Rumor of tiered FP and DVC - thoughts?

[erin1715]

I haven’t seen a thread on this yet but there is speculation (nothing announced or official) that when fastpass comes back it will be a hybrid of free/paid and then possibly tiered based on Deluxe, moderate, value resort guests.
Do you think us DVCers would be included in that deluxe category? I would assume so but you know what they say about assuming….

 

[kes601]

If that were true I would say that yes DVC would be included as they are considered Deluxe resort guests.

That said, I think w/the retirement of FastPass at DLP and that being replaced with the Premier Access pay per ride model that is what we will see at Disney World and Disneyland. I hope I am wrong, but I think it is inevitable.

 

[Marionnette]

I haven’t seen a thread on this yet but there is speculation (nothing announced or official) that when fastpass comes back it will be a hybrid of free/paid and then possibly tiered based on Deluxe, moderate, value resort guests.
Do you think us DVCers would be included in that deluxe category? I would assume so but you know what they say about assuming….

Well, there are too many moving parts to even speculate. My personal opinion is that DVC (blue card or white) won't matter if you're not staying onsite. IF there are any tiers that take resort stay into consideration, the membership will not be a deciding factor. It's where you're resting your head at night that will.

 

[aoconnor]

I would say yes, if there is a FP benefit that applies to deluxe resort guests that would be extended to DVC guests just like the evening extra hours announced recently. I also think that would include existing resale purchasers. Now would they change it for resale purchases going forward - maybe/probably.

 

[Marionnette]

If that were true I would say that yes DVC would be included as they are considered Deluxe resort guests.

That said, I think w/the retirement of FastPass at DLP and that being replaced with the Premier Access pay per ride model that is what we will see at Disney World and Disneyland. I hope I am wrong, but I think it is inevitable.

DLP and WDW are completely different animals. People don't stay for 7+ nights at DLP but it's not uncommon at WDW. Then there are the number of parks, number of attractions and oh, a 1-day DLP ticket starts at around $65, while a 1-day WDW ticket starts at $109 + tax. It's a lot less painful to shell out another $10 per person per attraction when the ticket price is a lot lower and you're only visiting a day or two.

 

[AlanBradley]

As a new RIV owner I hope DVC resorts are included, but I worry that they may not be.. the DVC pool of eligibility would be huge making the fastpass less beneficial to cash stay guests when you take into account how many would be already eligible for the perk. Hopefully they can find a way to balance the perk so it makes the lines short enough to feel special.

We we booked a stay at Portfolio Bay in Jan. based on the free Express Pass perk. As an already financially committed DVC owner, what benefit does Disney get extending that offer to me?

 

[LPnerd]

DLP and WDW are completely different animals. People don't stay for 7+ nights at DLP but it's not uncommon at WDW. Then there are the number of parks, number of attractions and oh, a 1-day DLP ticket starts at around $65, while a 1-day WDW ticket starts at $109 + tax. It's a lot less painful to shell out another $10 per person per attraction when the ticket price is a lot lower and you're only visiting a day or two.

LOL I think you should do the math. 10$X maybe seven is not a pittance, on top of a 118.00 dollar ticket if you go at cheapest time is 178 bucks per person for one day ? a family of four is about 700 bucks a day!the good news is, at those prices, that should cut the lines down, bad news for disney, I'll see you at universal LOL.

 

[BugsPop]

LOL I think you should do the math. 10$X maybe seven is not a pittance, on top of a 118.00 dollar ticket if you go at cheapest time is 178 bucks per person for one day ? a family of four is about 700 bucks a day!the good news is, at those prices, that should cut the lines down, bad news for disney, I'll see you at universal LOL.

I think they were trying to say that the pay per ride model used at DLP wouldnt work at WDW for that very reason…

 

[TiggerBouncy]

As a new RIV owner I hope DVC resorts are included, but I worry that they may not be.. the DVC pool of eligibility would be huge making the fastpass less beneficial to cash stay guests when you take into account how many would be already eligible for the perk. Hopefully they can find a way to balance the perk so it makes the lines short enough to feel special.

We we booked a stay at Portfolio Bay in Jan. based on the free Express Pass perk. As an already financially committed DVC owner, what benefit does Disney get extending that offer to me?

Disney has never (that I am aware of) revoked any benefit explicit to Deluxe resorts from DVC. That is, any benefit extended to Deluxe always goes to DVC. That's part of the draw of DVC. I highly doubt they would change course on that.

DVC benefits come and go. They are expected to. But benefits that apply to the resort as a whole have always covered the entire umbrella.

