Membership Magic Beyond

[lowlight]

Wait. What?!

There’s gonna be a restroom

Those west coasters get everything good.

 

[davidhr]

I'm now inclined to get this the first day just because I like chaos and drama

 

[New Mouse]

Those west coasters get everything good.

Probably 2 ply

 

[ehh]

From the initial poll numbers on the other thread, it's not a great idea to polarize half your member base.

This assumes that the preponderance of "no" votes are upset enough to be "polarized" by this, and that would be a bad assumption. It's also a bad assumption that the DISBoards population is representative of a larger population, we're not.

I'm a "no" vote on that thread and have no ill-will toward this initiative. I just can't find utility in these offerings with how we currently travel, making it a bad value to us at ~any price.

I'm going to make a counter-assumption: I'm not the only one who feels this way and a significant number of people, possibly even an outright majority, are simply unbothered.
(I do have some anecdata to back me up on the first bit: when MMB was announced I sent it to some DVC-normal friends, they also didn't think it was worth it, but one was kinda interested in the DL tickets, but ultimately nobody in the group chat really cared about MMB and the chat moved on to a different topic)

 

[Genie+]

How would people feel if Moonlight Magic was reduced to afford these perks across the membership at no additional expense?

 

[DonMacGregor]

I'm now inclined to get this the first day just because I like chaos and drama

I decided on Wednesday that I’d get $99 worth of online entertainment simply by joining the new MMB (Membership Magic Bourgeoisie).

 

[Genie+]

I decided on Wednesday that I’d get $99 worth of online entertainment simply by joining the new MMB (Membership Magic Bourgeoisie).

Take all the money you might save with it this year and buy Premier Pass. We might start calling you Lord MacGregor

 

[lowlight]

I decided on Wednesday that I’d get $99 worth of online entertainment simply by joining the new MMB (Membership Magic Bourgeoisie).

Easily, if not more. I’ll give you 50 bucks worth of entertainment alone. Plus, membership in the secret squirrel lounge club and 6.50 will get you a Mickey Bar.

 

[ehh]

I'm going to get a little bit philosophical for a moment here...I guess I apologize?

Something I like to do when some sort of change, whether it's political, technological, societal, etc., is proposed or introduced is imagine the reverse scenario.

In this case it would be:

Imagine that DVC-ND, DVC-Y, and DVC-BY has existed since day 1 of DVC (DVC-ND would have had to wait until day 2 since resales weren't possible on day 1...). The 3 tiers of perks is all you've ever known. Maybe MMB was less expensive in the past due to inflation, but this year it's $99.​

​

And then they announce they're ending the MMB program and perks, leaving us with just DVC-ND and DVC-Y. Discounted tickets, free 30-day Memory Maker, waitlist priority, BOGO OTUP, buying APs with points, and the other perks just vanish.​

​

What would your reaction be? How do you think others on the board would react?

I think, and maybe I'm being too optimistic here, the general reaction from the DVC-ND and DVC-Y crowd would be along the lines: 'wow, that sucks for those that used it.' Maybe they're completely unbothered. I don't think many would celebrate its end.

 

[DonMacGregor]

It’s already paying for itself!

 

[permavac]

I want to add that I visit the lounge every trip…at least did when it was open and I have never ever had to wait to go up.

We've been in the Epcot lounge about 10 times. The first couple of times we went we didn't have to wait. All of the rest of the times since then have been between a 10 minute and 20 minute wait. We noticed that in about 5 of the times that we've had to wait, it was pretty empty up there and we realized the wait was artificial or, at the least, not for lack of space for us. It could be that they were already gearing up for a tiered system by doing this...?

How are DVC lounge waitlists handled today? Is it a text when it's ready or do they make you physically queue at the lounge? Or something else?

If it's a text when they're ready to welcome you, then there's no visible/apparent 'classing' of DVC-Y vs. DVC-BY, right? Unless you're monitoring other people entering the waitlist...

You're told when you check in that there is a wait and they usually give you an estimate of when they think you will likely get in.

The problem with the new tiered system IMO is that they don't give you a return time, just that estimate. IF the lounge is at capacity when you arrive and you're a non-MMB member then the MMB members who arrive after you can bump your entry time turning a 10 minute wait to who knows how long, messing with your plans. And what happens when there are several MMB members? If the lounge is still at capacity, there isn't any room for them to skip anybody.

I just see so much potential for ill will with this scheme but, who knows, DVC may have a great handle on it that we don't know about. Maybe they'll implement time limits for how long you can stay and can give specific return times which would help.

