Moonlight Magic: Worth Direct?

[NikkiL]

Hey y’all,

So, I’ve been researching DVC for a while now, and just started listening to the DisUnplugged. I had almost certainly decided when I took the plunge, I was going to buy resale, because none of the perks really woo’d me. I plan on buying an AP, not too worried about the discounts, then of course TiW. The member cruises, after watching the episode about those, didn’t impress me much. So I didn’t have much of a reason to go for a direct sale contract.

Monday’s DVC show about Moonlight Magic really had me questioning that though. Like Pete said, nothing else is impressive, but an exclusive after hours party sounds like an amazing perk. I know they can cancel this perk and others at any time, or make it less perk-ish (less characters, cost money, no food, etc, etc), but I’m really wondering if it’s worth it.

So, if Moonlight Magic is appealing to someone, do you recommend doing what Pete did, buying direct for the minimum to get the blue card? With Riviera on the market now, and the restrictions with that whole thing, it’s seeming like they’re trying to make buying direct the thing to do—at least get as many people under that 75 point mark as they can.

Furthermore, if MM makes it worth direct... what do y’all think of the Riviera promotion through May, the buy 175 points and get 2,200 (or something like that) off the price?

Thanks friends!

Edited to add: So, I just looked up the dates and saw that one of the ones at Typhoon Lagoon is during my honeymoon trip in September. So definitely would have the opportunity to use this perk at least once this year, should I take the plunge this way. Thoughts?

 

[dclpluto]

Hey y’all,

So, I’ve been researching DVC for a while now, and just started listening to the DisUnplugged. I had almost certainly decided when I took the plunge, I was going to buy resale, because none of the perks really woo’d me. I plan on buying an AP, not too worried about the discounts, then of course TiW. The member cruises, after watching the episode about those, didn’t impress me much. So I didn’t have much of a reason to go for a direct sale contract.

Monday’s DVC show about Moonlight Magic really had me questioning that though. Like Pete said, nothing else is impressive, but an exclusive after hours party sounds like an amazing perk. I know they can cancel this perk and others at any time, or make it less perk-ish (less characters, cost money, no food, etc, etc), but I’m really wondering if it’s worth it.

So, if Moonlight Magic is appealing to someone, do you recommend doing what Pete did, buying direct for the minimum to get the blue card? With Riviera on the market now, and the restrictions with that whole thing, it’s seeming like they’re trying to make buying direct the thing to do—at least get as many people under that 75 point mark as they can.

Furthermore, if MM makes it worth direct... what do y’all think of the Riviera promotion through May, the buy 175 points and get 2,200 (or something like that) off the price?

Thanks friends!

Edited to add: So, I just looked up the dates and saw that one of the ones at Typhoon Lagoon is during my honeymoon trip in September. So definitely would have the opportunity to use this perk at least once this year, should I take the plunge this way. Thoughts?

Totally not worth it. I been to two both at animal kingdom. It’s nice but really nothing special. Couldn’t get into one at Epcot even thou I tried the same day it opened.

 

[Ben E N]

It's a fine, even nice, perk. Certainly not worth the price difference just to get it, though. Your money would be much better spent on their different upcharge extra hours events for much cheaper.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The problem is that more members want to go then there is room for! I have not gotten into two MM’s that I have tried for.

However, unlike some others here, I really do like Member Cruises, and I do take advantage of the Lounge at Epcot and purchase AP’s and TIW, so, I think the perks of owning direct points are worth it. The 3 MM’s that I have been to were fun, especially the one at Magic Kingdom.

 

[msjprincess]

No. It would be very expensive for a few hours of fun. There's no guarantee you'll be able to get it. It's a perk that could go away at any time.

 

[jarestel]

MM is wildly popular with the membership and can be a tough ticket to get. Would I pay thousands of dollars extra just to attend one? No, not just for that, but since I'm eligible to participate anyway, it's definitely a perk that I can appreciate and make use of.

 

[Debbie Jean]

MM is wildly popular with the membership and can be a tough ticket to get. Would I pay thousands of dollars extra just to attend one? No, not just for that, but since I'm eligible to participate anyway, it's definitely a perk that I can appreciate and make use of.

And remember you aren't even paying thousands of dollars to actually attend... you are paying for the opportunity to TRY to get a ticket! Raise your hand, out there, if you tried but couldn't get in!

I did go to an EPCOT MM but have to say it was a one and done for me.

 

[jarestel]

Raise your hand, out there, if you tried but couldn't get in!

I'm not local, so staying on-site during an MM event greatly increases the chances of success. Been to two, no problems getting in to either and found them to be quite enjoyable. But as I said, it's very popular with members and can be a tough ticket.

 

[chicagoshannon]

We love Moonlight. However it's only been happening for 3 years and it can go away any time. For all we know this year could be the last. I wouldn't buy direct just for it.

 

[szymcl]

Not worth thousands of dollars, fun if you can get in. I got into the one at Magic Kingdom, but was not able to get Epcot for this year, or Hollywood Studios last year.

 

[jjwelch24]

We love Moonlight. However it's only been happening for 3 years and it can go away any time. For all we know this year could be the last. I wouldn't buy direct just for it.

