Sorry, this turned out to be long:
As others have said, we also had mixed feelings on the Member Homecoming events but overall, felt that the
DVC staff tried very hard to make the event truly enjoyable for us. We also felt that there were costs related to putting on this affair that some people may not be factoring in when deciding if it was worth the cost of the MH tickets. I dont believe you can add up the cost of the meals, gifts, and park admission fees to determine the value of the MH tickets. For example, some costs that people may not have considered could include:
The cost to put on SpectroMagic on the MK night: E-Ride night doesnt include SpectroMagic
the cost of running these floats and filling them with all of the characters has to be extremely high
The cost of keeping MK open for an E-Ride night is typically shared by more attendees than was our MH night; the cost per person for MK to break even would be higher on our MH night than on a typical E-Ride night
More attractions were open at MK than on a typical E-Ride night and hence, involved more paid staff to be brought in to operate them
The fees for the costumed characters participating in the Dancing on Main Street
The Mears transportation cost on Thursday for the coaches to bring everyone to DD
The cost of the extra entertainment: Sara Toga; Dee Vee Cee; the piano player, DJ & American Vibe on Tuesday at Epcot; The Cirque performances, Dapper Dans & Jodi Benson on Thursday; the various speakers at the Member Updates and tours Tuesday and Wednesday; the various speakers at DD and SSR Thursday; and the Founders Day parade costs
Expenses to bring in the mayor of Saratoga Springs, NY
The always-present DVC team members, who were all so wonderful, may have been paid for their hours (if not salaried employees) and/or their expenses
The cost of printing all the special MH materials provided at check-in and throughout the event
The cost of the extra boat transportation to and from SSR from DD in the mornings during what would otherwise have been off hours
The cost of the ever-present cold bottles of water throughout the event and the fans provided on Thursday
Our thoughts on the positive and the learn for next time aspects of the three days:
Positive the event at MK was great and wed love to do it again. Having the park to ourselves, a great view of the parade without holding a spot for over an hour, dancing on Main Street, and free dining made for a great night. We knew in advance that the meal would be of the quick and casual variety because I had wanted to be able to plan our other priority seatings and had called ahead to ask. Given that we wanted to visit as many attractions as possible, we felt this was an appropriate meal offering.
Mixed feelings Epcot Illuminations viewing area was very crowded and if you needed a restroom, a place to sit for a few moments, or simply some space to avoid claustrophobic-like feelings, you were not allowed to leave the area. We did find a less crowded area to stand just before Illuminations started and found the cold beverages and deserts. Given the tight quarters, I think the desert choices were appropriate. Once at the Mission:Space and Test Track areas, we felt better about the crowd size. However, while Mission:Space was almost a walk-on, Test Track had a reasonably busy line. We chose to do the single rider line and faired better. Having a third attraction open would have been great. The entertainment was nice as was the availability of tables, beverages, and snacks.
Mixed feelings The opening ceremonies at DD were nicely planned and entertaining. However, though DVC couldnt control the weather and thoughtfully offered water and battery operated fans to each guest, should a similar event be planned for the hotter months, we hope arrangements can be made to hold it inside. We decided to go elsewhere for lunch because of the heat and the lack of cool seating areas. I regret not having had the opportunity to sample the various lunch offerings as I think we would have enjoyed them. We also could not sit in the hot sun for the two Cirque performances; it was a nice touch by DVC to offer them and I regret that we had to miss them.
Mostly positive the nightly gifts were nice. We did meet up with someone who was very annoyed that only one gift bag was left per party on the last night. She said she requested, and received, additional bags. While I understand why DVC only gave out one decanter per party (rather than 2200 lesser value gifts, they could offer a nicer single gift per membership), they might have been able to stave off some of the complaints by offering each attending guest the Grand Opening pin rather than a single pin per membership. If you had multiple children or pin collectors with your party, I can see how the one pin could result in unnecessary hard feelings. Luckily, my DH doesnt collect pins .
We thank the DVC staff for all of their efforts in preparing and conducting this event. We very much hope DVC will offer future special events and we will seriously consider attending based upon timing and event content.
We walked right on to the OKW bus - even managed to get a seat and were soon back in our room. The evening's bag had come much earlier in the day. My only disappointment here was that there was only one pin. It would have been nice to have one per person.
