Club 33 Membership Changes for 2012

[Opus1guy]

For those currently assessing the cost vs. value ratio of the new Platinum membership, please remember this post:

There are additional as-yet undisclosed here significant perks associated with a Platinum membership that absolutely will make it very palatable to many members.

Even in my intial post I wrote:

Hope there are more benefits than I recall or was told.

For example, after talking again with my Member-friend, he said he thinks there was something about access to a VIP Concierge service or something, that would make special arrangements for Platinums within the Resort. Perhaps like the very early days of Club 33 in the 1960's where Club 33 became the center of all VIP services in Disneyland Park and "One Call Covers Everything" meant you could get reserved box seats for Golden Horseshoe, special fireworks viewing area, and all matter of other options and goodies back then (this service didn't last long however, and things moved back to City Hall and this feature was eliminated from Club benefits).

It's fun to speculate, but we're dealing with incomplete and probably sometimes inaccurate information here, so while I think current Gold ($3,600) vs. Platinum ($10,000) is a pretty huge difference in price...I'm holding off my personal "would it be worth it" opinion until all the details are in.

And in that regards, my Member-friend also advised me that the phone call from the Club was rather brief...a "Highlights from Hamlet" thing...and was informed that Members would be receiving a full prospectus of the new Platinum level with many more details of benefits, as well as details of the changes to current Gold, some time shortly after the first of the year. He also said Members don't have to pay their 2012 dues until they've received this prospectus and had a chance to go over everything before making their decisions as to if they want to stay, go, or upgrade.

Regarding the limiting of complimentary Park Hoppers in 2012...my own personal opinion is that it's a pretty big negative. If they felt they had to do something to limit these, I think they should have placed the cap as they did, but made it a policy that any reservation where the Member was present in person, none of those guest passes would come out of their allotment. I think that if the Member personally hosts a party at the Club and dines with with them...they and their party should always be comped into the Park. I mean...isn't that what their Membership is ultimately for?

But even limiting and puting a cap on the Guest Passes...I would suspect that's going to leave a really bad taste in the mouths of a lot of current Members. I can't help but think it adds a sort of silly, cheap, and almost tackiness to the Membership. I mean, asking a Club Member to now have to keep track and dole out their limited Guest Passes? The analogy Disneynut made earlier to airline frequent flyer programs is appropriate. And that seems very un-Club 33 like to me. And I suspect the same will be felt by many of the Club's current and prospective Members.

[m4travel]

That's my understanding as well. I'm told second hand that there are some significant perks being added to the Platinum membership which have not yet been disclosed. I'm dying to find that information out. <snip> To C33 guests and CM's who work at C33, it doesn't make any difference. They biggest issue is to whom the liquor license is issued. It's no longer issued to DL Food & Beverage, but is issued to WDPR.

Reviewing the CA ABC records, the application for the new license shows the primary owner as Walt Disney Parks & Resorts US Inc dba Club 33 Disneyland. The earlier license was issued to Club 33 dba Club 33 Disneyland, not DL Food & Beverage - though menu approval, et cetera ran through Food & Beverage, I understand. And the company information listed on the applications (directors, pres, v-ps) are largely the same with some changes and additions.

I hear new perks for Platinum members include access to the new facilities at DCA (private lounge), four Premier Passes (DL & WDW), and the ability to book up to five VIP tours for up to 10 persons each.

Guess we'll hear more as time passes.

[PaulFirestone]

I received the call a few days ago from an office I have never spoken with before. The core of the call was the raise in dues (I think about 10%), the changes in the number of passes, the offering of Platinum (with out the membership dues). A few of the perks were the reservations for varioius parades/shows. Not mentioned was the change in parking which i read in this thread. The "letter" with details won't come for about 10 days - so all that's been written here is reasonably accurate based on phone calls. I don't believe a letter has gone out to Gold members.

My one comment is as a long standing member (decades) - there is no "list' of members, so there are few ways if any way for members to communicate. I've never been contacted by another member - nor do I have a way to communicate with other members. Something that is sorely missing (unlike a country club). I came to this forum today just to see what's out there.

