Latest Disney Parks News! - What Does It Mean for DVC Members?

In this week's episode of The DVC Show, we're discussing all the recent Disney Parks news and updates. From price increases to park hopping policy changes, we break it all down and discuss its impact on Disney Vacation Club Members!
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[@kristigarber9825]

DVC is the only way we can stay on property. I have already crunched the numbers with this "promo" 1/2 off theme and dining for children is a joke. Family of 5 still cheaper to encourage them to rent DVC points- (eat breakfast in the room, pack snacks/ lunch, eat dinner when in parks), since you have extra hours you wont need 2 days at MK (tickets savings). Jeff you are stating my thoughts with everything. Universal is killing it--- as I tell everyone we love our DVC but if the Disney trend keeps going up we will be Universal park goers with a DVC stay.

[@daisycocoa2557]

What about the park hours? Closing at 9pm? All parks should be open until 12midnight maybe with the exception of Animal kingdom

[@johnnyonmainst]

Derek’s family made him bring the scary Mickey to the office lmao

[@ziggy4465]

I have to say, buying into DVC was probably the smartest decision we made to cut the costs of a Walt Disney World vacation. We were staying at deluxe resorts all the time prior to purchasing, so it made sense to make this purchase. Now, I do find that some of the new rules that go along with annual passes to be a bit counterproductive. Why are you making the people that have made the most commitment to your park (and your livelihood) still make park reservations? It seems odd to disenfranchise such an important group to your bottom line. And enough with the app already. I’m tech savvy, but I want to disconnect when on vacation. I don’t want to be tied to my phone. Figure out how to do this the “old fashioned way”, heck I don’t care if the chalkboards come back for ride times. There is a better way and forcing customers to be bogged down is not it. Not to mention, Genie+ should be free of charge to DVC members or just simply do away with the charge altogether. If I’m in your park and paid for admission, I expect to be able to ride any ride I want for that price. I shouldn’t have to pay extra for a guarantee, the paid admission should have been the guarantee. It would be like going to a baseball game and seeing nothing but foul balls and pop flies, not what you paid for. Walt Disney World used to be a leader in the industry and now it seems that they are settling for second best. Universal is going to blow them out of the water in a few months once the new park gets closer to opening. Now, I’m going to be honest…we only went to Universal once and it was back in 1991. Other than the Back to the Future ride and King Kong (both of which no longer exist), we weren’t impressed. That, and all the malfunctioning attractions, made for a less than ideal experience. On top of that, we used complimentary passes that my parents got the year before…because of malfunctioning attractions. The way Universal has taken away so much of the local entertainment share should really be scaring Disney into making the Walt Disney World experience even better. It’s been quite a while since we took a real vacation in the theme parks, we use DVC at least once every other year, but haven’t really been in the theme parks since 2017. We did do a one day, one park visit in January…but it didn’t have the same feel as it used to. There’s so much that seems to be missing from what originally drew us to Disney and, right now, DVC is the only thing we are truly enjoying. I get that every year the cost is going to go up, but at this point the value is not there for a park experience. When we first started re-visiting the parks as adults, the things that we remembered from our childhood were still there. Most still are, but are not being maintained in a manner to keep them running smoothly. In all the years that we visited, only within the past ten has it become apparent that maintenance is not on par with what it was. Changes need to be made to keep up with what Universal is currently doing and we, the fans, should not be the ones constantly pointing out to Disney that they are getting it wrong. Disney should be proactively taking steps to ensure that the park goers are having the best possible experience, every single time. I’m not asking for perfection, I am asking for what I have come to expect from Disney. There was a time when they couldn’t price me out of a trip, but those days are coming to an end. We will still continue to utilize DVC until our contract expires in 2042, but the parks will be off the table for the time being. Until they return to the same level of service that I know they are capable of, because they did it in the past, DVC and Disney Springs will be the extent of our visits to Walt Disney World.

[@shellbelle7095]

I love this group! Content is great and you all mesh together really well. I love watching your show!

[@krab1791]

They aren’t giving free lightning lane to deluxe resorts because it is pure profit. It’s part of the nickel and dime guest to squeeze as much profit out of guests as possible. Thank you Bob Iger.

