Let's speculate about Polynesian some more!

[Jwaire]

Those are some sad waterparks. Volcano Bay blows them away, and Sea World throws in aquatica when you buy a gold pass. I’m not sure even “free admission on arrival day” is going to help. Who wants to get off an airplane and rush over there when they close at 5 pm, unless you land at 9am why bother?

They're hoping it keeps the water parks alive. The resorts can continue to hike prices without repercussions, but the water parks can't. Now, you will have the resorts paying the water parks for every guest that uses this promotion.

Interesting strategy, but I would have made it good for the length of stay.

I would also bet people have stopped buying the water park add-on too because ticket prices have soared.

 

[mkatsy]

They're hoping it keeps the water parks alive. The resorts can continue to hike prices without repercussions, but the water parks can't. Now, you will have the resorts paying the water parks for every guest that uses this promotion.

Interesting strategy, but I would have made it good for the length of stay.

I would also bet people have stopped buying the water park add-on too because ticket prices have soared.

Length of stay would have been brilliant, especially if you had older teens or college kids. Let them take the bus over to the water park, and meet you back at the resort for dinner. Arrival day, with youngsters, just feels like too much extra work.

 

[DVCsloth]

I think it's kind of a nice perk that Disney is offering to DVC members, "assuming it's DVC". Even if you only go for a few hours while waiting for your room to get ready. Nice lazy river with different stops for adult beverages. Bus or Uber back and the room is ready. We drive if we're at Riviera and going to Typhoon Lagoon, literally 5 minutes once you leave the resort "Joffrey's" for me though if I'm the driver.

 

[Cabius]

I think it's kind of a nice perk that Disney is offering to DVC members, "assuming it's DVC".

It is indeed included with DVC stays (though not exclusively; it's a general WDW benefit)

https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/discounts-perks-offers

 

[Chili327]

Length of stay would have been brilliant, especially if you had older teens or college kids. Let them take the bus over to the water park, and meet you back at the resort for dinner. Arrival day, with youngsters, just feels like too much extra work.

or just one day per visit (2 night min or something), use it whenever you want.

 

[Cabius]

or just one day per visit (2 night min or something), use it whenever you want.

I think they want to have more things on the list of on-site perks, to counter the narrative that it's no longer worth staying on-site. (No more Magical Express, no more free Magic Bands, barely any EMM, and apparently it's open-season on resort pools to boot!)

But they still want to sell tickets to these water parks, and wouldn't want to do length-of-stay passes, or even enough flexibility that people who would otherwise have bought a water park ticket stop doing so.

Their best-case scenario is that folks book on-site because they feel like the experience is different, and special. And then don't actually USE the perk.