DVC/Disney has lost the Magic.

[kent285]

Oh boy is that true! I've been on the boards 10 plus years and boy you can't argue with some folks. Especially DVC'ers. They are tough!

Yep, about 3 years back I had to enter the Witness Protection program..

 

[mopee3]

Maybe while I am eating my popcorn someone can start up a thread titled" Lets Get Rid Of ALL DVC Perks!!"

Moe

 

[WilsonFlyer]

...That rule is there to protect us as members. This way, DVC folks do not purchase annual passes for their "kids" who are not really kids. NOT that this is your case.

And that rule protects me as a member how exactly? I could less than give a crap if every member buys 100 AP's. That's Disney's problem AFAIC.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Who is eligible to receive the Annual Pass discount?
Disney Vacation Club Members receive a discount on the Pass for themselves and their immediate family residing in the same household only. At the time of purchase or redemption, your Disney Vacation Club Member ID Card must be provided and ALL ADULTS must present a valid driver's license or state identification card showing they reside in the same household.

So, have him show his ID, and YOUR Dvc card for an annual pass....I dont read where YOU have to physically be there......

That's the way I interpret that too. What did I miss for Christ's sake?

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I love my DVC membership , but , yes, sometimes they frustrate me...Sorry this did not work out better for you. Hope your son has fun anyway...last year we booked a 3 BR villa and invited 2 other families to join us. Our family of 4 wanted the dining plan and our friends did not. So it became an issue for me b/c wecould not add the DP to our ressie w/out our friends adding it too...I kind of felt like they were "forced" to add it b/c we did. Anyway, it all worked out and we ALL got the DP and everyone was happy in the end. We decided not to focus on it too much and just enjoy ourselves. Like I said before , I hope he has fun. Too bad you guys had to learn this little quirky rule the hard way
Kind of like us with the DP last year... ...people on this board get too worked up sometimes...chill out folks

 

[tjkraz]

And that rule protects me as a member how exactly? I could less than give a crap if every member buys 100 AP's. That's Disney's problem AFAIC.

I suspect the idea is that if the perk is abused, it ain't gonna stick around. Disney sacrifices $100-125 for every AP purchased so I would expect them to be somewhat rigid in how the perk is administered.

That's the way I interpret that too. What did I miss for Christ's sake?

The wording is a bit different in the Member Benefits Guide as quoted by a previous poster:

"WDW Admission Media may be purchased by calling Member Services or by going to Guest Relations at the Magic Kingdom Park, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park or Downtown Disney area. New WDW Admission Media also can be purchased at dvcmember.com. At time of purchase or certificate redemption (for purchases through Member Services or online), Members must present their DVC Member ID Card, and if applicable, proof of Florida residency, and all adults (ages 18 and up) must present a valid driver’s license or state identification card showing they reside in the same household."​

As I previously stated, the idea is that the member must be present at the time of purchase to display the ID card and a photo ID. All other adults must provide photo ID which has the same address as the member. That's basically how Disney decided to connect the dots and determine that individuals are eligible for the discount.

OP acknowledged in the first post that he was ultimately told that the child was eligible but that his wife would have to be present in order to get the discount. I know of other people in this same situation who made inquiries of Member Services and were told the same thing--a member needed to be present even if it was an eligible dependent buying the pass. It's good to hear (and not surprising) that some ticket agents are a bit more lenient in verifying that identity. But officially MS appears to be sticking to the same party line.

Showing the blue member ID without the member present is pretty meaningless. If last names are different, one could simply claim to be a step-child or some other eligible group. If Disney allowed that, I could easily see renters willing to loan-out their ID for a cut of the AP savings.

 

[La2kw]

Wow, you're ready to sell because your son couldn't get a discount? It would take me a lot more than that considering one should never become a member for the perks.

 

[CarolAnnC]

There was a case before where a college age person actually had obtained a valid driver's license from the state where they resided at college. That would then preclude them from still being a legal resident in their parent's home.

So as long as they still have a valid driver's license with the state and address of the parents, they should be good to go with a discounted DVC AP.

 

[DVCPAT]

Wow, you're ready to sell because your son couldn't get a discount? It would take me a lot more than that considering one should never become a member for the perks.

