I wonder if Disney is hurting..

[HM]

I haven't gotten any offers since last fall.

 

[Tara8595]

Seems at least in our 2 cases that they are targeting those who have been to WDW but were not the primary ones plunking down the cash to go but instead secondary people on the reservation.

This is exactly the case at my house. The two postcards I have gotten were to my address, but in the name of a person who was a guest on my reservation. One of whom was a coworker who I coerced into staying an extra weekend after a business trip to Tampa (like I'd go to FL without going to WDW). I know for a fact he's not registered on anything Disney and doesn't have the Visa. I paid for everything and he paid me his share by check. BUT - as long as the card comes to your address, you can use the PIN. At least I have before....

hmmm... you know (digression), that was the time it was a 40% off code and my partner had thrown it in the trash because it had her name on it. I screamed at her "I HAVE A TRIP COMING UP WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING???" I dug it out of the recycle bin and called Disney and upgraded from POFQ to Poly for a trip I'd planned with my mom. Then Disney called and let us keep that rate but moved us to the Grand Floridian because of a golf tourney and they needed the Poly rooms. That was the frickin' best deal ever, and it was sent to someone who didn't go.

 

[DaisyD]

Double post.......

 

[DaisyD]

I am at Disney right now. I've never seen it so crowded. When I tried to book this trip every resort except Swan and Dolphin were sold out. I highly doubt Disney is hurting.

 

[Lavazza]

I just got a pin card in the mail. The same one everyone talks about for 8/2-9/27. They already have free dining for some of these dates. But if they are sending this out, they must need more people to come. I've gotten 2 or 3 postcards over the last couple of months.. Just speculating.

Christine

I highly doubt it. They offer deals every year for this slow time.

Disney has a very skilled marketing department.

 

[jdcthree]

If they are hurting and want me there in the Fall, all I need is a pin! I'm hoping to go and take my parents, and if I get a good pin, it's pretty much a done deal. If Disney is hurting, I'm sure their hurt if far less than a lot of other vacation destinations.

 

[dclfun]

Just got back and as was mentioned by another poster who recently returned, Disney is PACKED! The parks were packed, the resorts were packed. Disney is still a great value vacation for families with options for everyone- I don't see a downturn coming soon and can attest to the fact that as for now, business is booming.---Kathy

 

[rdsx28]

We go to Disney pretty much every Thanksgiving. We have NEVER gotten any kind of code ever! I always thought maybe it had to do with what part of the country you are from? I live in New England and know no one who has ever gotten a code. I check every so often to see if I have one. NO luck! I would be thrilled to get one just once............Hoping for a little pixie dust......... Congrats to all who have gotten them!

 

[liftn]

As we all know there has been a slow down in the economy. One of the biggest factors is the dollar is very weak. Which makes taking a trip to Disney, "cheap", for foreigners, based upon exchange rates. So one would thing that Disney would feel the economic troubles that many Americans are felling, but would be quite the opposite.

I would bet that if you took a servey, not that you would, you would find the same, if not higher occupancy rates, but with domestic bookings down, with foreign bookings way up!

 

[manhattan]

I have been reading this thread since the original post and now am wondering if they are being proactive. So many discount codes and really good prices - $64 for a value? That is really good and $99 for a mod - great deal too. And for them to release another code three days after free dining - they must really want people to go and spend their money there. I don't think they are hurting - like say a car company, but they know that money is tight and if people are going on vacation, why not make Disney their destination? If the price is right, people will go. I am definitely adding more nights to our stays in August and am already thinking about Christmas , when normally I wouldn't think about booking until a week or two out.

 

[mmmbop]

We go to Disney pretty much every Thanksgiving. We have NEVER gotten any kind of code ever! I always thought maybe it had to do with what part of the country you are from? I live in New England and know no one who has ever gotten a code. I check every so often to see if I have one. NO luck! I would be thrilled to get one just once............Hoping for a little pixie dust......... Congrats to all who have gotten them!

