Should Deluxe Resorts Get Added Perks?

[canopynut66]

Yes they should get more for the money they pay. and one thing they need most is better bus service. we have ate in some of the deluxe and to catch a bus back to DTD to transfer to our resort is insane and we are always commenting on why those staying in deluxe tolerating that.

 

[smidgy]

I don't think extra perks are required...and it would actually make me pretty sad if Disney implemented a policy like that.

While it is true that Deluxe resort guests pay more for their vacations, I feel that anyone who pays for a Disney vacation pays PLENTY. No one is getting a "deal". No one is pulling a fast one over on Disney...even with discounts, free dining, etc., you can't have a Disney vacation with tickets, meals, and onsite hotel without plunking down a BIG chunk of change. Value resort guests pay less because they get less!

I definitely understand that Disney wants to reward guests who stay on property, but I really think the parks are for everyone to enjoy equally. EMH is more than fair as a resort guest perk, but I would hate for Value resort guests to start feeling like second-class citizens. If Disney wants to do more, they should focus on making improvements in the resorts themselves. Higher thread count sheets, more cable channels, characters in the lobbies...there are SO many things they could do.

I would not be happy at all if they started to "tier" the perks according to resort level... put more perks at the resort itself, that's fine. but not more ADR, fast pass or theme park perks.

we love split stays, and have stayed at all levels of resorts.
the perks of a deluxe should be the resort itself (including the location)

 

[Silverfox97]

one thing they need most is better bus service. we have ate in some of the deluxe and to catch a bus back to DTD to transfer to our resort is insane.

I'll agree - that is ridiculous. I've had that happen before & it's just plain stupid. It takes forEVER too......

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[Tink415]

I like all the Disney resort levels and we have DVC too. Something for every type of vacation Having said that, I also would not be happy at all if they started to "tier" the perks according to resort level. It would make me feel sad. I'd prefer park perks be available to all guests to purchase if they wanted. Wishes Dessert party was a great idea. Come up with something similar for parades too!

I do agree with better or more perks at the resorts themselves. The deluxe resorts don't feel deluxe enough IMO. Remember when valet parking was a pleasure? It hardly feels deluxe now... I don't have a problem with the price, they just don't have enough staff. We stayed POLY CL last summer and booked about a month out. No ADRs for us at POLY My BIL & SIL couldn't get room service at YC one late night, system too overwhelmed. BIL has not been back to Disney.. hehe can't wait to tell him about 2 Dumbos - he always says there should be 10

And yes, Universal FOTL works because its smaller and all of their resorts are deluxe. One holiday visit I purchased FOTL when we weren't staying onsite at Universal, my kids didn't want to use them up! I kind of doubt that would have happened at Disney!

 

[moobar25]

I agree that resort perks should end at the resorts, EMH are enough for me. Though I'd like to see the FD option extended to DVC members - it would really be nice to have that available to us.

 

[bigbrian-nc.com]

I am a long-time fan of the Disney parks. I RARELY stay on-site, I've stayed at the campground a couple of times, Pop and all stars a few times, and each of the Port Orleans resorts just ONCE. That said i think it is silly that for the prices folks are paying for deluxe resorts, they do not get more. The biggest example (in my opinion) of this ridiculousness is the way they combine busses for the deluxe resorts, I understand why they do this, each of the deluxe resorts has FAR fewer rooms than any of the value resorts, if fact if you added all the rooms together for the deluxe resorts of a resort resort area like the Magic Kingdom it comes out like so:

Contemporary
1041 rooms (source: http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/resorts/contemp.htm )

Polynesian
847 (source: http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/polynesian-resort/ )

Grand Floridian
900 ( source: http://allears.net/acc/faq_gf.htm )

and Wilderness Lodge:
728 (source: http://allears.net/acc/faq_gf.htm )

that is a total of 3516 rooms, as a comparison all star sports and movies EACH have 1920 rooms (source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney's_All-Star_Music_Resort
)

Pop century the "classic years" alone has 2880 rooms ( source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney's_Pop_Century_Resort)

That said for what folks staying at deluxe resorts are paying, I think that the thing that they should do to make up for the reduced number of guests at each of the deluxe resorts, is run passenger vans or small busses for each deluxe resort, like you ofter see used at airports, instead of sharing busses.

