Pricing Frustration

[Queenofthekingdom]

That is frustrating because we go every yr in August for 10-days, only vacation my husband can take. We should be able to get free dining for staying that long!! We have been going for 7 yrs straight and this is going to be our 8th yr and they have nothing to offer us. They need to have special offers for people that go all the time!

In the past we would have our rooms booked by know but haven't because of the lack of specials and prices. Disney needs to start taking care of "their" returning guests.

Very frustrated and annoyed!!!

 

[PrincessRhi]

That is frustrating because we go every yr in August for 10-days, only vacation my husband can take. We should be able to get free dining for staying that long!! We have been going for 7 yrs straight and this is going to be our 8th yr and they have nothing to offer us. They need to have special offers for people that go all the time!

In the past we would have our rooms booked by know but haven't because of the lack of specials and prices. Disney needs to start taking care of "their" returning guests.

Very frustrated and annoyed!!!

Yeah, but even at your once a year trip for the past 7 years, I would barely call you someone who goes all the time. Not trying to be insulting/rude or start a contest here, but I'm sure that there are quite a few people (especially AP holders/FL residents/DVC members) who have cumulative annual stays that blow 10 nights out of the water. But there's no specials for those guests either.

Yeah, sometimes the discounts stink or aren't offered when you think they should be, but Disney doesn't HAVE to offer anything. And sometimes (like for our Feb and Mar stays) the room discount the general public is offered is better than what FL resident AP holders are offered. I get it, money is tight around the board and the little things count. But whenever I find I'm getting a discount on rooms that I would be staying at anyhow, I look at it as a perk instead of a demand.

 

[Missytara]

I didn't even know that Disney had discounts until a friend hooked me up with the Disboards. I was paying full rack rate for every one of my trips (once a year), and on my solo trips I was paying 175% of double occupancy and I still thought I was getting a lot of bang for my buck. And I also book what I can afford.

I also don't think my once a year trip qualifies me for some huge discount; there are lots of people going multiple times a year that deserve it more than I do.

Now when I found out about pin codes, etc., it has allowed me to take friends that normally would not be able to afford to go, and that makes me very happy. But I don't think Disney should offer deep discounts for someone who only comes once per year. There are many resorts who do nothing at all - I think Disney far exceeds a lot of other resorts as far as "incentives" to book, IMHO.

 

[Lynne M]

That is frustrating because we go every yr in August for 10-days, only vacation my husband can take. We should be able to get free dining for staying that long!! We have been going for 7 yrs straight and this is going to be our 8th yr and they have nothing to offer us. They need to have special offers for people that go all the time!

Actually, it's the regular visitor - the one who comes every year at the same time - who's least likely to be a candidate for a discount in Disney's eyes.

Companies naturally want to give as few discounts as possible, so Disney wants to target their discounts as effectively as possible. Does it make more sense from a business perspective to offer a discount to someone who has visited every year at the same time, or someone who hasn't visited in a few years? That every-year visitor seems pretty locked in as a customer; there's a good chance they'll come anyway, even without a discount.

Ah, but the one who hasn't been in a few years....maybe they just need a little nudge to get back on track.

Many people see discounts as a reward for past behavior, and that's not what they are at all....they're an incentive to spend money in the future. Oh, a company may make it sound like they're rewarding you for your past purchases ("this discount is only for our valued customers"), but what they really want you to do is spend MORE money than you normally would have.

I used to be an annual WDW visitor on cash reservations. Never got offered a PIN. Then I bought DVC, and stopped making cash reservations. I get PINs all the time now. From the perspective of Disney's reservation system, I'm a lapsed customer. I haven't spent any money on Disney resort reservations in ages, so they're trying to get me back.

Here's another example. There's a clothing store in a nearby mall that I like. I often get mailings from them that say something like "40% discount this Saturday, just for our special customers". Of course, I go - who can resist 40% off? The store is packed to the brim with people buying huge piles of clothes, cause it's such a great deal....and pretty much every one of us is spending way more than we usually do. Which was exactly the point of offering the discount.

