Any news when DVC members can get an annual pass???

[AvidDisReader]

Three years ago we had the decision, do we renew our annual passes or let them expire. Our 2020 May vacation to WDW was canceled, everything shut down. We talked it out, in a normal year we go at least 2 - 8 day trips to WDW and sometimes sneak in a third 6 day trip. So we decided to keep them since I did not trust Disney to continue to offer. For once I made the right decision, as we still have the annual passes and continue to go at least twice a year. How important is DVC to the Disney corp, I have mentioned this before: prior to Covid 19 shutdowns, DVC had the highest RIV in all of Disney's segments, by FAR. The decision to not offer Annual Passes to DVC members in my opinion is very short sighted and will have long term negative effects.

 

[RoseGold]

DVC had the highest RIV in all of Disney's segments, by FAR.

I mean yea, but DVC also cannibalizes hotel rooms and competes with itself through rentals. That income offsets other income that maybe would have gone to Disney in another way over time. Decades later, members and renters are just booking DVC BC instead of paying $900/night to Disney.

I mean make no mistake, Disney does fine on dues. But it's not like the crazy hotel rates Disney has managed to pull off lately.

 

[gmi3804]

You would think Disney would incentivize direct sales more.

What, free parking when staying on points isn’t enough?!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Maybe I'm a frugal person or I'm more conscious with my money, but for the life of me I wouldn't even imagine forking out $4000-$5000 per year (size of our family) for a product that I won't use or use to it's potential. To me, this is nuts. Imagine putting that money into investments, stocks, charities, or even using it for another vacation.

It's investing in future savings; which is basically the same thing you did when you purchased DVC in the first place. No one would have expected you to realize the full savings of purchasing DVC the year you purchased it. The ROI is years in the making.

Lets say I am able to renew my AP for 3 years, but I am not able to replace it. I do not use it this year which costs me about 1K per person. So I spend 1K to retain that future savings. Now say next year I want to take 3 trips. So I am still paying 1K. The next year I take 2 trips, and it costs me 1K. I have spend 3K per person for 3 years and 5 trips.

Now say I did not pay the 1K for year 1. Year 2 would have cost me 2.5K and Year 3 would have cost me 1.5K, for a total of 4K (assuming an 8 day ticket)

Am I likely double my investment of 1K in stocks? POSSIBLY. .

Now lets say Disney chooses to allow renewals for more than 3 years, but not allow new purchases. I know it seems unlikely, but then again no one thought AP sales would have been paused for 3 years, and here we are... Each future year brings more savings.

Bottom line - if I intend to keep going to Disney (and as long as I continue to hold DVC, I do), then it's cheaper to invest the 1K in future savings right now then to let that drop.

There is risk; just like there is risk in stocks; that Disney opens up AP sales again and that investment I did goes to waste. It's the same risk you take in any investment. I am betting that I am going to go to Disney MORE than once next year and that AP sales will not kick in prior to those trips. (Note, my annual cycle is September, and I am expecting a late September or early October trip). As long as that happens, I break even.

That does not include the ancillary savings that I get from an AP (discounts that do not apply to DVC), nor other extras like collectables for magnets, pins, and such.

No. I'm going to disagree. Tie it to resort stays. No 'good neighbor.' No S&D. No nothing unless it's a WDW hotel. Price it like an AP with a discount over 'normal' APs because it is tied to a WDW stay. And leave it alone. It will be no different than evaluating any other AP offering. The consumer decides if the value is worth it to them, just like we do with APs now. People with 1000+ points won't 'gain' the system, any more so that somebody with 200 will lose out.

Ok, you make a fair point. I agree with that. People who go a lot may save a lot more than people who do not go as much, but it still boils down to each individual making the assessment based on their expected travel which is the same as an AP today.

I withdraw my protest.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Here's an article on a non-park DVC visit. I think more and more people are starting to do this. As gmi3804 noted, our recent vacation without the parks was so much more relaxing.

https://www.disneydining.com/a-week-at-walt-disney-world-without-any-parks-js1/

This year we will be at WDW for almost three full weeks (we are taking a short trip to see family at the end of the first week). We will be doing a split stay and not doing any park time. No annual pass = no park time for me. I considered buying a few day-passes through Shades of Green, but DH and I have decided there is plenty to do on site without the parks.

