Lack of perks...

[Snurk71]

I just want 1 more perk.

The ability to purchase a TABLES IN WONDERLAND CARD without being an annual pass holder.

Ditto...

DW and I were just discussing this yesterday (and looking at it as a business decision). There is a portion of DVC that doesn't spend much on Disney food (they have a kitchen). So you're going to have to incent them to get them out of the villa and into the restaurants - with a 20% discount.

We're not even asking for it for free - we'll pay the $75. So where/how does Disney lose in this scenario?

 

[disneynutz]

Why is pretty easy....every time you come up with a "Disney should" idea pretend you are a manager at Disney trying to sell the idea to Senior Management. Answer these questions - how much will this cost to implement? How much to maintain? How much will this cost us in lost revenue? How much will this gain us in revenue? What is the margin on the revenue we will gain and loose? Disney is a corporation, as such, its purpose is to make money. You won't have the answers to these questions, but you can take some guesses. If you can't add revenue in excess of cost, your idea will get shut down.

For instance - Magical Express. That has got to be a pretty expensive program to "give away for free" - but Disney now has their hotel guests "stranded" on property. They can charge more for restaurants. Sell more dining plans. They don't share their revenue stream with Sea World or Universal. Guests staying a week on property frequently end up adding "pluses" to their tickets. Plus, they can add the cost of the "free" service into hotel room costs where the rack rate is much higher than for similar hotels off property. In the end, it really ends up "costing" Disney very little (and they further control their costs by contracting out the service), but has a significant revenue add.

Some things - like free internet for DVC members cost Disney very little to run - but giving up the revenue stream from the hotel side for the internet access at this point might be a bigger deal. Or it might not be. If it isn't, then Disney will eventually just give it away.

The internet isn't free for members, it's paid for in our dues, that's the Disney way, make them think that it's free when really, they are paying for it!

Bill

 

[disneynutz]

Ditto...

DW and I were just discussing this yesterday (and looking at it as a business decision). There is a portion of DVC that doesn't spend much on Disney food (they have a kitchen). So you're going to have to incent them to get them out of the villa and into the restaurants - with a 20% discount.

We're not even asking for it for free - we'll pay the $75. So where/how does Disney lose in this scenario?

They lose because people actually buy the AP to buy TIW.

Bill

 

[crisi]

They lose because people actually buy the AP to buy TIW.

Bill

They also loose because there are plenty of people filling the signature places pay full price now. It isn't like Disney has a whole lot of empty chairs in their restaurant to fill most of the time.

 

[EriLee]

Why is pretty easy....every time you come up with a "Disney should" idea pretend you are a manager at Disney trying to sell the idea to Senior Management. Answer these questions - how much will this cost to implement? How much to maintain? How much will this cost us in lost revenue? How much will this gain us in revenue? What is the margin on the revenue we will gain and loose? Disney is a corporation, as such, its purpose is to make money. You won't have the answers to these questions, but you can take some guesses. If you can't add revenue in excess of cost, your idea will get shut down..

I ALWAYS have "Disney should" ideas and you are right, they would never be approved...but I guess I can still wish upon a star...

 

[Disneydonnam]

I think we already get some good perks & discounts. The discount on APs, the free in room internet, the ability to book a dining plan for only a portion of our stay and the 20% dining discount at the Swan & Dolphin restaurants are my favorites. I also like the Merry Mixers, the occasional discounts on Cirque de Soleil shows, the special times for DVC members and pass-holders to try new attractions and the online shopping discount.

Of course, I wouldn't say no to more, LOL.

Free dining seems to be the one discount promotion that new DVC'rs miss the most. I personally think that in the future, the frequency & number of those promotions will significantly decrease. Already, they are blocking more times of the year that used to be offered and I believe (but can't prove) that the number offered in each time period has also decreased. I was happy to see that they are announcing the offers much closer to the arrival dates than in the past. Selfishly, I want a chance to book my "must have" ADRs before the free dining guests book them all up!

Do they still offer the dining plan for a portion of your stay? I called today to add the deluxe dining plan and was told it had to be for the length of stay and everyone in the room needed the same plan.

 

[nolanboys]

They also loose because there are plenty of people filling the signature places pay full price now. It isn't like Disney has a whole lot of empty chairs in their restaurant to fill most of the time.

But a lot of those chairs are filled by people on the dining plan - which is supposed to save people 20% as well. To me TIW is like my own special dining plan that I am willing to pay for. It also makes me more likely to order the more expensive bottle of wine.

 

[CarolMN]

Do they still offer the dining plan for a portion of your stay? I called today to add the deluxe dining plan and was told it had to be for the length of stay and everyone in the room needed the same plan.

Well it's true that everyone in the room (3 and over) has to be on the plan you choose. No one else has reported a change in the policy re segmenting, though, so I think you got a poorly trained CM. Call back and if you get the same info, ask to speak to a Supervisor.

 

[Dean]

Do they still offer the dining plan for a portion of your stay? I called today to add the deluxe dining plan and was told it had to be for the length of stay and everyone in the room needed the same plan.

The rules are that it must be for the entire party for the LOS. They have altered this somewhat by allowing segmenting which essentially creates multiple different reservations but allows you to stay in the same villa.

 

[Disneydonnam]

The rules are that it must be for the entire party for the LOS. They have altered this somewhat by allowing segmenting which essentially creates multiple different reservations but allows you to stay in the same villa.

Thank You.

 

[crisi]

But a lot of those chairs are filled by people on the dining plan - which is supposed to save people 20% as well. To me TIW is like my own special dining plan that I am willing to pay for. It also makes me more likely to order the more expensive bottle of wine.

Me too - but I suspect that Disney wants it to get used somewhat sparingly as a discount plan.....DVCs success here is working to its disadvantage.

(I suspect that Disney is about to clamp down on the Y.E.S. program in some fashion - its being used for cheap tickets, not for its intended purpose - i.e. to enable an educational program).

 

[Snurk71]

They also loose because there are plenty of people filling the signature places pay full price now. It isn't like Disney has a whole lot of empty chairs in their restaurant to fill most of the time.

Like another poster mentioned, I don't think the restaurants are full of people paying full price. Just venture over to the dining board to see the people trying to maximize their dining plan. It seems like the restaurants really started filling up when the dining plan was introduced a few years ago, then explode with the "free" dining plan times.

So if they let DVC get the TIW card, they would take our $75 and let the two discounts fight it out over the available chairs. Still a win/win for Disney - full restaurants (discounters either way) and pocket $75/family for the TIW card.