Poll: Membership Magic Beyond

[New Mouse]

I am really struggling with the amount of angst that people are having with the program.

DVC has almost always been sold as more than just a room. This is an add on fee to be a part of a club, when in reality most of us were sold on the fact we were already part of a club.

I was certainly told the benefits can and do change over time, but I was also most certainly told they were included.

 

[J-Dog]

I am really struggling with the amount of angst that people are having with the program. When we bought DVC, we were buying the ability to have accommodation at certain resorts. There was no guarantee of any extras beyond that, including any new resorts or in park lounges. Our dues pay for the maintenance of our home resort, not other benefits.

Pretty much everyone who is trying to justify this is making the same argument - that we should expect the absolute lowest common denominator and we should just be happy/grateful that DVD is nice enough to give us anything else, even if it costs us more money.

Sure, that is a business plan, I guess, to basically tell your customers to expect nothing and then give them a tiny little carrot, but there certainly are better and more successful business models.

 

[Doingitagain]

DVC has almost always been sold as more than just a room. This is an add on fee to be a part of a club, when in reality most of us were sold on the fact we were already part of a club.

I was certainly told the benefits can and do change over time, but I was also most certainly told they were included.

Pretty much everyone who is trying to justify this is making the same argument - that we should expect the absolute lowest common denominator and we should just be happy/grateful that DVD is nice enough to give us anything else, even if it costs us more money.

Sure, that is a business plan, I guess, to basically tell your customers to expect nothing and then give them a tiny little carrot, but there certainly are better and more successful business models.

When I bought into DVC, I honestly bought it to be able to stay at nice resorts for a much lower cost, nothing else. I don't want Disney to add all sorts of benefits that ultimately increase our annual fees. I would rather pay a la carte for those things that I want. We all have different desires at Disney -- local residents, frequent visitors, people who come every other year -- DVC won't be the same for everyone. I think we shouldn't go down a swirl of negativity and ruin our experience.

 

[Sandisw]

Pretty much everyone who is trying to justify this is making the same argument - that we should expect the absolute lowest common denominator and we should just be happy/grateful that DVD is nice enough to give us anything else, even if it costs us more money.

Sure, that is a business plan, I guess, to basically tell your customers to expect nothing and then give them a tiny little carrot, but there certainly are better and more successful business models.

Of course, they could have chosen a different model. But it doesn’t take away from what the program is, and what it offers DVC owners.

It offers DVC owners a chance to get discounts on tickets we currently don’t have, get a discount on OTU points, get Memory maker for free for a trip, and to use our points for the purchase of the DVC Sorcerer pass for a nominal fee.

If, in the end, anyone paying for this is saving more than the initial costs, how is it a bad thing for the members who find value?

Yes, it’s costing someone money upfront but they are getting real value in return.

We all know things can come and go, that things can be fee based, and that incidental benefits are not and never were guaranteed.

I certainly doesn’t see this as DVC telling me I don’t matter…it tells me that they are trying to enhance options for us that we currently don’t have.

Now, if the program said, you need to now pay $99 to buy OTU points with no reduction in price of those points, then yes, it’s making us pay more for the same thing, This program is not doing that.

Maybe it’s a slippery slope, maybe not…but until that happens, one can be happy for this while it is offered without being told we are trying to “justify” it because it’s not really a good thing.

 

[Greg36]

I voted no. I think we would pay for this though, but we are not eligible because we are Canadian.

 

[zackiedawg]

No from me...it just doesn't offer me anything at all that I could use. I have an AP, so the 5 weekday only tickets don't help. Never use Memory Maker. I don't do character meets. And I wouldn't want to use points to renew my AP as it doesn't appear to be a good value. I don't use the one-time add on points.

All of those things about it don't bother me: I don't need or want them, but have no problem with them being offered to members at an upcharge. It doesn't impact my trips at all if I choose not to buy it.

The one thing that does bother me is the priority access to the lounges, and the fact that the lounges may be closed for periods of time each day for the character meet exclusives. Those two things can potentially impact my experiences at the parks and are a change over prior practice. I deal with a wait list probably 3 out of every 8 times I visit the lounge...some have been upwards of 30 minutes. I feel the likelihood that I'll encounter more waits, and longer wait times, to be very high. Also, if I have a window of time to visit the lounge, and it's closed for 1 hour for a character meet, then I may not be able to visit the lounge at all on that day. This is the one thing that I feel should NOT have been part of the offer as it's the one thing that directly impacts the experience of those who don't buy it.

 

[J-Dog]

Of course, they could have chosen a different model. But it doesn’t take away from what the program is, and what it offers DVC owners.

It offers DVC owners a chance to get discounts on tickets we currently don’t have, get a discount on OTU points, get Memory maker for free for a trip, and to use our points for the purchase of the DVC Sorcerer pass for a nominal fee.

If, in the end, anyone paying for this is saving more than the initial costs, how is it a bad thing for the members who find value?

Yes, it’s costing someone money upfront but they are getting real value in return.

We all know things can come and go, that things can be fee based, and that incidental benefits are not and never were guaranteed.

I certainly doesn’t see this as DVC telling me I don’t matter…it tells me that they are trying to enhance options for us that we currently don’t have.

Now, if the program said, you need to now pay $99 to buy OTU points with no reduction in price of those points, then yes, it’s making us pay more for the same thing, This program is not doing that.

Maybe it’s a slippery slope, maybe not…but until that happens, one can be happy for this while it is offered without being told we are trying to “justify” it because it’s not really a good thing.

I would actually completely agree with you - if it wasn't for the priority lounge access thing.

For me, that's the slippery slope - where does the "pay to be better than other DVC members" stop?

