Club 33 Membership Changes for 2012

[macindan]

Rumor has it, as of Sunday, 49 new members have joined.

I heard from a long-time C33 cast member that about 20 existing gold/silver members had upgraded to platinum. If the above post is correct, that means there are now about 70 platinum members. Not sure about the number of new executive memberships from either upgrades or new members.

[Nonsuch]

Rumor has it, as of Sunday, 49 new members have joined.

Upgrading existing members, are the only active Platinum members. The new memberships become active June 15.

---------- Post added 05-29-2012 at 08:05 PM ----------

In the past, they would have been forced to walk away. Now they at least have a choice.

The option to upgrade is certainly better than being cancelled.

The one-time ability to transfer upon the death of a spouse or domestic partner is an important benefit to new Platinum members, or at least to me. Club 33 will hardly be important in the event of death, but I would not want to forfeit $25k.

[Osky]

FYI, even less of a money grab. Turns out if a member dies, the spouse/partner may upgrade to Platinum, but does not owe any additional dues until the next calendar year. So, if a member pays the "Gold" dues, and then dies in March, the spouse/partner can notify the club and upgrade to "Platinum," but does not owe any dues until December. Just clarified that with one of my member friends.

[Rachane]

Upgrading existing members, are the only active Platinum members. The new memberships become active June 15.

If this is the case, then one may note that in none of these upgrades has the $25K Platinum initiation fee been charged. It is waived in Silver/Gold>Platinum upgrades; only the new Platinum dues will apply (presumably prorated for the rest of 2012).

[backin33]

If this is the case, then one may note that in none of these upgrades has the $25K Platinum initiation fee been charged. It is waived in Silver/Gold>Platinum upgrades; only the new Platinum dues will apply (presumably prorated for the rest of 2012).

I guess I am not understanding your point on this comment.

I don't think current club members have to worry about a new initiation fee. When I joined there were only two memberships, corporate and individual. I paid my initiation.

I am not an attorney but I think it would be difficult to come back and say we raised the initiation and you owe us more.

I don't think the way they have treated silver memberships in the past has anything to do with the future. This is a New Club 33 and the rules are different. I suspect being a gold member down the road will be very unattractive.

That being said, I don't think they are getting the response that they had hoped. The fact that AP holders can also go to the special openings on the 9th and 10th of June suggests money grab and nothing special. I'm hoping it was because of poor response from the club and D23, I would hate to think this was always planned. Send out a special invite for club members only to be joined by annual pass holders who are willing to pay the cover charge.

[Malcon10t]

I guess I am not understanding your point on this comment.

I don't think current club members have to worry about a new initiation fee. When I joined there were only two memberships, corporate and individual. I paid my initiation.

I don't think this is what Rachane was getting at. I *think* she is simply saying that so far, none of the platinum members have paid an initiation fee because they are old Gold members.

[backin33]

You are probably correct. It just sounded to me like a reminder to current club members that upgrading now has no initiation fee. I am probably over sensitive regarding this whole issue.

[techskip]

FYI, even less of a money grab. Turns out if a member dies, the spouse/partner may upgrade to Platinum, but does not owe any additional dues until the next calendar year. So, if a member pays the "Gold" dues, and then dies in March, the spouse/partner can notify the club and upgrade to "Platinum," but does not owe any dues until December. Just clarified that with one of my member friends.

Now that sounds like an appropriate course of action. It's unfortunate that the membership is only offered as an upgrade, but at least the financial impact doesn't kick in immediately!

The members that I know are primarily grumbling about the dramatic increase in dues. Several made the comment they "never saw the day when individual members might be priced out of the Club."

Thank you for the details.

[Osky]

The members that I know are primarily grumbling about the dramatic increase in dues. Several made the comment they "never saw the day when individual members might be priced out of the Club."

I think it is fair to say that the membership is as divided on these changes as we are in this forum. Of the members I know, at least one of them does not like the changes while at least another is excited about them. The rest of the members that I know are somewhere in between.

[David A]

I think it is fair to say that the membership is as divided on these changes as we are in this forum. Of the members I know, at least one of them does not like the changes while at least another is excited about them. The rest of the members that I know are somewhere in between.

