Future Incentives to Stay on Property

WDW Insider

New Member
Original Poster
Thought I'd give a small update on some of the park going-ons. No, I will not be discussing the new Fantasyland plans as all of that is still in-company and being formulated. The only thing I will say about the monorail is that you can expect not to have riders in the front cockpit for at least the next six months. Everything else is being formulated. Now, onto what I can say =)

Refurbishment work on the Polynesian Resort is ahead of schedule, Bay Lake Tower is finished and ready for its grand opening, Kidani Village has been open for some time (and yes, we're getting ready to do more and better pemanent signage at AKL to help with some confusion), and the Grand Floridian is even receiving some exterior work... all in all, it's going to be a very nice few years at Walt Disney World Resort for on-property guests. And I say all of that to get to the tidbit of information, that yes, the company is looking at providing even more incentive for park guests to stay on-property. Some of these incentives include reduced golf rates for guests of Deluxe Resorts, a more casual Wishes Cruise for guests of the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge Resorts, a more casual Illuminations Cruise for guests of the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk Resorts (Swan and Dolphin are possibilities at this point), and even semi-personalized phone calls / messages from your favorite Disney characters in your room. All of these are still on the table, and they are all in relation to the future rollout of RFID cards.

Also in relation to the way tickets are being upgraded in the future, plans are being made to change the way Options work on tickets. We're currently looking at changing them to a point system where many extra activities take a certain number of points (1-2). Guests would be able to add additional points to their tickets should they need to do so. Some of the categories we're looking at right now are:

Gold (2 Points):
- Walt Disney World Water Parks
- DisneyQuest
- Oak Trail Golf Course
- Moderate Watercraft Rental
- Horseback Riding

Silver (1 Points):
- Walt Disney World Miniature Golf
- Small Watercraft Rental
- Bicycle Rental
- Arcade Freeplay

The goal is to streamline these activities more so that guests are more aware of these opportunities and take advantage of them. It's much more enticing and convenient to participate in many of the extras offered at WDW besides just the theme parks, if they can be bundled on your ticket rather than having to be reserved and purchased separately.
 

Huck

Active Member
RFID sounds like it has a lot of potential, but the whole points thing seems like it could be confusing and/or intimidating to a lot of guests. I'm a fan of simplifying rather than complicating. Give some people too many choices and they get overwhelmed.
 

EPCOTPluto

Well-Known Member
The only thing I will say about the monorail is that you can expect not to have riders in the front cockpit for at least the next six months.
Darn! I was hoping to ask for the front seat in a few weeks. Guess it was inevitable....

Refurbishment work on the Polynesian Resort is ahead of schedule, Bay Lake Tower is finished and ready for its grand opening, Kidani Village has been open for some time (and yes, we're getting ready to do more and better permanent signage at AKL to help with some confusion), and the Grand Floridian is even receiving some exterior work... all in all, it's going to be a very nice few years at Walt Disney World Resort for on-property guests.
I know they were doing exterior work on the woodwork over the Great Ceremonial House, but I wasn't aware of the next resorts' schedule. What type of exterior work will occur at GF and Poly?

EDIT - No DVC wing, hopefully? I really don't want half the Poly converted into a DVC Members-Only area! :mad:

Some of these incentives include reduced golf rates for guests of Deluxe Resorts, a more casual Wishes Cruise for guests of the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge Resorts, a more casual Illuminations Cruise for guests of the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk Resorts (Swan and Dolphin are possibilities at this point), and even semi-personalized phone calls / messages from your favorite Disney characters in your room. All of these are still on the table, and they are all in relation to the future rollout of RFID cards.
Sounds like they're really crave the RFID technology for the customized experience for a Guest. It really sounds intriguing. Will there be anything else for the Value resorts, (being that's the only resort we can afford?). And can you detail the meaning of 'more casual' for those cruises? Just curious, since "casual" is such a broad word...

Also in relation to the way tickets are being upgraded in the future, plans are being made to change the way Options work on tickets. We're currently looking at changing them to a point system where many extra activities take a certain number of points (1-2). Guests would be able to add additional points to their tickets should they need to do so...
That sounds like a promising idea. It would be easier to understand for some, and strangely resembles those Ticket Books, where a C or D Ticket allows you for an enjoyable ride or so. Recreational-wise, of course. :animwink: And yes, not only convenient, but it would not be so overcrowded in places here and there. It would be evenly distributed. Of course, it means more people would go golf if that's the case, but it helps with the attractions. :)
 

DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
but the whole points thing seems like it could be confusing and/or intimidating to a lot of guests. I'm a fan of simplifying rather than complicating. Give some people too many choices and they get overwhelmed.

