Let's be happy for once

[mjfox]

I only own 150 points @ BCV and I sure Disney is expecting people to come back more offen and pay cash for rooms or buy more DVC points to take better advantage of their APs. This is a great marketing plan on Disney's part, they have over 70000 owners and that translate to approx 280000 possible APs minus those of us that already have an them.

With all that in mind, I will not be able to take advantage of the discounts this year due to our's expire in December. But I'm not going to complain about something out of my control and look forward to our 2005 renewal. We all shouldn't get caught up in what Disney should do for us, unstead we should all just have great times with our family and friends and appreciate any and all perks given to us. I'm sure Disney does appreciate all of us but remember Disney is a business and doesn't have to do anything extra for us that they don't do for any other guest.

I will be waiting to see who Disney will allow us to buy AP for as we always travel with my wife's aunt and uncle. What ever Disney comes up with I will thank them for the discount even if I am unable to take advantage of it!

 

[wdw4us2]

Anything that results in a significant savings at WDW is great, IMHO.

This is definitely the best perk (for us) DVC has come up with, thus far. I hope that it is in effect for at least a few years so that everyone will have the opportunity to utilize it.

 

[jcodespoti]

I don't think that DVC owes me any discount, but when a large proportion of members are being rewarded for not changing any behavior, that is not a perk, it's a kickback to a selected group of members to which some of us find impossible to belong to even though we own more than the minimum number of points and can travel seven nights each year (in the best of circumstances).

But I think the pattern has changed. I'll bet Disney saw many people heading off property it go to Universal or seaworld or even Busch Gardens.

The whole trick is to get people to stay in the wdw area, and while the discount might not affect you so much, it will keep thousands of dvc members from heading over to the other parks.

Joe in CT

 

[Doctor P]

Great, then let's help the tens of thousands of other DVC members do the same thing by giving incentives for going to the parks every day on shorter trips.

 

[disneydom]

WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS THIS IS GREAT I'M HAPPER THAN A PIG IN - WELL YOU KNOW- ANY SAVINGS IS A PLUS JST A PERK BUT A GREAT ONE THANK YOU DISNEY AND DVC

 

[Goofyzgurl]

I think it's a great perk also. I've been seeing discussions and polls on how we want park pass discounts, and this is it. Well, I won't be able to use it either because our trip is coming up before the discounts are offered, but hey that's alright. When I go again I'll get it, or not because we don't usually do disney enough to use it, but I might since they're offering it. Or Disney can just take it back again and say to heck with it and we can just sit around talking about how we want park pass discounts again. I personally am fine with it. I can't use every perk that dvc offers, but I'm happy for the ones that I can use and estatic for those who can use this one.

 

[Terry S]

Okay, Doctor P.... To be perfectly honest, I have been reading most of your posts but simply have disregarded them as somone who is upset that someone else is getting something and you are not. Which I can perfectly understand. I have always been annoyed that Florida residents get a discount simply because they live in Florida (sorry FL residents, I don't have anything against you) I know quite a few Floridians who barely ever go to WDW so this discount does not entice them to come more often.

Anyway, I was curious after reading your posts if you wouldn't mind sharing how many days in the 7 days that you are at WDW that you go to one of the 4 theme parks and how often you go to Pleasure Island, Water Parks and Disney Quest. Also, what pass do you typically buy now?

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by sgtpet
Hello fellow DVC members. I just wanted to voice the opinion that this is the best perk we have gotten in quite a long time. DVC was more than fair in figuring out who should be able to get the discount.

Let's give credit where credit is deserved.

Congrats to DVC management.

I completely agree. For folks to excessively complain about recieving this perk is a huge dis incentive for DVC to ever consider offering another major perk.

Stop the insanity. Stop the whining. Enjoy the perk. If you won't use it, you didn't loose anything. Geeeeeeeze.

 

[Doctor P]