I know many members and see them frequently at the club, the vast majority I've spoken to are not happy with the changes and are extremely displeased with Disney's poor handling of Club 33.
I reiterate, most are not happy with the changes.
As I stated earlier, the club should have never been touched. Disney's attempt to breed the golden goose is in poor taste and shows a complete disregard for current members and those who have been on the waiting list for the past many years.

[DL714]

As I stated earlier, the club should have never been touched. Disney's attempt to breed the golden goose is in poor taste and shows a complete disregard for current members and those who have been on the waiting list for the past many years.

Disney is a business. Making money is never in poor taste.

Those who have been on the waiting list should not have been on the waiting list if they could not afford to be members at any price. Disney has every right to raise the price of membership.

As to current members, it seems they may have set themselves up for disappointment by thinking the club was something more than it actually was. See WDP Fan's post earlier in the thread.

[Moonliner]

Disney is a business. Making money is never in poor taste.

Those who have been on the waiting list should not have been on the waiting list if they could not afford to be members at any price. Disney has every right to raise the price of membership.

As to current members, it seems they may have set themselves up for disappointment by thinking the club was something more than it actually was. See WDP Fan's post earlier in the thread.

Just as Disney has a right to change the terms of the agreement, the people if effects have a right to comment on those changes. That's free enterprise. If you are going to limit the club to people who can "afford it at any price" you might as well shut it down. They don't exist.



Oh, and while I don't think it applies in this specific case, there are endless examples where making money is in poor taste: Price gouging after a natural disaster, predatory lending, selling a product known to be tainted/unsafe etc...

[David A]

Disney is a business. Making money is never in poor taste.

Those who have been on the waiting list should not have been on the waiting list if they could not afford to be members at any price. Disney has every right to raise the price of membership.

As to current members, it seems they may have set themselves up for disappointment by thinking the club was something more than it actually was. See WDP Fan's post earlier in the thread.

Wow, your view of ethics is very different from my own. Making money is not the issue, it's how you make it. Get it??
Membership at any price? What planet are you from? Let me guess, 'Pluto?' Why not charge a million dollars if that's your philosophy. It's wrong by the way. Sorry.
Yes, they have the right to raise membership prices and dues but we're not talking about that. We're focusing on Disney violating the trust of their current members, of which I'm one, so my view is exceptionally valid. If I didn't feel jilted by Disney, I wouldn't be wasting my time in a chat forum, hoping that Disney might get a clue as to how actual members and reasonably thinking would-be members are feeling towards them.
When dealing with Disney, it's pure idiocy to think you're being set up for failure. A member or Disney guest should have a reasonable expectation to a professional and ethical relationship. An increase in price is OK, it's expected, but to change an operating format is something else entirely when, as stated earlier, it violates the trust between a member and Disney.
Put down your Disney Kool-Aid old friend and try a frosty Jamba Juice! There's one in Downtown Disney!
Sorry if I come off a bit obsessed about this, but many of us are angry at Disney and well, they need to know it! They're not responding to letters by the way.

[DL714]

If you are going to limit the club to people who can "afford it at any price" you might as well shut it down. They don't exist.

Why don't those people exist? Because Club 33 isn't a true "luxury" product?

Because the money for the "at any price" object is certainly out there. See the Art Market. Shows at the top galleries sell out long before the show with most buyers only seeing jpeg's of what they are buying and not even knowing beforehand what the prices are going to be. At auction, works by top artists keep beating the estimates.

Oh, and while I don't think it applies in this specific case, there are endless examples where making money is in poor taste: Price gouging after a natural disaster, predatory lending, selling a product known to be tainted/unsafe etc...

Well, of course. But, as you said yourself, it doesn't apply in this case.

[Osky]

I know many members and see them frequently at the club, the vast majority I've spoken to are not happy with the changes and are extremely displeased with Disney's poor handling of Club 33.
I reiterate, most are not happy with the changes.

David, I certainly understand that. Unless you have talked to and determined that at least 250 or so are unhappy, I think it is unfair to say "most". Truth be told, people that are unhappy tend to be the most vocal. Of the members I have talked to, albeit a much smaller subset than you (I assume), the majority are not unhappy. However, I am not in a position to extrapolate that out to the membership as a whole. Like I said before, some are happy, some are not, and the rest are in-between. The collective feeling of the membership is difficult to gauge without a poll of all of the members, or at least a vast majority.