What incentives are left to stay on-site?

[Summer2018]

Now that WDW will get you for parking at either resorts (overnight) or parks, 60d FP+ and EMH have been extended to several non-Disney-owned properties, are there any remaining incentives to stay on-site?
We have to be able to find something, right?

Never leaving the magical bubble. When the bubble pops, it feels like our vacation is over.

 

[2infinityandbeyond!]

Im not being a smart jerk at all so please dont take it that way...BUT the only incentive me and my family need to stay onsite is never leaving the magic. I mean we dont even like to leave or see anything off Disney property. Its the one true 100% way I can escape the madness of real life. If I cant stay onsite...Ill stay home. Just my thoughts.

 

[georgina]

I've enjoyed staying at Disney resorts for the proximity to the parks, DH and I rented DVC points for the Boardwalk in October. i have no feelings of 'magic' though from them, never did. Happily staying off site next trip and probably any future ones. (Always stay onsite at Universal though!)

We usually have a car to drive to the parks, I rarely buy any souvenirs I have to carry around, no real reason to stay onsite unless we want to be able to walk into Epcot.

 

[maxiesmom]

Of course. I think you may have taken that out of context and misinterpreted my post.

The bit in brackets is, essentially, a disclaimer that not all individual HK experiences are good - but that rather than defending HK on that level, I think, we should be looking to the policymakers. Disney gets away with a lot, because in defending the people on the front-line, guests often end up tolerating more than they should for the $$$ - which, in the end, only works for the execs! It doesn't help the HK staff either.

I agree. I think they got away with a lot more because of all the on site perks. And now that many of those are gone Disney is going to find people are not so forgiving if they get less than stellar service.

However I do wish some would stick to complaining about things that are truly service complaints. Complaining about no towel animals, or the fact that the minnie van service is so expensive are not valid service complaints. Finding someone else's junk in your fold out bed, that is a valid complaint. I think if someone tries to complain about too much and start adding on things like no towel animals they are likely to be tuned out.

 

[cjnix29]

Dining plan for us hadn’t been the money saver it once was for a long time. At first I was hesitant not getting DDP but I put what the cost of DDP was on a Disney Gift Card. I used this card for all my dining, including tips. We ate how we wanted, what we wanted. At the end of the trip we had quite a bit left on the gift card.

We do this exact same thing. I used that card for everything, souvenirs included. We ate how we normally would and had hundreds left over!

 

[Tink-osophy]

Dining plan for us hadn’t been the money saver it once was for a long time. At first I was hesitant not getting DDP but I put what the cost of DDP was on a Disney Gift Card. I used this card for all my dining, including tips. We ate how we wanted, what we wanted. At the end of the trip we had quite a bit left on the gift card.

We do this exact same thing. I used that card for everything, souvenirs included. We ate how we normally would and had hundreds left over!

Brilliant!

 

[Tink-osophy]

I agree. I think they got away with a lot more because of all the on site perks. And now that many of those are gone Disney is going to find people are not so forgiving if they get less than stellar service.

However I do wish some would stick to complaining about things that are truly service complaints. Complaining about no towel animals, or the fact that the minnie van service is so expensive are not valid service complaints. Finding someone else's junk in your fold out bed, that is a valid complaint. I think if someone tries to complain about too much and start adding on things like no towel animals they are likely to be tuned out.

I don't think there's anything wrong with lamenting the loss of Disney details/perks that people enjoyed or highlighting the fact that things are exorbitantly priced; these things just need to be directed at the right people. They're not Guest Service complaints and, as you say, can cloud issues of poor service.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

I wonder why Disney is charging a guest at a deluxe hotel more to park at a resort, than a visitor to a park. Something about that just doesn't sit right with me, in the midst of all else.

We would stay at other Disney hotels in between our DVC stays to try out the different resorts. Those days are over. My partner got 2 DVC surveys recently (we have a huge family trip in May) and in them he thanked WDW for making it easy for us to decide to try out the Four Seasons on our next trip(s).

 

[Farro]

We do this exact same thing. I used that card for everything, souvenirs included. We ate how we normally would and had hundreds left over!

I have a question about that. We did dining plan last time, but we really are not dessert people and there are times I wanted an appetizer for my main, which isn't allowed.

I want to "pre-purchase" in the same way (get it the heck out of my checking account before I spend it ), but
my fear is if I put a large amount on my Disney gift card and have money left over, what do I do with it? I don't buy Disney related items in normal everyday life.

