Feb. Member Event at Doorway to Dreams (Updated p.11 with incentives)

[mgroshans]

Thanks for asking... yes, I had a horrible migrane most of Saturday. The type where your vision straight ahead is so grainy you can't read unless you look out of the periphery. I only had a headache like this two other times in my life, and each was after enormous stress to my body. I ended up sleeping a lot and that helped.

I cannot believe that they made the WDW-based DVC guides drive themselves in vans. I wonder if they drove straight through in shifts? I was under the impression that they had flown them in during past events, but maybe they drove then too? That's a really long drive!

The 2 people we were talking to by the reception area area said they drove in vans, didn't say if they drove straight thru. The one girl then began to tell our 2 ds's that when they got to the hotel and woke up the next day, there was snow on the van and that the guy thought the way to get the snow off the side window, was to roll it down, well the snow then fell into the van and all over her b/c she was in the passenger seat. She said she had to ride with wet pants. They were real receptive to our kids. I think it made them feel like it just wasn't for us parents.

 

[WDWFigment]

Here's a picture of everyone's favorite character, the Wish Meister:

Clicking it takes you to the pictures Flickr page, where you can download it to use as your desktop background!

 

[mgroshans]

great picture, although I won't download it to my desktop.
we thought he was funny and did a good job

 

[WDWFigment]

Just got back from the non-member event interesting being a member. DS won the framed art he was flabergasted!

DH is thinking of adding on a BLT to my surprise, would love to be able to stay there on occasion. I think he wanted the cruise for my other special needs son.

I wanted info on RCI and I thought it was intersesting they said you could book directly through member services.

Were you at the 4pm event on Sunday?

Overall, we were disappointed by the incentives. We already knew what they were going in, but part of me was hoping for something more. A cruise, $5/pp, and Mary Poppins tickets? With the way the cruise industry is taking a hit in this economy, I can get a cruise for about 70% off retail (yes, even DCL) with a $75-200 onboard credit on my own. Just not worth it for us considering the plummeting resale prices. We really want BLT because of the location and lower maintenance fees, but I'm sure if we just wait a year, there will be plenty of BLT on the resale market, as well.

All-in-all, still a very fun event. It was nice getting our Disney "fix".

 

[tvwalsh]

Unlike Dee Vee Cee, I think the Wishmeister makes a great representitive of the DVC.

 

[jaurban]

We caved, 200 points, need to get the logo now. Got it!

 

[alady89]

We caved too and bought 200 points. Liked the incentives better than developer points at DW last November. Traded Mary Poppins for extra $100 gift cards since it was only 2 tix to begin with and there are 3 of us.

So we got 200 points, a 4 night DCL cruise (T-giving wk avail, norm price $4K that wk), a free RCI week trip so I can bank this year's point to use next yr, and $400 gifts cards plus $6.50 off per point since we bought at AKL.

I wonder if we chose the right resort now that I see the comments on maint fee which do worry me but we fell in love with AKL when we were out there. Haven't see the new pool area but here it is great.

I guess the incentives just depend on what excites you. I was failry happy and no more cramped rooms now that son is older. Truly feel like I can relax next Disney vacation as well as play.

 

[mgroshans]

I couldn't agree with you more Everyone has there opinion on what suits them and there family the best.

 

[Cmbar]

We caved too and bought 200 points. Liked the incentives better than developer points at DW last November. Traded Mary Poppins for extra $100 gift cards since it was only 2 tix to begin with and there are 3 of us.

So we got 200 points, a 4 night DCL cruise (T-giving wk avail, norm price $4K that wk), a free RCI week trip so I can bank this year's point to use next yr, and $400 gifts cards plus $6.50 off per point since we bought at AKL.

I wonder if we chose the right resort now that I see the comments on maint fee which do worry me but we fell in love with AKL when we were out there. Haven't see the new pool area but here it is great.

I guess the incentives just depend on what excites you. I was failry happy and no more cramped rooms now that son is older. Truly feel like I can relax next Disney vacation as well as play.

Thanksgiving week is available for the cruise? I thought those weeks were blacked out.

How did you end up with $400 gift cards??

I think it is great that you bought at AKV. Sounds like you love the resort. That is where you should have bought!!

Congratulations! We are not able (nor were we invited) to the Chicago store, so we have to stick to incentives at Disney or the Cruise Line. You are lucky to have had the opportunity to have been given these extra incentives.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

Congrats to all the new owners here!!!

Thanks for that close up of Mr WM! DD2 just saw it..and made a face...then shrieked DisneyWorld! lol

Cant wait to see who they come up with for the next event! lol

 

[alady89]

Thanksgiving week is available for the cruise? I thought those weeks were blacked out.

How did you end up with $400 gift cards??

I think it is great that you bought at AKV. Sounds like you love the resort. That is where you should have bought!!

The chart we were showed by CM had that wk available for the 4 day, now if that changes I will be mucho dissapointed.

$300 gift card plus traded the 2 tix to Marry Poppins for another $100 on Sunday, much better for us.

Yes - I really wanted to be at AKV after the visit our there. Me and DS spent a couple hours watching animals when we took bus ride out there just to look. AKV is just so unique. . .loved it.

Can't say that we will do disney every year and though I understand by best use of pts is to do disney, RCI has some nice exchanges such as Sandals in Jamaica. What I don't use since RCI is only 160 I can bank and use toward a bigger DW vac every few years or so.