Terry,

Most typically, if we are there seven nights, that means that there are six days available for us to go to the parks. Our last trip, which would be typical, we did the parks for 5 days and one water park on the other day using a combination of PH and PHP passes. Our plan on future trips is currently for the next two times, to go to WDW for eight nights, December 24-January 1, and go to the parks for 5 days and the water parks for one day with a combination of 5 day PH and remaining days on our PHP tickets. We would certainly prefer to be able to go to the parks every day and would love to go to the parks and a water park on the same day, but that is not currently cost effective. Thus, I think we are prime candidates to have our number of park visits increased by a discount that would make it more possible for us to do. We would even upgrade to the UPH if the discount were better (the discount now is only about 2-3% over the advance purchase rate and still $20-30 more than a 7 day PHP that doesn't expire). Though some of my ranting and raving doesn't sound like it, I really think that there is a big opportunity for Disney to get more money out of people like me who really can't get any value out of an annual pass, but in a one year + one week period will be spending way more days in the parks than many annual pass holders (even with our current habits, we would be spending 10 days in the parks and 2 days in the water parks, but not be able to benefit from an annual pass because we couldn't move the trips one week either direction to get both trips on a single annual pass). I really am truly happy for those DVC'ers that can benefit from the new discount, but I shouldn't be chastised for being a DVC/WDW lover who will always miss by a week's time of being able to benefit from an annual pass and not being at all happy about a discount to further promote admission media that thousands of us are unable to benefit from.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I will be spending most of January at WDW and I will probably buy the AP to use over two years that is part of this Jan and Jan06. For me it will save me $200 or to put it another way it will now cost us about $150 per year per person to walk around the parks. I have lost interest in the parks and this discount probably will get me to go for at least another 2 years. If the new attraction over at EPCOT called "Soarin" is anything like I think it is going to be it will be worth the money. At any rate let's keep in mind this is not something to really thank anyone for, it is going to bring a lot of cash into the parks for WDW that otherwise would go somewhere else. Just like fast pass was really to get the customers out of long lines and spending money, this will get people into the parks and doing the same.

 

[Terry S]

Okay Doctor P..... Just some thoughts..... An advance purchase price 5 day PHP is $245.00 I beleive the AP is going to be around $297.00. So it is approximatly $52 more for the AP per person. Do you think it is possible to make up for this $50 with other AP discounts such as the 50% off of miniture golf or 10% off of merchandise of the World of Disney as well as a few Dining Discounts that are not covered under the DVC discount. The major benefit to doing this would be that during the 8 days you are there you can go to the park every day if you choose even if it is only for an hour on your arrival day to see fireworks or an hour on your departure day and you would not be loosing any days on park tickets. Also, the following year that you do this, you would only be paying the renewal AP price so this difference would only be about $35, which will be even easier to make up with discounts associated with an AP.

 

[NMW]

Thought I'd post here too since some people might not be reading the original thread anymore. That thread got somewhat bitter and angry We are thrilled about the Discount. We plan to go from UPH ticket buyers to PAP holders . I think DVC members should be happy about the discounts we get even if we don't use them all. I know I'll probably never pool hop, get spa treatments or play golf, but I don't begrudge the members who do and take advantage of the DVC perks. I don't think I'm entitled to something else of equal value. That IMHO is a waste of time and energy. Plus, who knows, maybe when my kids are older I'll take up golf and start going to the spa! I still don't think I'd pool hop though, too much wasted time and energy .

 

[idratherbeinwdw]

Originally posted by NMW
Thought I'd post here too since some people might not be reading the original thread anymore. That thread got somewhat bitter and angry We are thrilled about the Discount. We plan to go from UPH ticket buyers to PAP holders . I think DVC members should be happy about the discounts we get even if we don't use them all. I know I'll probably never pool hop, get spa treatments or play golf, but I don't begrudge the members who do and take advantage of the DVC perks. I don't think I'm entitled to something else of equal value. That IMHO is a waste of time and energy. Plus, who knows, maybe when my kids are older I'll take up golf and start going to the spa! I still don't think I'd pool hop though, too much wasted time and energy .

Really well said, thanks for posting this. ITA, just because I don't take advantage of every perk doesn't make me think I am entitled to another one of equal value. Perks are just that, perks, DVC does not owe us anything.

 

[WDWLVR]

Originally posted by Doctor P
Seems to me that anyone who has had an annual pass in the last two/three years should not be eligible since that is just rewarding past behavior and not inducing a behavior change.

I couldn't disagree with this more. Just because I had an AP last year, and just renewed for the 2005 season (without the new discount) why should I not be eligible for the perk in the future.

The perk is open to everyone. Those who can and choose to use it will, those who don't won't. We all make choices in our life. Some of those choices are where we work, what we do, how and when we vacation, and what we do to enjoy ourselves. Having said that not all things that DVC or Disney offer are for everyone.

We have been fortunate to be able to take in the 2003 Member Cruise, the 2004 Member Homecoming and we are booked on the 2005 Member Cruise.

There are other perks that are available but we choose not to use them.

We don't do the special golf offerings because we don't care for golf. We don't do pool hopping because we really only use the pools at the end of the day - not as a destination in their own right. We don't use the Disney Quest or Pleasure Island discounts because that just isn't us. Those are all choices we make. I'm happy for those who do use them and don't think it is unfair that I don't want them.

