Club runDisney is a new membership program offering benefits at runDisney events

[RunningKoen]

I have no skin in this run disney thing, but just wanted to be the first to say what gets said in all the other threads involving a money grab.... Disney is a company and needs to make money. Seriously though... folks pay that much to run around?

Without being harsh, but your reply shows that you dont have a skin in runDisney.

The price of the races have been quite high for a while, most people accept it, cause 'Disney is a company and needs to make money', etc. etc.

However, making money by creating this club is next level.
The cost isn't for running around. This are just cost for an 'exclusive' status.
There's little status in this club however.

...”a virtual 10k”...

Haha they literally want you to pay hundreds of dollars to walk around alone at your house lol. It’s beyond comical.

Same; this isn't new. The virtual races have been around for a few years, for lesser cost. Other races have virtuals aswell.

One of the 'perks' of this new club is an extra, exclusive virtual race. The cost for the membership is for all the perks, so it's not paying hunders of dollars to just walk around alone at your house.

It's hunderds of dollars to walk around alone at your house with your special jacket, in prepartion of your higher corral , guaranteed spot at the next rundinsey race with a bit cheaper bit (150? instead of 180) that you bought a few days before the mass did.

 

[dreamfinder]

Now you can buy corral placement...

Not the first time. Admittedly my tracker is woefully out of date, but the Runners World Challenge/VIP packages included preferred corral placement a few years. So it's not that new of a concept.

The Tier A pricing is a concept that works only if the races aren't selling out. If I recall correctly they had tiered pricing years ago (going back to when you would mail in a paper form to register), and then it went away when races started selling out in weeks/days, and then they brought it back again recently.

Silver is just stupid expensive for what you get. $50 or so? I might be tempted to bite. Jacket, plus 10k, plus cheaper registrations wouldn't be terrible. But $250 before credit card fees? Yikes.

I see plenty of people who buy the retreat package buying Platinum, didn't they stop including the early expo admission with the retreat package? And that guaranteed registration would appeal to challenge runners, unless the challenges are explicitly excluded.

 

[deeevo]

I have no skin in this run disney thing, but just wanted to be the first to say what gets said in all the other threads involving a money grab.... Disney is a company and needs to make money. Seriously though... folks pay that much to run around?

People also pay out tons to hit a little white ball 400 yards into a little round hole. Actually they pay billions a year... Billions with a "B"

 

[LAKid53]

Not the first time. Admittedly my tracker is woefully out of date, but the Runners World Challenge/VIP packages included preferred corral placement a few years. So it's not that new of a concept.

The Tier A pricing is a concept that works only if the races aren't selling out. If I recall correctly they had tiered pricing years ago (going back to when you would mail in a paper form to register), and then it went away when races started selling out in weeks/days, and then they brought it back again recently.

Silver is just stupid expensive for what you get. $50 or so? I might be tempted to bite. Jacket, plus 10k, plus cheaper registrations wouldn't be terrible. But $250 before credit card fees? Yikes.

I see plenty of people who buy the retreat package buying Platinum, didn't they stop including the early expo admission with the retreat package? And that guaranteed registration would appeal to challenge runners, unless the challenges are explicitly excluded.

The race retreat at 2019 Princess Half no longer included early entry to the Expo. It did in 2017 & 2018.

 

[dreamfinder]

The race retreat at 2019 Princess Half no longer included early entry to the Expo. It did in 2017 & 2018.

Yeah, pull a feature out of one upcharge, to add it to another new upcharge.

 

[JillC LI]

I'm glad to see others find this offer as insane as I did.

 

[WDW_Emily]

As a 5k/10k participate who will be starting to do halves in 2020 (Wine and Dine) I see no value in this. I am not an elite runner however I am a fair runner. In 10ks I'm usually a middle of the pack person around corral C/D. My 12-13 minute pace isn't amazing but I have worked hard the past couple of years to make it to this point. If someone pays $800 to be a corral in front of me who walks at an 18-minute pace, I would be livid. Number 1, it makes a mockery of the corrals and the people who have trained. Number 2, this will only make the bottleneck areas WORSE. If this "Club" corral becomes the middle you still have some people behind who are runners or run walkers that will have difficulty passing the club level people.

In the odd chance RunDisney reads this thread, I would like to offer some suggestions.

• Lower the prices. The silver "merch club" Isn't horrible if it was about $100 less.
• Race Retreat included.
• Premiere coral. You would still be in the corral based on your pace but would be at the front of it. In my case with my pace, I would be in the front of corral D. Allows people to sleep in a little more in the mornings.
• Race Party. This could happen at the expo or planned at a park-like the Wine and Dine after party.
• Discounts. It could be as simple as the tax for the race taken care of or a "race card" where the more races you sign up for the greater your discount. (A girl can dream right)

Nevertheless I think as a whole this idea is a flop and many will not buy into it.

