some random complaining

[joandegennaro]

While it would be nice to have the discount option on any park media it is not why we bought into DVC. It was just to ensure an upgraded accomodation in a safe area that we enjoy being in. Our first trip home in March'11 we don't even plan on going to Disney parks....no that might change when we get there and if so we will use some of the 8 days remaining on the 10 day PH/NE we bought back in 2007. We should manage to get at least 3 trips if not 4 out of our tickets. We will consider AP's when we retire and plan to spend more time down in Florida than a week or two.

 

[com_op_2000]

The way to go to the parks is to get to know a CM. They can get you in free. I have not payed to go to any park since the 1980s (Have a family member that is a CM).

 

[disneynutz]

Then why offer discounts on APs if there is no compelling reason? They don't just want us there they want us in the parks. Frankly I feel like most of my park ticket money is a waste because as a 10 year DVCer I go at such a casual pace that I don't get good value from them. I even had a park free vacation one year. I can easily afford them but that doesn't mean I like wasting money. Now I realize that is on me but what happens as more and more DVCers start shedding their commando mentalities, especially as they get older and kids leave the nest?

The thing is they discounted the AP for a reason. What was the reason?

We are dealing with a company who is much smarter than we are. They do not do anything without a reason and the usual reason is to increase profits.

The AP discount costs Disney nothing and they make more money because of it. All of the other discounts made available to DVC Members also doesn't cost Disney anything. That's why the restaurant discounts are for locations not owned by Disney.

Bill

 

[Pig Pen]

Or get a job at Disney...then you either get free tickets, or you will be so sick of the place you will never want to go back.

 

[Deb & Bill]

They just threw us a bone when they gave DVC members the AP discount. We used to get discounts on Length of Stay Tickets, but that ended many years ago.

 

[Tara]

Leaving for VB and OKW on the 13th.....just figured out for a family of four, we will pay almost $1,200 for just tickets.....thats not including park hoppers, and only one annual pass renewal

I guess i am one who thinks as a DVC member who had laid out tens of thousands of dollars to disney, that having to pay the same rate as someone visiting for the day is ridiculous!!!!.....yeah the annual pass discount is great, but when you only travel one time per year, and may not be able to do two weeks in one calendar year...it sucks!!!.....there needs to be significant discounts on base tickets!!!

I get a lot for the money I spent for my lodging. And it was just that - lodging.

 

[adminjedi]

The way to go to the parks is to get to know a CM. They can get you in free. I have not payed to go to any park since the 1980s (Have a family member that is a CM).

Hey, maybe you can buy DVC and get the CM discount!

 

[com_op_2000]

If, you would check below my name, you would see that I have been a DVC member since '93.

 

[adminjedi]

If, you would check below my name, you would see that I have been a DVC member since '93.

Then buy more!

 

[BeesKnees]

APs do much more than simply give us park admission. They also allow us to purchase the TiW, which would mean we would be much more likely to dine at table service restaurants once inside the parks, with an additional sale price of $75 for the TiW. APs also give us access to cash room discounts, in the hopes we will extend our vacations, or take an extra vacation. With non-expiring 10 day tickets, there are no such side benefits and possible revenue streams to offset the park ticket discount. And this year AP holders received merchandise discounts in the parks, again encouraging us to further spend, spend, spend.

Right the money that you save is basically redirected into other profitable portions of their business. I think anytime you are in a park you are likely to eat there and spend money there. I know I am a repeat offender of purchasing one of the $17 bottles of water because I hate carrying a bunch of crap around.

Here is what it comes down to for me. If they want me in the parks more they will need to incent me to go. If right now most people are happy to pay full price and if they feel like they get value for it then there will be no discount. If at some point in the future more DVCers stop making the parks the center of their vacations there will be. I still have to wonder if the AP discount is designed to combat that.

It is the same way with souvenirs. We buy practically nothing now. We get year pins and the occasional coffee cup. Their items are way over-priced and we have enough disney items in our home. There have been a few things I have been interested in over the years but knowing I am being gouged makes me reluctant to purchase. If they want to incent me to buy more they will have to dig deep and realize that selling something for only a 250 percent markup like apparel is better than not selling it at 500 percent. Maybe everyone is happy to pay full price. I have to think DVCers eventually become smarter Disney vacationers.

That is the problem. I am savvy now. I am not stuck with a tv with 15 disney channels anymore. I have a work-around. I don't have to buy their groceries because instead of spending money at their restaurants I get a rental car so I can eat some of my meals outside the property and thus can get my own groceries. Even when we don't have a rental we use gardengrocer.

Every year that goes by money that I once spent at disney gets either saved or spent somewhere else. Now they still get a chunk but they could be making more.

So I don't think it is so far-fetched to expect discounts. I can only hope as more and more DVCers get experienced those discounts will come.

