Do we really know what the other 'benefits' of membership are doing to be? Such as what the special membership gift might be for example? Something a bit more than a pin badge produced in the tens of thousands, I hope!
The WDCC Collectors Society, for example, gives you a very nice membership sculpture worth at least the cost of their annual dues, plus 4 colour magazines a year, pin badge, etc.
I used to be a member of the good old Magic Kingdom Club, which gave you much the same quoted benefits as D23 - more really, when you included resort and general Disney merchandise discounts too - for a fraction of the cost. To me, everything else that D23 lists as a membership 'benefit' would appear to be basically opportunities to buy products or to pay to attend an event (attending the Expo is not included in your membership price as far as I know, it's extra, yes?).
So for me here in the UK, $140 for a 4-issue magazine subscription seems a bit much. Especially when you compare that to something like the excellent
Celebrations magazine, which gives SIX issues of a well produced, in-depth glossy colour magazine for $29.99 (plus a much more reasonable $25 charge for six lots of international postage).
So what have I missed? Apart from a nicely framable membership certificate of course - for which (surprise!) they will happily sell me an expensive frame...
Or am I just getting to be an old cynic at heart?
Andre