Also giving guests of the Deluxe resorts extra perks has a smaller impact due to the limited number of rooms so if they did give the folks at the Deluxe resorts more access to fast passes (as a for instance) it would have a very SMALL effect as compared to if they gave that same perk to guests staying at Moderate or value resorts, so it's not necessarily taking anything away from those guests. This is the same reason that adding "tiers" to free dining, has made it at least a little less impossible for folks trying to get table service dining reservations, after all if the folks at the value resort, the category with the greatest number of rooms by far, are on the counter service dining plan, the lesser number of guests in the other category will fill the restaurants but hopeful a little more slowly than was happening before. WDW Should offer perks to their higher paying guests, and even as a person who will likely never get to take advantage of them I can see that, but on the other hand , perhaps HAVING those perks would be more of a reason for me to eventually splurge for some portion of a future trip, it would make more sense if I got something more in line with the extra that I would be paying that is for sure!

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I agree that the perks should be limited to EMH and the resort itself. I don't like the trend of FOTL access. I think it just makes those who don't have it feel bad and would put a damper on the Disney magic.

Laurie

 

[hapandpam]

I agree with the majority of the posters. Staying at a deluxe resort has all sort of perks. Recently we stood out in the hot Florida sun waiting for a bus at POP. That doesn't happen at moderates or deluxes.

I can't imagine Disney giving extra FP perks to guests who pay more. The PR would be horrible. Disney prides itself on treating all guests equally. I will be surprised if Universal doesn't get some bad press on their decision not to extend FOTL access to their new resort.

 

[DCTooTall]

I agree with the majority of the posters. Staying at a deluxe resort has all sort of perks. Recently we stood out in the hot Florida sun waiting for a bus at POP. That doesn't happen at moderates or deluxes.

I can't imagine Disney giving extra FP perks to guests who pay more. The PR would be horrible. Disney prides itself on treating all guests equally. I will be surprised if Universal doesn't get some bad press on their decision not to extend FOTL access to their new resort.

Over in the Universal hotels forum thread there has been a little bit of negative comments around it, but not a whole lot in part due to the fact that the early entry is still an option and the existing hotels are priced very well for the level of hotel accommodations and service.

One theory that's been thrown around is that the current "partner hotels" around the Universal park area, which get the early entry benefits but not the Unlimited express, May end up getting phased out once the new onsite location opens. This would basically keep the number of hotels rooms in the general budgets the same with the same perks as current options....with the addition of some of the other onsite perks like package delivery to the room, transportation/walking path to the parks, and the higher quality Lowes service compared to some of the existing Partner hotels.


It may also be just the nature of the "knowledgable" Universal guests currently in that thread, but there is also an understanding that adding the new hotel with it's large room (and potential Guest) count, would completely break the existing system if they received unlimited express benefits. The 3 current Deluxe level onsite hotels have a rather small capacity compared to the ride capacity at the parks. The result is that the unlimited express does not create a large impact to the stand-by capacity of their attractions. (The purchased express is a one-time use, so again, not a big potential impact to stand-by capacity). Add an additional couple thousand rooms with 3-6 people per room, and you would break the existing Express Pass Plus system.

 

[stepdisney]

If you receive the QS dining with the value resort, shouldn't the DDP be offered for moderate and the DXDP be offered to those who stay deluxe? That would be a true tiered discount. JMHO

 

[mickeys4]

...and giraffes

EXACTLY!!! Lol

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[ADP]

I think what bugs me most about the added perk argument is the fact that avoiding lines and less wait times, or getting additional Fastpasses is considered a perk in the first place. It was Disney who marketed their theme parks to potential visitors thus creating added lines and wait times. It was Disney who filled their theme parks and created longer lines by not building enough new attractions or adding a new theme park. Now they are going to capitalize on the environment they created by giving deluxe resort guests the added benefit of more Fastpasses or less wait times. They are baiscally going to have us spend more of our money because of an environment they created.

