Why do I feel like a 2nd class citizen?

[Dean]

you do read the disboards? with that statement i'd guess not much

I suspect it's not very common in the overall schedule of things though I really don't see where it matters either way from a DVC membership standpoint.

 

[going/again]

This is a very simple issue to avoid, simply don't use DVC for cruises either cash or points.

would'nt dream of it, so much cheaper to pay cash and use points before or after criuse for resort stay.

 

[Dean]

would'nt dream of it, so much cheaper to pay cash and use points before or after criuse for resort stay.

Agreed but the choice is ours to make one way or another.

 

[tjkraz]

you do read the disboards? with that statement i'd guess not much

(RE: Free Upgrades)

There are about 10,000 guest rooms between the All-Stars and Pop Century, plus several thousand more in the moderates. Disney doesn't have an endless supply of DVC villas available for an upgrade--I've never seen anything other than SSR and OKW during the slowest times of the year.

Just because people post about upgrades on the DIS doesn't mean they are anywhere near commonplace. I'd be shocked if the odds of being upgraded from a Value to SSR or OKW are better than 1-in-100.

On an unrelated note, I know a few people have mentioned getting discounts on passes other than APs. Just wanted to point out that the DVC member discount on passes which preceded the AP reductions was nothing to write home about.

Members used to get 10% savings on the Ultimate Park Hopper pass (or Length of Stay pass.) The problem was that you couldn't buy the discounted UPH until arrival at the resort, and this was back in the days when Disney charged a higher price for tickets purchased on property.

In reality, most times you could buy a Park Hopper Plus ticket before arrival for LESS than the DVC-discounted UPH. The only benefit to the UPH was that there was no limit on visits to the waterparks, PI and DQ.

So I guess you could argue that a discount on other ticket media would be nice to have, but historically such discounts were not very beneficial to members. Not nearly as much as the current AP discounts.

 

[Sammie]

Any perks would be nice. Personally I would simply settle for getting what I bought into. A clean, well maintained room and good service equal to or better than Disney resorts.

Lately that has not been the case.

 

[dmoore22]

Any perks would be nice. Personally I would simply settle for getting what I bought into. A clean, well maintained room and good service equal to or better than Disney resorts.

Lately that has not been the case.

Interesting. We've noticed the opposite our last couple of trips this past year.

 

[linney94]

AP/PAP = Annual Pass/Premium Annual Pass
MYW = Magic Your Way tickets
TIW = Tables in Wonderland dining discount card

AP/PAP discount information is provided at dvcmember.com and the "unofficial" Disney sites like wdwinfo.com and allears.net

MYW information can be found at the official disney.go site and, again, the unofficlal sites. MYW discounts can be found at mousesavers.com

Tables in Wonderland (formerly the Disney Dining Experience) can be located at the Annual Passholders website and, again the unofficial sites previously mentioned.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will now investigate!!!

 

[thelobstershanty]

Any perks would be nice. Personally I would simply settle for getting what I bought into. A clean, well maintained room and good service equal to or better than Disney resorts.

Lately that has not been the case.

Sadly, I must agree.

 

[Feebs]

We got a great deal for last december. 42% off rack rate at SSR with free dining, an offer to the Brits We got 15 days at SSR in a 1 bed, something we could never have afforded with our DVC points.
With the points we saved we transferred a cash cruise to points. Very happy with the situation.
As a perk can we DVC owners have the TIW card - pretty please.

 

[movie77]

What kind of discounts are you really looking for? We already paid for our rooms at a price that doesn't go up... so when rooms are at premium prices you are getting a much better deal. Disney has no incentive to give free dining for pre-paid rooms... Besides, if you do the math and rent the points out that you would have used and booked cash for the specials, rarely do you get a better deal for equivalent rooms. I checked during the 4 for 7 deal and DVC points was the best way to go unless I wanted a "lesser" room at a moderate instead of a room at BLT or BCV or BWV. Since I'd rather have the nicer room, it was a no brainer for me.

They have cut and added perks... ultimately, I love the fact that we get such a deep discount on the APs. This is something that disney doesn't have to do, although it is smart business as it helps get DVCers down more often.

Would I love to see DIsney change some things? Sure... A loyalty points program for all Disney customers would be fantastic... points for passes, hotel stays, DVC purchases, etc. I think Disney is extremely shortsighted in not doing this, but I'm not running the show (although my ego and fantasies tell me I'd run it better than the people running it now... ) so its not my call. I'd love for Disney to reign in the ticket increases... yes it does bother me that Disney has doubled Single day tickets in price since 1998, while it took double that team to reach that level before. It really bothers me when many of the new rides lack the innovation that the old ones did and could be so much better.