 

[mdsd8700]

I agree that it would be nice if Disney offered a discount on any type of park ticket to DVC members (not just on APs) but I won't hold my breath. I think the AP discount sounds great but I wonder what percentage of DVC members have APs? Would it be a majority? APs don't work for our family right now. We've done well getting the 10 day non-expiring tix with park hoppers and fun passes. We can usually squeeze 3+ trips out of these (5 night trips). I hear your vent, OP.

We do the same with the 10 day/non expiring tickets. Although I have only been a DVC member a very short time so I haven't exeperienced any of the prior perks for tickets, parking or anything. However we have gone to Disney on many trips since 1997. By doing 10 day/non expire we have only bought tickets twice. Each ten days gets us 3/4 vacations. One a week trips we only spend 3 days in the park (and a couple WP days) or shorter trips only 2 parks (1 WP). Of course we have been to DLR 4 times and a cruise as well so we haven't used our WDW tickets on those trips making the tickets last longer. I have one more trip on our current tickets and just purchased additional 10 day/non expiring before the prices went up. They were expensive!! However I now have my tickets and room (with DVC) pre-paid for at least our next 4/5 trips (including next June with old tickets). Since we don't always travel to WDW every year, changing up with DLR (and possibly Alunai now) the WDW tickets last longer. I know this is not for everyone, but it has worked well for us. It also splits up the vacation costs so everything is not paid out all at one time. I think the tickets have gone up like crazy as well and I am not happy with it, but pretty much is the same for everything that I do or buy. I guess I have just decided there is nothing I can do about it so I smile and try not to think about the price and enjoy the benefits of what it gives to me.

 

[Chuck S]

Right the money that you save is basically redirected into other profitable portions of their business. I think anytime you are in a park you are likely to eat there and spend money there. I know I am a repeat offender of purchasing one of the $17 bottles of water because I hate carrying a bunch of crap around.

Here is what it comes down to for me. If they want me in the parks more they will need to incent me to go. If right now most people are happy to pay full price and if they feel like they get value for it then there will be no discount. If at some point in the future more DVCers stop making the parks the center of their vacations there will be. I still have to wonder if the AP discount is designed to combat that.

It is the same way with souvenirs. We buy practically nothing now. We get year pins and the occasional coffee cup. Their items are way over-priced and we have enough disney items in our home. There have been a few things I have been interested in over the years but knowing I am being gouged makes me reluctant to purchase. If they want to incent me to buy more they will have to dig deep and realize that selling something for only a 250 percent markup like apparel is better than not selling it at 500 percent. Maybe everyone is happy to pay full price. I have to think DVCers eventually become smarter Disney vacationers.

That is the problem. I am savvy now. I am not stuck with a tv with 15 disney channels anymore. I have a work-around. I don't have to buy their groceries because instead of spending money at their restaurants I get a rental car so I can eat some of my meals outside the property and thus can get my own groceries. Even when we don't have a rental we use gardengrocer.

Every year that goes by money that I once spent at disney gets either saved or spent somewhere else. Now they still get a chunk but they could be making more.

So I don't think it is so far-fetched to expect discounts. I can only hope as more and more DVCers get experienced those discounts will come.

But I still don't think people that buy 10 day non-expiring tickets and spread them over 2 or 3 years will go into the parks more often if they receive a discount.

 

[TisBit]

But I still don't think people that buy 10 day non-expiring tickets and spread them over 2 or 3 years will go into the parks more often if they receive a discount.

Exactly, a discount on tickets is not likely to make anyone buy MORE tickets, but rather just save money on tickets they were going to purchase anyway. I think an advantage of the AP, is that it probably does tempt people to buy more than they would normally, thinking they might go back in time to use it more.

We are about to go to WDW for 10 days, we debated AP's, but we don't have any trips planned next year. I still debate upgrading, because even if we go back for a weekend, we will save money. I may end up upgrading for about $20 per person just to be safe and if I don't go back, Disney just made almost $100 from me....and if I do go back they will probably make that money back from food, etc.

 

[Brian Noble]

Even though we only go to the parks half of the days we spend there and we eat many meals in the room

With the current ticket pricing scheme, that's fine with Disney. The first three days of any stay cost more or less full price. The remainder are essentially free. Go down for a week, spend only three days in the parks? Fine with Disney. They are still getting paid. Not going to the restaurants? That's okay---the dining plans keep them full anyway.

Disney's first priority is to get people there.

Exactly. But, selling a 50-year contract to someone satisfies that goal. Where else are you going to go? You could use your points for another Disney resort, or a DCL or ABD trip---turns out Mickey is okay with all of that. Mickey still gets paid. You could exchange your points for some other timeshare somewhere else, but chances are you're losing money on the deal, and folks who own less expensive timeshares who would have stayed offsite in a Wyndham or Hilton or maybe over at Orange Lake would be happy to stay in your unit instead---and will spend more time (and money) in Disney's parks. Again, Mickey gets paid.

