Actually, people are saying there is no value to staying on site, They are saying it almost verbatim. Here are just a few things that have been said in this thread:
......
In my original post I acknowledged that whether the or not the perks were worth it were a personal decision. I just wanted to correct the assertion by others that they don't exist at all, or that they are so minimal that they are of no relevance to anyone.
If you, for whatever reason, don't see the value in the product, whether it be the theme parks, or the dining, or the merchandise, or the events, or the resorts, don't purchase the product. Stop acting like Disney is abusing you and your goodwill by offering it. Disney does not owe you anything, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them charging whatever price they and the free market determine is appropriate. They are not taking anything away from you. Even if they were to discontinue or limit an existing perk, that isn't taking something away from you. It is not GIVING you something, which is completely different.
We sort of agree here. I agree with if you don't like it, don't buy it, but that's not the argument here. The argument is Disney has continued to raise the price and scale back the offerings making its loyal fan base seem slighted. Since you own a restaurant I am going to use this analogy: In 2014, you charged $19.99 for a 12oz. steak dinner. That included a salad bar, a side item, and a dessert. Then in 2015, you got rid of the dessert, but still charged $19.99. Your costs haven't gone up, you just find that people will pay you $4 for a dessert. So then in 2015, you still charge $19.99 for a steak dinner, but now it's $1.99 for the salad bar. Again, no costs have gone up, you just find the market is a little warmer and people can afford the $25.97. Nothing has changed about your meal. It's still the same size. Then in 2016, you change nothing except now instead of a 12oz steak, it's 11oz. Customers start to complain. What they once got for $19.99 they now have to pay $25.97 and instead of just raising your price to $25.97, you now sell everything a la carte and your customers voice their opinion that they don't like it. Sure, they could go buy a steak dinner from somewhere else, but they've been visiting your restaurant since they were a kid and there's some nostalgia there and maybe they really like the steak.
The reason that all of these people continue to purchase the product, and the reason parks and resort division are enjoying record profits, is because there is not a better or even comparable entertainment product in the word, at any price, let alone a cheaper one. The reason that the resorts enjoy ridiculously high occupancy rates is because when vacationers analyze the product against the competition, they see value in Disney's offering.
I'm gonna highly disagree with you here. Have you ever heard of a place called Universal? If not, you might want to check it out. They actually offer a very comparable vacation offer. As far as ridiculously high occupancy rates... meh, I wouldn't call it "ridiculous" and studies have shown people aren't visiting the parks even though they are staying at the resorts. They're actually venturing off property. Again: see Universal.
To sit and complain, and say, "Woes me," and "How dare they," and "they'll be sorry, you wait and see," while you continue to purchase the product is ridiculous. You clearly still see the value in the offering, otherwise you wouldn't still be buying.
We agree here. However, before I take my money and run I like to tell a business why I am leaving to see if there is an opportunity to fix it. Do I think Disney will eventually implode and have to back pedal? Yep. Will it be tomorrow? Nope. 10 years ago, people didn't have money to spend on vacations. Now they do and they're looking to maximize that dollar anyway they can. However, when you have a 5 year old who MUST meet her heroine Moana, you bite the bullet. That doesn't mean you like it, but you do it because pleasing your child means more than "sticking it to the man". Sometimes you're the one who gets stuck.
I owe a restaurant and a vacation home rental business. I strive for the highest level of customer satisfaction in both endeavors, but at the same time, I charge more than much of my competition, but we provide a superior product so the market sustains my pricing (and let me tell you providing a superior product costs a lot more so if the market didn't sustain it we would shutter).
You say
"owe", but I assume you mean
own. I am sure that to charge more than your competition you have to provide a service up and beyond your competition. Or perhaps you have the best location. To charge more than competing markets you have to provide something they don't have. So you say you provide a superior product and that's why you charge more. Well, that's what you HAVE to do to charge more, but no longer is Disney providing a superior product. Again: see Universal. They've upped their game. Disney used to provide a product that was second to none. The quality of the entertainment was first class, the parks were first class, the amenities were first class, but above all, their guest service and satisfaction was beyond reproach. Now, you get form responses to emailed complaints. It took someone on these boards three emails and the assistance of this board to get something that was being offered to everyone else for inconvenience during their stay. It should have been handled right the first time. I bet if your customers have a complaint, you make sure it's handled immediately and correctly the
first time. You can't just crap on your customers and expect them to come back time and time again.
First class service is what people have come to expect from Disney and they gladly paid for it - every time. Then Disney stopped caring about its consumer and only cared about its bottom line and now its bottom line is starting to see the effects. It's park attendance is down, spending per visitor is up because they raised prices, but hotel occupancy is down. Restaurant quality is down and Guest Satisfaction is down. Just because people still go doesn't mean their highly satisfied.
Perhaps you have someone who visited the last time 10 years ago. They've noticed the prices are substantially higher, but they book anyway. They hope the new experiences are worth the increased price. Maybe they find it that way. Every year since 2014 I debate renewing my annual pass and for the past 3 years something has managed to hook me. This year it was because a very good friend of mine finally purchased an annual pass and the dis meet happened the week my pass expired, so that hooked me into another year. However, it almost didn't happen. We did drop my mother's pass, so while they got my renewal, they lost my mother's business through me. So, while I did purchase the product, I purchased LESS of the product and that is the reflection of the increased black out dates for the Florida Annual Season Pass. So, clearly, their loyal fan base is responding. I am DVC, Disney Visa, and Annual Pass and they managed to aggravate me and I am sure I am not alone.