Whats really frustrating is trying to take advantage of a valid perk and the CM doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about. You then go to guest relations and they don’t have a clue. You then wonder if you misread the perk and go back to your room and double check the perk listing. You find that you were correct and take the Disney printed perk list back to guest relations only to have the CM get an attitude. Disney needs to retrain employees like they did 10 years ago.

 

[Tara]

Wow, you're ready to sell because your son couldn't get a discount? It would take me a lot more than that considering one should never become a member for the perks.

I don't think it's just that - the OP started another post about loss of perks.

 

[PBB]

I don't think it's just that - the OP started another post about loss of perks.

Yes, I am not happy with DVC. We have had some great vacations at DVC in the past. We primarily use the points at HH or VB. WDW has been been value imagineered to death. On another board a columnist, Kevin Yee, uses the term "declining by degrees". Which means they slowly start to take away things a little at a time.

This past week it was taking away the valet parking at the DVC resorts that was complimentary. I guess I won't be staying at BW anytime soon. Disney was a quality organization that used to design and build a quality product. Whether it was theme park, hotel, parade or ice cream cart.

They are no longer a innovative company. They react to the market and competition. Example, lets build MGM to compete with Universal, lets build Animal Kingdom to compete with Busch Gardens. They did not build these parks for innovation. They built them to take away the market share of the competitors. They used to build grand hotels.....Contemporary, Poly, GF and then they went to Coronado springs or the All Stars. Heck, they can't come up with original movies anymore. They have to do bad remakes of Disney Classics.

Now a days they are struggling to keep the park clean and maintained. They close the parks early to accommodate a convention or to charge another fee to go late to the park and call it special.

What happened to the good restaurants ? Now, the menu of chicken, ribs and flank steak can be had at I bet 8 different restaurants. It is all institutionalized and blah.....but I should pay $ 35 to have breakfast with Pluto and that makes it better. Heck, they can't even figure out how to get rid of that crappy tasting coffee.

They can pay golden parachutes to a few executives for $ 100's of million dollars for severance package because a egomaniac ran the company. Eisner was not the reason Disney was successful it was Frank Wells that steadied the company. Getting rid of Katzenburg who had great talent and loved what he was doing because Eisner could not give up power. There hasn't been a good animated film since Katzenburg left. Pixar is what Disney should be or should have been.

Today was the straw that broke the camels back for me......We pay for Member Services and 3 people could not get a simple question answered properly. All I did was call DVC to get information to provide my son so he could get his ticket/passport without a hassle. I knew it was going to be a hassle and I did not want him wasting his short trip trying to figure it out on his own. At the end of the day, he was entitled to the passport because he is our son and he lives with us. We did not give him our card.....oops our bad but the member could easily been obtained by myself or member services. A knowledgeable would have said tell him to bring the reservation of his DVC stay and that has the number or give him the number to give to the agent. Another poster's daughter did this and it was reasonable.

The negative part of DVC is Disney themselves. The same management styles will be implemented at DVC and it will get very bad.

Our first stay at DVC was at OKW in our home resort in 98. We left Atlanta and drove all night. We were going to get a cheap hotel in Ocala and go to WDW the next day. I got a second wind and drove all the way to WDW. We pulled into OKW to see how much they would charge cash for the night. It was 3 a.m. and the desk agent said technically you are here on the day you are scheduled to check into the unit so we will just do an early check in. He gave me two keys. I asked him about the charging and such and he told the computer was processing. Just go to bed and come back in the morning. What a truly pleasant surprise that was. It cost DVC nothing and it took nothing away from anyone. The clerk was just being hospitable and caring. This would never happen today because of bad training and standard operating procedures that would not allow a manager to make decision like this. That clerk sold me more on DVC than any my sales associate ever did.

I was glad to see Eisner go.....but Disney hired another Eisner to replace him. What was Iger before ??? He ran a cable company.....They have great customer service don't they ?? That was the type of experience I had today...........

 

[TisBit]

They are no longer a innovative company. They react to the market and competition.

Of course they do, they would go out of business otherwise.

They can pay golden parachutes to a few executives for $ 100's of million dollars for severance package because a egomaniac ran the company.

This is corporate america and it won't change, it is capitalism at its finest. If you want to recruit the top talent to be your CEO you better come with your wallet out, or they will go somewhere else.

