Call for Ideas: New Membership Program Perks

[warfelg]

Considering DVC is like $18,000; and me on my own visiting (before transport) is $1100; Disney is only a great deal if you live close enough to go. The pass alone is $900 or $1000.

I mean take out the differences in location, operating budgets alone make WDW v BGW a non starter comparison.

 

[Mushroom]

@WDWRLD, for what it's worth, I'm one of the biggest KD "fanboys" on the forum; I definitely wouldn't spew blind love of BGW. You seem to be making two points: that you're disappointed that BGW's perks aren't enough compared to what you get at Disney, and that BGW's pass is more expensive than other parks.

To your first point, you're making an unfair comparison. BGW isn't attempting to compete with Disney's perks and to be upset with them for not doing so is invalid.

To your second, there's a difference between not liking a price and calling it "absurd." Sure, I wish BGW's passes were cheaper, but that's not the product they're selling. Ultimately, if you don't like the price, why pay for it? My friends over in Doswell would sure be happy with that decision.

 

[WDWRLD]

Considering DVC is like $18,000; and me on my own visiting (before transport) is $1100; Disney is only a great deal if you live close enough to go. The pass alone is $900 or $1000.

I mean take out the differences in location, operating budgets alone make WDW v BGW a non starter comparison.

Whats DVC got to do with anything....if we were comparing buying a condo in Williamsburg then yes. Then you say you visiting is $1100.....grest do we need to consider resort hotel costs in Williamsburg...no. My WDW annual pass to renew is $767.87 for a year not $900 or $1000 a year as you say. I pay $264 a year at BGW and my 2019 KD pass was $99.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

WDW- Four theme parks
BGW- One theme park

WDW- Two water parks
BGW- One water park

WDW- Dozen or so resort hotels
BGW- N/A

WDW- Dozens of beloved IPs
BGW- Sesame Street

WDW- 365 Days
BGW- Seasonal

WDW- One if the largest tourist locations in the world.
BGW- SE VA

WDW- Owned by the largest media conglomerate in the world.
BGW- A theme park exclusive company with a hand full of parks around the world.

WDW- Two Guy Fieri restaurants
BGW- N/A

This is not about BGW being great or not. This is a fundamental understanding of the scale of two different parks. For fucks sake, the fact that WDW isn't just a single park should have made this easy.

Come back once BGW adds four parks, a dozen hotels, a god damn sky ride system, and three Guy Fieri restaurants.

 

[WDWRLD]

@WDWRLD, You seem to be making two points: that you're disappointed that BGW's perks aren't enough compared to what you get at Disney, and that BGW's pass is more expensive than other parks.

To your first point, you're making an unfair comparison. BGW isn't attempting to compete with Disney's perks and to be upset with them for not doing so is invalid.

To your second, there's a difference between not liking a price and calling it "absurd." Sure, I wish BGW's passes were cheaper, but that's not the product they're selling. Ultimately, if you don't like the price, why pay for it? My friends over in Doswell would sure be happy with that decision.

Im not comparing but stating that allowing a outside company come in and hand out advertising product and claiming its a perk of a membership that I pay for isnt really fair. And to youe second point, Ive held passes in Doswell and considering it as my home park for 2019......and my only park in VA. Well untill I get in for free with all the free passes my friends get with their "memberships".

 

[WDWRLD]

Come back once BGW adds four parks, a dozen hotels, a god damn sky ride system, and three Guy Fieri restaurants.

And I get all that for $767 a year! By the way, Chicken Guy is very good!

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

 

[warfelg]

Whats DVC got to do with anything....if we were comparing buying a condo in Williamsburg then yes. Then you say you visiting is $1100.....grest do we need to consider resort hotel costs in Williamsburg...no. My WDW annual pass to renew is $767.87 for a year not $900 or $1000 a year as you say. I pay $264 a year at BGW and my 2019 KD pass was $99.

767 is renewal, it's $150 more for a new one of the same level. Because the point of DCV or just vacation cost is that most people that have passes to BGW (or any SEAS parks) live close by it or close enough to be a day trip. I wouldn't get a membership to BGW if I needed to stay at a hotel. for WDW I do need one.

 

[warfelg]

Look to me, don't complain about free stuff and don't complain about extra days in the park.

Want to complain (like I did) about the 3 times I went to the employee entrance just to learn I had to go to the (slammed) normal gate? Fine by me. Want to complain about the ordainments not always being available? Fine by me (took me 3 tries to get one). Want to complain (like I did) about the lame t-shirt and being charged $10 for it? Fine by me.

