Membership Magic Beyond

[2010dvcfan]

So now we're speculating that this whole huge process, including coordination with other divisions within the company, was done with the ultimate goal of charging a fee for a perk (lounge access) utilized by a ridiculously small percentage of DVC owners.

Got it.

Is that not what this entire Dis-boards is about, everyone coming together to share experiences and opinions about Disney products?

 

[DonMacGregor]

Is that not what this entire Dis-boards is about, everyone coming together to share experiences and opinions about Disney products?

And I shared mine.

Do I think it's cool that they are including priority access as one of the "paid perks". Probably not.

Do I think you can, in one breath, be hyper-critical of Disney for engaging in one "money grab" after another (which they are absolutely guilty of), and then in the next breath conclude that their ultimate (sole?) motivation for this program is to charge a fee for a perk that is utilized by a very small minority of members thus ensuring a nominal return at best (even if they decided to charge a fee to EVERYONE who uses the lounges), when there are any number of other ways to charge the ENTIRE membership without DVC jumping through so many hoops to do so? Also no.

Like I said, it's a huge amount of effort, if their sole end game is charging for lounge access, when only a small percentage of members even use the lounges and the return on the effort would be minimal at best, even if they did charge EVERYONE for use of the lounges. Disney doesn't spend 50 cents to make a dollar (and everyone who takes advantage of the park pass discount, regardless of how big or small it is, is costing DVC revenue because that discount has to be subsidized). Probably learned that on their first day at Evil Accounting School.

I'm no Disney apologist and I absolutely guarantee you they always stop to pick up a penny, but I'm just not seeing this one. Even in the most nefarious scenario, this one just doesn't make much rain.

 

[2010dvcfan]

DVC is more resistant to other types of traveling delays or cancellations. So it helps Disney have a more predictable travel expectancy plus it helps offset maintenance of the resorts. Those two factors are very valuable. Don’t forget, it wasn’t too long ago DVC was called out in a shareholder meeting for not pulling its weight or meeting sale targets. So that department may be under more scrutiny then its used to by the spreadsheet analyst in power.

Perhaps they should study the effect of the resale restrictions on their sales targets instead of charging current members for perks. Maybe some of these resale members if allowed to experience RIVERA would be all in. I know I love it there but I refuse to add on there due to the resale restrictions.

 

[lowlight]

Like I said, it's a huge amount of effort, if their sole end game is charging for lounge access,

I’m not sure why you’re purposefully misrepresenting the argument. Obviously this isn’t a Dr. Evil “One Milllion Dollars” scenario where they are aiming for this useless perk. I think lounge priority access is a test for what they really want to do- put all meaningful member benefits outside of contractual ones (access to existing and future resorts, etc) into a paid category, or multiple tiered paid categories. Doing that in one fell swoop would be a PR nightmare, which is why every industry that has ever done this has done the slow drip. I also think resale restrictions was a test run, for what, who knows, maybe trusts are going to be the real future. Maybe in a few years I’ll look more silly than I already do and I can look back and laugh at my silly predictions.

 

[muppets3d]

You may have been luckier than some - depends on how often you're in the parks. As someone who lives within a reasonable driving distance, I can be in the parks up to 30-35 days a year, so I have lots of visits to the lounge each year - and I've had wait times of 30 minutes a few times a year. Those same times of year should expect to see the wait times be around the same for the $99 crowd, while the wait time will stretch even longer for the rest who didn't pay. A wait time of 45 minutes to an hour will likely preclude even going to the lounge that day for many because they've got other reservations, LLs, and plans - so in effect, they were denied a visit t the lounge because of their lower status.

And don't forget too - with the new 'character interactions' being hosted in the lounge various times a day, there will be times when someone wanting to visit the lounge between lunch and a ride might be told that it's only open for the character meets from 1-2pm, for example...exactly when they had a window to visit. Again, they are now denied the lounge probably for that day. How many times a day will they have these special character events and how long will each close the lounge to everyone else? We don't know - all in all it is pretty well guaranteed to impact the experience of regular DVC members who don't pay more.

While the other benefits being offered for this $99 fee may prove useful or interesting to many DVCers, and all of those being extra or additional things offered that don't impact the experiences of other DVC members...and no one should have any reason to complain about those, I think MOST of us here can agree, whether you want or do not want this $99 offer, that they should have just left the member lounge out of it. Offer everything else, even add some things - paid extras that are over and above the regular DVC experience are fine - but taking away free benefits current members have and offering them at extra cost to those willing to pay is not a good look, and really is the primary controversy causing all these complaints and problems. Disney should at least see that, and realize the error - strip that out of the offer, and pretty much all current DVC members stop complaining and are happy, and some will opt to hand over more money for the paid perks they get.

Where does DVC say they're going to kick everyone out of the lounge except folks who buy this package during character interactions?

 

[PalmettoPath]

Update re: Canadian/Int'l DVC-Y members.

As promised in an earlier post, I am following up with the reply that I received today from DVC regarding my inquiry as to why non-US DVC-Y owners are excluded from MMB.

