Veterans: What Have the Direct Purchase Benefits Been?

Way back we got free park passes for 8 years. Then a small discount on passes, sometimes a discount on meals. In the last few years as sales have slowed, due mostly to the lack of anything to sell, and resale the market has surged they offered a discount on APs and a few dining discounts. Just remember they can all go away over night at Disney whim.
 


Apologies, allow me to clarify, I meant the ongoing benefits that direct purchasers get vs. resale purchasers.

i.e. this year:
Moonlight Magic
Annual Pass discount (Platinum for price of Gold?)
??

I guess I'm trying to see if it's worth cost for Direct purchase.
 
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The major resale restrictions were put in place a few years ago by then SVP Potrock. He created the extras so he could take them away from resale buyers and wave them in front of prospective direct buyers. He also came up with the two different member IDs.

:earsboy: Bill

 


Apologies, allow me to clarify, I meant the ongoing benefits that direct purchasers get vs. resale purchasers.

i.e. this year:
Moonlight Magic
Annual Pass discount (Platinum for price of Gold?)
??

I guess I'm trying to see if it's worth cost for Direct purchase.

The AP discount has been really nice. That is the only perk with any real financial value.

The Epcot lounge is sweet - love the AC and free soft drinks. But it wouldn't be a major factor in choosing between direct and resale.

Unless you are committed to booking your vacations based on MM dates, I wouldn't put any value on that at all. There's not a lot of availability and timing can be a matter of luck. (My experience : the one time my dates overlapped, I still couldn't get in.)
 
The perks are only good if you place a value on them. The AP discount causes you to vacation more often which increases your Disney spending. Being a DVC owner causes you to vacation more which also increases your Disney spending. DVC ties you to Disney which is fine if that is what you want, not so fine if it causes you to change your vacation lifestyle because you bought a timeshare.

:earsboy: Bill

 
This summer (June through August) there was briefly a 40% off discount on Spa treatments. Normally it’s just 25%. That was nice, but like the PAP+ for Gold discount, that can be a rarity. But as Bill mentioned, if you don’t normally do spa treatments and feel, “I’d be stupid NOT to do one.” Then you aren’t really saving any money.

The number of restaurants honoring a 10% DVC discount (up to 25% in some places) increased this past year as well compared to previous years.

There’s also 20% off merchandise discount from any owned and operated Disney souvenir shop.
 
Apologies, allow me to clarify, I meant the ongoing benefits that direct purchasers get vs. resale purchasers.

i.e. this year:
Moonlight Magic
Annual Pass discount (Platinum for price of Gold?)
??

I guess I'm trying to see if it's worth cost for Direct purchase.

That's really pretty new. It just used to be benefits so what was available just more than 2 years ago was for everyone other than trading into the Disney Collection.

The discounted AP's came about 13 or so years ago - quite a while after DVC started. The Gold AP began being offered when Disney changed their AP structure.....and their pricing! Platinum for the price of a Gold was just a special. A year or two prior to that it was the Platinum plus for a very discounted price and then there's been the odd 13 month offer but that's been offered to any and all people who buy AP's too.

Moonlight Magic first happened with DVC's 25th anniversary. Then it continued with multiple offers a year that coincided with the elimination of the Merry Mixers that had been going on for years. And the Welcome Home Wednesdays had previously been eliminated with promises of something new to come which I don't think happened for a few years until the Moonlight Magic. As booking it becomes more difficult I'd have to think it will start being limited to a single event per year per member and who knows how long it might go.

The lounge in Epcot also started with the 25th anniversary and was initially announced for that time. Then it was extended for a year. And then another year. Difficult to say how long it will go.

Many other discounts match up to what AP holders get. The Moonlight magic's have to align with a trip you are making plus you have to get in on the registration. The Epcot lounge isn't likely to last forever. They throw in a few other things now and then - ones that might be a bit fun to have but hard to justify paying direct prices for IMO. Lots of AP's is about the only thing that might be worth that.
 
My take is that if they are selling a new resort, there will be decent direct benefits. However, not everyone finds the same things useful / enticing. So, it'll be hit or miss on what you can use, but there will likely always be some things to take advantage of.

2 sets of APs, a MM (already attended) and a few shopping and dining discounts, savings on closing costs, 2% earn and 6 mo 0% on Dis Visa, savings on MF's by buying late in the calendar year...... our direct purchase "premium" will be recouped and then some. YMMV. Ours was a 60 pt purchase prior to the 75 minimum but I think we could have done the 75 and still break even fairly quickly.
 
The major resale restrictions were put in place a few years ago by then SVP Potrock. He created the extras so he could take them away from resale buyers and wave them in front of prospective direct buyers. He also came up with the two different member IDs.

:earsboy: Bill
What are the 2 different member IDs?
 
To the original post: Perhaps it's just semantics, but the only actual benefit you get from buying DVC is a reduced rate on a nice room if you plan on visiting Disney often over the next few decades. Most other things granted to direct purchasers are perks and as such can be discontinued or removed at any time.
What are the 2 different member IDs?
One for resale DVC owners; one for direct purchase. They're different colors.
 
To the original post: Perhaps it's just semantics, but the only actual benefit you get from buying DVC is a reduced rate on a nice room if you plan on visiting Disney often over the next few decades. Most other things granted to direct purchasers are perks and as such can be discontinued or removed at any time.
One for resale DVC owners; one for direct purchase. They're different colors.
I did not realize that. That's a bit weird.
 
Don’t you need to be direct or grandfathered to book the member cruise?

I’m not interested in cruising so I haven’t paid attention.

As others have mentioned, the benefits can be changed, so I wouldn’t base a buying decison on the prospect of receiving them.
 
Don’t you need to be direct or grandfathered to book the member cruise?

I’m not interested in cruising so I haven’t paid attention.

As others have mentioned, the benefits can be changed, so I wouldn’t base a buying decison on the prospect of receiving them.

Yes cruises and ABD, again another poor use of points anyway.
 
Don’t you need to be direct or grandfathered to book the member cruise?

I’m not interested in cruising so I haven’t paid attention.

As others have mentioned, the benefits can be changed, so I wouldn’t base a buying decison on the prospect of receiving them.

Is it true that the member cruise is more expensive than your average disney cruise? I think I read that somewhere. If so, seems like not much of a benefit, even if they do give out trinkets.
 

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