Why are we treated so poorly????

[OKW Gram]

Here we go again - Disney just doesn't seem to get it as far as how they treat a group of people (DVC members) so heavily invested in the Disney product.

I'm going to VB for 1 night in January - then off on the 3 night cruise (me and 3 friends - 2 rooms), then off for 6 nights at in a 2 BR at OKW. I also have a studio for DS, DIL, and DGD and DGS booked for 3 nights at OKW.

I went to the Disney Store yesterday to purchase 4 day park hopper passes for the grandchildren to give them as Christmas presents. They told me I had to purchase my tickets at OKW in order to get my DVC discount. So I called OKW this a.m. only to find out that we DO NOT get ANY discount on 4 day hopper passes - only on LOS passes! Seeing as this is a family board, I will not put into print how angry I am at this. In other words, we no longer get ANY discount on our passes, unless of course, we purchase LOS passes which are substantially more expensive. We like to spend a week at the resort, but not feel obligated to go to the parks EVERY day - relaxation should be part of the vacation itinerary.

I have a call into my DVC rep, but I can't imagine there's is anything she can do to remedy this disgusting situation. Frankly I'm angry enough to contemplate selling my DVC ownership (of which I have the original and 2 add ons). I just cannot believe the arrogance of Disney. They did tell me at the Disney Store that if I purchased a Disney membership (which used to be free!) I would get a 5% discount on my 4 day hopper passes - big deal! My son and his family are already in a quandry about going as they are not real keen on flying since 9/11. This could be just enough to resolve their dilemna. I wonder how many other people that are on the fence about traveling to Disney now might have their minds made up for them by Disney's total lack of fairness when it comes to DVC.

I've said it before in relation to the lack of incentives given DVC members for the cruise (when they are discounting so deeply for cash ressies),
and now I say it again - WE ARE THE UGLY STEPSISTERS in the Disney Kingdom!!!

This is simply the straw breaking the camel's back for me. When I purchases in 97 I felt very special just to be a part of this "magic". Right now I'm feeling very used.

Up until now I have always gotten a discount on my part tickets - be it through Magic Kingdom Club at work (no longer available - converted to another money making scheme by Disney), or with my DVC membership card (which was always taken at the Disney store in the past). The real irony here is that yesterday I did purchase a Software package for my granddaughter at the story and was able to use my DVC card for that purchase. It just cannot be used for purchasing park tickets -
UNBELIEVABLE.

Is anyone else on this board feeling betrayed and used by the "Disney Kingdom". I find it hard to believe that I'm the only one feeling this way. If DVC people read these boards (as some say they do) when oh when do they hear us???????

Thanks for listening.

 

[Richyams]

Other than 8 years of free passes, there has never been any decent discount on park passes.

Many people have reported getting the discount on passes at the DS, we are actually not supposed to get that discount, and many report your experience also.

I also think this is awful. I really think it would be in their best business interest to give us a decnt discount on passes. It seriously effected the time and money we spent in the park this last trip, really for the first time.

We bring lots of guests and the US, IOA, SW and other passes are so much cheaper that we have begun to take advantage of these also.

When the passes were free, we spent MUCH, MUCH more and NEVER left Disney property, those "golden handcuffs" were actually a plus to their bottom line for many guests.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

There has never been and probably never will be a DVC discount on passes to the parks, except for the Length of Stay (or whatever they are calling it this week).
Some people have received the DVC discount on the passes at the Disney store at the same rate as the MKC or DC, which is approx. 5%.
Not sure why you are angry as this has been spelled out a number of times here. Sorry you misunderstood and really sorry that you were put through the "wringer" on this one.

 

[JonHM]

clearly they *should* give us better discounts on passes - my personal preference would be for a DVC annual pass comparable in price to the FL residents' pass, but they don't, and this, as far as I understand, is not anything new.

As Rich said, you were never *supposed to* get the park pass discount at DS with your DVC card - I really don't want to sound harsh, but you should feel really fortunate that you had managed to get that discount all those times before when they weren't supposed to be giving it to you.

After much reflection, we bit the bullet and spent the $29 for Disney Club membership, figuring we would more than make up the dues with the saving on park passes.

OKW Gram - one suggestion - it is my understanding that 4 day park hoppers are priced very badly - for only a little bit more, you can get 5 day hoppers, and as you know, those extra days NEVER expire.

 

[Figaro30]

All I have to say is just because technically they aren't "supposed" to give you these perks...doesn't mean that they shouldn't.

I for one also think that they don't do enough for the "regulars" like us!! We are the true supporters of Disney and should be looked upon accordingly!

 

[OKW Gram]

I realize that our documents do not include the "right" of discounts on our park passes. But I disagree that we should just be happy that we have the accommodations we have. At present Disney is closing down hotels and cutting back on personnel due to circumstances with the economy and "the new world" we live in. Meanwhile Disney offers "specials" for cash ressies that in some instances include LOS passes. But what does Disney offer DVC members to try to persuade them to travel back to WDW? Nothing that I can see. And we certainly have much more invested in Disney than a once in 10 years trip that many will do (based on these lucrative prices). We will most likely be traveling there on a yearly basis (if not several times a year). So why do some have the attitude that we should be happy with whatever "crumbs" they throw our way and not make any waves?