 

[Disney-Chick]

UK visitors pay a ton for airfare and they often stay 14 days, so they spend a lot of money for this trip already. They are pumping major bucks back into the parks in terms of merchandise, etc.

If you saw how much it is to fly a family from the UK, you wouldn't be so bothered by it. We are lucky to pay about $225.00 round trip from BWI to MCO. You won't see airfares like that from the UK. They will be paying four times as much.

Also, how many families do you see that stay 14 days unless they are retired. Most of us cannot take that much time off work or pull our kids out of school for that long.

I wouldn't even give it a second thought.

I am from Canada and we always stay 14 days. Flights from Nova Scotia for 3 of us cost $2500. We do the drive which takes us 36 hours. We did not receive any offers as the UK but I know last year we could book FD up till Sept. 2012. Now we go in Dec. so this isn't going to help us but it's more incentive.

Yeah, but even at your once a year trip for the past 7 years, I would barely call you someone who goes all the time. Not trying to be insulting/rude or start a contest here, but I'm sure that there are quite a few people (especially AP holders/FL residents/DVC members) who have cumulative annual stays that blow 10 nights out of the water. But there's no specials for those guests either.

Yeah, sometimes the discounts stink or aren't offered when you think they should be, but Disney doesn't HAVE to offer anything. And sometimes (like for our Feb and Mar stays) the room discount the general public is offered is better than what FL resident AP holders are offered. I get it, money is tight around the board and the little things count. But whenever I find I'm getting a discount on rooms that I would be staying at anyhow, I look at it as a perk instead of a demand.

I would say im a regular and usually go only once a year. Now last year we went 3 times. But I don't expect any discounts for going once or twice a year. Would I love for them to give me a discount or something? Sure but I don't expect that.

But as others have said you can't look at others discounts or it would eat at you. I just want FD... come on Dec **cross fingers FD comes out**

 

[aubriee]

That is frustrating because we go every yr in August for 10-days, only vacation my husband can take. We should be able to get free dining for staying that long!! We have been going for 7 yrs straight and this is going to be our 8th yr and they have nothing to offer us. They need to have special offers for people that go all the time!

In the past we would have our rooms booked by know but haven't because of the lack of specials and prices. Disney needs to start taking care of "their" returning guests.

Very frustrated and annoyed!!!

Hey, as an AP holder I go for 9 days 4-6 times every year. In the last 12 months I've been down there May 2011, Sept 2011, Nov/Dec 2011, and Feb 2012 (just got back last Sat), and will be back down there May 2012, Sept 2012, Oct/Nov 2012, and Dec 2012. My trip last week was using an AP discount for the room. The May, Sept, and Oct/Nov trips were booked when I was there this past Nov/Dec under bounceback deals, and I'm hoping for an AP discount for the Dec trip. Even going 4-6 times every year, I have never received a PIN Code, so I just look for other discounts. The only trip I have for 2012 that's not yet booked is the Dec one, but I'm not worried about it. No, I'm not eligible for the UK or Canadian discounts and have given up on getting a PIN Code, but I know an AP, a Chase Visa, free dining, or some GP code will be coming out. I've just got to look for it. I'm not jealous of the discounts the UK and Canadians get because I know a discount will come out that I am eligible for.

Disney doesn't have to give discounts at all, but I'm grateful they do. I love the room discounts I get with my AP, but buy it for the park admission. I never go less than four times a year, so an AP averages out to at the least around $135.00 for each 9 day trip. I'm getting five trips out of my current AP and also got five trips out of the previous one, so that averages out to about $110.00 for each trip for park admission (around $12.20 a day). The room and souvineer discounts I can get with it are just gravy, but I do really appreciate those 35% off room discounts I can use at my favorite moderate resorts. Why should I be jealous of what discount someone else is getting. Discounts used to come out for AP holders before the GP, but the last couple of years Disney has reversed that trend and now AP holder discounts come out last and we get what's left over. Those of us that go down there multiple times a year seem to be getting penalized instead of rewarded for being faithful regular customers. I spent 45 days at WDW using my last AP and will probably be spending close to the same amount using my current one. Should I be jealous that the GP discounts and free dining offers come out before the AP discounts. I don't think so. I just book whatever discount I qualify for at the time and then modify it if a better discount comes out later.