I agree. We did Moonlight Magic at HS and it was the best experience we've had at WDW in the last 10 years. We love to go on the rides and with no lines our family had the best time.

 

[kniquy]

So, if Moonlight Magic is appealing to someone, do you recommend doing what Pete did, buying direct for the minimum to get the blue card? With Riviera on the market now, and the restrictions with that whole thing, it’s seeming like they’re trying to make buying direct the thing to do—at least get as many people under that 75 point mark as they can.

Furthermore, if MM makes it worth direct... what do y’all think of the Riviera promotion through May, the buy 175 points and get 2,200 (or something like that) off the price?

Buying for any perks is a big NO. Buying for moonlight magic again is no - definitely not worth it to buy direct just for that. This is taking everything into considerations looking at what you would save buying resale vs direct. i'm currently looking at a 100 pt poly contract and to buy resale vs direct would save me $9000. For that amount of savings i would rather have the money in my pocket and pay for other special events at WDW.

As for buying Riviera -- this is a dicey situation. When people have bought resorts direct in the past there is typically a very strong resale market because the actual use of the contract (booking a room on property) is the same as a direct purchase (minus the perks) BUT Riviera will have more strict resale restrictions (can only use at Riviera) so this will likely dramatically affect the value if you need to sell. People don't usually buy with the thought of selling but it has been a bit of security if you buy that if you take a few trips and need to sell you will make back a good portion of your initial buy in. Just something to consider in your purchase. This is particularly a bad situation if you finance your purchase and you need to sell but still have a loan on the property -- you could end up upside down still owing more after selling your contract.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you figure this economically, figure that Moonlight Magic is roughly equivalent to Disney After Hours. So $100/ticket or so in your calculation.

But wait! Your trip might not coincide with MM! Or you might be one of those who can't get a ticket!

So if you're paying $5k extra for "direct perks," you'd need 50 MM tickets to make it 'worth it,' with it increasing from there on difference depending on resort and contract. (Poly direct vs. resale, you're looking at a much greater gulf.) You're allowed to book 4 per event or number in your unit, if you manage to get in. So assuming you're a party of 5 in a studio, you'd need to manage to be onsite, and get tickets, for 10 events.

And the events may not be there 5 years from now.

If direct otherwise makes sense, MM is a nice option if it works. But buying direct for MM is a purely emotional decision and should be recognized as such.

 

[mixmastertoy]

You are better off just buying the After Hours Events... they are better!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Nope.

Buy an After Hours ticket or some other party ticket and save yourself thousands of dollars.

The stars have to align just right to even attend these. They market them up to encourage direct purchases but it can be difficult and stressful to even get into one of them as they've become better known. How happy would you be to spend those extra thousands of dollars and then discover that you either aren't going to be at at WDW regularly during any of them or if you are to discover that you were unable to get a reservation for one? Or, the day will come that they stop them. The started for DVC's 25th anniversary and have become a good marketing tool for them but I don't believe they'll go on forever. We have gone when we've had things line up but we already were qualified for them. And they weren't as difficult to get in to. I cannot recommend purchasing direct for them though.

 

[Geomom]

You had already decided to buy resale--I'd stick with that thought. If the only 'perk' you think is worth it is the Moonlight Magic events, I wouldn't buy direct. Take some of that money you're saving and get After Hours tix--those will have fewer people than the Moonlight Magic events and it'll be easier to get into.

 

[D-Trick]

One thing of note: If memory serves me correctly Moonlight Magic events used to be 4 hours. Now they're 3 hours--closer to the 2 extra magic hours but with free food you have to wait in line for anyway. Yes, characters too but only if you're into that.

You'd have to plan a trip around it or be in the Orlando/LA area already. How often will that happen?

 

[disneynutz]

If getting a ticket was a sure thing and you didn't have to spend hours fighting to get a ticket. if you knew for sure that they will have X events per year and they announced the dates well in advance. If you knew that the sales people would keep offering it.

We attended an Epcot event. Waited in line to get our bands, waited to enter the park, waited 40 minutes for a ride that broke down, went on three other rides and watched a fireworks show. Waited in line to get a ride back to our resort.

Bill

 

[JETSDAD]

We're huge fans of Moonlight Magic events because we're big character fans. The EMM & DAH events do not have these characters.....I can do rides all day and not need to pay extra to do that. In February, after seeing the characters that were out for the first MK event, we were able to grab tickets to the second event, stalk to find a Studio for a single night, and drove down from Canada just for that event. All that said, no, I would not buy direct just for that purpose. When we added direct it only required 25 points so we did that but even that I would not have done just for MM....we did it for the savings that we could actually realize by getting the Gold AP. MM was just a nice bonus and we have been able to attend 3 events.

 

[zavandor]

I went to one, it was a nice experience, but I wouldn't pay thousands to get the small chance to attend one. I plan my vacations more than 11 months before travel date (to book cheap international flights) so I cannot adjust my vacations to match a party date. Also, party nights are booked in advance by people who want a better chance to get a ticket, so for me booking at 7 months it's almost a relief there wasn't one during my travel dates this year.
Disney After Hours paid events are very similar to what you get during a Moonlight Magic, are less crowded, are scheduled more nights and easy to get in. For maximum savings and minimum stress, save thousands buying direct and then book an after hour event.