Btw. I'm not sure if the members of the Club 1901 will be given membership in Club 33 - when they did surveys a few years ago it was suggested it would be a separate club.

and... I generally don't check forums too often or the e mail associated with this membership - not being rude - just an allocation of my time.... I'll post when I can.

[Disneynut]

For those currently assessing the cost vs. value ratio of the new Platinum membership, please remember this post:

I understand that full information has not been disclosed, but this is typically what Disney does when they don't have real answers. I find it very hard to believe that great thought went into (and decisions made) of what will be eliminated and yet they don't really have full information on these alleged and unannounced perks. It sounds to me like they announced some of the changes and the membership revolted and they are trying to pacify everyone with promises of what is to come in the future. This move was written by the fine folks at event services. What business leads off an announcement with what you are losing and not with what you are gaining. This is total B.S. and they know it.

I am in no way trying to argue with you or the information you present, but does it seem logical that they are going to strip everyone of sign in privileges, guest passes, parking privileges at GC and many other perks which cost nothing or next to nothing for the company only to reward everyone at the platinum level with some great concierge service or other benefit? If the company can't valet park my car on a day I am not dining at the club, are they really going to roll out the red carpet for me at a parade or show?

They are already using benefits that are available to anyone as a selling point for an "exclusive" membership package. Any "concierge service" they offer will be nothing more than someone to facilitate the sale of park tickets, make a reservation at other dining locations or give you a few fast-passes. I will be the first to say that I don't have any more information than the people posting here. What I do have is extensive knowledge of how the company has continuously run this same course in numerous areas. I have little to no faith that these yet to be announced perks are nothing more than a way to calm the angry membership base.

Let me add to my post. Opus1Guy always presents factual information. I am in no way trying to argue with him or with his information. I am the one who always posts the emotional responses calling Disney out for their mistakes with higher priced options. Please don't read into my rant as an argument against a long standing member of the MiceChat community.

[Opus1guy]

Disneynut...I didn't read it as anything against me...so I certainly hope nobody else will!

As to the movtives behind these changes, and the spin of their execution, I largely agree with you and have scenerios in my imagination also based on past experiences, that are even less flattering to Disney, than your speculation.

But I think I'll keep those to myself. For now.

[MagicKingdomBoy]

Regarding the limiting of complimentary Park Hoppers in 2012...my own personal opinion is that it's a pretty big negative. If they felt they had to do something to limit these, I think they should have placed the cap as they did, but made it a policy that any reservation where the Member was present in person, none of those guest passes would come out of their allotment. I think that if the Member personally hosts a party at the Club and dines with with them...they and their party should always be comped into the Park. I mean...isn't that what their Membership is ultimately for?

My feeling exactly. If the comp cap idea is to promote more members dining at the club, those caps should not apply when the members are physically present. And if I want to have a large party, unless my guests have APs, each comp will come out of my allotment. Unless my calendar is settled for the entire year, how will I know how many comp passes I am going to require for my own dinners and parties? I won't; therefore, I am going to have to eliminate any comp passes for guest reservations I might make....and seriously consider when bringing in non-APs for dinner casually.

[boy33]

For those currently assessing the cost vs. value ratio of the new Platinum membership, please remember this post:



Even in my intial post I wrote:



For example, after talking again with my Member-friend, he said he thinks there was something about access to a VIP Concierge service or something, that would make special arrangements for Platinums within the Resort. Perhaps like the very early days of Club 33 in the 1960's where Club 33 became the center of all VIP services in Disneyland Park and "One Call Covers Everything" meant you could get reserved box seats for Golden Horseshoe, special fireworks viewing area, and all matter of other options and goodies back then (this service didn't last long however, and things moved back to City Hall and this feature was eliminated from Club benefits).

It's fun to speculate, but we're dealing with incomplete and probably sometimes inaccurate information here, so while I think current Gold ($3,600) vs. Platinum ($10,000) is a pretty huge difference in price...I'm holding off my personal "would it be worth it" opinion until all the details are in.

