WDW in 35 more years

[Granny]

I read all the threads where people talk about a key benefit of SSR being the extra 12 years. And indeed it is attractive if you are young enough to think you will be able to enjoy them, or if willing them to others is important to you.

My thoughts really revolve around WDW and what those extra 12 years will bring.

Think about it this way. WDW is 35 years old right now. The DVC I contracts expire in 2042, 36 years from now. So we are "halfway" through the life of WDW through 2042. Think of all the changes WDW has gone through in the past 35 years. Do you see a similar level of changes happening over the next 35 years?

Or do you see a leveling off as boomers retire and take the HM spirits up on their offer to join them? Will theme parks continue to boom as they have the past decade?

Obviously, none of us knows the exact answer. I guess I'm wondering if WDW will still have the same universal appeal it now does in another 35 years? And will it be able to continue to "grow new die-hard fans" as it has most of us?

Food for thought.

 

[*elaine*]

I'm a So Cal gal, so have been going to the "other" Disney park since 1963 (it's been open for 51 years now). Disney still holds all its appeal for me, this many years later.

I just watched my 4 & 6 year old boys really experience the magic in May. They'd already been to Disneyland twice, but were too young to "get" all the magic then. There is nothing like watching them both reaching for objects in the 3-D shows - it was all that real to them. Or hearing my 6 yo (who has autism) shout out "I'M IN SPACE!" and laugh out loud several times in Star Tours. They will be hooked for life.

I think that there is something special, some special connection, for many people who grow up going to Disney. My dh didn't go until he was an adult and he has a harder time feeling the magic. Watching my kids takes me back there immediately.

So, I don't know. But I think my kids will still love Disney in their adulthood. Who knows what changes the parks will go through, however?

 

[spiceycat]

hey will Florida be there in 35 years.....

if Florida is still around - I think WDW will be.... but who knows.... I am sure that the first park owners in NJ though it would last forever too...

 

[byoung]

Those 12 years could mean a lot to a lot of those buying.

 

[jarestel]

The way I look at it, 2042 is a lifetime away. Or 36 years, whichever comes first. Looking back 36 years from today, life was very different and priorities were not what they are today. I can't begin to predict how I will want to spend my leisure time in 10, 20, or 30 years from today. So glomming (sp?) on an extra 12 years just for the sake of the years doesn't work for me. WDW may no longer hold any fascination for me in 2042, never mind 2054. It's just to far away to be concerned with. IMHO, of course.

 

[crisi]

We are in the same boat - the extra 12 years isn't too valuable to us do to our age and our views about inheriting "assets with strings." When we looked into DVC, it was completely with short term ROI in mind - would we get the value out of it in the ten-fifteen years our kids took to grow up and enjoy it. If we get "bonus years" after that to take vacations with the two of us, play golf, or let the kids use our points, that will be cool - but to us, those are bonus years. 12 more bonus years is kind of like throwing in a second dessert for free when you aren't sure you are going to eat the first.

Disney does go through continual changes, some for the better (Mickey's Philharmagic), some for the worse (Tiki Birds). Some of the "magic" of earlier years seems to have gone do to both cost cutting and scale - with one or two parks and a few hotels - plus the surprise factor, magic was almost easy for Disney twenty five years ago. Now its hard to pull off on scale, for the money, and possible most importantly, with the reputation that the communication on the internet grants. (i.e. towel animals were a pleasant surprise at one point in time - it was Wow! when you got one...now - it seems disappointing to people who have heard about towel animals who never see one - the expectation is harder to live up to - and I do think that sort of special touch happens less now with so many more rooms to clean and labor costs being much more than they were 20 years ago). If Disney continues to hold up as a destination we want to visit will depend a lot on how the company is managed and the economy.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

hey will Florida be there in 35 years

Good question. That depends on how much the sea level increases. 18,000 years ago Flordia was more than double the size it is today. Not sure if 35 years is significant.

I think the more likely scenario is that Disney at some point will sell off their assets to increase immediate profits. That could prove more painful to DVC members than the increasing sea level over the next 35 years.

HBC

 

[Boston5602]

I think the more likely scenario is that Disney at some point will sell off their assets to increase immediate profits. That could prove more painful to DVC members than the increasing sea level over the next 35 years.

HBC

 

[dianeschlicht]

HBC, I don't see Disney downsizing it's theme parks, since that and DVC seem to be the most profitable things for them lately. They certainly haven't been setting the world on fire with blockbuster movies like they used to. No, I think WDW will be around for a long time to come. Like Granny, I doubt I would care about an extra 12 years, since I'll not be around to see it. Hey, even my kids might not be around to see it! I'll be in my 90's when OKW expires, if I don't expire first! My "kids" will be in thier 70's, so they aren't likely to care either. Heck, by then, I'll be tired of paying their way anyway!

