Evening Magic Hours for Deluxe Guests Only

[Marionnette]

who owns that hotel?

Well, the Deluxe Villas are owned by DVD, DVC and to a lesser degree the DVC members. I fully expect that the cost of these evening hours are going to hit me up in the dues department next December.

The other resorts are owned by the Disney Parks, Experiences and Products division of the Walt Disney Company.

I understand your disappointment and perhaps a feeling that Disney doesn't value you as a customer. Believe me. DVC owners have been feeling like the redheaded stepchildren for years, and we have made a decades-long financial commitment to Disney. You would think that they would show us more love than they do.

 

[ST1TCH]

Wow.....the Disney cheerleaders are sure out in full force in this thread. Disney can do no wrong in your eyes I guess. I've often taken their side as well, but this may just be a step too far.

However you land on the rich/poor, making more/making less opinion.....my wife and I would be considered those in the higher category. But here's the thing, when you look at the "rich" (people like Buffet, etc) they stay that way by being frugal and investing their $$. Maybe it's just a mental thing for us, but we refuse to pay more than $200-250 a night for a hotel, no matter where we go. Disney is no different. Can we afford Deluxe hotel rates? Absolutely. Are they worth $600-900 a night? Absolutely not. If you truly think that adding in a couple hours of EMH a few times a week makes them worth it, I got some ocean front property in Arizona for ya.

And I've seen it more than once in the thread saying that the values are a Motel 6 with no benefits. Are you kidding me? It's clear you've never stayed at one. They have the same transportation options (minus monorail for the big 3) and some actually have an added transportation of the gondolas that most deluxe resorts don't have. They are good size rooms that can hold 4 adults, they have resort pools, on-site dining (and why having a table service on-site is a reason to pay those rates? no idea), and I could go on.

We're at the point in our lives (late 40's) where we want to travel more. I just don't personally grasp the mindset that you budget all year to splurge on a week+ at Disney in Deluxe resorts. Do you not take any other trips throughout the year? Wouldn't your life be more satisfying if you took a week+ at Disney in a value and then later in the year took a cruise to the Bahamas or Caribbean with what you saved (Carnival or Royal Caribbean, don't even get me started on the bloated rates for DCL)?

For the cheerleaders who don't understand reason, it's this simple......there was a perk for ALL on site resorts up until covid. Now that perk has been removed and added only to Deluxe resorts. Something was taken away from 2/3 of Disney resort levels that was included in the past. Value rates did not decrease due to the removal. People have an obvious right to be upset about that.

The longer all of you continue to pay bloated rates for Deluxe and invest $20-30k up-front in a perceived value of a timeshare, Disney will just continue down this path and make it worse and worse. It's clear the masses aren't voting with their wallets, they just go to the internet and vent and then continue to keep paying out the nose.

 

[Dsny4fun]

Wow Disney, 20 pages of mostly unhappy customers....you might want to invest in some better PR people cause this announcement didn't go well !

 

[Kmedders]

Are you expecting a room discount when DME goes away too?

Exactly. The mentality of "Well he gets a perk, so I deserve a perk" doesn't make sense to me. You pay more to stay at certain hotels on site, you get more. People who want the perk have the choice to pay the extra money to get it. Disney "perks" have always been available for a period of time - they are not guaranteed with your ticket purchase or room booking unless it is offered to you at the time of booking. Customers can choose to accept the way the company is going, or not.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Exactly. The mentality of "Well he gets a perk, so I deserve a perk" doesn't make sense to me. You pay more to stay at certain hotels on site, you get more. People who want the perk have the choice to pay the extra money to get it. Disney "perks" have always been available for a period of time - they are not guaranteed with your ticket purchase or room booking unless it is offered to you at the time of booking. Customers can choose to accept the way the company is going, or not.

i think you're seeing people say "nope, i paid so much before for that perk, now they want me to pay more but not have that perk, i think i'll do something else instead then."

 

[Marionnette]

Are we sure that the good neighbor hotels will be included with 1/2 early in the am? It seems like they should not be included.