And in that regards, my Member-friend also advised me that the phone call from the Club was rather brief...a "Highlights from Hamlet" thing...and was informed that Members would be receiving a full prospectus of the new Platinum level with many more details of benefits, as well as details of the changes to current Gold, some time shortly after the first of the year. He also said Members don't have to pay their 2012 dues until they've received this prospectus and had a chance to go over everything before making their decisions as to if they want to stay, go, or upgrade.

Regarding the limiting of complimentary Park Hoppers in 2012...my own personal opinion is that it's a pretty big negative. If they felt they had to do something to limit these, I think they should have placed the cap as they did, but made it a policy that any reservation where the Member was present in person, none of those guest passes would come out of their allotment. I think that if the Member personally hosts a party at the Club and dines with with them...they and their party should always be comped into the Park. I mean...isn't that what their Membership is ultimately for?

But even limiting and puting a cap on the Guest Passes...I would suspect that's going to leave a really bad taste in the mouths of a lot of current Members. I can't help but think it adds a sort of silly, cheap, and almost tackiness to the Membership. I mean, asking a Club Member to now have to keep track and dole out their limited Guest Passes? The analogy Disneynut made earlier to airline frequent flyer programs is appropriate. And that seems very un-Club 33 like to me. And I suspect the same will be felt by many of the Club's current and prospective Members.

Couldn't have been more well said. ESPECIALLY the last two paragraphs.

[RiversOfAmerica]

Given that the bulk of this thread is picking up on very partial and sporadic information, I truly think we should reserve judgement, or at least acknowlege that the analyses presented here are incomplete at best, until such a time as a C33 member actually gives us full information.

I'm a FT O&T cast member with some relatively liberal access to certain places, and even I can't get information about C33 from inside. We CM's don't even have C33's in-park phone number. It's that exclusive.

[Disneynut]

We CM's don't even have C33's in-park phone number. It's that exclusive.

4034...This entire thread is about how they make it seem exclusive and in reality they are watering down the membership with non-exclusive perks. I agree this is somewhat speculative, but as I pointed out already, you don't lead with the negatives. I am 100% convinced that there were no true upgrades to any membership level and only when they learned of the complaints did they realize they needed to quickly throw something together.

[flynnibus]

Regarding the limiting of complimentary Park Hoppers in 2012...my own personal opinion is that it's a pretty big negative. If they felt they had to do something to limit these, I think they should have placed the cap as they did, but made it a policy that any reservation where the Member was present in person, none of those guest passes would come out of their allotment. I think that if the Member personally hosts a party at the Club and dines with with them...they and their party should always be comped into the Park. I mean...isn't that what their Membership is ultimately for?

I guess that depends... what membership is supposed to be about. You enjoying membership with the Club and it's members... or members to enjoy it with anyone they chose?

I mean when unlimited AND the member doesn't have to be present... that's just ripe for abuse.

How many private clubs or even country clubs do you know of where members are able to effectively transfer their perks to anyone and do so in an unlimited fashion?

PaulFirestone's post is interesting because it touches on that point slightly. What is the Club about.. members looking 'in' - aka at the club membership or looking 'out' where they only look outwards to their own networks?

It doesn't sound like the Club has any social fabric at all from what the structure is and posts like these. Just something people buy into to get access to certain perks.

As much as people complain about the horrors of Disney possibly charging for FP or other higher perks... that seems to be exactly what Club 33 is. People simply buying their way into a tier of perks.

Club members don't just give away tickets. Every time a club member makes a reservation for a guest they take a risk. If they make a reservation for a party of 4, and those for collect their park hopper tickets, though don't eat at the club. The member is charged for it.

A frivious detail that isn't germane to the point. I'd wager most members who make reservations for others chose their company a bit better then that to really have to care about that.

I think it is a sad day when the benefits of a D23 membership clearly outweigh membership in Club 33.

And how does one come even close to that kind of comparison?

IMO - it seems like a move that makes the membership even more valuable.. when it cuts down on how much a single membership can be whored out which cheapens the exclusive nature of the club when all it takes is someone on the inside to make the call for you. What is there to protect against members simply whoring out their connection? The 'risk' that the guests will misbehave... and what else?