 

[thelobstershanty]

Right now the extra 12 years do not matter that much to us because by 2054 we will most likely not still be here, unless they make some real medical miracles and advancements by then. LOL! However the extra years may be important to our grandchildren and great grandchildren. It that happens, it is up to them to extend and pay for the membership. I agree with Diane, by 2042 we will be done with paying for our offspring's vacations.

 

[Cinderpals]

Yeah! I'm leaving my DVCs to my 2 children if they remain good little bunnies and I like their spouses!! I'm waiting for a new DVC to get built. SSR contracts will be an option for a while anyway.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

HBC, I don't see Disney downsizing it's theme parks, since that and DVC seem to be the most profitable things for them lately.

Diane: I don't see that either but I could see them selling off management of their hotel operations at some point in the future (or selling off the properties completely) for a number of reasons. Among them to ward off a takeover, raise cash to make the bottom line look good or to get out of the hotel management business entirely. How often do businesses sell off assets to raise cash? It's a possibility that I hope doesn't happen.

I can see the headline now, "Disney sells off hotel management to focus on core theme park operations."

HBC

 

[thelobstershanty]

For a young couple just starting out those extra 12 years translate into many more additional WDW vacations for them and their children.

.

 

[tmt martins]

They also have in the plans for 4 more parks and 2 more water parks .I think like 6 more resorts.

That if needed they could put up at any time .It's been in their master plan from the start.

Unless a hugh depression comes up They will continue to grow and sell out at certian times of the year.

You see it now there really is no true Off season like it use to be.Yes slower but no true off where you could just walk onto the rides.

 

[rigsby25]

When we bought our resale, there weren't any SSR resales around, otherwise, we might have purchased there. So we went for more points now vs. the 12 extra years. We purchased at OKW sight unseen. My kids were losing interest in Disney just as we were purchasing. One was turning 18 and the other 15. The 15 year old has been back with us, but my husband and I have been going alone and really enjoying ourselves. We are both 50ish. We look forward to more and more vacations with our friends and relatives. One year later, my 19 year old is interested as ever again. Go figure. I think one thing Disney is expert at, and that is keeping the old nostalgic elements, while constantly coming up with new ones. Disney to me is passed generation to generation like an heirloom. I think our kids will want to share Disney with their kids, etc.

 

[bpmorley]

It's all up to the individual. I like the extra 12 years. And we like SSR. We probably won't be around or we won't be too mobile by the end. But this was bought for our yet to be born children and maybe if they have kids. We did have a chance to buy at BCV, but we took the extra 12 years instead. In hindsight I should have bought both.

 

[Steamboat Bill]

In hindsight I should have bought both.

In hindsight, I should have bought Google stock and eBay stock....that would have easily paid for any DVC contracts.

 

[bpmorley]

In hindsight, I should have bought Google stock and eBay stock....that would have easily paid for any DVC contracts.

We're not the only ones kicking ourselves over missing those boats

 

[pouncingpluto]

I'll be 64 when OKW, BCV, BWV, VWL, etc. run out, and I didn't like the idea of losing DVC right when I hit retirement age. Plus, with the F&F promo, it was hard to justify spending more money for fewer years. I do, however, wish it had occured to me to buy 150 points at SSR and 50 points at BCV or BWV, instead of all 200 at SSR.

However, so far things are working out well! We've managed to always get what we want, at least by using a waitlist.

 

[Granny]

Thanks for the responses. My post wasn't really intended to ask whether the extra 12 years were important to people as regards to purchasing SSR vs DVC I resorts. It really was trying to get feedback on the thought that WDW is so different today than it was 35 years ago, and how different it might be in 35 more years.

I completely understand that it was interpreted to ask people if they thought the extra 12 years were worth it. I was just thinking that those extra 12 years might be a very different experience than today's experience.

It wasn't a very well worded opening post, but I do appreciate the comments.

My own opinion is that I'm not sure if WDW will have the same appeal for new guests in 35 years that it has today. Many of us DVC owners are a bit older, probably following the baby boomer curve. I think we are in the "golden age" of DVC, and that demand will begin to decrease at some point for DVC.

I grew up with the "Wonderful World of Disney" on television, and Walt Disney was a personal and real person in my living room each Sunday. So WDW is a very nostalgic place for me in the best possible way. But I'm not sure that people 30 years ago...who will know no more about Walt than they do Henry Ford...will have that same kind of attachment.

I have no idea, and am rambling. But I just wonder if future generations will have the same attachment to "all things Disney" that so many current WDW guests have? And if not, how will the park have to evolve to continue to capture these consumers?

I'm not sure I will like the "future WDW" as much as the current one. So I'm thinking that the evolution of WDW will be something that will appeal to the general population of 2040's, but possibly not as much to me.