Today was the straw that broke the camels back for me......We pay for Member Services and 3 people could not get a simple question answered properly.

Unfortunately, they did answer correctly, just not what you wanted. Now, don't get me wrong, I wish they could have helped you out and maybe it would have gone a long way to make your day better, but your issues run much deeper than this one instance and I doubt it would have changed your perceptions. You would have just been frustrated with something else down the line.

There are a lot of valid points made in your post, but it is nothing new. I remember going to WDW as a kid and my parents talking about how Roy was destroying it and Walt wouldn't be happy. Disney, along with the rest of the world are trying to survive and that means cut backs, declining service is everywhere and Disney is not immune.

 

[gkrykewy]

Our first stay at DVC was at OKW in our home resort in 98. We left Atlanta and drove all night. We were going to get a cheap hotel in Ocala and go to WDW the next day. I got a second wind and drove all the way to WDW. We pulled into OKW to see how much they would charge cash for the night. It was 3 a.m. and the desk agent said technically you are here on the day you are scheduled to check into the unit so we will just do an early check in. He gave me two keys. I asked him about the charging and such and he told the computer was processing. Just go to bed and come back in the morning. What a truly pleasant surprise that was. It cost DVC nothing and it took nothing away from anyone. The clerk was just being hospitable and caring. This would never happen today because of bad training and standard operating procedures that would not allow a manager to make decision like this. That clerk sold me more on DVC than any my sales associate ever did.

I don't agree with most of your complaints - I find WDW to be just as good as it ever was.... but that is a super cool story

 

[Crystal_27]

The clerk was just being hospitable and caring. This would never happen today because of bad training and standard operating procedures that would not allow a manager to make decision like this. That clerk sold me more on DVC than any my sales associate ever did.

......

I think that statement is painting DVC with a pretty broad brush. I'm a fairly new DVC member but I have witnessed an incredible amount of kindness and accommodation by CMs...just because. It has nothing to do with training, it has to do with whether someone (i) is able to do something; and (ii) whether they care enough to do so. The first one is always a biggie because a CM could *want* to do something for you all day long but just not be able to. That doesn't mean the magic is gone, it just means that sometimes stuff just doesn't turn out the way we want to. In your case, the CM (and her boss) made a mistake about a perk - - it happens. That doesn't mean that the magic of Disney is dead; it means that people are still fallible.

You know, it always amazes me how people sing Disney's praises when they receive an unexpected upgrade or a free something or other, but then turn around in the next breath and diss Disney for some perceived slight when they don't receive something they feel they are entitled to (and DVC members feel waaayyy more entitled than the regular guests...it's just part of the initiation process - LOLOLOL).

OP, it sounds like you've been dissatisifed with DVC for a while and that this "slight" about the AP was the final straw. If that is the case, you should sell. If Disney 'aint doing it for you, it's just not worth hanging onto your membership. DVC should be something associated with fun, not headaches and resentment. Either way, I'm so glad that everything worked out, and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[PBB]

Unfortunately, they did answer correctly, just not what you wanted. Now, don't get me wrong, I wish they could have helped you out and maybe it would have gone a long way to make your day better, but your issues run much deeper than this one instance and I doubt it would have changed your perceptions. You would have just been frustrated with something else down the line.

I guess you did not read the entire thread. It DID work out for us. My son got his DVC annual pass. Member Services did not quote the rules correctly to me. It is a shame that did not happen. I am unsure if it was training or incompetence on their part. The disturbing part is the manager on duty at MS did not know the rules. Perhaps, they should have put me on hold and looked it up instead of shooting from the hip. The decision to purchase the DVC pass came up when he was driving on the way to WDW. We did not give him the card. Management should be able to view a situation, adjust and make reasonable accommodations if they can.

BTW, I would not have been irritated had they quoted the rules properly to me. I would have asked for a waiver about the card or ask if they would accept a copy of the card via fax. If not, I would have spoken to management.

This is corporate america and it won't change, it is capitalism at its finest. If you want to recruit the top talent to be your CEO you better come with your wallet out, or they will go somewhere else.

Shame on Eisner for wasting the stockholders money on such parachutes. Michael Ovitz was on the chopping block the day after he was hired. Within a year, he was gone and it cost $ 100 million dollars and he did nothing. Katzenberg deserved his package because he made billions for the company and it was in his contract. The shame here is that Disney lost his talents because of one man's ego (Eisner).