[@shannonchampion6690]

Love your show and the content as always! I couldn’t agree more about the price increases and the park reservations/good to go days/park hopping confusion. And I noticed Derek’s lamp right away 😂 You guys are great!

[@oriolesfan31]

The biggest difference maker between Disney and Universal was Universal never stopped building during the pandemic. And it shows. All the canceled projects Disney had vs all the new ones Universal had a few months after opening. Disney could have had so much done if they didn't stop building but they waited until guests were back to start again.

[@terrys4179]

I really enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts and opinions on all of the latest news. Great show as always.

[@kenk910]

Great conversation!

[@joeshearn6247]

This was a great show! Thank you 😊

[@rickeppley6636]

Disney policy is very simple. 5000 people pay $1,000 or 2500 pay $2,000. Entertainment for wealthy. Love universal. Going there in December. 😂❤❤

[@deesea2025]

Didn’t I read somewhere, no more park reservations will be required come January?? I was excited about because we are going in February and didn’t have to deal with it anymore.

[@jeaninetytran884]

I hope I’m not the only one that caught Derek’s Brady Tiki joke. Derek I think we are showing our age. Btw, I like the longer show length. I always felt like the 30 minute shows were rushed.

[@tpg5974]

When it comes to giving out freebies (former FastPass / Magic Express / dining plans), Disney won't do any of that until they are forced to. Why give something for free when they can charge for it?

[@vickycroft4621]

Great way to start a Monday and week. Thx so much. 🏰 ❤️ 💙 🌟

[@frankcarney4882]

Good morning Nice lamp Derek

[@rickeppley6636]

First trip@ 25 years old 1977.bought 300 points OKW in 1997. Just sold it. Tired of making appointment to go to a park. AP owner and need to pay extra for rides. Got a 2 bedroom, took friends and they wanted dining plan. Disney said no as all in the room had to purchase it. To expensive. To complicated.

[@Amy-yh8kf]

Jeff is crazy! My girls and I LOVE Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios MORE than Magic Kingdom! (We don't talk about Epcot)

[@holliekeohane7939]

Good to go will be hard for us out of Disney bubble people because we plan way ahead! So that has to be more for locals.

[@frankcarney4882]

I thought presently you did not need to go to a park with a reservation to hop to any park after 2pm. We just came back and could go to any park after 2 without visiting another park first.

[@MarionOhioRailfan12]

@derek where is that shacket from? I need this for my Dad!

[@lesliereynolds4492]

I learned a long time ago the Disney Dining plan was terrible for me. One it restricts your dining so you are always watching your watch and missing out on rides. Two it is too much food, makes you fat. Three everyone in your party has to buy it even when it’s a waste for someone who doesn’t eat like that. Also at that time we were park hopping but not anymore because you also waste too much time doing that. I’d rather really see everything in a park and take my time.

[@Liquid-Ice]

Its silly that for APs you still need a park reservation to goto a specific park but you can then immediately park hop somewhere else. They should just make it a park reservation for Disney World parks, and then you can go to any park you want, subject to capacity limits.

[@SJDevenney1]

"and the taxes don't bother you". Hahahahha never has that ever been said....

[@JennaDaniele95]

The Kriegers are from West Virginia?? I've been watching your show for 2 years and had no idea lol I'm from Charleston, WV & finally became and annual passholder this year!

[@DVCFan]

We were both born and raised in Wheeling, WV! Paul has family in Charleston. Always great to meet fellow West Virginians! Welcome to the annual passholder family!

[@matt515o]

Yes, there is a glitch where anyone with an AP, who also has another ticket linked to their account, has to make a park reservation even after 2pm any day of the week. We have run into this issue multiple times and that was the explanation we got from a cast member at the turnstyles.

[@michellespear1761]

2:00 park hopping is super annoying. Last week we waited at the Epcot entrance until 2 to get in after the morning at MK. We allowed time for the Monorail ride and still had time for a Joffrey's by the entrance and waited to get in. The next day we started at EPCOT and walked through Boardwalk and shopped and then walked to Hollywood Studios and still had to wait a few minutes to get into the park. I hate it.

[@michaelolsen5060]

In regards to the direct vs. resale perks/benefits, the one thing that is not brought up on the DVC show is the ability to use your points at future resorts when buying direct. Overall, resale is likely the way to go for a majority of people...but just food for thought.

