Ideal Park Ticket Discount For DVC Members

[phyllisnnj]

I can't imagine why Disney would do this. (Yes, I read the "win-win" section.) Think about why Disney offers an AP discount...what does an AP discount encourage? Yep, that's right - it gives you a perceived incentive to visit more than once per year. For DVC members, this can often mean borrowing points more often (leading to the inclination to add on) or...*gasp!* paying cash for some nights.

I agree that the AP discount is a definite winner for both Disney and those DVC members that can take advantage of the discount.
As I stated in post #14, I'm not suggesting that we replace this option.

And another thing - I don't think Disney is too eager to offer admission discounts to non-members staying with members. They'd much rather convert them to members and then give them an AP discount!

As for whether or not they should still try to lure you into spending more money - look at discounts as a limited pot. They are only going to give out a certain number of discounts. They have to consider their audience and are wise to dole out the most attractive* discounts to the people who are least likely to visit and visit often. It isn't that they don't want to give DVC members discounts - truth is they don't WANT to give anyone a discount. The discounts they do give aren't really rewards, they're marketing dollars spent in different ways.

*An attractive discount isn't necessarily a great money saver. It's one that makes the buyer feel she or he is getting a good value for money spent.

This is an opportunity to target folks that regularly visit WDW (not enough for the AP discount) but stay offsite, rent DVC points, and/or exchange into DVC with their other timeshare, to consider ownership based on the additional ticket savings associated with being an owner.

There use to be a 10% length of stay discount for DVC members before the Magic Your Way Ticket was introduced and before we had an AP discount.

Today's 3 Day MYW Base is $225.78 (for guests 10+ including tax) and the 10 Day MYW Base is $252.41 (for guests 10+ including tax)
A difference of $26.63 or 10.55% discount (that's only if the DVC members stays the entire 10 days)
The Park Hopper and Water Pan & Fun are additional bonus features that as you stated above makes the buyer feel she or he is getting a good value for money spent.

Today Disney promotes extended family vacations. There are DVC members (myself included) that use their DVC points to sponsor these extended family vacations. Expanding the discount to DVC members and their guests creates an extra bonus feature for potential buyers to look at DVC as a future extended family destination option and allows existing DVC members to introduce WDW, and all that it has to offer, to their friends and family.

In the past, I've taken extended family members and paid for their DVC resort stay and park tickets. However due to the rising ticket prices, I've been selling off my DVC points. At the last minute, I decided to keep a very small number of points to take family members to WDW for a couple of nights. For me, I no longer look at WDW as an extended family vacation option.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You might not be suggesting that DVC replace the AP discount with your "deal", but that is EXACTLY how DVC would treat it! There is NO WAY they would give us TWO ticket discount options!

 

[RumpleMom]

DH says have the AP good for WDW and DL. He really wants to visit DCA, but the AP keeps us going back to Florida. Airfare is much cheaper for us to FL, so we need an incentive to buy the more expensive plane fare to CA.


I would like to see a DVC discount on the 10 day non-expiring ticket.

 

[dianeschlicht]

For those who think they can't have an AP when they travel only once a year...We always purchased APs (even before the discount) and often only went once a year at that point. We just slid the dates of our trips by a week and got two year's of trips on one AP! It made sense then, and it makes sense now. Well, except that now we go 2-3 times a year!

 

[phyllisnnj]

I would like to see a DVC discount on the 10 day non-expiring ticket.

If they simply gave us 50% off the No Expiration Add-On prices, I would be happy.

 

[phyllisnnj]

You might not be suggesting that DVC replace the AP discount with your "deal", but that is EXACTLY how DVC would treat it! There is NO WAY they would give us TWO ticket discount options!

I see your point. I'll stop the fight. Too bad they can't just give a straight $100 discount on APs and any 10 day MYW ticket no expiration ticket.

 

[KirstenB]

But why would they need to do this? They already have our money for lodging. They don't need to entice us any further to come to WDW.

Last year at AKL, we didn't spend a single day at WDW parks. We have a Busch Gardens annual pass that gets us free Sea World and BG Tampa tix. We also bought the Universal Studios 7 day pass for $86. Speaking for our family only, annual passes don't work--we only go once a year, so a discount on WDW park tix would entice us back. WDW tix have gotten crazy expensive. Until there is some type of discount, we'll skip WDW parks.