 

[Lynne M]

Here's an article from the NY Times on how Target uses their knowledge of shoppers' habits to get them to shop at their store more often.

How Companies Learn Your Secrets

It's a long article, but fascinating, and it plays into the point I was trying to make in my earlier post. Target's strategy is to encourage customers to form new shopping habits by targeting discounts to individual customers. Their focus is not on the customer who already shops frequently at their stores. They want to find the occasional Target shopper, and turn them into a regular Target shopper.

It wouldn't surprise me in the least if Disney is thinking along the same lines.

 

[DerpyDisney]

OK, Thank you everyone for the feedback! I think I have gotten over my little monetary temper tantrum from yesterday. I'll just be crossing my fingers and hoping for a free dining offer like so many others on here!
Either way it will be worth it to take our munchkins, 1yr, 7yr, 9yr plus a niece who is 14yr. (This is going to be a cozy room!)
We did try booking the discount room Disney is offering but in hearing how large the POR resort, we decided to opt for a preferred room at +28 a night which is not eligible for any discounts.
You are all very correct on the airfare TransAtlantic...I have family in London and they rarely visit due to cost...Hmmmm but maybe if they ordered our tickets for us....

 

[Disney-Chick]

Hey, as an AP holder I go for 9 days 4-6 times every year. In the last 12 months I've been down there May 2011, Sept 2011, Nov/Dec 2011, and Feb 2012 (just got back last Sat), and will be back down there May 2012, Sept 2012, Oct/Nov 2012, and Dec 2012. My trip last week was using an AP discount for the room. The May, Sept, and Oct/Nov trips were booked when I was there this past Nov/Dec under bounceback deals, and I'm hoping for an AP discount for the Dec trip. Even going 4-6 times every year, I have never received a PIN Code, so I just look for other discounts. The only trip I have for 2012 that's not yet booked is the Dec one, but I'm not worried about it. No, I'm not eligible for the UK or Canadian discounts and have given up on getting a PIN Code, but I know an AP, a Chase Visa, free dining, or some GP code will be coming out. I've just got to look for it. I'm not jealous of the discounts the UK and Canadians get because I know a discount will come out that I am eligible for.

Disney doesn't have to give discounts at all, but I'm grateful they do. I love the room discounts I get with my AP, but buy it for the park admission. I never go less than four times a year, so an AP averages out to at the least around $135.00 for each 9 day trip. I'm getting five trips out of my current AP and also got five trips out of the previous one, so that averages out to about $110.00 for each trip for park admission (around $12.20 a day). The room and souvineer discounts I can get with it are just gravy, but I do really appreciate those 35% off room discounts I can use at my favorite moderate resorts. Why should I be jealous of what discount someone else is getting. Discounts used to come out for AP holders before the GP, but the last couple of years Disney has reversed that trend and now AP holder discounts come out last and we get what's left over. Those of us that go down there multiple times a year seem to be getting penalized instead of rewarded for being faithful regular customers. I spent 45 days at WDW using my last AP and will probably be spending close to the same amount using my current one. Should I be jealous that the GP discounts and free dining offers come out before the AP discounts. I don't think so. I just book whatever discount I qualify for at the time and then modify it if a better discount comes out later.

I receive more pin codes then my DH who books and uses his credit card to pay. I think it's because I always order the video each year and never show that I am paying to go so they send me pins to try to push me more to buy. Needless to say I go every year.

 

[chimo2u]

The pound is not doing better, when we traveled in 2008 it was $2 to every £1 in October it was closer to $1.5 to £1, and that sure made a massive difference to the cost of our holiday and the amount of TS restaurants we booked. All because of some stupid bankers

So that meant you got more American money for your pound??? right??? I only ask because I'd like to go to England one day (hubby was born there)...but by the time we pay to change our money (Canadian) to pounds, that $10,000 we save for a trip, would become about only $5,000 due to the high cost of the lb for us!