Will the Annual Pass price increase matter to you and your vacation plans?

[DougEMG]

Too bad Disney doesn't price their GOLD annual pass like Universal does. It was only around $220 to get an annual pass to Universal with blackout days. I'd be all for taking away another month of blackout days if it meant a $100 reduction in the annual pass.

 

[Sammie]

No it will not change anything for us. We know pricing will increase. If the price becomes unreasonable for us we will just sell at that point. I don't like to stress out or get angry about luxuries in life...

That is my mantra exactly. Life is too short and full of real problems to fret and worry over DVC and Disney vacations. We have loved our trips and have great memories but if I stop going my life will go on and I am fine with that.

Also I am not going to be one to sit around and complain about the product often and yet keep going. That just seems foolish to me. When I honestly can say I am no longer a fan of DVC and Disney, I will find other places to vacation.

 

[Sammie]

I guess that I see myself as someone who posts the truth which is often negative which seems to be against the tide that Disney can do no wrong. Slowly Disney is chipping away at our love for the product and we have sold several of our contracts. At one point we would refer several buyers to DVC per year but as we experienced DVC changes and room issues we stopped doing so.

A visitor to the DIS sees plenty of posts on how magical Disney is and how people love their DVC, I provide a truthful and often dissenting opinion.

Bill

Just for clarification are you saying that if someone is still happy with DVC and does not experience the dissatisfaction with it that you do, that we are not being truthful?

I have no doubt that your experiences are as you describe them, but mine for instance happen to be very different. I for one never have problems with the website. I don't know why it works for me and not for you but I am very pleased with it. The changes to it might not be necessary but it doesn't bother me that they changed it.

I do know that if I ever got to the point I was as unsatisfied with the product as you appear to be, I would be spending my time and money elsewhere.

 

[sgtpet]

For my family, the cost is getting close to the breaking point. I am seriously considering cutting back on my DVC vacations and selling one of my contracts. I bought my ap vouchers a few months ago. I will activate them in November and that will be our last "annual style" pass.

 

[mort1331]

Well I think I remember buying DVC for the rooms, not the extras. Then I found out there are some discounts on things I was going to pay full price for anyway. Not seeing why all the anger, you are still getting a discount that the general pop is not. Cant seem to remember the last time our other timeshares gave us discounted snow skiing or boat rental. We are thankful for any price break, even if they are getting smaller.
I look at this the same as people who have a job that have a base salary and bonus structure. When there are bad years and no bonus, the crying comes out. Well I never saw once were someone said, Wait this is too much of a bonus, hold back some and save it for lean years. The same applies to DVC, no one complained when the great deal for the PAP came out few years back. But lots of crying when it wasnt repeated. Or replaced with the 4day/park pass of last year.
SUCK IT UP PEOPLE YOU BOUGHT INTO A TIMESHARE, THATS IT
Those who are selling, I say thank you. There will be more inventory for the people like me who has been looking for more selection. So bring on the sales.

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes, it will eventually affect us. It doesn't affect us in the immediate future as we activated passes in July (that we purchased last Feb. just days before the LAST price increase). So we're good thru next summer. We had 10 days last summer and DH & I are going in Nov. for a few nights (he has a conference at Coronado Springs) and we have 6 nights planned in January for a family trip - then we'll plan next summers family vacation for a big blowout before they expire. After THAT who knows. We probably won't do any more holiday centered trips and will do the lowest of the low AP's that has all the blackout dates. Now that DS is in college we may not even buy him an AP…. But I do feel a tad bit screwed over….we enjoyed being able to plan to go whenever we wanted to go and liked the spring break option when we felt like going.

 

[Anal Annie]

Yes it will affect our future plans. We are not happy that the ticket we are use to increased $120 Plus tax. Yes you get photo pass, but we don't normally get it and feel like it's being forced on us. If dvc wanted to let us buy Florida resident tickets, I would've preferred the silver ticket with no photo pass. I keep reading facebook messages where people are "upgrading their current ap" to gold. I see that as a downgrade. Yes people are getting photo pass, but now have black out dates. It's crazy. In addition, the increase of the TIW card is ridiculous. I bought my first one in 2005 for $50. Now 10 years later it will cost $150! My daughter and family were planning to visit in March a week before Easter and planned to buy a dvc ap. Now they are looking at a multi day pass. I think in the future we will have to plan our trips around our APs. We will have to rethink the TIW card after our old one ends. Overall, I always expect reasonable increases in both these tickets, but am disgusted in these increases. I especially feel awful for those who have to travel during holidays and don't have the flexibility. Vent over....

I agree - the TIW card price increase is over the top. I understand small incremental increases but THIS one was ridiculous. We have purchased our last one. Thankfully we have our current one to use thru our next 3 trips. But in the future we will eat more CS meals and our TS meals will be few and far between. They WILL NOT make more money on us for meals. Just will not do it.

 

[tjkraz]

We've already cancelled plans for a trip next summer and are reconsidering plans for late next fall, too.

(snip)

Here's the thing: the new pricing will likely do nothing to deter overcrowded parks...

Sure it will. You yourself are proof of that.

I think the greatest irony in this topic lies in the fact that the things Disney park guests seem to want most are 1) low prices and 2) low crowds. Those two just don't go hand-in hand.

