Club 33 Membership Changes for 2012

[Disneynut]

David A, this is where many of us have problems with your posts. You basically are saying that your opinion is correct and everyone else has flawed thinking. You also insist that any thinking that is different from yours means that we are mouse-supporting Kool-Aid drinkers..

Let me add to this and try to do so in a positive way...

I don't think anyone with an opposing view is part of the cult. I think both sides should be free to post opinions and how they feel without fear of confrontation. I actually enjoy hearing how other people view things. I would be a closed minded person to believe that my way is the only way.

What I hope to avoid is this bad conduct where we don't agree with someone so we demand they prove something or that they justify an opinion. We won't always agree, some of us will never agree. We are not trying to win a popularity contest so winning people over to one side or the other of the argument is not necessary.

My purpose in this thread is to put Disney on notice. The way I was treated was inexcusable and I won't tolerate it. If they don't like that, they can do something to resolve the issue in order to shut me up. Until then, I will continue to voice my opinion to inform others. All I ask is that you consider my opinion. Several people have told me that they considered my opinion and they decided against buying the membership. Others have considered my opinion and bought the membership, it is all the same.

I enjoy talking about this issue and I can respect both sides of it. Let’s all work to keep it friendly so we can continue to talk about what we are clearly so passionate about.

[Osky]

I have attempted to summarize the 2011 Gold, 2012 Gold, and 2012 Platinum benefits. Does this look right?

[UPDATED TABLE BELOW]

---------- Post added 06-04-2012 at 04:25 PM ----------

Let me add to this and try to do so in a positive way...

...

I enjoy talking about this issue and I can respect both sides of it. Let’s all work to keep it friendly so we can continue to talk about what we are clearly so passionate about.

I agree

[Disneynut]

The chart looks correct, this should be of great help to anyone considering the purchase of a new membership.

[Malcon10t]

Re: Member+Spouse+1 friend...

Is this the way it was supposed to be, as I know there were members who did Member +1 and Spouse +1?

[Rachane]

I have attempted to summarize the 2011 Gold, 2012 Gold, and 2012 Platinum benefits. Does this look right?

Two corrections:

(1) Prior to 2012, Silver/Gold members had a maximum of two comp/no-dining-required ParkHopper admissions per day. This could be the member and spouse, or member and non-spouse guest. If member & spouse arrived with a guest, the guest would need to buy admission.

(2) Silver/Golds do have access to the C33 Member Services number & services.

[Osky]

Two corrections:

(1) Prior to 2012, Silver/Gold members had a maximum of two comp/no-dining-required ParkHopper admissions per day. This could be the member and spouse, or member and non-spouse guest. If member & spouse arrived with a guest, the guest would need to buy admission.

(2) Silver/Golds do have access to the C33 Member Services number & services.

Wasn't sure on 1. I do not have last year's rule pamphlet. As far as #2, that is not in the current rules. By C33 member services, I mean making reservations at the hotels, dining at other locations, itinerary planning, etc.

[Rachane]

As far as #2, that is not in the current rules. By C33 member services, I mean making reservations at the hotels, dining at other locations, itinerary planning, etc.

O.K. Silver/Golds do call the C33 private Member Services number for the services to which they have access: C33 reservations, private parties, admission arrangements, general Q&A, etc.

[Osky]

UPDATED:

[Malcon10t]

OK, back to the Member plus 1 on the 2011, my experience has said the member had a +1 and the spouse had a +1. This was not the norm?

As an example, a member and his wife would bring their 2 grandchildren.

[Disneynut]

OK, back to the Member plus 1 on the 2011, my experience has said the member had a +1 and the spouse had a +1. This was not the norm?

As an example, a member and his wife would bring their 2 grandchildren.

This is correct, and I interpreted his chart that way. Each card had a +1 benefit.

[Rachane]

Each card had a +1 benefit.

Yes and no. Under the pre-2012 system, member and spouse were each issued a card. Either card could also admit one other person as long as the other card were not being used [for anyone] on the same day.

In short, each C33 membership included daily nonreservation ParkHopper admission for two persons, at least one of whom had to be either the member or his spouse.

[Malcon10t]

This is correct, and I interpreted his chart that way. Each card had a +1 benefit.

Thank you.

[CaliforniaGirl12]

Great chart, Osky! Thanks for compiling.

[Nonsuch]

Will the "Access to Special Events" benefit be the same for Gold and Platinum?
Have Gold members been invited to the Carsland Event, June 13-14?

[LesBesTes]

My husband has been on the wait list since 2006 or 2007, and we received our invitation in the mail last night. We had been blissfully unaware of all the changes at the club this year and had always assumed that our name would come up some time next decade. Have spent the day researching all the changes online and talking to the membership office. What a day!

We can, on paper, probably afford the platinum membership, but we have decided not to join. We just can't get enough value out of the membership at the platinum price at this point in our lives to justify the financial sacrifice. We don't live locally, so we'd likely only visit once or twice most years right now. We also have one young child with hopefully one more on the way in the next year or two, so we are still a few years away from getting maximum family value out of a membership. And, as serious Disney fans, we know all the tricks to avoiding lines and trip-planning, so we don't need a VIP tour guide. We do it ourselves. This benefit doesn't do anything for us.

We also feel like at least some of the "benefits" are really a way to entice Club 33 members to spend more money than they otherwise would. For example, we rarely stay at Disney-owned properties at Disneyland and instead often opt for the hotels on Harbor Blvd (aside from being cheaper, they are also a closer walk than at least the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier, which is priceless with a toddler!). If we joined Club 33, we'd likely feel obligated to stay at a Disney property so we could take advantage of the room upgrade benefit. But this would mean that we'd spend more each time we visited the resort, driving our real costs of club membership up even more than just the $25K initiation and $10K annual fee.

We also think that at this price point, we'd feel compelled to vacation at Disneyland more than we would otherwise - to get "value" out of the sunk cost. And that isn't good for us either. We like to travel to a lot of destinations and see the world, and if a membership is so expensive that it makes us change our travel patterns, we would lose something with that. We also want our Disney vacations to feel magical - and they might lose their luster if we feel obligated to go and get value out of the big bucks we'd spent. We don't want to come to resent Disney as we shell out more than we are comfortable with.

All that said, we are nevertheless completely heartbroken! We adore all things Disney and we absolutely would have joined at the gold prices. Those prices were "low" enough for our budget that we could sleep at night even if there was a year we couldn't go ourselves. I guess we will have to go back to hoping we cross paths with a member one day who can guest us so we can experience the magic just for a day!