Richyams: I never got the free passes. I think that was a wonderful deal for those that did get it. Some of my discounts on my park hopper passes were due to my Magic Kingdom card. This is no longer a viable alternative as Disney has now turned this into a money making scheme. And for the dues we pay yearly one would think this "new club" would be included. After all, aren't we already part of the "Disney Club"?!

thedscoop: I never joined for extra discounts either. It's pretty obvious that if that were one of the criteria for joining, there would be many less members. But, can you explain the thought process whereby I can use my DVC membership for discounting anything I want to buy in the Disney Store EXCEPT park passes? Why bother to give us that discount for everything but?

Gail Hayden: I am angry because I feel as though I have always been such a strong supporter of the Disney "magic" and my reward is that I must ultimately pay more for my pass than a casual visitor to the Kingdom. And I am angry because I feel it is such arrogance on their part.

Figaro30: You said it - true supporters. But, let's face it, Disney already knows the DVC members will be coming, so where is their incentive to do something extra to get us there?

JonHM: I thought that all passes basically reflected the approx cost of $48.00/day. I will check into a 5 day. I do realize that they don't expire. It's just that this year is a little tighter than others and plus we usually don't do more than 4 days a visit. Maybe we should do 0 days and go to SeaWorld and Universal Studios - I
know discounts are available for those places and you don't have to join a club to get them!

 

[Towncrier]

You might also check mousesavers.com (often referred to on the Budget Board). They have a link to a reputible ticket agent in Florida which has hopper passes at rates similar to the former Magic Kingdom Club rates.

 

[PKS44]

Also not trying to sound cruel, but the use of words like should and the sense of entitlement expressed in the original post really rub me the wrong way. As others have said the discounts were never part of the deal with DVC...this is a real estate transaction...do you get mad that your local supermarket doesn't give you a discount even though you bought a house in the neighborhood? Maybe your local stores do give regular customers a discount, but that is their choice to try to entice you to come, not a condition of the home purchase.

The Disney Store discount on merchandise has never included passes but some CMs were not savvy enough to realize this or to know the difference between DVC and DC (formerly MKC) or looked the other way. That is a reason to be happy about the discounts you got, not angry that they are not offered.

All discounts are offered for one reason and one reason only- to get more of your money. They are not a reward for loyalty or a way to try to get your loyalty. You have prepaid for your accomodations for the next 40 years. What you do with the rest of your money when you are on vacation is the issue. If you find that you get more value at other theme parks, Disney will have to figure out a way to try to get you back. That is the free market at work.

I guess the main point is that it is silly to get angry over this. If they do offer a discount, it is to get more of your money. And many of those in favor of discounts argue that Disney WOULD get more money if they would discount. So those who are angry are ultimately angry over the fact that Disney is getting less of your money than they could.

If there had been any fraud or force used to get you to buy DVC then anger is appropriate. There was not. You get what was promised.

Paul

 

[slc224]

I agree with OKW Gram. I have purchased 600 points over the last 7 years investing $40,000+ in the DVC. Along with the $1,800+ in dues I pay annually that reflects $120,000 investment (assuming no dues increase). I think we are intitled to some "special" treatment. However, it appears that being a $29/year Disney Club member and an American Express cardmember is a more lucrative deal in terms of perks.

As with Richyams, we received free passes up to 2000 and spent our entire trips at DW. However, we now treat our OKW home as more of a "base of operations" exploring other areas around DW.

Don't get me wrong....My family and I love Disney and always will. Just treat us DVCers as we should be treated.

 

[kamgen]

While I would LOVE to get other discounts on passes, I KNEW when I joined DVC that we didn't.
I think the discount on LOS passes is good, and while we recently bought PAP, we got LOS passes for our guests and thought they were a good deal.
We like to relax too, but love the open option of going to a park to see the evening shows, or head over to DQ. That is what LOS passes allow you to do.
YOu can also drop a day, sometimes two, from the LOS passes.
We were there from Sunday to Saturday and dropped the last day. So we had 6 day passes.

While I too have invested a great deal, we have purchased our 400 points in less than a 16 month time frame, I take any added discounts as a bonus.
I would rather get discounts on AP & PAP then on hoppers.

JMHO.

I think we should focus on getting discounts on other things, like more Cirque discounts, dining discounts, and maybe a higher discount on merchandise. JMHO.

Kamy

 

[danicaw]

I am sorry your are so upset.
But I bought DVC for the years of vacations to come.
I enjoy any perks that come my way but I don't think I am entitled to anything beyond the wonderful vacation homes.

Again, I am sorry you are so upset.

 

[one_cat]

Why are we treated so poorly? We aren't treated any differently than any other park guest. Do you think the people who rent a suite at GF think they are entitled to discount park passes, even if they do it for 3 weeks every year? When we bought DVC we were told nothing about park pass discounts and we bought anyway. If DVC put together a park pass discount it would be subsidized by our dues and I am not interested in doing that.

We have the best accomodations at Disney for such a cheap price. I am totally excited to be a DVC member even if I do have to pay my own way into the parks.