The first week will be at BLT and we will fully explore all resorts in the area including WS, FW and possibly AKL (I know it's not in the area). We are doing a carriage ride one evening at FW during this time, something I have always wanted to do. The second two weeks will be at BW. We will make good use of the pool, boardwalk, boats, skyway and buses during that time. I'm looking forward to enjoying a meal at Olivia's, over the years I have heard very positive reviews so I'm happy that we will have time to go there this year. After dinner we will take the boat to DS and when ready a bus back to BW. We are also planning a carriage ride from PO during this second part of our stay. I think it should be a good time and I don't think we will miss the hastle and bustle of the parks. It will be interesting to see how it goes, I'm looking forward to a different kind of WDW vacation.

 

[AvidDisReader]

I mean yea, but DVC also cannibalizes hotel rooms and competes with itself through rentals. That income offsets other income that maybe would have gone to Disney in another way over time. Decades later, members and renters are just booking DVC BC instead of paying $900/night to Disney.

I mean make no mistake, Disney does fine on dues. But it's not like the crazy hotel rates Disney has managed to pull off lately.

The only rooms that DVC "cannibalizes" are rooms WDW is having a hard time filling. So no, there is no real competition of rentals. Disney has traditionally expected that there resorts be filled to 95% compacity. So when the Floridian was consistently below 85%, this was the reason they were more than happy to convert to DVC.

 

[RoseGold]

The only rooms that DVC "cannibalizes" are rooms WDW is having a hard time filling. So no, there is no real competition of rentals. Disney has traditionally expected that there resorts be filled to 95% compacity.

Of course hundreds of DVC BC/BW rooms are competing with cash rooms. Maybe not everyone would have paid cash Disney rates for it, but some would have.

 

[CarolynFH]

What, free parking when staying on points isn’t enough?!

Umm, even resale buyers get free parking when staying on points, so not exactly an incentive for direct sales!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Don't make me quote the 2022 annual meeting!

"All you bought was a room."

 

[DeeBee3]

Just looked at the Florida resident Disney magic ticket offering - sounds exactly like something I would use as a DVC member from outside of Florida.

 

[davidhr]

Here's an article on a non-park DVC visit. I think more and more people are starting to do this. As gmi3804 noted, our recent vacation without the parks was so much more relaxing.

https://www.disneydining.com/a-week-at-walt-disney-world-without-any-parks-js1/

My wife and I do this often. We like the parks, but we like the Disney bubble even more. We are perfectly fine spending a week there relaxing at the resort/pools, dining, Disney springs and other stuff. Even when we do parks we only do maybe half of the days of the trip.

We love going during the holidays just to escape for a week of the NE cold. We normally have two other trips per year that are our real “vacations”. Some years that’s a Disney trip with parks. Some years it doesn’t include Disney. But we always go for our week to relax. One of the main reasons we joined DVC. We can go and we don’t feel forced to go to the parks. That week is already paid for.

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

Attractions could be open, but maybe park hours are shorter because they don't have enough CMs, or attractions are running at low capacity sometime during the day. (Increasing park hours means increased capacity).
Not sure if it's still the case, but I've read Disney was still looking for a lot of positions and offering bonuses for some. Is WDW firing on all cylinders?

Several character breakfasts haven't returned (Akerhaus, Bon Voyage at Trattoria, 1900 Park Fare), which could keep guests busy with during the morning hours.

 

[MinnieSueB]

Just looked at the Florida resident Disney magic ticket offering - sounds exactly like something I would use as a DVC member from outside of Florida.

EXACTLY! That should have been offered to DVC as well! I have an AP but DH doesn't & we have made several trips having to buy day tickets that we're done until APs return. We have a Feb trip that I will have to cancel soon if something isn't announced & let's just say - I'm not holding my breath but revenge travel is starting to dry up at least by this summer by the looks of things.

 

[gmi3804]

Umm, even resale buyers get free parking when staying on points, so not exactly an incentive for direct sales!

 

[Sammie]

We did not get any ticket discounts when we bought DVC so it's not a big shock to us. I bought them some years when offered and other years it did not work out for us, time wise.

