Yes, that's a good point, but...
They are marketing to both first-time visitors and repeat-visitors. To understand that it is necessary to understand that marketing to a customer does not mean placating that customer, i.e., providing everything they want, the way they want it, and also letting the customer decide how much to pay. A first-time visitor has more intrinsic value based on the same logic that justifies loss-leaders in consumer product marketing. A customer who will only repeat as a customer if the offering is just marginally profitable (or worse, unprofitable) is often not worth pursuing. There are far more lucrative ways to use limited capital than chasing after pitiful profit margins. Perhaps those realities make it seem like Disney is only marketing to first-time visitors, when viewed from the perspective of customers who would repeat-visit only if the offering was rich in features and cheap in price.
Nope, not what I mean at all. I don't want anything for free, nor do I buy cheap quality stuff - I'm the kind of person who will pay more for good quality stuff. My house is full of furniture that is made in Canada or US. It cost me thousands upon thousands of dollars to do so, but we feel it's important to support North American, and the quality is outstanding. So, this is not what I was referring to. I am referring to actual marketing itself - look at the commercials, posters, read the literature, etc. They are clearly first time visitors - as I said, most of the first timers I know, splurged on their trips, as they really only planned on going to Disney 1x, and so they get the dining plan and spend on other extras. I will agree with you that my family is a more pitiful profit margin for them on a regular basis - except when I spent thousands to purchase my DVC membership. Anyway, Disney makes far more profit on these families than they do mine, as we don't buy much merchandise at all, and we eat 2 meals in our villa.
Since human taste buds don't suddenly change when you leave Orlando for the first time, any significant difference in the perception of the quality of the food between first-time visitors and return visitors is almost surely attributable to the return visitors becoming jaded.
What does this have to do with anything? I'm not talking about repeat visitors - if food is cold, it's cold. If a server forgets beverages and you have to bus your own table, that's not good service. It's not about taste buds changing...it's about how a guest reacts to their dining experience. I have seen it and heard it from many of the people whom I have planned trips for, that they thought the food was outstanding, and the few who thought it wasn't, didn't complain, as they were so enamoured with their trip. So, I am not referring to repeat vistors becoming jaded, but the reaction of the first timers to their meals. Even if the food was not to their liking, none of them made a fuss at all. It's not about their tastebuds changing, as much as how they react to the food that they are presented. In my experience with all of the first timers who I have planned trips for, they thought everything was fabulous, and when they mentioned crowded restaurants or cold food, they thought this was the way it was supposed to be as it's a busy place.
Not I. Many of us DVC members understand the promises Disney made to us, and recognize that they fulfill those promises and then some. Again, I think there is something to be said about how for some folks familiarity breeds contempt.
So, are you assuming that I don't understand as a DVC member how it works? I absolutely understand the promises that DVC made to me- and that is for accommodations only; therefore, when I have issues with food or merchandise, I don't complain to Member Services, but to Disney. But, I have had issues with DVC housekeeping, and DVC Member Services, reservations, etc., and those I take up with DVC. I have no contempt towards DVC at all, but I see with DVC in some areas, the same practices that many companies utilize towards their most loyal customers - you do whatever you have to do to get them in the door, and once they sign up, you step away. You got their money, so on to the next guest. The problem with this, is that as DVC members we can sell our memberships, and never step on property again, and this costs them money. So, for the most part, they do a good job, but in some areas, like communication, website, changing
point charts, they need major work, and these areas are tipping points for some members, and they have sold their memberships because of it. It takes good balance, and sometimes, Disney's balance is off in this regard. They are marketing to all guests to become DVC members, yet they are now at a point where there may be too many members - housekeeping is suffering in some areas, and MS is overwhelmed at times. How are they going to improve?
There are some areas where DVC seriously dropped the ball in regards to communicating to members, member handbook, etc. They messed up, and their reactions and solutions towards us members was very patrionizing. I do believe that Disney does take us for granted in certain areas. Do you actually visit the DVC boards? You'll see some serious ball dropping examples. I for one, have had several issues over the years, not many at all, and most of them were handled well, but a few, were handled horribly with patronizing attitudes and a total taken for granted approach. I have pretty low expectations of DVC - clean rooms, good attitude at MS, up to date point charts, great website, for example, and so most of the time, they deliver, but sometimes they do not, and so it's not contempt at all, but just a desire to make sure that DVC runs efficiently and smoothly, and when it does not, I want to make sure they handle member concerns in a positive way, as that benefits all of us.
Thanks, Tiger