What benefit does Disney get? Simply enough - they have to keep DVC attractive or their sales and the DVC brand value would plummet.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I think they were trying to say that the pay per ride model used at DLP wouldnt work at WDW for that very reason…

Exactly. The DLP method would not work at WDW. Disney has always been clear that WDW is an animal all by itself and can not get the same treatment as the other parks. They know this.

I am not saying there will not be a paid tier for FP. It would not surprise me if there was. But it will not work exactly the same way as DLP's. You can't treat the two the same way, and Disney knows that.

 

[Sandisw]

I think that if Disney is offering something to onsite guests for staying in deluxe level properties...and they include that for guests paying cash for deluxe villas...then we must be included in at when we stay at those resorts on points or cash.

Remember, some of those deluxe villas are rented for cash to cover trade outs for DVC owners so in theory, they were a points based room to begin with. Again, just like the EMH is given for deluxe villa stays, its not about being DVC owner. It simply means when you use your membership to stay there, you are eligible as an onsite guest.

It is like parking at theme parks...we get it for being an onsite guest and not as a DVC owner. If I am staying offsite, I pay for parking to go to a park unless I happen to have an AP.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

With deluxe resorts they can jack up the rate a bit to pay for the FP benefit. Can’t really do that with DVC, so….???

ETA: similar scenario to “free dining”

 

[Sandisw]

With deluxe resorts they can jack up the rate a bit to pay for the FP benefit. Can’t really do that with DVC, so….???

It doesn't matter. I don't think they can give a cash guest staying in a DVC room a free benefit that a DVC member staying in that same room is prohibited from getting. Now, if it is paid option for cash guests at deluxe and deluxe villa resorts, , they certainly can offer it as a paid option to DVC as well.

Of course, if DVD wants to make it a perk of owning direct points and part of membership magic, hey can negotiate a discount for owners like they do for the APS and food/merchandise discounts.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

It doesn't matter. I don't think they can give a cash guest staying in a DVC room a free benefit that a DVC member staying in that same room is prohibited from getting. Now, if it is paid option for cash guests at deluxe and deluxe villa resorts, , they certainly can offer it as a paid option to DVC as well.

Of course, if DVD wants to make it a perk of owning direct points and part of membership magic, hey can negotiate a discount for owners like they do for the APS and food/merchandise discounts.

When they have the free dining promotion, do they offer it to cash guests staying at a DVC property?

 

[Sandisw]

When they have the free dining promotion, do they offer it to cash guests staying at a DVC property?

That's a good point and one I need to think about in relation to a FP option, which doesn't cost anything where the DDP does in exchange for people paying rack rates. Hmmmmm....

 

[CarolMN]

When they have the free dining promotion, do they offer it to cash guests staying at a DVC property?

Yes, if they book via CRO/DRC & meet the package criteria. Usually the offers require a minimum stay, full price room and tickets.

 

[AlanBradley]

Disney has never (that I am aware of) revoked any benefit explicit to Deluxe resorts from DVC. That is, any benefit extended to Deluxe always goes to DVC. That's part of the draw of DVC. I highly doubt they would change course on that.

Thanks for the response - glad to hear it. Now I hope these rumors are true!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Yes, if they book via CRO/DRC & meet the package criteria. Usually the offers require a minimum stay, full price room and tickets.

But I do not think that's an apple to apple comparison. The package is negotiated with Disney as a whole in which a portion of that is traded to DVD using breakage or other inventory which is owed to Disney. So the offer is considered part of the overall package which includes portions that are paid out to multiple entities.

What we are really talking about here is Disney offering amenities of the resort to certain guests and not others. Technologically, they can do it since they have everything they would need in the account linked to your MB. But that's getting iffy. It's like saying guests paying cash can use the weight room, but guests staying on points can't.

They would at the very least be on shaky ground with mixed resorts like BLT according to the way the contract is written (Is it an amenity of the resort? Or is it tied in some way to your Disney stay? But Disney would have to prove the guest has a direct customer link to Disney that we do not and we buy the same park tickets they do). Probably they could get away with it legally, but at best, they would have a potential disasterous hit to the brand that it is unlikely they would take.

What would be far easier for them to do is to tie it to the ticket, and not include discount tickets like Gold. But then they could not separate out on-site.

 

[Marionnette]

LOL I think you should do the math. 10$X maybe seven is not a pittance, on top of a 118.00 dollar ticket if you go at cheapest time is 178 bucks per person for one day ? a family of four is about 700 bucks a day!the good news is, at those prices, that should cut the lines down, bad news for disney, I'll see you at universal LOL.

And that's what I was trying to point out. I'm sorry if my post didn't make that clear enough for you.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

And that's what I was trying to point out. I'm sorry if my post didn't make that clear enough for you.

I understood you perfectly!