Do visa pre-paid cards charge fees? Any other ways you do it?

I apologize, this is really off topic!

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

I have a question about that. We did dining plan last time, but we really are not dessert people and there are times I wanted an appetizer for my main, which isn't allowed.

I want to "pre-purchase" in the same way (get it the heck out of my checking account before I spend it ), but
my fear is if I put a large amount on my Disney gift card and have money left over, what do I do with it? I don't buy Disney related items in normal everyday life.

Do visa pre-paid cards charge fees? Any other ways you do it?

I apologize, this is really off topic!

The only thing you really can do is put it in a safe place and save it for the next trip. You can then add to it, or combine it to a separate gift card.

 

[Farro]

The only thing you really can do is put it in a safe place and save it for the next trip. You can then add to it, or combine it to a separate gift card.

Thanks! That probably doesn't make sense for us. I can either put it on pre-paid visa or....just make sure I spend it all on the trip! That shouldn't be too hard.

 

[Sue M]

Will you be returning to WDW again? You can save any balance for next trip. Or, don’t put entire amount on the card. Set some aside and if balance is dropping you can refill card. Since my first time was an experiment to compare the cost of DDP to what I actually eat. I now don’t put cost of DDP on the card because I know It won’t cost me that. So I have gone onto dining sites that give menu & price and underestimate cost a bit to put on GC. If I need to refil card I do.

 

[zillayen]

We stayed at AoA in 2016. As my son was pulling out the sofa bed, he found a coffee cup, SW light saber, and a couple of T-shirts behind the sofa bed. I may be wrong, but I do not think that WDW left them in our room for a House warming gift. Housekeeping has deteriorated...but it probably has to do with minimal pay raises for most of WDW's basic employees.

We found a bag of skittles (unopened) behind the daybed at our Yacht Club room last month. My kids thought it was a bonus and were mad that I wouldn't let them eat it. Housekeeping also left a few small toys under the beds from prior guests and many many dust bunnies too.

 

[snappy]

We found a bag of skittles (unopened) behind the daybed at our Yacht Club room last month. My kids thought it was a bonus and were mad that I wouldn't let them eat it. Housekeeping also left a few small toys under the beds from prior guests and many many dust bunnies too.

Another example of Disney's " enhanced guest experience"

 

[Summer2018]

Im not being a smart jerk at all so please dont take it that way...BUT the only incentive me and my family need to stay onsite is never leaving the magic. I mean we dont even like to leave or see anything off Disney property. Its the one true 100% way I can escape the madness of real life. If I cant stay onsite...Ill stay home. Just my thoughts.

Same. "escape the madness of real life." That is exactly how I feel.

 

[gratefulfred]

The values and moderates are only overpriced motels. I don’t know of any motels that charge for parking. I bet even if I’m staying offsite with my own car I could get back quicker then a lot of people waiting on Disney buses. For me there is no perk for staying onsite.

 

[maxiesmom]

The values and moderates are only overpriced motels. I don’t know of any motels that charge for parking. I bet even if I’m staying offsite with my own car I could get back quicker then a lot of people waiting on Disney buses. For me there is no perk for staying onsite.

Anytime I see someone post something like that, or that the values are glorified Motel 6s, I don't think the poster has stayed at any real motels. My second favorite vacation place is Mackinaw City. And those are motels. Disney values and moderates are worlds above.

 

[gratefulfred]

Anytime I see someone post something like that, or that the values are glorified Motel 6s, I don't think the poster has stayed at any real motels. My second favorite vacation place is Mackinaw City. And those are motels. Disney values and moderates are worlds above.

I’ve stayed at many motels from dives up and down the jersey shore to the roadside ones all over the east coast including the motel 6’s , I’ve also stayed at the all stars and really I’m not impressed by them at all, just overdecorated motels.

 

[Farro]

Anytime I see someone post something like that, or that the values are glorified Motel 6s, I don't think the poster has stayed at any real motels. My second favorite vacation place is Mackinaw City. And those are motels. Disney values and moderates are worlds above.

I compare them to motels (not bad) when describing - all the motels I've ever seen have outside corridors, like the values and moderates. That's all.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Thanks! That probably doesn't make sense for us. I can either put it on pre-paid visa or....just make sure I spend it all on the trip! That shouldn't be too hard.

Love the pre paid visa idea! Never thought of that! Thanks.