[@MrBoomatt]

2:00-3:00 is shift change for a lot of industries. Particularly with part time employees. That’s why Disney did the restriction @2:00

[@kellynerenberg9833]

I’m having my first solo trip at end of January and I’m excited to possibly complete a mountain challenge!

[@vickycroft4621]

I hope Park reservations are stopped.

[@plaxiglass]

Genie + works so much better at Disneyland because Disneyland has SO many more attractions than WDW's Magic Kingdom. WDW doesn't care to beef up their attraction lineup, so it's a pretty big failure in Florida.

[@adinramos134]

Try being an Aussie buying DL tickets, we just paid $1400 AU for 2 day hoppers with Genie+ 😮 x 2 adults

[@sophiebrousseau7974]

Very informative thank you! Could you do a show on using points for international Disney hotels...how does it work and is it worth it?

[@dushanbilbija]

Disneyland & DCA have the advantage of having all the rides in (essentially) one place... a lot more compact than WDW where things are spread across several parks.

[@56strine]

The DVC Timeshare does make more sense for Locals in Orlando, Florida. There are more DVC Resort options in Orlando, Florida. Here on the west coast. We have the DVC Grand Californian, Disneyland Tower and Aulani is about a 5-hour flight away. I really do believe if Disney would add another DVC Timeshare in the Lake Tahoe, California/Nevada Area. You would see more people on the West Coast. Look to purchase a DVC Timeshare. Disney would have to take out the "Riviera DVC" type restrictions. For there to be an incentive to purchase into DVC.

[@veronicareitherreese6671]

As a out-of-stater, park hopping isn't my thing. I enjoy planning the whole day at one park. I did buy a park hopper at DL because it is a one price per entire trip as opposed to per day. If you are a fireworks fan, DL is not a fireworks every day so with the crappy park reservation system you need the ability to park hop if you are in the "wrong" park.

[@bettyannerisley943]

I agree about going for a whole day about HW and AK. Just not a lot to do.

[@superlarz]

Contrary to popular belief, the price increases are one of the causes of the parks becoming increasingly crowded. AP/Magic Keys tend to go more to get the value of their passes. Same thing with day pass holders. More hours in the park to make it worth it. Leads to more money for Disney and they can market it as trying to reduce crowding. Eventually they will have increased it enough to reduce crowding but they havent got there yet. They have only made it more crowded AND reduced the goodwill of their customers who pay more for less

[@MrBoomatt]

The extension in the legal case was by Disney to minimize their embarrassment ahead of their upcoming earnings call.

[@b_b_ii]

Good show, thanks. Kriegers, please reduce your plosives.

[@tcraig62]

Angling the mics would help

[@jojot5630]

Lol….Wdw..the most magical..oops…managed maniacally place….on earth..forget singing “Go where you want to go..

[@frankcarney4882]

I'm always looking at DVC availability an example, next May is very tight most resorts had no availability at 7 months.

[@dvcdeborahg8205]

We always go the first Saturday in May for a week. I went online at 8 a.m. on the morning of 7 months out to book a studio. The only resort that had a studio that week was Saratoga Springs. What is going on? 😢

[@JoeCosentino]

As DVC members sine 2001 we are done with the parks. We do other off Disney entertainment

[@sandym4875]

I'm not happy about Disney and the governor of Florida, but Disney hasn't made any new rides for years with very few exceptions. Way before anything political happened. We stayed in Pop Century a couple of weeks ago and it was packed. No shortage of people staying on site.

[@frankcarney4882]

We are AP people 🤯

[@Amy-yh8kf]

I think I'm in the minority, but I like the park reservations since it gives me a set plan of what park we are going to and when....I am a planner!(fyi, I'm not an annual passholder).

[@rbazemore]

If you have to go to the park you made the reservation at, most people will stay there for at least a few hours, allowing Disney to better manage labor. It's not that complex and making a reservation if you have an AP isn't that hard.

[@vickycroft4621]

Georgia peach watching now 🍑 😊

[@steveseattle140]

Dude's giant house is distracting

[@bbizzle82]

it's the crack dealers of dvc!