I think the difference between this potential ill will and the frustration of not getting into Moonlight Magic is because at least with MM you know before your trip that you aren't getting in.

I love all the other offerings of the MMB and still plan on buying it but I think they should do the lounges as first come, first served.

 

[Sandisw]

How would people feel if Moonlight Magic was reduced to afford these perks across the membership at no additional expense?

If the choice was only one can be free? I’d vote for this new program over Moonlight Magic.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Take all the money you might save with it this year and buy Premier Pass. We might start calling you Lord MacGregor

Actually, I haven’t used or bought a FastPass or any other subsequent iteration in over 20 years. I’ve never purchased Memory Maker, and I don’t think I ever purchased an individual ride photo either.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

How would people feel if Moonlight Magic was reduced to afford these perks across the membership at no additional expense?

 

[tx911]

We've been in the Epcot lounge about 10 times. The first couple of times we went we didn't have to wait. All of the rest of the times since then have been between a 10 minute and 20 minute wait. We noticed that in about 5 of the times that we've had to wait, it was pretty empty up there and we realized the wait was artificial or, at the least, not for lack of space for us. It could be that they were already gearing up for a tiered system by doing this...?




You're told when you check in that there is a wait and they usually give you an estimate of when they think you will likely get in.

The problem with the new tiered system IMO is that they don't give you a return time, just that estimate. IF the lounge is at capacity when you arrive and you're a non-MMB member then the MMB members who arrive after you can bump your entry time turning a 10 minute wait to who knows how long, messing with your plans. And what happens when there are several MMB members? If the lounge is still at capacity, there isn't any room for them to skip anybody.

I just see so much potential for ill will with this scheme but, who knows, DVC may have a great handle on it that we don't know about. Maybe they'll implement time limits for how long you can stay and can give specific return times which would help.

I think the difference between this potential ill will and the frustration of not getting into Moonlight Magic is because at least with MM you know before your trip that you aren't getting in.

I love all the other offerings of the MMB and still plan on buying it but I think they should do the lounges as first come, first served.

And if MMB members continue to arrive on a regular basis, the non-MMB member will NEVER get into the lounge.

 

[BaybeeYoda]

Correct

Purchase of Walt Disney World® Resort Five-Day Date-Based Weekday Theme Park Ticket Plus One Water Park Visit: From time to time, Members enrolled in the Optional Benefit Program are granted the ability to purchase up to eight (8), five (5)-day, date-based, weekday tickets (“WDW Tickets”). Each WDW Ticket allows access to one (1) WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort theme park per day (for a total of five (5) theme park visits) Monday through Friday only and provides one (1)-day admission to either Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park OR Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park (whichever is open).

Could this include Xmas week? We are planning Xmas 2025, and we were going to use our 5 day Dvc anniversary park tickets (from 2015? 2017?) that’s still attached to our account. But if we have access to discounted tickets anyway…..

 

[Cyberc1978]

And if MMB members continue to arrive on a regular basis, the non-MMB member will NEVER get into the lounge.

If that ends up being correct. Then DVC are effectively saying to foreigners that: We don’t want you as customers since we won’t provide any paid or non paid perks that we allow you to use or that you actually can use.

Wonder if that was the intention with the restrictions that only US residents can buy.

 

[davidhr]

If that ends up being correct. Then DVC are effectively saying to foreigners that: We don’t want you as customers since we won’t provide any paid or non paid perks that we allow you to use or that you actually can use.

Wonder if that was the intention with the restrictions that only US residents can buy.

This is a bit of a stretch…

 

[Cyberc1978]

This is a bit of a stretch…

Not if MMB members are the only ones who can actually use the lounges because of the priority waitlist.

 

[PalmettoPath]

If that ends up being correct. Then DVC are effectively saying to foreigners that: We don’t want you as customers since we won’t provide any paid or non paid perks that we allow you to use or that you actually can use.

Wonder if that was the intention with the restrictions that only US residents can buy.

Pending Disney's response to my inquiry, I'm going to reach out to a time share contract lawyer, as this certainly feels like discrimination against non-US owners and a devaluing of our membership with no notice or grandfathering (as they did when the resale rules came into place). I am interested in a legal perspective on moving us to a second class status and whether they can arbitrarily offer an advantage to one group of all-things-being-equal owners over another, from a legal perspective given our contracts. Worth exploring if you're in our boat (since this may be the tip of the iceberg, which is likely).