. I thought perhaps there was a grain of truth from some reliable source, perhaps something like they keep some general stats regarding on-site visitors and how many days they actually enter the park.

I simply don't believe that Disney has the resources, legal right or even inclination to do what you have stated.

 

[crisi]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply real time.

They certainly can track where you have been and where you have spent money - and it is an easy matter to correlate that with the other information they have on you - such as being a DVC member, where you are staying (if at a Disney property), what PSs you made, etc.

(I was at a conference last year with some Disney IT employees, talking about IT initiatives)

 

[Sharper]

So, you actually think that Disney is monitoring your every visit, purchase, park entry, fast pass, priority seating, etc.? No matter if you bought 14 park hoppers and distributed them amongst your friends and family? And if you pay with a credit card? Do they pull your prints off cash? If you ate with friends under their reservations, or just popped in last minute? Again, not enough resources and inability to get such precise information (for instance, purchases made with cash and/or credit cards, which they DO NOT have access to!) among other logical problems with this theory. If you used precisely the same name on your reservation and PS's, bought and used an annual pass or LOS pass, used your room key for every single purchase and Disney absolutely wanted to spend the time and money to make such records then they might be able to get some rough file. How often does a visitor do all those things? Not enough to make it worthwhile even if Disney could pull that info together for each. Many of us stay under someone else's name, use cash, use a park hopper pass purchased earlier, eat on impulse (with no sort of record!), etc. so that Disney might or might know be able to determine if you were even at their resort!

General stats are possible and might yield enough info to be helpful in their marketing, but there simply cannot be such explicit records on each individual. I just can't imagine why you would go to Disney if you truly believed they were maintaining such a record on you. I wouldn't.

 

[KNWVIKING]

When I'm at WDW, I use my room key for all purchases and AP's for the parks. Disney absolutely knows every $$ I put on that card and know every time I enter a park. That info is extremely easy to gather,maintain,analyze,etc. If Disney see's DVC members routinely spending money in the parks,they're happy. If DVC members suddenly started using just cash in the parks,then Disney doesn't know what is happening- have no proof we are spending. At that point maybe they conclude they are loosing money,so they might offer real discounts to encourage us to start spending. I wouldn't underestimate the info Disney gleans from those little plastic cards.

 

[Muushka]

If DVC members suddenly started using just cash in the parks,then Disney doesn't know what is happening- have no proof we are spending. At that point maybe they conclude they are loosing money,so they might offer real discounts to encourage us to start spending.

This is why we usually pay cash for everything at WDW. Besides, we are not comfortable handing over credit cards in restaurants when they take them from you. We never use our room key.

 

[sgtdisney]

Maybe all DVC members should stop using the room key to charge things... Then DVC would think that all the DVC members went elsewhere and didn't spend anything in the parks and start to offer discounts.... It's just a thought

 

[DVCPAT]

I think they do monitor us closely. There was a time we would use are annual pass and room keys to get fast passes, now they cross linked the data base to stop it.
I dont charge any purchases on my room keys because if they know exactly what I spend, Its info to keep the prices up on DVC members.
Then again, sometimes I dont want to know how much I spend !

 

[manning]

When I set up an appointment view the models I gave a relative as a referral. My relative has a very common name and the guide had to scan a few records to find him. He showed me the screen and asked me if this was him. It was and what I saw surprised me at how much info they had on him. When taking down my info I was hesitant to give my phone number. The guide said no problem, if you stayed here before we have it. Disney started to gather info on guest since day one of WDW opening. You think those post card offerings are mailed at random??

 

[Sharper]

Disney couldn't monitor your every move. Okay, if you want to believe that Disney knows all about you, okey dokey. I have some info on many people and companies that I have dealt with. and if you looked at my book you would see individual entries can be lengthy with name, address, contact numbers, type of contact and maybe a few other comments. That doesn't mean I am monitoring their every move!