I received a call today from a DVC CM and the response was that they are planning to roll this out in phases and that they are "considering" adding non-US DVC-Y. I pressed a bit on "considering," because that implies they may or may not (which goes back to the original point about haves and have-nots among DVC-Y). The CM wasn't exactly clear (in her defence, if there are any details, she may not know them) but she did make it sound like they would, eventually, likely add non-US DVC members because: "you are DVC-Y members!"

So at least from the perspective of knowing that it is not a regulatory issue that is stopping it right now, that is good (for DVC-Y non-US who are interested), but as to when we may see it...who knows. At one point I said, "we'll still be out of luck for the first year though..." to which the response was "keep watching."

So, while nothing firm was shared, at least we know that it *may* get an expanded DVC-Y release at some point.

 

[Sandisw]

Update re: Canadian/Int'l DVC-Y members.

As promised in an earlier post, I am following up with the reply that I received today from DVC regarding my inquiry as to why non-US DVC-Y owners are excluded from MMB.

I received a call today from a DVC CM and the response was that they are planning to roll this out in phases and that they are "considering" adding non-US DVC-Y. I pressed a bit on "considering," because that implies they may or may not (which goes back to the original point about haves and have-nots among DVC-Y). The CM wasn't exactly clear (in her defence, if there are any details, she may not know them) but she did make it sound like they would, eventually, likely add non-US DVC members because: "you are DVC-Y members!"

So at least from the perspective of knowing that it is not a regulatory issue that is stopping it right now, that is good (for DVC-Y non-US who are interested), but as to when we may see it...who knows. At one point I said, "we'll still be out of luck for the first year though..." to which the response was "keep watching."

So, while nothing firm was shared, at least we know that it *may* get an expanded DVC-Y release at some point.

That is good to hear. Maybe the hiccup is getting all the correct approvals and didn’t have them when they rolled this out.

Just like with the LL multi and single pass. It didn’t take them long to get it updated for Canadian guests! We still have a little over a month to begin buying so pixie dust your
You’re included by then!

 

[BeachClub2014]

Great Lounge Debate. I love the passion for this topic. Several themes have developed, and my apologies if I've missed any:

• "DVC is creating tiered membership through DVC-YB"
  • The tiered membership sailed a long time ago, folks. There are tiers within the tiers, and creating this new MMB is just another tier. There is nothing new here.
• "This is nothing more than a money grab for DVC."
  • Isn't that the whole point of a for-profit, publicly traded corporation? Why is this a shock?
• "It's unfair for DVC-YB people to get priority access to member lounges over other DVC-Y members."
  • Fair is in the eye of the beholder.
  • Disney (and a gazillion other businesses) offer rewards/benefits/perks in pay-for-play schemes.
• "DVC-Y owners will never be able to get into the lounges now (or will have to wait much longer)."
  • DVC-YB users will be a subset of already eligible lounge users.
  • Priority access only matters if there is a wait, which isn't always.
  • Question: How will any of us know if our fellow DVC'ers entering the lounge ahead of us are DVC-Y or DVC-YB? Just because someone enters before you in a waitlist environment doesn't mean they have priority access. Maybe they just got on the list before you. The point is, we have no way of knowing this, so why assume the worst?
• "Implementing this offering makes DVC more like other slimy timeshare companies."
  • DVC is a timeshare company—full stop. We can call it a club, but it's not. Its sole purpose is to create timeshare resorts and then sell the timeshare resorts.

Any other themes I've left out?

 

[Brian Noble]

DVC, I strenuously object to this lounge perk!

Oh! You strenuously object!

 

[tx911]

Oh! You strenuously object!

 

[lowlight]

Great Lounge Debate. I love the passion for this topic. Several themes have developed, and my apologies if I've missed any:

• "DVC is creating tiered membership through DVC-YB"
  • The tiered membership sailed a long time ago, folks. There are tiers within the tiers, and creating this new MMB is just another tier. There is nothing new here.
• "This is nothing more than a money grab for DVC."
  • Isn't that the whole point of a for-profit, publicly traded corporation? Why is this a shock?
• "It's unfair for DVC-YB people to get priority access to member lounges over other DVC-Y members."
  • Fair is in the eye of the beholder.
  • Disney (and a gazillion other businesses) offer rewards/benefits/perks in pay-for-play schemes.
• "DVC-Y owners will never be able to get into the lounges now (or will have to wait much longer)."
  • DVC-YB users will be a subset of already eligible lounge users.
  • Priority access only matters if there is a wait, which isn't always.
  • Question: How will any of us know if our fellow DVC'ers entering the lounge ahead of us are DVC-Y or DVC-YB? Just because someone enters before you in a waitlist environment doesn't mean they have priority access. Maybe they just got on the list before you. The point is, we have no way of knowing this, so why assume the worst?
• "Implementing this offering makes DVC more like other slimy timeshare companies."
  • DVC is a timeshare company—full stop. We can call it a club, but it's not. Its sole purpose is to create timeshare resorts and then sell the timeshare resorts.

Any other themes I've left out?