The same could be true about the Dining Plan. They artificially inflate menu prices to make the cost of the Dining Plan look like a value when in essence it's overpriced.

I give Disney a lot of credit. They artificially create certain environments and sell us bargains, values, and perks in return. I'm not exactly sure of the specific term used for this type of marketing, but it seems to work well for Disney. It's easy for the less than regular theme park visitor not to see the cost structure.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[jcb]

I think what bugs me most about the added perk argument is the fact that avoiding lines and less wait times, or getting additional Fastpasses is considered a perk in the first place. It was Disney who marketed their theme parks to potential visitors thus creating added lines and wait times. It was Disney who filled their theme parks and created longer lines by not building enough new attractions or adding a new theme park. Now they are going to capitalize on the environment they created by giving deluxe resort guests the added benefit of more Fastpasses or less wait times. They are baiscally going to have us spend more of our money because of an environment they created.

The same could be true about the Dining Plan. They artificially inflate menu prices to make the cost of the Dining Plan look like a value when in essence it's overpriced.

I give Disney a lot of credit. They artificially create certain environments and sell us bargains, values, and perks in return. I'm not exactly sure of the specific term used for this type of marketing, but it seems to work well for Disney. It's easy for the less than regular theme park visitor not to see the cost structure.

Just my 2 cents.

It is called "high-low pricing." It is part of Rasulo's and Iger's strategy to "reduce broad-based discounting." Iger has even referred to it as “weaning” theme park visitors from expecting discounts. Page 8 of http://cdn.media.ir.thewaltdisneycompany.com/2011/q2/q2-fy11-earnings-transcript.pdf

 

[BriarRosie]

Of course, Disney's idea of "deluxe" is not really as deluxe as their prices suggest. I would say Portofino at Universal felt more "deluxe" to me. The bedding was nicer, the bathrooms were bigger, and the grounds and amenities just seemed to be more "deluxe" at the Loew's hotel.

Disney is charging those prices just the way Aaron had described. It's part of the reason I joined DVC 10 years ago. I knew that for as often as I like to visit WDW, their rate of inflation was going to price itself out of what I'm comfortable paying, even if I stayed at the value resorts each time.

The only way I think the RFID system with extra perks could potentially NOT alienate people would be if there was no transparency. That means, nobody would be able to tell which guests have the tiered extra perks. Here's an example. Let's say Value gets 2 Fast Pass perks. Moderates get 3, and Deluxes get 4. When you go to the attraction and watch someone use a wristband to enter the Fast Pass line, you wouldn't know if that party was staying at which level. You wouldn't be able to tell if this was the 2nd, 3rd or 4th use, especially if you get the ability to schedule times. But you will know they were getting the perks as a Disney resort guest, similar to Extra Magic Hours.

 

[smidgy]

Of course, Disney's idea of "deluxe" is not really as deluxe as their prices suggest. I would say Portofino at Universal felt more "deluxe" to me. The bedding was nicer, the bathrooms were bigger, and the grounds and amenities just seemed to be more "deluxe" at the Loew's hotel.

Disney is charging those prices just the way Aaron had described. It's part of the reason I joined DVC 10 years ago. I knew that for as often as I like to visit WDW, their rate of inflation was going to price itself out of what I'm comfortable paying, even if I stayed at the value resorts each time.

