CM Discounts

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Hi All,

I was curious how long must you be employed before you can take advantage of the CM resort & ticket discounts?

Can the discount be applied to an already existing reservation? We are already booked Dec 3rd to Dec 11th. I've heard discounts can be minimal around this time of year.

I've always had a part time job on the side to pay for our trips but our store is closing (not a disney store) & I'm thinking of applying at my local Disney store. I know the pay wouldn't be much but I figured the discounts might make it worth while.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Room discounts (in terms of the percent off) don't really move much during the year. They're generally 50% but occasionally go up to 60% or, very rarely, 70% on particular resorts. When people have told you discounts can be "minimal," they might mean that the selection isn't always that great. I almost always travel on a friends-and-family discount, which is for WDW employees to book rooms on behalf of their friends and family, typically at 40% off.

You wouldn't need a ticket "discount" because you'd get in free. I believe there's a waiting period (90 days? 6 months?) before you can get in with guests.

I think the merchandise discount is immediate, but it starts small. It gets better after a certain number of years or if you're a manager.

I have absolutely no idea if any of this applies to the Disney Store.

 

[donaldtoo]

Howdy!
I worked at our local Disney Store for 4+ years ('09-'13) during the economic downturn (among other retail jobs, to make ends meet, but, TDS was the first place I was hired and the last place I left, several months after my old firm hired me back full time).
I would have quit sooner, but, I worked Friday (our firm gets off at 1p on Fridays because we work 9 hr. days Mon.-Thurs.) closing shifts and weekends so I could keep my discounts for one more trip.
When I started there, I immediately received a 20% discount on merch., and we also received 1 Park Hopper Pass for each dependent in the household every 6 mos.
We were finally able to return to WDW in '12 and '13. My merch. discount went up to 35% after 3 yrs. Also, on those two trips, as a CM, I was able to get 50% off the Dining plan, and 60% of the resort.
We stayed at AoA in July of '12 with the 60% discount, but, when we tried to book it again for our June of '13 trip, there were CM blackouts, so we stayed at ASMusic instead.
Those are my experiences with DS CM discounts. Things may have changed by now, I'm just not sure.

Good luck...!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Howdy!
I worked at our local Disney Store for 4+ years ('09-'13) during the economic downturn (among other retail jobs, to make ends meet, but, TDS was the first place I was hired and the last place I left, several months after my old firm hired me back full time).
I would have quit sooner, but, I worked Friday (our firm gets off at 1p on Fridays because we work 9 hr. days Mon.-Thurs.) closing shifts and weekends so I could keep my discounts for one more trip.
When I started there, I immediately received a 20% discount on merch., and we also received 1 Park Hopper Pass for each dependent in the household every 6 mos.
We were finally able to return to WDW in '12 and '13. My merch. discount went up to 35% after 3 yrs. Also, on those two trips, as a CM, I was able to get 50% off the Dining plan, and 60% of the resort.
We stayed at AoA in July of '12 with the 60% discount, but, when we tried to book it again for our June of '13 trip, there were CM blackouts, so we stayed at ASMusic instead.
Those are my experiences with DS CM discounts. Things may have changed by now, I'm just not sure.

Good luck...!

Seems legit. I don't believe the dining plan discount is typical though (at least not that big).

 

[donaldtoo]

Seems legit. I don't believe the dining plan discount is typical though (at least not that big).

Oh, I guarantee it's legit, alright. I still have a scar on my left arm from a broken plastic tub while processing shipment, one time.
Again, those were my particular experiences on those two trips.

Also, I was just about to ETA:
I was a Lead Mgr. for over a year, but, you had to be an ASM or an SM to get a Silver Pass. But, they're merch. discount never went above 35%.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I was a Lead Mgr. for over a year, but, you had to be an ASM or an SM to get a Silver Pass. But, they're merch. discount never went above 35%.

That goes up to 40% at Christmas time, even for employees whose "base" is 20%.

 

[donaldtoo]

That goes up to 40% at Christmas time, even for employees whose "base" is 20%.

Yes, indeed, it did. I had forgotten about that ,but, definitely not about our DS at Christmas time...! When I was an LM, it would sometimes take almost 2 hours (3 registers) to do all the Store closing business...! And, when the mall close went from 9p to 10p during that time, it made for one late night...!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Thank you both for taking the time to reply. Sounds like it would definitely be worth it. I'll apply tonight! Thanks again!

 

[donaldtoo]

You're welcome! Let us know if you have any other questions.
Again, good luck...!