For the evening hours does it include all DVC? Including OKW and Saratoga? I guess I thought of them more as Moderate DVC, but I am really not sure how Disney designates them.

From January's announcement:

Early Theme Park Entry: We know how much guests enjoy extra park time, so coming later this year as part of our 50th anniversary celebration, Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels will be able to enjoy more fun with 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park, EVERY day.​

I interpret that to mean some hotels other than the Disney brand. But that was January and things may have changed since then.
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2021/01/a-look-ahead-at-walt-disney-world-resort/

 

[Meglen]

Wow Disney, 20 pages of mostly unhappy customers....you might want to invest in some better PR people cause this announcement didn't go well !

I think there PR person is very outta touch with reality. Or a cat just hitting buttons who knows haha

 

[anomamatt]

Sorry, it absolutely is true.

Pre-Covid, ALL guests had access to EMH, FP+, MDE etc... Yes, those with money had the ability to do extra things, but ALL guests got the exact same included perks whether you were staying in a Value or Deluxe resort. The things you're listing off aren't perks - they're extra things they pay for. Huge difference.

You are equating the old EMH to this new version. And while we don't have all the details, this new version will be drastically improved to where I'd call this quite different from anything that has been offered before. With the number of deluxe hotel rooms, this will be like Moonlight Madness or Disney After Hours levels... nothing like EMH. So, to me, this is a new perk that people can choose to pay for (by upgrading your room). No different than Early Morning Magic or Disney After Hours pre-pandemic (where you pay more for super low crowds in a park).

 

[ChipnDale79]

I think there PR person is very outta touch with reality. Or a cat just hitting buttons who knows haha

been a couple of things like this the past few years.

 

[Marionnette]

Wow Disney, 20 pages of mostly unhappy customers....you might want to invest in some better PR people cause this announcement didn't go well !

Yep. A complete PR misstep and just another sign that there's a huge disconnect between the decision-makers and their customers. This could have been done in a different manner if the goal was to put heads in beds at the deluxe resorts and sell more DVC contracts.

 

[Devil13]

This doesn't out right exclude anyone either. Anyone can book at a deluxe resort, the same as anyone can buy tickets to an after hours party

Not in the same league. MNSSHP went to Boo Bash at ~$80 price increase (which is still a crime). The difference in a week between Pop and Poly is probably ~$5K.

That like saying anyone who has a drivers license can just as easily buy a Lamborghini as they could any other car, they just choose not to.

If it's free for Deluxe guests and an upcharge for others, I'm OK with it. Just don't think they should really be going in this direction. As others have said, Universal becomes more appealing every day Chapek is in charge.

Also, does this just signal that the Deluxe rooms aren't worth it on their own or will they be raising prices on those rooms too?

 

[dez1978]

The evening hours will really only help APs or people who purchase hoppers. You know darn good and well they won't announce the days/parks schedule far enough in advance for anyone to make park reservations on the right days to take advantage of them.. They'll announce it maybe 2 months ahead of time after everyone has made dining reservations and park reservations and the park reservations will be too full to change to that park that day to take advantage. No only is it a way to push people to stay deluxe, but it also pushes people to spend more on tickets. We have DVC so it doesn't cost me more to stay there, but we never buy hoppers, nor do we go enough days for an AP. So even for people who have DVC or are already staying deluxe it will cost more to utilize this. I'm not complaining, bc it is what it is. But just pointing out it's not just this miraculous thing that just dropped magically in our laps that will just be easy peasy to take advantage of.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

I think you picture deluxe resort guests as the laid back, few hours at the park but then relaxing poolside most of the day type...

I'll be relaxing by the pool avoiding the peasants, Lovey.

 

[cakebaker]

I'll be relaxing by the pool avoiding the peasants, Lovey.
View attachment 586049

What??? No cabana? You’re really roughing it. I simply must have my personal attendant and complimentary fruit tray or it’s just not vacation!