The only way I think the RFID system with extra perks could potentially NOT alienate people would be if there was no transparency. That means, nobody would be able to tell which guests have the tiered extra perks. Here's an example. Let's say Value gets 2 Fast Pass perks. Moderates get 3, and Deluxes get 4. When you go to the attraction and watch someone use a wristband to enter the Fast Pass line, you wouldn't know if that party was staying at which level. You wouldn't be able to tell if this was the 2nd, 3rd or 4th use, especially if you get the ability to schedule times. But you will know they were getting the perks as a Disney resort guest, similar to Extra Magic Hours.

while I understand what you are saying. it doesn't matter to me.. I don't have to know specifically WHICH guests are getting a better deal than I am.. just knowing someone else is bugs me.
I am disney savvy enough and active on these boards that I will know, if we decide to do a longer trip at a value or moderate resort, rather than a shorter at a deluxe, that I am getting less "theme park" perks.
and i don't like the idea one bit. I like to pick and choose where I spend my money.
maybe one trip will be more resort intensive, less theme park intensive... we will , say, do a split stay between a moderate, with a room discount, and a deluxe, renting points from friends.
maybe the next will be a "park commando" trip, with very littel time at a resort. so we'll stay value. OR maybe we'll purchase a dining plan, stay at a value,cahnge to a moderate. and spend a lot of time in restaurants.
we love to "change it up"!!! ...."switch gears!".. "keep it fresh!".....
we could be having a chili cheese dog at the pop century food court one night, and having a porterhouse steak at yachtsman steakhouse, staying at the beach club villas, the next.
if disney starts pulling this snobbish "tiered perks", we would be very unhappy.

 

[kbelle8995]

I still don't believe that they should give extra perks at the park for deluxe guests. The hotel is the perk. Try the restaurants. Try to find a sit down restaurant at a value. Deluxes have some nice ones. Even the moderates are scarce on good sit downs. And good luck finding concierge at a value.

Nicer shops and spas for goodness sake and location location location. But I'm repeating myself.

It's a little too late to give extra perks to Deluxe at the parks and seems like another thing an AP holder can't have. I don't have much hope for the Next gen fastpass either. I see TSM booked up months in advance the new "Le Cellier"

 

[hookedonears]

The answer is; of course not. Disney would never do anything like that. Now I do believe that Disney needs to do something in addition to EMH as a perk, maybe they could have some sort of ultimate FP system that on property guest could pay extra for. Maybe a cross between what Six Flags and Universal have.

 

[Castaway Kev]

Yes, there should be some added value for staying at the deluxe resorts. But it should have nothing to do with Fast Passes. it should have everything to do with a "frequent flyer" program.

Disney needs to put something into place to award those repeat customers. And like Pete has said, they are the only hotels who don't offer that. Some could argue that DVC is the award for repeat customers but there should be something more.

On the cruise line the Castaway Club has developed into tiers of silver, gold and platinum based on the number of cruises you have taken. The problem with doing things this way is that there is no added value for taking longer cruises or staying in nicer staterooms. A 1-night cruise in an inside stateroom out of New York counts the same as a 14-night transatlantic cruise in the Roy Disney Suite. That is just not right.

When a "frequent flyer" program rolls out for those staying on property at WDW, they can include value for those who stay at the Deluxe resort.

 

[MJ6987]

I think that Deluxe guests will be getting additional perks when the X-pass (or whatever its called) starts - I think it will either be restricted to Deluxe guests or else Deluxe guests will get more passes per day.

I don't agree with this, I think Fast Pass should stay as it is, but this is what I think will happen as Disney tries to keep their Deluxe resorts full without deep discounts.

 

[slapwhitey]

I'll take the unpopular approach here and say that I am all for additional perks for Deluxe resort guests. I'll preface this by saying that I typically only stay at Deluxe resorts if I'm on points and most of our trips tend to be at the Swolphin or moderates and even values if points are not being used. In my opinion the current "perks" for deluxe resort guests do not warrant the extra cost for me. Now, you start throwing in some EMH or unlimited fastpasses and such then I may be more willing to shell out my hard earned money to stay at one of these resorts.

Now, in Disney's mind if they can convince people such as myself to shell out some extra $$$ for a perk that really doesn't have a cost as far as they are concerned. Well, that's just smart business. Call me a sucker if you will but some perks are worth the extra cost for me.

We have also stayed at Universal (Hard Rock and Portofino Bay) and honestly the only reason we stayed there and didn't drive back and forth from Disney was ONLY because of the FOTL access. Worth every penny.

Chris