Same is true with the AP discount. Like I said in the beginning I called and renewed ours days before the announcement, but it wouldn't matter if I had waited because our expires 12/2. So we won't be taking advantage of it until December 2005. I'm really happy for those who can take advantage of it earlier.

As for you Doctor P - you have made many choices in your life regarding your work, your family, etc. Don't blame Disney because this perk doesn't work with the choices you yourself have made.

 

[WDWMom]

I am happy for those of you who will use the new perk, but Disney is not going to make any more $$$ from us because of this discount. We love to vacation at WDW and spend about 10 days there every year, but we don't spend a lot of time in the parks anymore. Usually 3 days at most and 2 at the waterparks, and then pool hopping. We are not looking for a discount that is going to make us spend more $$$ just to get our money's worth from the AP. Many of you are saying you would take an extra trip and pay cash. For us that is spending more $$$ that we normally wouldn't spend. We bought DVC so we would never spend $$ on a room at WDW again. Of course, marketing is hoping you all don't realize this or justify it another way. We also don't want to buy an AP so we can hop into the parks to eat dinner or see one attraction. Again that is not cost effective FOR US.

I think this is what Doctor P is getting at. This is a perk that not everyone is going to use. Again, I am happy for those of you who will benefit, but we would love to see a discount on PH/PHP. Disney would probably see us in the parks more, thus us buying meals more in the parks, if this were to happen. But then again, maybe not.

 

[Doctor P]

It is very easy to say that all of the issues are/were my choices, but I'm sorry, the issues we are talking about are NOT my choice, nor are they the choice of many other DIS'ers and DVC'ers. I really find it very interesting and disturbing that people are quick to jump on the band wagon and indicate that they know my life better than I know it. I will reiterate: park passes are not just any perk--the parks are the central reason to own DVC versus another timeshare. Keep in mind that in the situation I have outlined, we have lots of DVC members who could go EVERY year, use EVERY point they have EVERY year, go to the parks EVERY day that they are at Disney, and still not be able to benefit from the annual pass discount that is being offered. To me, that is a serious problem, and one that unfortunately affects me personally on many of the dimensions. I think there is something wrong with the theme park pass discount structure, or with the way that DVC has been sold, if someone who goes to Disney under the above circumstances cannot substantially benefit from the theme park pass discounts that are offered to members. And it is obvious, contrary to many posts, that members feel they DESERVE this perk, given the reactions when I suggested that there should be more restrictions on the annual pass discount. People are happy until their ox is the one getting gored. In this particular case, my ox is being gored and I think I am entitled to express displeasure about it.

 

[CapeCodFam]

A nondiscounted 5 day PHP costs 300.34. An AP costs 403.64- 100 DVC = 303.64. Doesn't that make the AP a break even on cost with a 5 day PHP?

I got ticket prices from http://allearsnet.com/pl/ticketchart.htm

Anyway, we didn't go to any parks on our last trip because we didn't have the extra for the PH's at the time. AP's are now a great deal for us if/when we ever get to use the perk.

 

[Doctor P]

A discounted seven day PHP pass is $310 and includes four plus options. An regular AP is $303 with the discount. If you would EVER go to a water park or Pleasure Island, then it would not be a good deal (in general) to buy the AP unless you will be spending at least 8 days in the parks OR would never, ever need admission to the water parks or Pleasure Island. Also, the relevant comparison that one would make would be with the PH not the PHP pass for a five day trip--the at the gate price for that pass would be $265 and the advance purchase price would be $245 for that ticket would be. Seven days seems to be the one that it's difficult to figure out whether the annual pass pays for itself with the discount--six days it clearly does not, and eight days it clearly does.

 

[DVCPAT]

Many thanks to Disney for offering DVC members this perk. The PAP will keep our on-site visits fresh with new options for dining and visiting outside attractions like the sports complex and Disney Quest.

I teach my kids, some people will have more material things than you and some will have less. Be thankful for what you have and work toward the things you want. Anything is possible if you want it bad enough.

Doctor P, I don’t think they will offer a communist version of DVC. Then again, if Walt was raised in a communist society, WDW wouldn’t exist.

 

[DVCPAT]

Originally posted by WDWMom
I Again, I am happy for those of you who will benefit, but we would love to see a discount on PH/PHP. Disney would probably see us in the parks more, thus us buying meals more in the parks, if this were to happen. But then again, maybe not.

Disney already offers a discount for the length-of-stay tickets. I don’t think they will ever offer discounts on PH or PHP passes. It would open the door to individuals reselling the discounted tickets for a profit.

I don’t think Disney wants to check IDs for everyone entering the parks with hopper passes. Length of stay passes and annual passes cannot be resold.