Let's be happy for once

[OneMoreTry]

Originally posted by elfbo
Good News ! DR P managed to find a way for the discount to work for their trips!

Thank the Lord!

How?

 

[timC]

Why is DVC and WDW offering this discount? In my opinion, they're being offered to:

- Make DVC more attractive to new buyers.
- Encourage PHP customers to upgrade to AP driving increases in merchandise, food sales etc. Because WDW is supporting this, there must be statistics to indicate that AP sales within the DVC community are not as good as we think.

I can't think of any benefit for DVC or WDW to offer a discount to current DVC members who are already buying AP's. Never having purchased an AP, I might be missing something... but you guys might just use your $100 savings as payment toward Universal Studio passes, or perhaps just pocket the savings.... that's lost margin for WDW, and no additional sales for DVC.

So. I regard myself (a PHP buyer) and other like Doctor P as key target markets for this discount... I'm on the fence... but I'm still doing my break-even analysis... We may be the group that makes or breaks this discount perk long-term.

 

[DrTomorrow]

[...] I can't think of any benefit for DVC or WDW to offer a discount to current DVC members who are already buying AP's. Never having purchased an AP, I might be missing something... but you guys might just use your $100 savings as payment toward Universal Studio passes, or perhaps just pocket the savings.... that's lost margin for WDW, and no additional sales for DVC. [...]

It seems reasonable that they are trying to retain that market segement. There have been comments (and my poll) to the effect that, over the next few decades, WDW park attendance will decrease as DVC owners try all the other Orlando-area attractions. If we agree that someone buying an AP yields several benefits for Disney - more trips/year, more $$$ spent on-site, less $$$ to competitors - then they think it's worth the discount to keep current AP buyers buying APs in the future.

IMHO - YMMV

 

[timC]

It seems reasonable that they are trying to retain that market segement. ...

Fair enough. This topic gets more interesting the more I think about it... How strong are long-term sales of AP to DVC members? Is WDW worried about a market decline? How can they sustain our collective interest for 50 years? Maybe it would be more strategic for them to focus on improving off-site trading alternatives...in order to draw more new visitors to WDW and to the higher-margin media. Interesting issues.

 

[tjkraz]

FHow strong are long-term sales of AP to DVC members?

I can only recall one piece of hard evidence to this end. About a year ago the pricing for May's Member Homecoming event was released. Since the event included park tickets for the duration, many members were surprised that no allowance was made for Annual Passholders. In response to member inquiries, DVC claimed that only 12% of DVC members are AP holders.

That number kinda surprised me. Sure, there probably are some members missed as DVC tries to link the together multiple databases with DVC member data and AP holder data. But given the discussion that insued, it's probably not all that far off.

When you factor in folks who do the every-other-year plan with their APs, members who use a lot of points at off-site locations, and long-time members who just don't go to the parks as much as they used to, I'm not all that surprised at a low number.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Fair enough. This topic gets more interesting the more I think about it... How strong are long-term sales of AP to DVC members? Is WDW worried about a market decline? How can they sustain our collective interest for 50 years? Maybe it would be more strategic for them to focus on improving off-site trading alternatives...in order to draw more new visitors to WDW and to the higher-margin media. Interesting issues.

Good point - let "old and jaded" DVC owners trade off-site, bringing more "gosh, we're at Disney World" types who need to buy one of everything at WOD. They probably would be more likely to spend more money everywhere - admission media, dining, etc.

 

[rufusrex]

Thanks DVC. I for one will save $175 per year (2 trips per AP, late January, then early January the following year - 2 adult and 2 children APs = $350). It is really great having the APs with little ones, if you only spend 2 or 3 hours in a park on a certain day you don't feel like you wasted a day off your passes.

I'm assuming but I'd figure I'd ask, is this a permanent perk? I know perks are never "permanent" but are they planning on offering this next year? If not, can we buy extra vouchers and activate them when needed in the future? We did this on the past before an AP price hike a few years ago and it worked out great. The initial upfront cost hurt, but I didn't have to buy passes for 4 years!!

 

[linco711]

I think the discounted passes for members is great and long overdue. We'll definately take advantage of it, and will spend more time at disney and in the parks spending money! This perk will help disney enormously too!