Reservation CM's at CRO they know I have visited before. They can look up my "account" with my phone number or name, which is helpful if I have no idea of my reservation number when I call. Of course, they only have a record of three visits, not the seven (or eight?) times I have been to WDW. A remarriage, change of name, address and telephone numbers so they don't have any way to link even each visit I have made. It is conceivable that if you never change any details, such as your name or phone number, always use your room key for every purchase and always use annual passes then you make it easier for them to collect data. If you are normal and don't do all of those each time then they don't have much info except in a general way. And I am sure they realize that they have no way of knowing if you are not spending money in the parks, or if you are just someone who prefers to use cash or a credit card.

Anyway, I have served my point of making sure that someone did not just read this thread and think "I read that Disney monitors your every move and purchase" and get upset. I think most of us can logically think about the realities of anything approaching that type of intrusion into our privacy.

 

[eva]

I am a Training Manager at a large computer training facility and Database Administration is my specialty field. The things that everyone is talking about Disney doing to track your every move is very possible and really not that hard to do. Of course there are many times that they will not know, such as when you use cash. How do you think that they come up with your charge sheets at the end of your trip? That is an extremely easy thing to do. Using queries you can cross-match people by all kinds of information. I'm not saying that things don't fall through the cracks. As a matter of fact it is expected and there are statistics used to predict how much the information is off. DVC members would be the easiest to track. When you buy from DVC you almost give them your entire history. Cross-matching us would be a breeze, even if you moved or started using different credit cards. We've worked with large grocery stores that can track everything about you as long as you use a check, charge card, or one of their store discount cards. The only way they don't know who you are is if you use cash with no discount cards or mailed store coupons. Those mailed coupons have barcodes on them and if a chain is well organized they know the address and name of the person they mailed it to. When it gets used it is added to you personal data. To me the whole thing is not scary at all. The world is just becoming more information oriented. You'd be surprised to see how some of the larger companies are tracking information about their customers.

 

[Jollymon]

To think that Disney does not 'mine' the database is as ludricous as the Director of the Patent Office in the 1800's who said that everything that could be invented had already been invented.

I am in IT, dealing with Database applications and data mining software and I assure you that the things you speak about in this thread are not only possible, but extremely easy to do with today's software and computing power.

Live with the idea that your privacy is gone. There is no way you can escape other than by strictly using cash, avoiding the internet at all costs, not applying for a single thing (credit cards, loans, mortgages, drivers license,etc..)...

Want to see something scary, look yourself up in the directory used by the law enforcement officers. You will find a detailed history of your life, down to where you live and have lived, the names of your neighbors and their whereabouts, the names of your teachers in college, etc. The cross linking of information is absolutely mind boggling.

Andrew

 

[TroyWDW]

Sharper stated:

It cannot be done quite easily. I thought perhaps there was a grain of truth from some reliable source, perhaps something like they keep some general stats regarding on-site visitors and how many days they actually enter the park.

I simply don't believe that Disney has the resources, legal right or even inclination to do what you have stated.

We just returned from a trip a few weeks ago. We purchased Annual Passes for entry into the various Disney parks. My wife's pass was not always working correctly, so we went to Guest Relations at MGM and asked them to help us. The cast member swiped her card and proceeded to tell us <B>each</B> of the activities that we had <B>used the card</B> for.

I looked on the computer screen and it showed each time we entered a park, each time we used a FastPass machine, etc.

On a different topic...
Each time you use the dining reservations system take note of the information they request. All of the info is linked back to your home phone number. If you make a PS for the current day they will ask for your resort and room number.

Does anyone believe that the surveys are <I>anonymous</I>?

Troy

 

[Patpat15]

common sense dictates.

There are poll companies that can come up with much more supposedly "accurate" information than a disney inhouse department could do, at a much cheaper price. I'm sure disney uses polling data rather than a high cost department of data information, monitoring credit cards, and park entrance data bases.

Disney is definitely always concerned with cutting costs.

This is the same reason that the TV channels use nielsen ratings instead of building a data base, doing their own research. Or political campaigns making their own phone calls to all their constituents.