Why do Annual Passholders seem to have all the fun?

Is it just me?


  • Total voters
    34
  • Poll closed .

DvC for life

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jun 17, 2019
I just feel like ranting a little bit. Am I the only one who feels like annual pass holders seem to get more perks than DVC members. It might sound petty but it kind of annoys me. The latest thing that annoys me is that annual pass holders are getting first dibs to see Galaxy’s Edge with AP preview. Is anyone else felling this way or is it just me?
 
Because most of the perks come out of the division that runs the parks, and passes are a key source of revenue for that division.

DVC revenue belongs to a different disvision, and within certain limits, the division that deals with APs does not care about that other division's benefits, perks or revenue unless it helps them.

You see Disney as one company, but, it really is not. Similarly, parks does not care about ESPN, or about DCL.
 
It is only platinum and platinum plus annual pass holders that get access to the preview. I do wish they gave DVC something like a preview to SWGE, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen. I guess AP holders have access to the park anyways and DVC members don't so they make more money this way. Not really sure.
 
Thanks for posting this. I had been thinking to post a similarly titled thread several weeks back but based on a Disneyland offering rather than the DHS SW:GE previews. Indeed, it seemed to me, at the time, that AP holders were in a better seat than DVC.

(In case anyone is curious, the offering: This summer, DLR AP holders get one extra hour after closing every Thursday night to ride Soarin'. We took advantage on 7/4 and rode it 4 times in that special hour. Wouldn't it be cool if DVC owners got an extra hour after park closing ... in addition to the normal EMM? That is, if I could stay awake that late ... maybe.)
 


Wouldn't it be cool if DVC owners got an extra hour after park closing ... in addition to the normal EMM?

Parks would make DVC's division pay the labor costs for the additional hour, versus how they account for it on their own say-so. So that's the thing.
 
Fair point. Thanks!

Disney is really very siloed. Most of the benefits DVC owners want depend on the grace and favor of another division, or on DVD to pay that division for the privilege of offering the benefit. The pass discount works for Parks, because it creates a revenue stream, and benefits Parks gives based on those passes makes sense for them. But providing an extra benefit to DVC owners who don't have passes does not make economic sense for Parks.
 


Disney is really very siloed. Most of the benefits DVC owners want depend on the grace and favor of another division, or on DVD to pay that division for the privilege of offering the benefit. The pass discount works for Parks, because it creates a revenue stream, and benefits Parks gives based on those passes makes sense for them. But providing an extra benefit to DVC owners who don't have passes does not make economic sense for Parks.
Why wouldn't it make sense? DVC members pay annual dues, which are around the same amount as an AP. DVC members who vacation in Disney usually end-up spending normal costs for park tickets, if they are not APH. We spend just as much money as the next person at the Disney parks. We pay just as much, if not more to Disney as a whole. I understand that the AP money is allocated to the Disney Parks but we spend our money there too!!
 
If AP holders complain about not getting xxx then the argument is that the AP holders don't contribute as much in $$$'s to WDW as other people do. Probably cost them money. If DVC owners complain about not getting things that others get then the argument is that they don't contribute as much in $$$'s to WDW as other people do. :laughing:

Yes, in this case I'd have to say that DVC supports Disney more than the few Platinum AP holders that get to go to this. I doubt that's who earns them more is really the reason though. It's just that somebody decided they ought to have some previews for the new land to build excitement and picked a certain level of AP holders for it. A more manageable sized group to select from than to include all AP's. And I also don't think DVC put their membership into the ring to be included. No info on that though but it doesn't really follow their MO. Let DVC management know it's the type of perk you'd like to see. On the other hand WDW maybe hope it would encourage others to go for the Platinum passes in the hopes of other perks. Remember when DVC said they had a program they were working on for more perks to larger point owners? Oh my.
 
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DVC does offer the free after hours events throughout the year at the various parks. We haven't been able to take advantage of them, but that's a pretty big perk. We are PAP holders because we got such a great discount from being DVC members.
 