 

[Sandisw]

I would actually completely agree with you - if it wasn't for the priority lounge access thing.

For me, that's the slippery slope - where does the "pay to be better than other DVC members" stop?

Defintely fair for people are upset with DVC to start a " pay for priority" anything because it could end up being a slippery slope. You have to wonder, though, if this is something that they thought of on their own, or did it come from owners via a survey, feedback, etc.

I do think that the one aspect of the program that is going to change the use of the lounge are the characters and it seems, after reading T & C again, this will be something at the new imagined Epcot lounge...but at least we have the DS and MK to supplement if that lounge ends up fewer hours devoted to all guests...

 

[SplashMom]

I have no issue with paying for more. The issue I have is that we were all sold the same thing, but now you must reside in the US to take advantage of this. Seems totally unfair. I would like to purchase the Memory Maker because we don't go as often as those who live closer. But now I have to pay double for the MM when it could be available to me for a lower price, all because I live in another country. I actually paid a much higher price with the dollar exchange. It seems unfair.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I have no issue with paying for more. The issue I have is that we were all sold the same thing, but now you must reside in the US to take advantage of this. Seems totally unfair. I would like to purchase the Memory Maker because we don't go as often as those who live closer. But now I have to pay double for the MM when it could be available to me for a lower price, all because I live in another country. I actually paid a much higher price with the dollar exchange. It seems unfair.

Have you considered that for legal reasons the MB may not be able to be offered it to you?

Should US based owners be restricted to only being offered services if they can be made available to ALL owners?

 

[SplashMom]

Yes. I can imagine the feedback if there was an option offered to everyone EXCEPT US residents. We all paid for the same thing and should receive the same benefits.

 

[Murron]

Voted no. There is not one benefit I would use. Have our APs, used the lounge once and thought it meh, never used OTU points and so on. It was an easy decision for us.

 

[Dobermanns]

I was a no initially, because the discounted tickets, memory maker, points for AP, OTUP and Disney collection/ABD are of no interest to me.
Then the characters. I love characters (always do multiple character meals at every trip) but don’t like waiting in line for them. So maybe. Let’s see what the details are.

Changed my vote from maybe to yes, since I did purchase already!
My AP with PP expires end of March. So I will be selective on which trip to use the 30-day MM on and skip the PP add-on during AP renewal, so that’s the $99 already! I may buy the OTUP since now it’s truly just $10 a point. The characters and priority lounge access will just be bonus for a year.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Changed my vote from maybe to yes, since I did purchase already!
My AP with PP expires end of March. So I will be selective on which trip to use the 30-day MM on and skip the PP add-on during AP renewal, so that’s the $99 already! I may buy the OTUP since now it’s truly just $10 a point. The characters and priority lounge access will just be bonus for a year.

Yup, the DLand discounted tickets sealed the deal for us.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Yes. I can imagine the feedback if there was an option offered to everyone EXCEPT US residents. We all paid for the same thing and should receive the same benefits.

If Disney Paris offered something to only the residents of France and I owned a Disney timeshare in France, I wouldn’t be angry that I wasn’t eligible…. I just wouldn’t be. Getting everything approved in all 50 US States is already a huge PITA.

I’m sure they are trying to figure out ways to offer the benefits to as many people as possible because they believe it will be profitable for them, but they have to follow all of the laws of each jurisdiction.

I’m not sure why some of our DVC neighbors who live outside the US see themselves as a slighted victims under these circumstances.

I personally hope they figure out a way for you to purchase it if you want to. But, MBB is not a benefit that you paid for when you purchased DVC points.

 

[sethschroeder]

There was no guarantee of any extras beyond that, including any new resorts or in park lounges.

Can we stop spreading this as fact. The terms in my signed contracts state if they remove something they will replace it with something of equal value.

In the contract:

If any Benefit, or any portion of a Benefit, becomes unavailable for any reason, DVD reserves the right to substitute a replacement Benefit of a type, quality, value and term reasonably similar to the unavailable Benefit.

Are they completely removing access to the lounge then and not replacing with anything? Just came across this now. If so I will be writing MS and including the appropriate reference material regarding benefits in my contract.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Can we stop spreading this as fact. The terms in my signed contracts state if they remove something they will replace it with something of equal value.

In the contract:


Are they completely removing access to the lounge then and not replacing with anything? Just came across this now. If so I will be writing MS and including the appropriate reference material regarding benefits in my contract.

Reserves the right to does not = Will

 

[Sandisw]

Can we stop spreading this as fact. The terms in my signed contracts state if they remove something they will replace it with something of equal value.

In the contract:


Are they completely removing access to the lounge then and not replacing with anything? Just came across this now. If so I will be writing MS and including the appropriate reference material regarding benefits in my contract.

We go through this every time but reserves the right to replace is not the same as must replace it.

So, please stop saying that they can’t take away without giving something of equal value.

Plenty of language in the POS and t and C that support they can eliminate incidental benefits without notice.

 

[Genie+]

Yeah doesn’t the benefits page start out with wording “Up to 3 years or less”?

This was heavily debated when AP sales stopped during Covid and new buyers at RIV were left unable to take advantage of a perk that was a factor in some of their purchase decisions.

iirc the common consensus was legally perks are not guaranteed. Of course it’s probably in DVD’s best interest to keep the total potential value of those perks somewhat reliable since it is meant to help drive direct sales. While it can be said lounge access might be impacted by the addition of MMB, the total regular perks program has grown this year so in totality it has not been reduced overall.

 

[AdamsMum]

I would have...if Canadian owners were allowed.

Canadian owners aren't eligible?