But that doesn't mean I think they should discount me because I'm DVC. I, like many others, just feel the product is not nearly as good as it used to be, even if I still enjoy it. And ultimately, I'm part of the problem because, despite all the garbage Disney does lately, I still go back and give them my money. THey have no reason to change until a large majority force change. Which I doubt will happen.

I think a loyalty program makes a lot of sense. The more I go to the movies the more free tickets I get. We often get a 2 bedroom even though we could do with a one bedroom because we're always dragging someone with us. I'm sure that DVCers are some of the best sales people Disney has so a little more love wouldn't hurt

 

[dmoore22]

I think a loyalty program makes a lot of sense. The more I go to the movies the more free tickets I get. We often get a 2 bedroom even though we could do with a one bedroom because we're always dragging someone with us. I'm sure that DVCers are some of the best sales people Disney has so a little more love wouldn't hurt

I did get my DVC gift cards (maximum allowed) from the phone referral program. Every little bit counts.

 

[yitbos96bb]

you do read the disboards? with that statement i'd guess not much

Yes... I also have friends who work at the various hotels. Maybe our definitions of common are difference, but no they are NOT a common occurrence in comparison to the volume.

And check out the post numbers, etc before asking if someone reads the boards. Would I have close to 2000 posts if I didn't?

 

[tjkraz]

I think a loyalty program makes a lot of sense. The more I go to the movies the more free tickets I get.

Loyalty programs are typically found in industries where multiple vendors offer virtually the same product.

You can buy the same paper clips and toner cartridges from Staples, Office Max or Office Depot so they each create incentive programs to help earn the business.

You can fly between major US cities on dozens of different airlines. Skymiles and other perks programs exist to encourage loyalty to one vendor over another.

When you need a hotel for the night, you can get pretty much the same offerings from Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and more. So again they use reward programs to encourage loyalty to one brand.

But when it comes to theme park entertainment, Disney doesn't have any real competition at this time--particularly when in comes to the AP-holding, DVC-buying die hards who are going to visit the parks regardless.

I'm sure that DVCers are some of the best sales people Disney has so a little more love wouldn't hurt

From Disney's perspective, I suspect they know that enough is never enough when it comes to discounts. We already get AP discounts, free Internet, discounts on dining, recreation, shopping, spa services, etc. That's quite a bit of love when viewed as a whole.


If members got access to seasonal passes or the TIW card, people would want more.

If members received 10% off at all restaurants, people would still want more.

Enough is never really enough.

 

[dmoore22]

From Disney's perspective, I suspect they know that enough is never enough when it comes to discounts. We already get AP discounts, free Internet, discounts on dining, recreation, shopping, spa services, etc. That's quite a bit of love when viewed as a whole.


If members got access to seasonal passes or the TIW card, people would want more.

If members received 10% off at all restaurants, people would still want more.

Enough is never really enough.

I think I've had enough -- of this thread.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

Keep in mind that any "perk" DVC gives us must be paid for, the only way to do that is through dues. The perks we do get intice us to spend more money, the AP discount is a huge savings and something no one else gets. There is a special resident price but that's to get the locals in. We also get up to 20% at a lot of resturants, the spa and T-times..

We can't judge our value based on what someone else gets, I got what I consider a good deal for me if someone else does better good for them.

Well, while I agree that the WDW DVC AP is a good deal, it's not such a good deal for us west coasters. To buy a Disneyland Premium AP (365 days same as the WDW AP), DVC members get $20 off the first purchase. The same as your AAA discount! And NO DISCOUNT on any AP renewals.

On a WDW Annual Pass, DVC members get $100 off the $489 price- roughly 20%. That's a great discount. For a DLR Annual Pass, DVC members get $20 off- roughly 5%.

And it gets better when you compare renewals. A WDW AP renewal costs $449. DVC members get $105 off, which is 23%. A DLR AP renewal costs $409. DVC members get 0% off, paying the same as everyone else at $409.

I expected that to change once VGC officially opened, but nope... If there are any second class citizens around here it's the VGC folks!!

Truthfully, the AP discrepancy is the only "perk" that bothers me. I'd like to see it more equitable. Otherwise, I don't really care. I bought in for the larger accomodations, and ability to do some light cooking. We definitely don't want to do value rooms, and with a teen who no longer wants to share her bed/pull out couch with her little brother, buying into a resort with a sleeper chair in the one bedroom totally made sense for us. Free dining is no incentive for us. We are very happy with our stays at VGC and AKV so far!