 

[DisneyFreaks]

This would be great for us. We don't visit enough to purchase the annual pass and the park passes are so very expensive for our family of 5. With the economy being in the condition it is in, Disney should consider additional discount opportunities for member who do not benefit from the annual pass discount.

I totally agree! We live in Ohio and we don't fly so our stays tend to be every other year. The AP discount is fantastic for those who can use it but what about those of us who do not visit enough to benefit from it? Some sort of ticket discount would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DVCGeek]

For those who think they can't have an AP when they travel only once a year...We always purchased APs (even before the discount) and often only went once a year at that point. We just slid the dates of our trips by a week and got two year's of trips on one AP! It made sense then, and it makes sense now. Well, except that now we go 2-3 times a year!

I am thinking of doing EXACTLY that after using up my current 10 day MYW tickets. We plan to go to WDW every 11 months or less but sneak in a DL trip once every 3 or 4 years to "reset" us in the calendar year. So getting an AP every few years or so might work nicely for us most of the time. Sure, wouldn't get a renewal discount, but the numbers might still make sense.

Then again, I also REALLY like the $100 off idea for DVC members on a 10 day MYW tricket. That would totally rock for us, but I wouldn't want them to take away the very popular AP discount as it is probably better for a lot of people...

Best of everything might be a ~$400 DVC only AP for all Disney parks or at least the two US ones. I think I would definitely get one of those every other year!

If anyone's interested, here is my lengthy & OCDish detailed plan:

I want to go to "Disney" in a number of different seasons for various reasons. I also want to go to WDW at least once EVERY calendar year. I only have so many vacation days (& money!) so one or two "big" trips annually is probably it. DW doesn't want EVERY trip to be "Disney" (Want to see all 50 states together, etc.) so that is also a factor. All that said, the seasons I want to go in are: Right after Thanksgiving [Christmas decorations], mid. Oct. [My BD], early Sep. [Our anniversary], late May [EPCOT F&G / DHS Star Wars Weekends], and early Feb. [DW's BD]. Then rinse & repeat. So that I can always have a Disney trip scheduled before leaving for the current one, that means go to one coast in Feb. then the other after Thanksgiving.

On our current MYWs we've used 3 out of 10 days. In Nov./Dec. '09 I plan to use 2 days + stay in EPCOT a 3rd night after the early Dive Quest (they've always let us despite "admission neither included or required...) and then a 4th park day on a MVMCP ticket. Normally that would be a 3rd MYW day for us. That leave us 1 full day with NO parks on a 6 night stay for our 'normal' plan. (Whispering Canyon ressies on arrival night; no specific schedule on departure day, no parks on either...)

I'm tossing around 2 park days before a DCL cruise in Feb. 2010 (if we get that incentive in March for VGC...) and then DL in Oct. 2010. Might try and use up the last 3 MYW nights on that trip. Then we could try APs and activate them on our Sep. 2011 trip and also use in late May 2012... Then for Feb. 2013 buy MYWs and use @ WDW then DL in Nov/Dec 2013. Save a few days on those for later years. Get new WDW APs for Oct. 2014 & Sep. 2015 trips.

 

[DVCGeek]

I see your point. I'll stop the fight. Too bad they can't just give a straight $100 discount on APs and any 10 day MYW ticket no expiration ticket.

Now THAT is a great idea. Also make it $100 off an AP new purchase -or- AP RENEWAL -or- the 10 day no expiration MYW. To make it more palatable to Disney, slap on limiting to members & immediately family in same household only, max. 8, and ONE SET PER USE YEAR. That just MIGHT be something DVC would go for... I think I'll write and suggest it. They'll probably say thanks for the comment and then ignore it, but hope springs eternal!

 

[bellazachmom]

But DL is so backwards. You can't charge to your room key, you can't add your tickets to your room key. The room key is just a room key. I don't see how they could have a universal ticket. Plus WDW has four parks, DL has two, DLP has one?

Actually, DLP has 2 parks -- a version of MK and a version of DHS.

When we were there in 2002, the studios section was a bit lacking, but it has since grown. It is also where the "Lights, Motor, Action" stunt show originated.