We are losing Member's Perks!

[Mark099]

Is there anyone out there more pissed than myself with the recent hack-job on the list of member's perks?

I contacted MS today, and all I got was "we have the right to remove any perk anytime we want" kind of answer.

The dining perks went from dozens of options in each of the theme parks to a dozen options in all the theme parks combined. The part that's most insulting is the removal of perks from the DVC resorts. There are no perks at my home resort (SSR). I just got back from a 7 day trip to WDW and I saved a whopping $4.82 for the whole trip for our one lunch at Whispering Canyon. To add insult to injury, most of the food prices at WDW have gone up too.

 

[vicki_c]

I was never that impressed with the member perks to begin with, except for the AP discount. I would be sad if they did away with that because it's a real savings and allowed us to get a TiW card, which is where we really saved money.

But none of those have anything to do with why we purchased DVC -- they were just nice extras in my opinion - all subject to change at any time, so it doesn't really bother me.

 

[Mark099]

We never really get to benefit from the AP discount. The dining perks is really all that we had to look forward to -- other than DVC ownership, itself. I spoke with a DVC CM at the AKL while there in February. He said he thought the perks were removed because more members were buying the dining plans. I think they were removed to force more of the members into buying the dining plans.

 

[bobbiwoz]

This just came to my e-mail today because of our upcoming vacation. We're staying at the BWV and Tutto Italia and Fulton's are good discounts for us. Now, we don't need the Tutto Italia because we have TIW, but we really enjoy and use the Fulton's lunch discount.

We also like to rent bikes, so that's another good one for us.

What are your particular favorites that are now gone? I would specifically mention ones that you would like in a letter to MS. Maybe they will listen.

Bobbi


Dining • Tutto Italia Ristorante in Epcot® – Save 10% off lunch and dinner.
• Flying Fish Café at Disney's BoardWalk entertainment district - Save 10% on dinner from 5:30-6:30 pm and from 9:00-10:00 pm (reservations required).
• Portobello at the Downtown Disney Area - Save 20% on lunch.
• Fulton's Crab House at the Downtown Disney Area - Save 30% on lunch and 20% on dinner

• House of Blues® at Downtown Disney West Side - Save 20% on dinner.

Note: Dining discounts do not include tax, gratuity, or alcoholic beverages.

Recreation • Disney Resort Marinas - Save 10% on rentals of bicycles and a wide range of watercraft at your nearest marina, Bayside Marina at Disney's BoardWalk Villas.
• Sammy Duvall's Watersports Centre at Disney's Contemporary Resort - Save 10% on parasailing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, and more.


Visit dvcmember.com for complete details (including restrictions) on all the Member Perks available at the Walt Disney World Resort. And also look for Portable Perks, included in your Disney Vacation Club Resort check-in folder.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Another thing, I just went to DVC site and noticed that the dining discounts at the Swan/Dolphin are still valid. We enjoy the food at the cafeteria, Picabu, and also Fresh Mediteranean Market. The Fountain has good ice cream treats but we have found the service to be quite slow.

Bobbi

 

[Buckeye Fan]

I'm kind of with the PP. I can't even take advantage of the annual passes, and have never found a DVC discount anywhere (honest to goodness!). I used to ask when we went places, but never found any takers!

What I find interesting, and I'm not sure why it would be this way , is that I get discounts with my Disney Visa! I was at the Disney store in DTD, and asked if I got a discount for being a DVC member. She said, "No, but if you have a Disney Visa, you get 10% off (I think it was 10%)."

I'm sorry some things you used were taken away. Maybe this is one of their ways to recoup some costs during some challenging times. The flip side is, a discount may bring some that normally wouldn't go. I hope they add some back, or add new offers in the near future!

 

[JimMIA]

I'm with Vicki. I never thought DVC perks were anything to write home about in the first place. The AP discount is certainly a great perk for many members, but we get a much better deal with the Florida seasonal pass. The ability to get DDP was good when DDP was good, but that's ancient history.

The CM you talked to was exactly right -- perks can and do change (for better or worse) at the stroke of a pen. That may not be the answer you wanted to hear...but it's the real-world answer.

 

[Golden Rose]

We did not buy for perks, but we certainly appreciated them on our January trip. I don't know what the perks were before, but we loved the free internet, the golf discount, and the annual pass discount. We estimate the perks saved us more than $700 on our trip... before you added in the places that still give a dining discount. (We had the TiW card, so there were only a couple of places we used the DVC card for a dining discount.)

I can't compare them to past years, but the perks seemed great to us.

 

[Mark099]

In the past, we have used the perks to get some discounts at several counter service locations, character meals and restaurants like Bomas. Now, it seems that only the premium table service options in the parks are offered. Short of the Rain Forest Cafe, ESPN, and Whispering Canyon, I am not really interested in a $30/person lunch. Overall, we would save about $30-50 a vacation. Not a lot of money, but enough to buy something to take home from our trip.

Interestingly enough, it doesn't look like they have hacked up the perks list for Disneyland yet.

 

[CarolA]

Hmm.