[ShelbyH]

I do feel like this is an attempt to push people toward a Platinum membership the same way they try to entice people to buy more expensive APs--cut the benefits for the cheaper membership or AP and add additional benefits for the more expensive ones. You've got 3 different groups of people with this change--one group will maintain their Gold membership (and likely be very upset about the changes but will stick with it anyway), another group will upgrade, and the last group will simply drop out. It then becomes a simple calculation--will the revenue gained from people upgrading to Platinum balance out the revenue lost to Gold people dropping out? They're counting on it.

Additionally, there's the long long long waiting list, right? Any Gold member who drops out can EASILY be replaced by a new Gold member who may grumble about the changes but WILL buy-in anyway. I can't imagine that there will never be a waiting list of people who will accept a steep reduction in benefits in order to become members. They don't really need to retain Gold members, because they can be easily replaced, and they get a big revenue jump for people upgrading to Platinum.

Because in reality, if I had enough money for a Gold membership and a spot opened up, even with these lousy changes and far fewer services, I would snatch up that membership immediately. They could cut the benefits in half again and still have a huge line of people more than willing to pay for a membership.

So Gold members leaving are totally replaceable and Gold members upgrading are an added bonus. From a monetary point of view, they can't lose. It should be no surprise that they're more interested in serving the bottom line than they are in serving their existing members.

[Disneynut]

I think the name Club 33 gives the wrong impression of what it really is. It is a restaurant located inside of a theme park. The true perk of membership has always been the ability to make a reservation to allow family, friends or business associates the opportunity to dine in a non-public setting when they visit the park. You are paying for access to a restaurant, it is not a true "club" or even a lounge where members may gather and socialize.

I have particpated in many member events from Club 33. Last I checked, D-23 has offered many of the same experiences that we experienced without the high membership cost and lengthy wait for membership. Tours of the Disney Studios, behind the scenes tours at the parks, gatherings or meals with imagineers, etc.

Just today there was a great article on Miceage showing a D-23 event at WDW with behind the scenes tours, visits to the Dream Suite, private dining and meet & greet opportunities with imagineers. None of this comes with a $10,000.00 annual fee.

[MagicKingdomBoy]

Given that the bulk of this thread is picking up on very partial and sporadic information, I truly think we should reserve judgment, or at least acknowledge that the analyses presented here are incomplete at best, until such a time as a C33 member actually gives us full information.

The information others are contributing is consistent with the information I was told.

[ShelbyH]

IMO - it seems like a move that makes the membership even more valuable.. when it cuts down on how much a single membership can be whored out which cheapens the exclusive nature of the club when all it takes is someone on the inside to make the call for you. What is there to protect against members simply whoring out their connection? The 'risk' that the guests will misbehave... and what else?

Yes, exactly. It DOES make the membership more exclusive because quite frankly, a membership that allows you to sign in any person anytime means that the club will mostly be enjoyed by guests and not actual members. The more you limit the people who can dine there (guests of members), the more exclusive it becomes. Allowing pretty much anyone who has a passing relationship (or no relationship at all) with a member to dine there is what dilutes the exclusivity of the club. And as Flynnibus said, under current membership rules, there's absolutely nothing to discourage members from signing in people right and left, as long as the guest can be expected to act appropriately. The very definition of exclusivity is that only a few people can get in. I think they want to change that.

[MagicKingdomBoy]

IMO - [placing caps on complimentary passes ] seems like a move that makes the membership even more valuable.. when it cuts down on how much a single membership can be whored out which cheapens the exclusive nature of the club when all it takes is someone on the inside to make the call for you. What is there to protect against members simply whoring out their connection? The 'risk' that the guests will misbehave... and what else?

I agree that allowing an unlimited number of reservations with complimentary parkhoppers was limiting table space at the club and subject to abuse, and I have no objection to the imposition of limits, albeit I think 50 is a pretty slim number. But one could take issue when they limit comps for personal reservations of the member.