Will Disney Offer a Lifetime Pass ?

[darthjohnny]

I have a friend who is a DVC member years ago from when DisneyLand started DVC and he has something similar to a lifetime pass from what he was telling me. If I am remebering right it gets him and either 1 or 3 guest into any US park with him. And it was good during his tenor as a DVC owner.

I will have to call him tonight and see if I cant' get more details.

He got it as part of his DVC package.

Has anyone else heard of this?

Yes I have. Not about Disneyland though.

But when they were first starting out with the Disney Vacation Club, a mom's friend was thinking about buying into it.

As an incentive, they offered him a lifetime pass if he bought a certain amount of points.

Unfortunately, he turned it down because, back then, he thought, "how many times will I return to Disney?" He's been kicking himself ever since.

 

[The MaD Hatter]

Not really, my weekly allowance was $10 at the time; $15 if I was exceptionally good and did things I was not asked. I also requested to family that I not get presents and that instead they "donate to the fund" the amount they would have spent. (I lucked out with two birthdays and two Christmases during the fund raising.) I also passed up every school field trip that cost money, had a few kid garage-sales, sold orange juice that we made from the orange trees in the back yard at a stand and rolled change by the mountain. :dazzle:

16 months or so later I had the money. I think my parents though they were setting an imposable goal just to appease me ... they never made that mistake again. To this day I'm still surprised that I did it!

(Hmm, maybe this why I'm such a penny-pinching bargain-hunter as an adult. :hammer

That's pretty impressive considering you were only 12. Too bad you weren't able to get the ticket since there would still be another 14 years left on it.

 

[goodtimes5286]

I got told by my dad when I was 12 if I could save up to pay for my part of a meal at Victoria & Alberts, he would get me the suit, the hotel room, and even park tickets for a little vacation, he thought $85 plus tax and tip was way too much for an impulsive spender like me.

I got a job as a soccer ref and I cut grass and I had that money in no time, I dont think ive ever seen him that shocked, but I got a free trip to disney and the best meal of my life outa it!

For some strange reason I REALLY want a chocolate suffle, ne 1 kno ne where else in disney to get them besides V&A??? B/c we're not going to be going their again, but DW in 5 days woot woot!

 

[jt04]

Well MK's 40th anniversary is only 3 years away. Maybe they'll offer a 40 year pass for $4000. Seriously doubt it though.

I'd pay that. They could raise some serious money with a deal like that. I don't understand why they wouldn't have such a plan.

 

[Siege898]

Offering a lifetime pass seems like a great idea from both Disney's point-of-view and from that of the buyer. Think about, admission into a disney park is worth some very small amount to the company. On a day where attendance is normal, the operating costs associated with letting one more person in is quite small. However, once that person is in, they will (presumably) purchase merchandise and concessions. Because of the high prices associated with them, you are worth it for Disney to let you in the park for free. So just imagine, you buy a lifetime pass and whether or not you go, Disney makes money.

So if Disney can think of a way to market a lifetime pass, they totally will.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

I have been hearing this on and off for a few years , but what gives ? I here they cant decide on a price for it and or how long the so called" Lifetime" should be . The price was initially $1500. or so, but who knows now :brick:

Eitherway I wanted to post to hear thoughts , pros and cons etc...
Maybe we can get the ball rolling.:ROFLOL:

YES!! They Will do it for..........................................

One Hundred Beeelion Dollars.......:drevil:

Why settle for Billions, when you can have Trillions???:drevil:

Never happen.....

 

[JWG]

Disney would only do this, I believe, after it was leaked someone else was going to or after someone else already did.

At $1,500, Disney starts losing out at 4 years on an annual passholder. I'd expect they'd want a longer time to return on investment for the guest.

 

[JimboJones123]

Disney would only do this, I believe, after it was leaked someone else was going to or after someone else already did.

At $1,500, Disney starts losing out at 4 years on an annual passholder. I'd expect they'd want a longer time to return on investment for the guest.

I still don't think they would do this unless it was just at a crazy silly price. It would be more of a status thing than anything else. I'd say $50k would be a minimum start price. Just like Seat Leases at new stadiums and arenas.

 

[nowayhose']

They gave a lifetime pass to the first visitor to Disneyland, if I'm not mistaken.

sounds like the guy who counterfeited all those tickets on opening day :lol:


actually a lifetime pass might be some good revenue for disney right now...seeing how the economy will get even worse in '09

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I would be shocked to see them do this. To me, an annual pass is a reasonable length of time. Really, anyone who would buy a lifetime pass probably goes to the park very often. For the price they charge, it would be like highway robbery.

Some quick math: $1500/$70 (rough estimate for a day of admission) comes to about 21 times you would have to go to WDW in order to make up the cost and break even. Honestly, I can do that in about a year and a half, a year if I push it. I think Disney would stand to lose on this if it went into effect. Keep the annual pass, it works fine.

As far away as I live from WDW, I could have rationalized the cost of a lifetime (using your math) easily over the last two years. That's sad isn't it? *hangs head in shame*

 

[CRO-Magnum]

There is a GREAT financial model for Disney...