 

[Chuck S]

A reminder that the topics on the DVC forums need to remain DVC specific. General rants about Michael Eisner, MGM Studios, and Disney corporate operations do not meet that criteria. Please return this thread to DVC related discussions.

OP, did you discuss the possibility of selling your DVC last night? Truly, if I felt that way about the entire operation of Disney, I'd be selling.

Times change, businesses change with those times or cease to exist. We need to accept those changes or move on to other pastures. When you see relatively large corporations that we all remember from our childhood years cease operations or be gobbled up by other corporations, it is understandable that Disney is trying to change with the times.

Unocal76, Maytag & AT&T are just a few of the major players that have been swallowed up or ceased to exist...none of them are around anymore in their original form. Don't buy DVC thinking that Disney will remain static for 50 years.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

IMO, for what it's worth, our society is no longer service oriented. From Health insurance to banking to DVC etc., it's no longer "the customer's always right", where people went that step beyond for the customer/consumer. Now the objective is to give away as little as possible, to make people fight for what should be theirs. It's not just Disney/DVC, your health insurance co. dictates to your doctor whether you need treatment or not, and /or what kind of meds you should take.

PBB, your experience was unpleasant and frustrating, and as you've just proven, sometimes it takes many calls, many frustrating conversations that too often get loud and ugly just to finally attain a fair resolution. The 1st assumption by anyone shouldn't always be that (we) want to cheat the system, and/or want to get something for nothing. Now, many of us are so surprised or completely taken off guard when MS or a Ser. Rep goes out of their way or goes that extra length to make something happen, this used to be the norm. It's even one of the questions on the Disney suvery which is sent to you after a stay. I've never been able to answer yes to that question.

You've also found out that you need full body armor when complaining about anything on these boards because the hits are going to come fast and hard! I'm happy it's resolved.

 

[cpdwiz]

This is what was posted at www.disneyvacationclub.com. regarding the DVC annual pass. This was posted in the Members Only section as cpdwiz stated.........

Who is eligible to receive the Annual Pass discount?

Disney Vacation Club Members receive a discount on the Pass for themselves and their immediate family residing in the same household only. At the time of purchase or redemption, your Disney Vacation Club Member ID Card must be provided and ALL ADULTS must present a valid driver's license or state identification card showing they reside in the same household.

Who is defined as "immediate family"?

"Immediate family" is defined by Walt Disney World Resort for discount purposes as noted below: Spouse/Registered Domestic Partner, Parent/Step Parent, Mother-In-Law/Father-In-Law, Child/Step Child, Brother/Stepbrother, Sister/Stepsister, Brother-In-Law/Sister-In-Law, Grandparent, and Grandchild.

This answers the age question.......They can be any age as long as they reside at the resident. No age cap......


Regarding the attack comment.......

When people cheer or are happy that you are upset you are not treated right. I find this type of response as doing nothing but throwing gas on the fire. Did this person add to the thread by stating:

I don't understand why you are having such a fit about DVC not wanting to bend the rules specifically for your situation. I am happy they are sticking to their guns on this one. If your son's name is not on the account, he is not a DVC member even though he has been able to benefit from your membership for the past 12 years. He is not due anything here


I am having a fit because I was right and DVC was wrong. Common Sense tells that it is ridiculous not to offer a child whole lives in the membership household the proper discount that he deserved. When some derives being happy at someone's frustration. That is kind of sad. To state, that my son was not due anything was flat out wrong.........So, I took offense to the post above. Nothing positive was said and just inflamed the situation. I guess I should ignored the poster........I don't like people that are happy when someone is troubled or upset by something.

This what I mean by attacked................Sometimes people should think if they are lending anything constructive to the conversation.

For the purpose of CHILD SUPPORT in a divorce/custody situation, a child is no longer eligible if they live at school. Now, thats in Mass...Maybe Disney follows that reasoning?

I guess my whole point is, you came on here all fired up about DVC and how the magic is gone, BEFORE you actually went through contacting a higher up who handled it in minutes for you. You categorized all of Disney as being no longer fun, magical or worth it because of this one incident...And, if you post an opinion on here, expect others to react with their feelings. Take me, I don't think I could ever say a bad word about Disney,and would probably defend them for life. But, thats me.

anyways, hope your son is having fun!