The question is not why DVC won't do this, as they have no power to offer ticket discounts. The question has to be why would, Disney parks want to do it for DVC. Believe me there are people that spend way more money each year on property than some DVC members and Disney parks knows that.

 

[Sammie]

So add more staff, open your amenities fully af Parks and Resorts and sell APs?

It is that simple.

They are trying to offer more staff. They can't just manufacture them.

 

[New Mouse]

They are trying to offer more staff. They can't just manufacture them.

They are trying to pay below market rate for staff. Yes, it's very hard to get employees when you don't value them.

 

[Sammie]

They are trying to pay below market rate for staff. Yes, it's very hard to get employees when you don't value them.

Yep. Seems to be happening everywhere. Employers want to offer low wages and or no benefits and only part time work.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We did not get any ticket discounts when we bought DVC so it's not a big shock to us. I bought them some years when offered and other years it did not work out for us, time wise.

The question is not why DVC won't do this, as they have no power to offer ticket discounts. The question has to be why would, Disney parks want to do it for DVC. Believe me there are people that spend way more money each year on property than some DVC members and Disney parks knows that.

As it relates to the proposed Resort Stay Only AP, I think we have to be very careful. We tie that sort of offering to a small audience like DVC which was never what I 'proposed.' There are far more people, IMO; that would take advantage of an offering like this that DVC would only be a drop in the bucket for the number of people purchasing that ticket. I think Disney would be shocked at the number of regular hotel guests that would take advantage of an offering like this. I know a lot of families myself that go twice per year and buy MYW tickets, granted, sometimes with a hotel package offering; but those people spend boatloads of money in the parks every trip. Those people would probably even increase the number of trips if they had an offering like this. I have also talked to a lot of hotel guests through the years that would go twice a year instead of once, if 'it weren't for the cost of tickets.' I can't tell you how many times I've heard that while standing in a ride que.

Even if it was heavily discounted for everyone, I see the Resort Stay AP as a huge money-maker for WDW. What if they gave it away in package deals of a week or more for non-discounted rooms? Then those guests are 'protected' even if they want to go back again in the same year and no hotel room discounts are being offered? I know that doesn't happen, but that could actually be made into a strategy by Disney. I just think a ticket offering like this opens up so many opportunities for both the guest and Disney, even when you look beyond the relatively small subset that is DVC.

 

[Suz333]

We have a trip in a few weeks and another one for the RunDisney Springtime Surprise weekend, and we will not be going to the parks. We let our passes expire in October. Disney’s utter failure on Epcot’s 40th after the poor showing on Magic Kingdom’s 50th was the final straw.

Our trip later this month will involve some spend to Disney because we want to try some restaurants at Disney Springs and the resorts that we haven’t tried before, but on future trips I am going to do my best to spend money off property only.

Disney has been treating WDW like a cash cow long before Covid. They funneled money to Shanghai when the build went over budget and messed with their employee’ schedules to cut costs. I swear their ride maintenance plan seems to be “turn the lights down so the guests don’t notice the broken stuff” (Dinosaur, The great Movie Ride, Small World, Living With the Land, Spaceship Earth- all were allowed to deteriorate and their fix was to turn the lights lower (Dinosaur), just remove broken elements (or whole attraction- movie ride), or move elements ( that little boy selling newspapers used to face forward and was closer to the track on Spaceship Earth.)

I have zero desire to figure out the tax ramifications of renting out my points, or to give Disney fresh victims, err, guests. Disney only owes me a room for being a dvc member. Okay, I only owe them dues. We spend lots of money on our trips on souvenirs and food, but that gravy train is coming to a stop. The pendulum always swings back and forth, and I am petty enough and patient enough to use my points in ways that provide me lovely non-Disney-park vacations, untilDisney remembers the value we as dvc members bring. We’re planning on some Universal trips on an AP, probably in 2024 or 2025. (It would be sooner, but as advance planners, most of our vacation time is already spoken for about 18 months out.)

I just have to decide HOW petty I want to be. I’m thinking a shirt about using my pre-paid Disney hotel to visit Harry Potter world, that I could wear all over Disney….