...to make lifetime passes available. Consider that the average rate of return (long term) on the stock market is 8%. Let's assume that Disney yields a conservative average 20% profit on its $500 annual passes, so the profit is $100. Charging someone up front $8000 for a lifetime pass would enable Disney to capture $500 for the first year's ticket and invest the remaining $7500. At 8% per year Disney would generate $600/yr which increases their profit by 100% without touching the principal. In addition Disney will have locked in the income knowing there is a growing percentage of people who do not renew their annual passes yearly and the average person only goes to the park 15times/yr on their annual pass (old statistic I was given in 2004 but the best I have). This equates to a $40/day rate compared to the $22/day rate for the current 10day pass. Since inflation has always been lower than the return on investment (higher inflation rates = higher returns) Disney's financial position on such a lifetime pass actually IMPROVES with inflation (on a time value of money basis). The real question is would a lifetime pass change buyer visitation habits (visit more often). I argue yes but in Disney's benefit; the average buyer would probably visit less often feeling they had more time over which to "get their money's worth".

Thinking through it I don't see why Disney hasn't done this yet!!!

 

[goodtimes5286]

Another thing people are forgetting besides the food is the hotels. Most people who are going to buy a lifetime pass are going to need somewhere to stay, and if they have the coin for a lifetime pass then they'll definitively have the money to afford a Disney hotel.

Not only that but if you buy a LIFETIME PASS you HAVE to be totally in love with Disney, so much so you'd have to stay in a Disney hotel or it just wouldn't feel like a vacation (myself included). Those rooms doesn't cost Disney anything (of course I'm not including staff cost, cleaning cost, water cost, etc; I'm just talking about the rooms themselves) because even if something is broken the guest has to pay for it.

A lifetime pass could be a great way to get guests to fill out the hotel rooms when they are most empty, because 1 less occupied room is way more wasteful then one less person in a park.

Also guests usually have downtime in between there travels to and from parks, most dont go to the parks opening to closing EVERYDAY of there stay, so they arent really costing themselves as much as people would like to believe.

Plus most people are going to have to travel to go to Disney, thus they aren't going to be using it 365 days a year, maybe the average person who doesnt live in florida goes to disney once maybe twice a year? Thats what all of 5 theme park days? (totally guessing here, because of downtown disney, pool time at the hotels, etc.). So if someone gets a pass at age 18 and they use it for i don't know, 60 years, meaning they have to be in perfect health, never have any family problems, etc etc, to keep up that number of trips to disney per year, your looking at 300 disney visits OPTIMAL CONDITIONS. If you even charge 5,000 for it thats right around the price of a hopper (isnt a 10 day hopper like 22, and this is about 17). Once again we're still talking no one getting sick, no family deaths, no injuries, no medical problems, nothing to delay the constant flow of trips and who REALLY can say that?

Another thing is look at the average age of people going to disney, it's rising. When I was a kid there were so many teenagers, now they all flock to universal/islands because for $100 you can get an annual two park pass and not have christmas, spring break and JUNE, JULY, and 1/2 of august blacked out! Disneys annual is comming down in price, but the ammount of days they kick off makes it so you HAVE to live in orlando to get good use of it.

So what really is the lifetime pass? It's a novelity item, that's all. Your going to spend your money at Disney one way or another, this is just a way so they can get alot of coin really quickly. If you already have your ticket paid for your going to feel like you can get more souviners, stay in the hotels longer, thus eating more food, etc. Your going to spend the same ammount in Disney if not MORE because you feel like your getting the deal of a lifetime with this perfect pass. Instead of maybe passing on Disney this year to go to Las Vegas, New York, or maybe out of the country, you will choose Disney over and over again BECAUSE of this pass.

It is only a plus, nothing bad could ever come of it
Sorry for the length :veryconfu
....just my 2 pennies....

 

[MKCP 1985]

Disney already sells a lifetime hotels pass. They call it "DVC."

I recently bought a lifetime Disney park admission pass for myself, good at all Disney parks worldwide. It includes a compass, a rope, face paint, waterproof snake boots and a refillable mug. :lookaroun

 

[YQY747]

The only way I can see this happening is if they do it and then you have to pay some sort of other fee every year to maintain your pass.

For example the initial price is set at $5000, so you buy that and then pay $60 (or whatever amount) a year to keep the lifetime pass active.

It's really only a good idea if they need short term cash and are willing to pay in the long run, and I don't think Disney is in any sort of cash shortage, so I can't see how this would benefit them.

 

[PixieTinkerbell]

I don't think Disney could ever offer lifetime passes except on special occasions or in very limited quantities. If they offered lifetime passes on a continual basis the number of people buying them would increase exponentially every year. After a short amount of time, the number of people with passes visiting each day would exceed the parks capacity and there would be no room for day guests. Unless lifetime passes were prohibitively expensive, of course.

That's just my opinion.

 

[1disneydood]

Then they can build the 5th park

 

[jambk]

lifetime pass

I would by it in a second. I'll go more often (if that's even possible). that meens I would spend more money on merchandise & food. everyone wins.

 

[bgraham34]

I just can't see it ever happening and not at the $1500 price point. But if it were to happen you could pretty much guarantee there would be a yearly maintenance fee.

 

[burninup4nick]

I don't think so. If they do offer one, it would be some sort of reward, not available for purchase, in my opinion.

I remember that one of the rumored prizes for the Year of a Million Dreams was a lifetime pass.

Yeah...I remember that...

and I agree with you

 

[WhatJaneSays]

At one time there was a 25 year pass sold during Disney World's 25th anniversary. The price at the time was $2500 ... an unbelievably great price. I happen to know a couple that got the passes back in 1996 and 12 years into the passes they claim it was the best $5000 they ever spent!

I could foresee Disney selling 5 year ($1000?) or 10 year passes($2000?) at some point but not "lifetime" passes. I think that Lifetime passes will stay a rarity and only given as prizes or for special events.