Then why offer discounts on APs if there is no compelling reason?

There is a reason. Disney is attempting to convert annual visitors to more frequent visitors---possibly selling more points along the way. Rather than take just one of your vacations each with Mickey, why not take all of them there? After all, admission is "free" with an AP! And with an add-on, you can cover the extra trip's lodging each year too! Such a deal!

In any event, we can argue the pros and cons of extending more discounts to DVCers until the cows come home. History has shown that Disney doesn't feel it necessary, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

 

[KiminChicago]

While I don't believe that we will see discounts on MYW tickets anytime soon, I do have to say that the cost of tickets is already starting to change the way we vacation. My kids are 11 and 13, so they both require adult tickets. If we add on the dining plan, they are charged as adults for that too, even though neither one of them eats like an adult (we often buy the kids' meals for them and still have food left over). We'd love to spend a week at WDW next June, but by the time you add up the food and ticket prices, it's over $2000 for us.

Instead we're looking at maybe doing a week at HHI. It's still Disney, but we won't be spending any money on souvenirs or food and we won't be going to any parks.

 

[DaveH]

I believe one of the reasons for an AP discount now is because we asked for it. When we had a LOS discount many were asking for AP discount like FL resident, which we have now. One of the many reasons listed was folks would buy an AP but not LOS for several trips. They would not use a day to go get a meal at EPCOT sometimes.

For us we have cut back on park days to our judgment that the experience in the parks has eroded over the years and the prices has increased. We are doing DCL cruises instead of parks. Money for the Disney company overall, but more for DCL and less for WDW. Our next cruise will have 2 nights at DVC and no park days. We are renting a car instead of Disney transfer because we get there so late. With rental car, most likely no meals at Disney, for cheaper and better meals off site. If they had a discount for MMYW ticket we may have done a day in the parks, but not now.

 

[StitchBuddy]

We buy 10 day park hoppers, plus water parks, no expiration tickets and use them for at least 3 trips if not more. But, we only go once a year or we even skip a year. It works for us.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

hmmmm...how to say this best....let me think...

you shouldn't get a discount because disney's whole design in building a timeshare unit was to hook you into coming on a consistent basis and therefore providing guaranteed revenue...which was not your purchase price because they are - in effect - sacrificing that revenue longterm to get the other coin for the OTHER things....

the real savings of DVC are still down the road...while their hotel rates will continue to increase forever your return on investment will actually cause your lodging costs to decrease as time goes on....a DVC contract purchased in 1996 will look like a goldmine in 2025...make no mistake.

third...and just a personal annoyance....if you weren't fully committed to riding the ups and downs of the seas with disney, then why on earth would you buy chunks of 3 different timeshare blocks that they sold? i can't fathom that one. IF tickets and associated costs were going to be an issue - then why on earth get more than one?

anybody?

finally...sell 'em off. it should be easy for you...oh wait, perhaps do you like WDW too much?
and if so - are you now wishing for Disney to renegotiate their end of the bargain for you?
silly old bear...welcome to Los Estados Unidos

 

[buzz5985]

Leaving for VB and OKW on the 13th.....just figured out for a family of four, we will pay almost $1,200 for just tickets.....thats not including park hoppers, and only one annual pass renewalconfused

I guess i am one who thinks as a DVC member who had laid out tens of thousands of dollars to disney, that having to pay the same rate as someone visiting for the day is ridiculous!!!!.....yeah the annual pass discount is great, but when you only travel one time per year, and may not be able to do two weeks in one calendar year...it sucks!!!.....there needs to be significant discounts on base tickets!!!

I think you just need to evaluate what tickets you need. I purchased 5 day park hopper plus tickets from AAA. When I was in WDW I upgraded to a 10 day non expiring, fun and more - for like another $125/ticket. We have used those tickets for 3 vacations so far, and we still have 2 park days and 9 fun days left. I found by getting rid of hopping - and just planning our days more carefully - we can save a ton of money.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We're planning to do this, but if our AP starts on 10/28/10 when is the last day I can use it next year? Is it 10/27/10 or 10/28/10??

thanks!

APs are good through the expiration date, and that is the same date a year later of when you started using it. That means you actually get 366 days of use from them. We have done APs for years....even long before DVC gave the discount. It just made sense to us to buy APs and get two trips nearly a year apart on them. Now we just go more than 2 times a year and often get 28 days on each AP. That cuts the daily price down a lot, and we enjoy roaming around in the parks, even if it's just to go to one show in a day or to dinner at one of the Epcot restaurants.