Looks good. Alright boys, let’s wrap this up. If you could head on over to the Cake Bake Shop and LLPP threads and do this for those as well, I think we can turn off the lights, lock the doors, and shut the boards down until the next LoungeGate or 20$BowlofsoupGate controversy happens.

 

[muppets3d]

Now that that's settled, who's got the latest baseless 2042 speculation. Alls I really wanna know is, is HHI in or out?!

 

[E2ME2]

As with the LL upgrade option, this is a no for me - doesn't offer me any real perk other than the possibility of getting into the lounge a little sooner than someone else when there's a waitlist. I have an AP, so pass discounts don't help - anyone I travel with doesn't live in my household, so doesn't help getting passes for them, I don't even know what a one-time-point is so clearly never used one, and I don't use photopass.

I also have never used a Lightning Lane or paid the extra price for specific rides either - so clearly if I didn't even think the old LLs were worth it for me, the new super-expensive ones aren't going to entice me either.

I admit I am really surprised what people are willing to spend to go to Disney - At a comfortable higher-tax-bracket income, I find the costs to be pretty nuts, and yet I see plenty of people at the parks at much lower income and net worth levels - with large family groups - A married couple with 3 kids staying at a moderate resort, buying 5-7 days of passes for all, paying for the extra lightning lanes and photo passes, plus shopping, food, and drink costs already has to be in the high 4-figures - now tempt them to upgrade to a deluxe and the privilege to spend another $250-350 each per day to add on the extra lightning lane perk - that's another $3K or more on top - now the trip is entering 5-digit territory.

I love Disney, I go there 4-5 trips a year, and I spend a lot on signature dining and cocktails and such - and spread my costs out by having an AP and DVC...and nothing at Universal holds any appeal to me at all, but there's a side of me that wants Disney to get a drubbing with Epic park opening - maybe causing them to pare back some of the out-of-control price increases and more and more paid extras. No guarantees that would be the reaction - who knows - maybe they'd decide to increase it even more. So far, it's only moderately impacting my trip experience, as I'm not buying any of these extras, and other than the AP cost going up and the food costs going up, plus causing me to skip a few more rides than I used to because I don't have an LL and the standby line is too long...otherwise, my trips are still roughly the same and my overall spending on food and drink each trip is about 20% more than it was 5 years ago.

& Where, exactly, in WDW does one post their tax-bracket, net worth, and income level??

 

[E2ME2]

Maybe it would carry more weight if you vehemently objected!

 

[xdan0920]

DVC could easily make these benefits available for Blue Card members only and it would cost them a rounding error on the bottom line.

Instead they are charging $99 and creating a new revenue stream out of the ether.

How many DVC members are there? 250k plus last I checked. If 1/4 buy into this they make an extra 8,000,000 a year. And this is the entry level progrum.

When it moves to $250 and they throw even more benefits behind the paywall, we are looking at $20m a year. Someone is getting big fat bonus for coming up with this.

 

[Sandisw]

DVC could easily make these benefits available for Blue Card members only and it would cost them a rounding error on the bottom line.

Instead they are charging $99 and creating a new revenue stream out of the ether.

How many DVC members are there? 250k plus last I checked. If 1/4 buy into this they make an extra 8,000,000 a year. And this is the entry level progrum.

When it moves to $250 and they throw even more benefits behind the paywall, we are looking at $20m a year. Someone is getting big fat bonus for coming up with this.

Definitely a fair point.

On the flip side, though, those same DVC owners who choose to give Disney their money to support this program, are going to see at least double that $8M, as a collective group, in savings on the benefits they get.

Which is why some owners see it as a plus and others will not.,,depends on which lense you use.

 

[xdan0920]

On the flip side, though, those same DVC owners who choose to give Disney their money to support this program, are going to see at least double that $8M, as a collective group, in savings on the benefits they get.

Agree to disagree. And quite frankly, I think Disney is counting on me being right. I think this will become just another "tax" on owning DVC. Many, if not most, owners will simply pay the fee and maybe they use some benefits that save them money, or maybe not. But we will all just pay the $99 for the chance to maybe use them. After all, it's only a hundred bucks.

Which is why some owners see it as a plus and others will not.,,depends on which lense you use.

I am sure I will see "value" in it as an individual. I mean, I never use Memory Maker, but now I'll get it for "free" so boom, value.

I just see this for what, I believe, it really is. The ability to hide all meaningful DVC perks behind a paywall.

 

[Unclelude]

Question: How will any of us know if our fellow DVC'ers entering the lounge ahead of us are DVC-Y or DVC-YB?

DVC-BY T-shirts, buttons, pins, hats, lounge fly ... maybe a wristband .... you might catch them doing their secret handshake ... mostly likely they will tell you.

 

[bobbiwoz]

DVC Member Satisfaction Team: dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

I haven’t read all of this thread, just up to this post. It’s useful to me because, I do intend to contact the team with my thoughts on this program.

 

[PrincessKL]

Now that they have increased the prices for annual passes, I am wondering if I should pay this $99 and get the discounted 5-day tickets first, then upgrade them to the annual passes? Would you still “keep the discount” when you upgrade to annual passes or do you just pay the price differences (so also pay the discount as well)?