I bought a place to stay. Anything else is a bonus. Considering the outcry on here anytime they do give us something I continue to be amazed we get perks at all! LOL!

I really don't see any reason for Disney to give us "perks". They have our cash, they know we are coming to visit... from a marketing point of view, I don't get it?

(And dozens of options in each park... WHAT? I think there were one or two at most parks, if that. Epcot had more but MK practically NONE!)

 

[photobob]

The annual pass perk is the main thing I enjoy and get many discounts with it. I have a hard time remembering where discounts are available so I always ask if they have a DVC or AP discount.

 

[Mark099]

Hmm.

I bought a place to stay. Anything else is a bonus. Considering the outcry on here anytime they do give us something I continue to be amazed we get perks at all! LOL!

I really don't see any reason for Disney to give us "perks". They have our cash, they know we are coming to visit... from a marketing point of view, I don't get it?

(And dozens of options in each park... WHAT? I think there were one or two at most parks, if that. Epcot had more but MK practically NONE!)

Seriously, there were several options in each theme park -- including counter service. I know because we used them.

 

[bavaria]

Seriously, there were several options in each theme park -- including counter service. I know because we used them.

I checked and this is all I see from the 'old' list of park discounts. (I didn't include those outside the parks) Considering that at least one of the locations is only open seasonally, the list was hardly very long. I may be missing something, but I don't see much of a change.

OP, were you perhaps thinking of AP discounts? They are more common and more substantial

Various park tour discounts
Bhaktapur Market 15% off
Chefs de France Epcot 20% off Lunch
Coral Reef Restaurant. Epcot 10% off Lunch

Guerlain’s La Signature Gift $75 or more spent
Free fragrance sample and hand massage
France pavilion in Epcot

Marakesh Restaurant Epcot 20% off Lunch, Dinner
Nine Dragons Restaurant Epcot 20% off Lunch
Noodle Station MK Park 10% off Lunch


Yak and Yeti

 

[Brian Noble]

They have our cash, they know we are coming to visit... from a marketing point of view, I don't get it?

The DVC dining discounts appear to be used to help fill less-popular locations, at less-popular times. The AP discounts are similar, but a bit more numerous.

 

[bonybroad]

I have nothing to add to the debate, but
Wow!

That was a lot of effort to type that all in!

 

[alice99]

Can I call members Services and buy 10 AP's and just save them for the future?

 

[Tozzie]

To be quite honest the only dinning discount I new of was Olivia's at OKW as I really like that restaurant and eat there once or twice each trip. I received several others on my last trip only because I paid using my KTTW card that said DVC member on it and asked me. I received the same email as the pp about my upcomming trip and was pleasantly surprised by the discount at Fultons as that is where I am taking my sister for her BDAY. As for any other discounts especially at counter service places, well I don't even remember seeing anything in print about them much less using them.

 

[CarolA]

The DVC dining discounts appear to be used to help fill less-popular locations, at less-popular times. The AP discounts are similar, but a bit more numerous.

I agree, but we tend to look on them as if we were "automatically entitled" to them because we are 'special'.... I think you are MUCH closer to the truth. We just have shown a willingness to SPEND $100 if they give us $10 off!

 

[Mark099]

I agree, but we tend to look on them as if we were "automatically entitled" to them because we are 'special'.... I think you are MUCH closer to the truth. We just have shown a willingness to SPEND $100 if they give us $10 off!

I don't believe it's a case of entitlement because "I'm special". It's a case of removal of perks that I have enjoyed, come to rely on and add value to my DVC ownership.

Interestingly, I have found a current list of perks posted on another website...

http://www.arondaparks.com/DVC Perks.htm

There are a lot of perks on this list not listed on the DVC website.

Anyway, there is no point belaboring this point since it's obvious that people don't really care enough about most of the member perks. Just remember, you're not allowed to complain when Disney removes the $100 off the AP for members because if you don't care about the little things pretty soon Disney will run out of little things to remove. It's only a matter of time.

 

[bavaria]

Seriously, there were several options in each theme park -- including counter service. I know because we used them.

From the link you posted

Magic Kingdom Restaurants

Noodle Station--10% discount on lunch and dinner (open seasonally)


Epcot Restaurants

Les Chefs de France--20% discount on lunch
Nine Dragons Restaurant--20% discount on lunch
Restaurant Marrakesh--20% discount on lunch AND dinner (No discount on daily specials)
Rose and Crown Dining Room--10% discount on dinner
Tutto Italia Ristorante--10% discount on lunch and dinner
San Angel Inn Restaurante--10% discount on lunch

Disney's Hollywood Studios Restaurants

Studio Catering Company--10% discount on all meals

Disney's Animal Kingdom

Rainforest Cafe--10% discount on breakfast, lunch and dinner entrees for Members and up to three guests
Tusker House Restaurant--10% discount on lunch and dinner
Yak & Yeti--10% discount on lunch and dinner entrees for Members and up to three guests

MK and DHS had one option, AK and Epcot a few more. I still don't see that as a huge loss. May I suggest that you purchase an AP or TIW as you will have better discounts with those.