We were total Disney junkies until about 2002. We went every year in March. Things got tight with a retirement, and we started traveling every other year. No one in my family has received a code. But my uncle's girlfriend (who is only listed as a guest on my uncle's reservation) has gotten the postcards in the past. She doesn't do the surveys, or order the DVD... Not fair!

 

[dclfun]

I agree that Disney has been proactive with discounts- not just this year but in the past. Their Marketing dept. seems to be right on top of things to keep those resorts filled. When you're getting a great rate on an onsite resort then the cost of gas to get there is offset enough to make an affordable vacation. People need a little Pixie Dust in tough times.---Kathy

 

[Missin'Disney]

ok, so our pin experience is this:
after our first family trip 2 August's ago, my DH received an email pin for 40% discount about 9 months later. Like other posters have mentioned, he was a guest on the reservation that had been booked under my name. Quite an interesting observation i think. Obviously there is a connection there.
Also, as a previous poster questioned whether New Englanders ever get pins, we are from New York, and despite only having received a pin on one occasion, there is proof that we can get 'em! We used that 40% to stay at the Poly last fall, but so far haven't gotten any further offers. Gave up hoping for something and booked Free Dine this August. Does anybody know if I should expect to get a Bounce Back offer then, or if those are randomly given to certain guests?

 

[esdras]

As we all know there has been a slow down in the economy. One of the biggest factors is the dollar is very weak. Which makes taking a trip to Disney, "cheap", for foreigners, based upon exchange rates. So one would thing that Disney would feel the economic troubles that many Americans are felling, but would be quite the opposite.

I would bet that if you took a servey, not that you would, you would find the same, if not higher occupancy rates, but with domestic bookings down, with foreign bookings way up!

That might not be exactly correct. When we were there in Sept. '06, the Canadian $ was in the low 80 cent range - when including the built in and credit card fee to convert it back to Canadian dollars, we were paying about 20 cents more per USD for the trip.

For this trip, we're booking it essentially at par - I haven't made the final payment yet, but even the CDN$ at $0.98 (where it has been hovering recently), only makes us pay 5 cents more per USD. BIG difference.

However, AIRFARE isn't nearly as good as two years ago, so a lot of what we gained in the USD dropping, was lost on higher airfares. We came out a little better - I think - this year, but only marginally. And I'm really glad I booked the flight back at the end of April - if I was about to book it now, ANY advantage we would have had over the cost of the last trip would be gone.

Since a large portion of international Disney guests have to fly, those prices may begin to offset the weak USD. Even for Canadians who drive, the cost of gas might be a factor just as much as it is for U.S. guests.

ETA: I should have realized this when initially typing. In my own personal example, this trip to Disney isn't much different in cost compared to two years ago - the increase in actual travel expenses is offset by the lower USD. So, until/if fuel costs increase to the point where the low USD isn't enough to offset that difference, visitors from outside the U.S. are less likely to be deterred from going as opposed to U.S. residents facing much higher travel costs without a currency exchange to compensate.

Ironically, for Canadians anyway, our dollar is apparently regarded as a "resource" currency. I'm not an expert on this, but I know I've read articles on this topic. While there are a lot of factors that go into what our dollar is worth in USD, whenever the price of oil goes up, our dollar often increases in value compared to the USD.

On the other hand, increased oil prices make a big impact on prices for stuff in Canada. So, with increased costs of living (even if global warming goes rampant, we're a long way off from Ontario Oranges or British Columbia Bananas) due to higher costs to import things, that could make it harder for Canadians to afford Disney too.

Really, so many factors go into this. It's hard to say for sure if/when Disney will be hit with significantly lower attendance.

 

[skipperkim]

I never get postcards, pins, ect....just AAA

Other than AAA, I've been able to get a general public rate and an AP rate. But when I received the general public rate I had an AP, but couldn't get Disney's system to accept my AP #. I ended up with the same rate, but called numerous times to receive it.