 

[RunningKoen]

• Premiere coral. You would still be in the corral based on your pace but would be at the front of it. In my case with my pace, I would be in the front of corral D. Allows people to sleep in a little more in the mornings.

Closing off the front of a corral would create a 10/12 corral system instead of 5/6. They could label them with numbers, making the odd ones exclusive.

 

[lukacseven]

Don't blame Disney. If people actually pay for this, it's their own fault. As long as my corral isn't filled with walkers who paid extra to also be assigned there, then I don't really care. Based on the response on this forum and on social media, this does not seem like something everyone's running out (pun intended) and signing up for. Over the years I have noticed a change in the demographics of people Disney is catering to at their endurance events.

 

[Greenlawler]

Here's the thing, to me

There are plenty of people who have insane money.....You know the folks Disney has openly said their going after. I am afraid there are just enough, maybe two or three hundred folks with money to burn that will gladly do this just to be "in". This will encourage the next step because some suit will come up with a more creative way to vacuum the money out of pockets.

The only way this constant assault on our wallets will stop is if people stop going, or paying. But that's not going to happen any time soon.

This is obviously a price does not equal the benefits situation at all. But people will pay

 

[OG Runner]

Don't blame Disney. If people actually pay for this, it's their own fault. As long as my corral isn't filled with walkers who paid extra to also be assigned there, then I don't really care. Based on the response on this forum and on social media, this does not seem like something everyone's running out (pun intended) and signing up for. Over the years I have noticed a change in the demographics of people Disney is catering to at their endurance events.

I would not blame Disney for the idea. Why not give it a shot. They have thousands of people buying $100.00 droids & $200.00 light sabers.
They must feel they have a market. Personally, I am bothered by the pricing. I live in Massachusetts. I can only go to one Disney running event a year. Now you offer a program that will really only be worth it to those running two or three races a year. Also, at the same time,
messing up the individual races, with things like preferred coral placement, for those of us that may only be there for one race.

 

[Figment82]

Just received an email that registration is live. Um, thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I’ll use that money for W&D registration next month.

 

[OG Runner]

Just received an email that registration is live. Um, thanks, but I think I’ll pass. I’ll use that money for W&D registration next month.

I agree. Like I said, I think you would have to be fairly local, and have the ability to run a number of Disney races a year, to make this
even an interesting offer, never mind an attractive offer.

 

[Demarke]

I agree. Like I said, I think you would have to be fairly local, and have the ability to run a number of Disney races a year, to make this
even an interesting offer, never mind an attractive offer.

Most people who race/visit Disney that much will have an AP which means they already get early registration and tier one pricing and don’t really need most of the “incentives” anyway as long as they register when they are allowed.

That much money for essentially a jacket and a medal only makes sense to me if the medals for silver, gold, and platinum are actually forged out of those very metals.

 

[OG Runner]

Most people who race/visit Disney that much will have an AP which means they already get early registration and tier one pricing and don’t really need most of the “incentives” anyway as long as they register when they are allowed.

That much money for essentially a jacket and a medal only makes sense to me if the medals for silver, gold, and platinum are actually forged out of those very metals.

Good Points!

 

[Walt Dated World]

I agree that the whole concept is crazy but I am curious to know the "theme" of the virtual 10K for the fall. Will it tie in to W&D? As someone who only has the means to do virtuals (and truly does them), I would've paid to do the fall 10K on its own but no way would I pay for this club.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I have a friend asking me: Has Club rD ever gone back on sale since it sold out?

 

[Rteetz]

I have a friend asking me: Has Club rD ever gone back on sale since it sold out?

I’ve never seen it as of yet.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I’ve never seen it as of yet.

didn't think so. I told him not to waste his $$

 

[Demarke]

didn't think so. I told him not to waste his $$

I was in my account a few days before Marathon Weekend and I believe both gold and silver showed as available (I remember gold being available for sure). But would agree that the benefits aren't worth the cost. I did silver after they announced the second year was going to be free but before they closed it, figuring two jackets and two virtual races were arguably worth the $250, but couldn't justify renewing or upgrading at the prices they charge.

I think with the big 50th anniversary last year and this year's 30th/10th celebrations behind us, things will be back to normal and registrations will be more easily secured going forward. As for the merch, I've never had the shoe ornament or tervis sell out before I got in to the merch area, but even if it did, I'm sure I could find one on ebay for a lot less than the $530-$850 that Gold or Platinum costs for early access!