Is there some element of greed in the pricing? Sure, there probably is. Disney knows that some people have no choice but to pay the higher prices. (Sidebar: There's also irony in my use of the phrase "no choice but to pay it" since EVERYONE HAS A CHOICE!)

Nevertheless, I'm sure Disney would like nothing more than to see some of its Christmas and Easter crowds shift from those periods to some other slower time of the year.

 

[tjkraz]

I agree - the TIW card price increase is over the top. I understand small incremental increases but THIS one was ridiculous. We have purchased our last one. Thankfully we have our current one to use thru our next 3 trips. But in the future we will eat more CS meals and our TS meals will be few and far between. They WILL NOT make more money on us for meals. Just will not do it.

We haven't eaten more than 2 or 3 TS meals during a weeklong trip in...maybe 6-7 years. No anger or bitterness on my part. I simply haven't seen the value there for a loooooong time.

But fear not...if history holds true, someone else will gladly take the tables you are vacating. With 30-40K people (avg) visiting each WDW park daily and just a handful of TS restaurants, they can afford "few and far between" meals from most families and still fill the restaurants. There are plenty of folks using the DDP or willing to pay full price to fill those seats.

I suspect Disney was very close to ending the TIW program altogether. Figured they'd give it one more go with the dramatic price bump to see how the public responds. If enough people thumb their noses at the new rate, it will disappear next go-around.

 

[jennib5426]

Was Thanksgiving week a black out date for new gold pass?
Can't seem to find list of black out dates for 2016

 

[disfountainofyouth]

What would Disney do if all the DVC members staying on property didn't buy tickets/visit the parks, did not eat on property, or shop on property for an entire week?
Instead we just treated DVC as a "timeshare" and find other things to do or just hang out at your resort. With the number of DVC rooms on property, that would surely make a financial impact on Disney! Maybe then they'd get a sense of how it feels to be treated after they take your money and then just expect you to just blissfully continue to open your wallet to their increases.

 

[zorro77]

Not changing at this time. Since we will be retiring in next 5 years it may mean a change. We travel from Minnesota at least twice a year for a couple of weeks and having the annual pass allows us to do what ever we want.

 

[4077]

I understand the sentiment, but this is one of those ideas that does ONLY that...show your sentiment. Reminds me of the "nobody buy gas on such and such a date...we'll show those oil companies". Would never happen, so they won't be bothered at all by such a statement... But, I get ya...

 

[DVC Mike]

Was Thanksgiving week a black out date for new gold pass?
Can't seem to find list of black out dates for 2016

The following blockout dates apply to the Disney Gold Pass: December 17, 2015 – January 1, 2016 and March 19, 2016 – April 1, 2016, December 19 – 31, 2016. January 1 – 2, 2017.

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[ldo]

What if "Instead we just treated DVC as a "timeshare" and find other things to do or just hang out at your resort?"
This is what we plan to do--we will enjoy the pools, ride bikes, watch outdoor movies, go to DTD, and venture over to Univ. We have some nonexipring tickets, which we will use for a day or two at WDW and we might get our teens a base 5 day pass every other year--but that's it. We can take a week-long cruise for almost the same price as tickets for a family of 4. We will cook our meals in DVC, eat off-site and only eat at Disney for a few meals. DVC is an excellent place to just enjoy the resort.

 

[nolanboys]

Sorry, but I was trying to quote and obviously messed up, so I had to edit. The quotes were about the price increase adversely affecting families.

Agree. I brought up this point on the disunplugged show yesterday on the comments. As we are a family with 4 kids who cannot take our kids out of school I see two problems:
1) because of added park costs, as much as we would have liked to have added on more points, this among other this definitely discourages us.
2) because of black out dates on the cheaper tickets (and the disunplugged podcast stated that they feel Disney will be moving to tiered pricing most likely by dates - meaning holidays and other times tickets will cost more) - means I will be taking my children less. I wish Disney would take into account that I have 4 kids. The more we go, the more likely they become lifelong fans, and the more likely they are to carry on that tradition.

 

[tjkraz]

What would Disney do if all the DVC members staying on property didn't buy tickets/visit the parks, did not eat on property, or shop on property for an entire week?

At that point, Disney will probably alter their approach. But until they see some dramatic decline in DVC member spending, I doubt they feel the need to tread lightly in great fear that it may happen.

Even if the numbers start trending in unfavorable directions, all they need to do is offer some limited time ticket discount and it will recover quickly. In a few years when Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom start to open new attractions, the business will come on its own.

 

[wdrl]

For me, Disney has never come down to just nickels and dimes (or $100 bills). Sure, money is important, but some things are priceless, such as watching my 5-year old niece ride the Teacups:

I think I will stay with Disney a while longer.

 

[Sleepy Sheep]

Well I think I remember buying DVC for the rooms, not the extras. Then I found out there are some discounts on things I was going to pay full price for anyway.

Ditto.

I used to stay at Value Resorts. Then I made the mistake of renting a friends points . And the rest is history.

I bought DVC for the beds and the towels. (Have you SEEN what passes for towels at a value resort?)

Disney has always been expensive. It's the price you gotta pay for magic.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

No, the increase will not make a difference to our family. I still find the Gold AP a good value compared to a Hopper ticket. Since we fly down, we spend at least 10 days in the park. A 10 day Park Hopper is $456. I can get two 10 day trips out of the AP and Memory Maker is included, which we love.