We are excited about cruise most of all. Can't wait for Castaway Cay!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

The incentives were for the event only. Tonight they made a big deal about how if you call your WDW based guide tomorrow they will not be available.

Funny, we called Doorway to Dreams Friday because we were all so sick we thought we couldn't make it to our Saturday show, but we knew we wanted to buy. We talked to two different people who assured us these incentives would be available all week and someone would call us back to do the deal over the phone. We ended up going on Saturday afterall.

 

[mgroshans]

when we visited with our guide from dwtd on saturday, she told us that if we changed our mind about adding on, to either email her or leave her a voice mail. if they didn't get it until monday, then it would be fine. she did say the incentives were only good for the weekend. i would bet if someone called today or tomorrow and said they would like to add on and asked if they could still get the incentives that were offered over the weekend, they would get it.
we also talked about the change to the point chart. she didn't like the change either, told us to email MS to tell them. i won't mention what she said after that.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

What is this talk of gift cards and trading Mary Poppins tickets for a gift card? Am I missing something?

I sure would like to trade our 4 Mary Poppins tickets for a gift card. I read that the theater doesn't allow guests under 5yrs old. So that excludes all my kids. And I understand that policy, just don't know what to do with the tickets.

 

[mgroshans]

What is this talk of gift cards and trading Mary Poppins tickets for a gift card? Am I missing something?

I sure would like to trade our 4 Mary Poppins tickets for a gift card. I read that the theater doesn't allow guests under 5yrs old. So that excludes all my kids. And I understand that policy, just don't know what to do with the tickets.

i don't know, curious myself, even though we didn't add on. we didn't hear anything about gift cards,unless the $5 per point discount is that. we didn't hear about getting gift cards instead of the tickets.

 

[jaurban]

We were advised last night that if we didn't want the Mary Poppins tickets, they were offering a gift card. $200 for the 4 ticket package (I think I saw someone who took the $100 card for the 2 ticket package). I looked on Ticketmaster for seats out of curiousity and saw that at that price the seats are probably the rear balcony seats, which go for $47.50, plus $2.50 theater charge, each. If the seats can be slightly more valuable than the gift card, then they might be the front balcony, which were $64.50 I think.

At nearly 3 hours, a child under 5 will most likely not be able to sit through it in my opinion and would not enjoy it anyway. (All Broadway shows are like that for age restrictions).

 

[bookswin]

I went to the Sunday event at 10 am.

I never got my invitation until about Feb. 14. Typical crummy Chicago-area postal service (Google for some real interesting stories over the years). I do not understand why Member Services doesn't send everyone an email at the time the paper invitations get mailed.

I called and all the Member events had waiting lists of 50 minimum, so they told me I could come to the non-member's event, which worked out great because while everyone else was learning about DVC and watching the Timekeeper or Keymaster or Gatelocker or Doorblaster or Ringknocker or Husbandscarer or Gendertwister or whatever his name was, I could sit down with a Guide and chat.

Somehow I never saw any dessert or cookie bar. Wonder how that happened. They did give me a couple more of those excellent white-and-blue DtD travel coffee mugs we've been using every day for 18 months and are almost worn out.

We bought 200 AKV points in August 2007 when DtD opened at the Mall. Double developer points (and a price of $96) were hard to beat.

I thought about a 200-point add-on this weekend, but the incentives just weren't quite good enough for me. I suspect they may get better over the next few months with the stock market dropping 1-3% every day.

I don't understand why they don't toss in some WDW annual passes. That's something that doesn't cost Disney out-of pocket cash, but which is highly desired by potential buyers. With the existing set of incentives, plus some APs for my family, I'd have bought, I think.

Another thing: they had a LOT of CMs there. Everywhere you turned there was someone. I thought they should have dialed down the cheerfulness a tad, but maybe that's my Eeyore-ish personality coming through.

 

[WoodysRoundup]

I thought about a 200-point add-on this weekend, but the incentives just weren't quite good enough for me. I suspect they may get better over the next few months with the stock market dropping 1-3% every day.

I don't understand why they don't toss in some WDW annual passes. That's something that doesn't cost Disney out-of pocket cash, but which is highly desired by potential buyers. With the existing set of incentives, plus some APs for my family, I'd have bought, I think.
.

Amen to that, and I loved your whole post btw. We re-thought adding on if they could GUARANTEE a particular cruise date but we're not comfortable with all the unknowns. We have no problem waiting to see if different incentives come along as we do not "need" the pts. right now. I agree about the AP thing. AND, why not matching DVC pts.??? I'd stay at any WDW or DLR DVC. I mean, that's the reason WE bought DVC....NOT for RCI!!

 

[disneynutz]

I don't understand why they don't toss in some WDW annual passes. That's something that doesn't cost Disney out-of pocket cash, but which is highly desired by potential buyers. With the existing set of incentives, plus some APs for my family, I'd have bought, I think.

Believe it or note the non DVC incentives aren't free for DVD. They have to pay for Fast Passes, APs and Cruses. Granted they get a discount, but they do have to transfer money to the other departments at Disney to cover the cost.

 

[WoodysRoundup]

Believe it or note the non DVC incentives aren't free for DVD. They have to pay for Fast Passes, APs and Cruses. Granted they get a discount, but they do have to transfer money to the other departments at Disney to cover the cost.

Even so, don't you think they still end up making $$ on the deal??? Think of the avg. amt. of $$ we all spend in the parks in a day.....not to mention dining, special events, etc. In comparison, the discounted AP they give out is cheap considering the $$ the attendance alone will bring into the park in a given day.