 

[Meglen]

The evening hours will really only help APs or people who purchase hoppers. You know darn good and well they won't announce the days/parks schedule far enough in advance for anyone to make park reservations on the right days to take advantage of them.. They'll announce it maybe 2 months ahead of time after everyone has made dining reservations and park reservations and the park reservations will be too full to change to that park that day to take advantage. No only is it a way to push people to stay deluxe, but it also pushes people to spend more on tickets. We have DVC so it doesn't cost me more to stay there, but we never buy hoppers, nor do we go enough days for an AP. So even for people who have DVC or are already staying deluxe it will cost more to utilize this. I'm not complaining, bc it is what it is. But just pointing out it's not just this miraculous thing that just dropped magically in our laps that will just be easy peasy to take advantage of.

If not enough people utilize this perk due to what you speak about they will just stop offering it. If not enough food and merch is sold it won't make enough for there bank accounts to pay the staff and stuff.

 

[dez1978]

Not in the same league. MNSSHP went to Boo Bash at ~$80 price increase (which is still a crime). The difference in a week between Pop and Poly is probably ~$5K.

That like saying anyone who has a drivers license can just as easily buy a Lamborghini as they could any other car, they just choose not to.

If it's free for Deluxe guests and an uncharge for others, I'm OK with it. Just don't think they should really be going in this direction. As others have said, Universal becomes more appealing every day Chapek is in charge.

Also, does this just signal that the Deluxe rooms aren't worth it on their own or will they be raising prices on those rooms too?

No one is excluded from buying a Lamborghini if that's what they choose to work and save money for I suppose. Except those are well over 200K. You could rent points and stay at Poly for not really much more than Pop. MNSSHP vs Boo Bash. Not any closer to being in the same league than your lambo example. Boo Bash is priced pretty closely to any regular after hours event that was had before. At least for some nights. And and after hours event is exactly what it is. Its not a party.

Im 100% sure they will raise the price on Deluxe rooms, just as they will on every other room, like they have forever. Which is why we bought DVC.

 

[Meglen]

No one is excluded from buying a Lamborghini if that's what they choose to work and save money for I suppose. Except those are well over 200K. You could rent points and stay at Poly for not really much more than Pop. MNSSHP vs Boo Bash. Not any closer to being in the same league than your lambo example. Boo Bash is priced pretty closely to any regular after hours event that was had before. At least for some nights. And and after hours event is exactly what it is. Its not a party.

Im 100% sure they will raise the price on Deluxe rooms, just as they will on every other room, like they have forever. Which is why we bought DVC.

Yup prices going up. I'm gonna assume even renting will go up 1-2$ pp soon

 

[Roxyfire]

As someone who stays deluxe almost exclusively, I can honestly say that this would have no impact at all on whether or not I decided to stay deluxe. Especially now with the park reservations being a thing. Having to try to balance meal reservations, and EMH to fit into certain (reserved) days just to get a couple (if we are lucky) of extra hours in a park on a given night seems like more of a headache than a perk. We have hardly even used them in recent years to be honest. The perk has diminished a great deal from the days when you could see Spectromagic from the top of Spash Mountain on your 8th ride in a row at midnight. I can see how people are upset about it, especially as this used to be a free perk. But it certainly isn't anything to get excited about on the other side either.

Feels like a crowd diversion method to me.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Can I just add one more thing to this thread? I am so happy we no longer are having debates about masks.

Maybe I just need to give it some more time, though...

 

[jennyq87]

Wow Disney, 20 pages of mostly unhappy customers....you might want to invest in some better PR people cause this announcement didn't go well !

Especially if you're going to announce something like this in today's climate... where it seems people are hyper-sensitive to "have/have not" topics. I think one of the best things about Disney is feeling like you get to escape from some of that reality for a bit. It's not like people don't know that more $ affords you more opportunities in life. I just think things like these (and classifying hotels as "value, moderate, deluxe" to begin with) takes away from that ability to escape. To take a break from feeling compared and ranked and just enjoy the magic. So while I get it from Disney's perspective, I also understand why people are not psyched about it.