 

[KNWVIKING]

Would I like a discount: Absolutely. Am I angry that I don't: Absolutely not.

How to obtain a discount: Let WDW see 60,000 members stop going into the parks & eating at resorts. If we don't hit them where it hurts- in the pocket- then they have no reason to offer us a discount. Why did the old timers get the free passes,because OKW sales were slow. How are DVC sales now at on-property locations: can't build them fast enough.

I personally would like to get the annual pass at FL res prices, that I think is fair because DVC members who are also FL res basically have an advantage over non residents.

 

[Peggy Sue]

We purchased a real estate transaction with DVC. Some years, we won't be visiting Disney, but using our DVC points elsewhere. Park passes were never part of our investment research.

We're quite happy with our investment and we take advantage of any discount DVC may offer us during our vaction. (dining, shopping etc) But, we view these are a great bonus, not a requirement.

Actually, Disney does offer DVC a generous 10% discount on LOS passes (or what ever they are called) We personally don't find a LOS to be a good value for us due to our park touring habits, but many have reported here that they have purchased them, and like them...and a 10% discount is a great price brake.

Last year Disney offered annual pass holders a 10% discount on annual pass vouchers as an incentive to purchase them as christmas gifts. We purchased 4..planning for future years. It was a great discount that Disney didn't offer again this year. No problem..we take discounts when we can get them!

The Disney Club is a good deal for us too. Offers us the 5% discount on the hoppers, which we purchase for our guests, and a great 20% discount on car rentals with National..also free membership to the emerald aisle at national. They have some good dining discounts too.

Would we love a good park pass discount from Disney? Yes..do we feel we "deserve" one because we are DVC members? No

 

[niks81]

I agree with PKS--it's silly to get so upset. This is not meant to offend you, but the point of DVC is to prepay accommodations. In the end, all of us will be saving several thousand dollars...is that not reward enough??

If getting the discounts on park passes is such a priority then you should join the Disney Club, because there are discounts on lots of other stuff too. It is only 29 dollars (2.42 a month) and you get that 5% off park tickets. Or you can try www.floridaorlandotickets.com since prices are slightly lower. My personal opinion is that it would be nice if we got discounts on the passes, but it's not imperative.

Just because we "own" part of Disney until 2042 does not mean that we should get every perk there is out there. Disney is a marketing genius, and they know that giving every perk and discount to DVC is stupid. So they spread it out...DVC, Disney Club, American Express, Annual Passholder, etc. When I bought DVC (a mere 2 months ago at the age of 20 ) I bought for one reason: To have 40 years of vacations and memories--I did not join for the perks. How can anyone possibly complain with what they are getting here? Do the math...the perk is that you are being spared several thousand dollars over the course of 40 years. If you plunked down 13,000 or more for the simple reason that you'd get "perks" for being a member than you should sell your interest. I'm sure there is another family out there that would love to buy in for the right reasons. Again, this is just my opinion and not meant to offend anyone, but I feel strongly that being saved several thousand dollars is perk enough.

 

[Sorcerer]

Yes, DVC Members are entitled to a 10% discount on most merchandise at TDS, including art and collectibles except WDCC. Disney Club Members do NOT get a discount on art and collectibles at all, just the rest of the merchandise at TDS.

I'm confused about the Downtown Disney discount - I thought Disney Club was accepted there but not DVC? I don't remember, though. I'm a TDS CM so I don't use my Disney Club or DVC card for discounts in WDW, so I'm not as familiar with them.

 

[one_cat]

DVC does not give you a discount at Downtown Disney. We always use our Annual Pass discount there.

 

[PKS44]

quote:
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can you explain the thought process whereby I can use my DVC membership for discounting anything I want to buy in the Disney Store EXCEPT park passes? Why bother to give us that discount for everything but?
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Yes-

The discount is there to entice you to spend more money in the Disney Store than you would without the discount. They figure you can buy stuffed animals and pajamas and figurines and games and toys at a lot of places but if you are getting a "discount" you are more likely to buy them from them. The park passes you are going to buy without getting a discount. You are going to WDW for 40 years, you will be there (even if you don't go they have your money spent on the accomodations)..they don't see a need to entice you to buy the park tickets. Obviously LOS tickets must not sell as well or they would not be discounted. Supply and demand and "the invisible hand," it is all very straight forward.

Paul

 

[antnee]

that with most discount programs (DVC,MKC,DC,etc.) that there isnt much of a discount on tickets. I mean a hotel mya close during a recession or staff laid off or room rates reduced to lure visitors but how come a better discount is not offered. Maybe a 20% discount would lure more travellers at this time????

 

[Ed T]

I think some people need to go clean their house or go do something constructed rather than taking time to complain about something that was never there to begin with. You really need to be honest with yourself about why you bought into DVC. Was it to become entitled? To give you something more than some regular paying guest? That you could have a country club atmosphere and be rude to the help? Everyone should be happy with what they bought and very happy if given something extra. I knew what I was buying into, read all the fine print and if I had a question when I bought I spoke with the quality assurance person to get verification. I think it's time to stop crying like selfish individuals.

Ed
DVC 1994