Why does DVC pass off the cost of transportation to the parks to members?

[BroganMc]

I can see how it could be argued both ways. But it isn't objectively wrong to call it a hotel expense, so I'd expect Disney to favor the approach that most benefits them. Especially since it's so clearly spelled out in the budget.

If a hotel or timeshare on I-Drive runs a shuttle to the Magic Kingdom, it's not a theme park expense. It's a hotel / timeshare expense. If a random Marriott offers an airport shuttle, that's not an airport expense. Same is true here, in that Disney transportation is a service provided to hotel & DVC guests. It's just a little more self-serving since Disney operates businesses at both ends.

Exactly. I also own weeks at Marriott Cypress harbor and Grand Vista which is located up by SeaWorld. One of the bugaboo's about that is that they have no transportation to anything parks. If they did, then I would have to pay for it in my annual dues. My annual dues are a lot less than they are for Disney because every guest has to bring their own vehicle.

Honestly it never occurred to me to object to subsidizing the bus transportation. One of the reasons we buy DVC is so that we can stay on property and use their transportation. That's the one thing we are guaranteed with our ownership. Discounts and park tickets are not guarantees.

Now if we could roll back time and have what they offered the original key West owners with free annual passes every year included in your membership, I would take that in a heartbeat. But that's not how market forces work. As soon as people were willing to buy without perks, Disney could justify dropping them. But notice how the market has chilled since they stopped offering sorcerer passes to DVC members? Nothing else encourages a business to offer benefits to its customers than a drop in sales.

 

[eticketplease]

The Grand Floridian Resort and the Villas of the Grand Floridian pay for buses to AK and DHS and for the monorail to MK and Epcot but not for the Skyliner or the Friendship boats.

There is a boat that is shared with PVB that goes to MK. Do VGF owners not have to pay for that as well? It is smaller I believe than the Friendship boats so could that be why it is not in their dues?

 

[hglenn]

Not all of the transportation is to parks. There's resort to resort, disney springs, etc. The cost is part of resorts whether cash or dvc. It's an amenity, whether you choose to use it or not. Sort if like you also still get charged for the parking lot whether you use it or not.

Exactly. We make several DVC trips and highly leverage the transportation to all places except the parks. One of the things I love about my Disney vacations is that I don't have to drive or park at all.... Fly in, take Disney transportation everywhere (or Uber), and fly out.

 

[Sandisw]

There is a boat that is shared with PVB that goes to MK. Do VGF owners not have to pay for that as well? It is smaller I believe than the Friendship boats so could that be why it is not in their dues?

The VGF and Poly owners also pay their share for the boats..I think it just was the point that each resort pays for the things that service thst resort and not things that do not.

 

[Mle8308]

If you are paying for a room you don't need the transportation. But if you buy a Park ticket then you do need the transportation . My point is that the transportation to the parks is for the parks and should be their expense. I'm sure it doesn't amount to much . Who does it benefit in the long run ; Disney or the customer. If Disney chose not to have any transportation to the parks it would cause an extreme stress on the system . They have to provide transportation and they should pay for it.

You can use transportation to get to Disney Springs or another resort, no park ticket needed. Or just for fun, as kids we'd annoy our parents by asking to do numberous loops on the monorail!

 

[SteveMouse]

This post is really in response to Disney not offering .. I keep hearing that we have bought an interest in a hotel room and that's it. If that's the case why are we paying for transportation to a park that we have to pay the same rates as everyone else to use. It seems like that should be a parks expense . The monorail; Skyliner and buses are all extensions of the parks are they not ? …

Part 1)) You have purchased a share in a resort, including a portion of a room and a share in the resort’s common areas and amenities.

Disney transportation services have long been an expense shared across multiple divisions. Generally speaking, resort hotels or DVC have responsibilities for the facilities on the resort property and a share of vehicles and infrastructure needed to connect facilities, akin to taxes a private citizen might pay to support road construction and maintenanc. Operational cost sharing may vary depending upon the route with non-park entities on the route sharing costs (similar to a bus ticket).

 

[DonMacGregor]

Part 1)) You have purchased a share in a resort, including a portion of a room and a share in the resort’s common areas and amenities.

I would have just stopped right there. Transportation is an amenity of the resort, just like housekeeping, the pool, the gym, wifi, movies on the lawn, etc. If someone chooses not to avail themselves of any other amenities, they aren't entitled to some discount off those either.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

Many off site hotels have their own shuttles to the parks. Disney doesn't pay for those shuttles. It's an amenity of the hotel.

 

[Yankee626]

Who paid for the Magical Express when it existed ? Wouldn't that be a hotel charge too ?

 

[tjkraz]

Who paid for the Magical Express when it existed ? Wouldn't that be a hotel charge too ?

Yes. Magical express was part of DVC dues.

 

[DebbieB]

Exactly. I also own weeks at Marriott Cypress harbor and Grand Vista which is located up by SeaWorld. One of the bugaboo's about that is that they have no transportation to anything parks. If they did, then I would have to pay for it in my annual dues. My annual dues are a lot less than they are for Disney because every guest has to bring their own vehicle.

Honestly it never occurred to me to object to subsidizing the bus transportation. One of the reasons we buy DVC is so that we can stay on property and use their transportation. That's the one thing we are guaranteed with our ownership. Discounts and park tickets are not guarantees.

Now if we could roll back time and have what they offered the original key West owners with free annual passes every year included in your membership, I would take that in a heartbeat. But that's not how market forces work. As soon as people were willing to buy without perks, Disney could justify dropping them. But notice how the market has chilled since they stopped offering sorcerer passes to DVC members? Nothing else encourages a business to offer benefits to its customers than a drop in sales.

The deal original owners got was free length of stay passes for the number of nights of their stay (not days) for half of the capacity of the room. So studios and 1 bedrooms got 2, 2 bedroom 4, GV 6. This was a purchase incentive that expired 12/31/1999 per the terms. When BWV opened in mid 1996, they ended this purchase incentive for new owners.