Why wouldn't it make sense? DVC members pay annual dues, which are around the same amount as an AP. DVC members who vacation in Disney usually end-up spending normal costs for park tickets, if they are not APH.

The maintenance fees go to the division holding DVC. It does.not go to the Parks division. So from a Parks accounting perspective, they give no bothers about your spending in DVC dues, as it has no direct impact on their P&L.
 
Didn't DVC get to preview Pandora? I know we went and I didn't think we had APs but maybe we did?

We bought the platinum+ AP when it was offered really cheap a couple of years ago, waited until literally the last day we could to activate it, specifically in anticipation of Star wars. Of course, I almost missed on on this preview because I am horrible with deleting Disney emails and didn't realize that they were even doing a preview. I just happened to open the email yesterday and got on disboards to figure out what was going on. Husband spent an hour waiting in the queue but we got what we wanted.

Why wouldn't it make sense? DVC members pay annual dues, which are around the same amount as an AP. DVC members who vacation in Disney usually end-up spending normal costs for park tickets, if they are not APH. We spend just as much money as the next person at the Disney parks. We pay just as much, if not more to Disney as a whole. I understand that the AP money is allocated to the Disney Parks but we spend our money there too!!
That's like saying that APs should be allowed into DVC events since they pay similar amounts.
 
Didn't DVC get to preview Pandora? I know we went and I didn't think we had APs but maybe we did?

We bought the platinum+ AP when it was offered really cheap a couple of years ago, waited until literally the last day we could to activate it, specifically in anticipation of Star wars. Of course, I almost missed on on this preview because I am horrible with deleting Disney emails and didn't realize that they were even doing a preview. I just happened to open the email yesterday and got on disboards to figure out what was going on. Husband spent an hour waiting in the queue but we got what we wanted.


That's like saying that APs should be allowed into DVC events since they pay similar amounts.
All I was saying is that it seems that APH seem to get more exclusive perks that DVC members don’t appear to get. I’m not saying that we don’t get perks. Also we are spending around the same amount, your APH price and our DVC annual dues, but we also had to pay for our DVC contracts on top of those annual dues. I’m just saying you have two groups of people that are contributing money to the Disney company annually and it looks like Disney hands out more perks or special events to one group more than another.
 
Firstly, you have to leave Disneyland out of this discussion - that park is largely based on pass holders, since its draw is very local, compared to WDW. There is what - 71 units in the VGC? DVC is a non-factor at DL.

It is part of senior management's job to make sure the divisions of Disney work together enough such that it is the best interest for the bottom line of the whole company. That being said, each division of Disney is going to have its own Profit and Loss statement, and each divisions managers are going to be compensated, at least in part, based on the performance of that division.

Our annual dues are to pay for the operations of the resort. That money does not go to the parks division.

Want to single out the passholder preview for SWGE? All you need is a platimum AP - which, but the way is over 200 dollars cheaper for a DVC member than it is for a non-member.

How will the parks division make more money by giving DVC members that sneak peak? They wont. But getting people to buy annual passes.........

We did pay out DVC contracts - but we got a piece of a condo on disney property!

I do not see a whole lot of difference in the perks. However I do get my AP car magnet!!!!!

Also, I wonder what percentage of DVC members are APHs as well?

The bottom line is the same it always is $$$

Want special perks from a certain division? Buy something from THEM and you will get them

I think it is a lack of understanding on how corporate accounting works. Simple example - as a DVC member, you book a disney cruise with your points. To you its done. But behind the scenes, DVC is talking to the cruise division, booking that room...THEN THEY ARE GETTING A BILL FOR THAT ROOM! DVC then rents out the room you opted out of to someone who will pay cash for it, and pays that bill.
This did not change disney's bottom line at all, but it did affect 2 divisions.
 
With the number of DVC members, I don't think there would be capacity for both, considering only 1 ride is open. That's why they cutoff AP's to Platinum and above. There might be something down the road.
 

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