I honestly don't see how you can have a simpler system than the current system (base, hopper, non-expiration) - and I know MANY people that get themselves extremely confused with those options.

When I saw this, I viewed it as "Recreation Silver" and "Recreation Gold" (instead of Water Parks Fun and More).

-Joe
 

Horizonsfan

Well-Known Member
This all sounds nice but I can't help but wonder why WDW still doesn't offer free Wi-Fi at all resorts. It seems like a fairly cheap but big perk that most other players (Marriott, Hilton, etc.) have offered for years.
 

bgraham34

Well-Known Member
I will be be looking forward to the Fantasy Land rehab. I can't wait for the concrete information to come out about that. I assume that will be announced in the big October Hoopla extravaganza.
 

DisneyJoe

Well-Known Member
This all sounds nice but I can't help but wonder why WDW still doesn't offer free Wi-Fi at all resorts. It seems like a fairly cheap but big perk that most other players (Marriott, Hilton, etc.) have offered for years.

Disney doesn't want to encourage you to sit in your room! They want you out in a theme park or restaurant or shop spending money. If you are going to sit in your room they want you to pay for it.

In my business travels, only the low-end hotels offer free wifi, the higher-end hotels still charge for it.
 

GothMickey

Active Member
ORLY!? A new building ala the Contemporary?

Yes. It will be 17 stories tall and shaped like a hula hoop. :lookaroun

However, on a DVC tour recently, the guide did allude to another DVC resort on the monorail line. When I asked him/her which resort, he/she wouldn't confirm or deny Poly and Grand Floridian.

I really was just joking with my coughing outbusrt. :)
 

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
Yes. It will be 17 stories tall and shaped like a hula hoop. :lookaroun

However, on a DVC tour recently, the guide did allude to another DVC resort on the monorail line. When I asked him/her which resort, he/she wouldn't confirm or deny Poly and Grand Floridian.

I really was just joking with my coughing outbusrt. :)

I had a feeling...:fork::lol:

So I'm guessing they will just designate a wing for DVC?
 

Horizonsfan

Well-Known Member
Disney doesn't want to encourage you to sit in your room! They want you out in a theme park or restaurant or shop spending money. If you are going to sit in your room they want you to pay for it.

In my business travels, only the low-end hotels offer free wifi, the higher-end hotels still charge for it.


I'm not sure what exactly you qualify as "low end" but I have stayed in a variety of hotels (nothing of the four seasons caliber) and they all have offered wifi. I really don't understand how it would threaten revenues elsewhere. If you're spending that much time in your room, why would you stay on Disney property?
 

CastleBound

Well-Known Member
I don't need any incentives to stay on WDW property... I want the full effect if I'm making the journey, but hey if someone wants to throw incentives at me, sounds good!
 

GrumpyFan

Well-Known Member
Simplifying is a good thing! It will help lessen some of the confusion, for some guests. The incentives sound like they're aimed at those who would stay off-site to save money. For those of us who are die-hards and prefer to stay on-site already, they really don't offer us anything new.

Is the new personalization technology going to be an upgrade (fee-based) option? I kind of like the thought of it being an option. From a business perspective, it's another revenue stream. However, from a guest perspective, it could be perceived as just another way for them to grab money.

As for the wi-fi, and in-room internet access, I really don't care. When I go to Disney, I don't really spend enough time in my room to use it. When I've needed to use it in the past, it was work-related, so my company paid the biil. So, if they want to charge for it, that's fine by me. However, I could see them offering it for free at the Deluxe resorts. Also, I think it would be neat if created some lounges at the resorts with (good) coffee (not nescafe), snacks and smoothies and offer free wireless tokens to patrons. That would be a reasonable solution.
 

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
I posted this elsewhere in the rumors forum about how Jim "GoS" Hill speculated/hinted that Disney would charge a premium for the RFID effect on rides, and that it would be bundled with a video diary of your day.
 

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