 

[cpdwiz]

And that rule protects me as a member how exactly? I could less than give a crap if every member buys 100 AP's. That's Disney's problem AFAIC.

Imagine the DVC family that has 37 children all buying season passes, and 15 grown ups?

And, if you see that much of a huge increase in buying, it may go away and that would be a bad thing.

 

[cpdwiz]

Yes, I am not happy with DVC. We have had some great vacations at DVC in the past. We primarily use the points at HH or VB. WDW has been been value imagineered to death. On another board a columnist, Kevin Yee, uses the term "declining by degrees". Which means they slowly start to take away things a little at a time.

This past week it was taking away the valet parking at the DVC resorts that was complimentary. I guess I won't be staying at BW anytime soon. Disney was a quality organization that used to design and build a quality product. Whether it was theme park, hotel, parade or ice cream cart.

They are no longer a innovative company. They react to the market and competition. Example, lets build MGM to compete with Universal, lets build Animal Kingdom to compete with Busch Gardens. They did not build these parks for innovation. They built them to take away the market share of the competitors. They used to build grand hotels.....Contemporary, Poly, GF and then they went to Coronado springs or the All Stars. Heck, they can't come up with original movies anymore. They have to do bad remakes of Disney Classics.

Now a days they are struggling to keep the park clean and maintained. They close the parks early to accommodate a convention or to charge another fee to go late to the park and call it special.

What happened to the good restaurants ? Now, the menu of chicken, ribs and flank steak can be had at I bet 8 different restaurants. It is all institutionalized and blah.....but I should pay $ 35 to have breakfast with Pluto and that makes it better. Heck, they can't even figure out how to get rid of that crappy tasting coffee.

They can pay golden parachutes to a few executives for $ 100's of million dollars for severance package because a egomaniac ran the company. Eisner was not the reason Disney was successful it was Frank Wells that steadied the company. Getting rid of Katzenburg who had great talent and loved what he was doing because Eisner could not give up power. There hasn't been a good animated film since Katzenburg left. Pixar is what Disney should be or should have been.

Today was the straw that broke the camels back for me......We pay for Member Services and 3 people could not get a simple question answered properly. All I did was call DVC to get information to provide my son so he could get his ticket/passport without a hassle. I knew it was going to be a hassle and I did not want him wasting his short trip trying to figure it out on his own. At the end of the day, he was entitled to the passport because he is our son and he lives with us. We did not give him our card.....oops our bad but the member could easily been obtained by myself or member services. A knowledgeable would have said tell him to bring the reservation of his DVC stay and that has the number or give him the number to give to the agent. Another poster's daughter did this and it was reasonable.

The negative part of DVC is Disney themselves. The same management styles will be implemented at DVC and it will get very bad.

Our first stay at DVC was at OKW in our home resort in 98. We left Atlanta and drove all night. We were going to get a cheap hotel in Ocala and go to WDW the next day. I got a second wind and drove all the way to WDW. We pulled into OKW to see how much they would charge cash for the night. It was 3 a.m. and the desk agent said technically you are here on the day you are scheduled to check into the unit so we will just do an early check in. He gave me two keys. I asked him about the charging and such and he told the computer was processing. Just go to bed and come back in the morning. What a truly pleasant surprise that was. It cost DVC nothing and it took nothing away from anyone. The clerk was just being hospitable and caring. This would never happen today because of bad training and standard operating procedures that would not allow a manager to make decision like this. That clerk sold me more on DVC than any my sales associate ever did.

I was glad to see Eisner go.....but Disney hired another Eisner to replace him. What was Iger before ??? He ran a cable company.....They have great customer service don't they ?? That was the type of experience I had today...........

Step away from Disney and just sell. Now, I disagree with just about all of what you said, but, thats my opinion. I have had ONE bad CM, and she was at the checkin at AKV. Other than that, we have been treated fantastically, from gift baskets, to the Manager of SSR sending an employee to DD to get me a pin that was just released, and when it wasn't there, THEY bought it, and fedex'd it to me...Our guide has given the kids hats, cards, magnets...To us, everything has been great. I disagree with the park competition, you cannot compare them.