I just thought some of the 'complaints' about the perks were very unfair to the park. Like at the start of the year, complaints about the free QQ and PhotoKey because you don't use them....so what. I don't use them, but I ended up using it. But I didn't complain because they gave me something not many other people got in the grand scheme of things.

 

[WDWRLD]

767 is renewal, it's $150 more for a new one of the same level.

Exactly, yet at BGW I pay the same...there is no discount for loyalty. I have been a continious passholder since 1991.

My whole point in this discussion is the fact that they upped the cost of memberships and said in return there would be "perks" or "benifits" for that added cost. But it turned out they just gave us stuff that really didnt cost them anything. A free photo key....basically no cost to them, a free quick queue......basically no cost to them, allowing Coke to hand out gloves and sunglasses, zero cost to them. My point in bringing up the Disney stuff is that our membership costs jumped quite a bit this season and the reason given was all these perks and extra member things. Disney gave out a cheap bamboo cutting board with the passholder logo eched on it after your 3rd visit to the park during food and wine. Why couldnt BGW do something simular? I bet the cutting board would cost $2-3 bucks and another buck or two to lazer etch them and it would have been a really nice gift which would have also in return got members in the park at least 3 times during food and wine. Look at Seaworld, they gave their passholders a glass for a gift this year. My point is I dont feel like BGW attempted to spend any money in return for me spending more money this seasn in my membership.

 

[Nicole]

[

I completely agree with Rothbury, the perks were crap. Im sorry but hour for hour what I pay for my Disney annual passes is a bargin compared to BGW. Look at the perks they do, the magnets are pretty darn nice and have Coke no where on them even though the WDC had a exclusive contract with Cocacola. Look at the Food and Wine this past year, 3 visits and you get a really nice cutting board with the F&W logo and I get all my photopass photos for FREE. But I would just as soon BGW not give us anything as hand off the pure crap they did this past year as member benifits that equal the value of what I pay each month, heck I got the same pair of cheap free sunglasses at Krispy Kreme this year for buying a $7 dozen doughnuts. I know people paying $9.33 per month and I pay $22. How is that fair when I have been a pasholder as long as them. They were just smarter and called the parks bluff and I got screwed by the park for trusting them. They sure seemed to enjoy their days in the park just as much as me paying much more. Their tree has the same piece of crap free ornament as mine and their member lanyard is the same color blue. They enjoyed their days at Seaworld Orlando this season and now acording to the website the premier membership I pay for dosent get me in there. I just dont get it how people act like we should be grateful for the handouts from the park....we pay for this stuff.

So, I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to get into SWO. I have an original Premier Membership and just visited SeaWorld for two days in a row. I was able to get free Preferred Parking; I had access to the Pass Member lounge; and I got all of my discounts.

On another note, as a Disney World Annual Passholder, I find that I have to pay for the exclusive merchandise that I really want. I like most if it, and I don't mind buying it, but the good stuff isn't free (at least in my opinion).

 

[warfelg]

Exactly, yet at BGW I pay the same...there is no discount for loyalty. I have been a continious passholder since 1991.

They didn't raise rates on those for years.

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

A few things....

BGW is a business. Businesses are supposed to try to make money. The people in charge of finances at the park decided these would be the best ways to give perks to members at an acceptable price. That means sponsorships unfortunately. The scale of money WDW brings in isn't comparatively close to what BGW does so it's *checks forum rules* somewhat silly to compare the two.

I can see how sponsorships can be somewhat annoying. I'm glad that WDW doesn't have anything that's sponsored...

 

[WDWRLD]

[

So, I'm not sure what you mean about not being able to get into SWO. I have an original Premier Membership and just visited SeaWorld for two days in a row. I was able to get free Preferred Parking; I had access to the Pass Member lounge; and I got all of my discounts.

On another note, as a Disney World Annual Passholder, I find that I have to pay for the exclusive merchandise that I really want. I like most if it, and I don't mind buying it, but the good stuff isn't free (at least in my opinion).

The Membership I purchased at the beginning of 2018 included all the other parks, then mid season they created another level and now my membership....according to BGW does not include the other parks. Not my words,.....words from BGW. Now the fact that people are still getting them is good but its not in writing.
And we are not talking about passmenber merch here....

They didn't raise rates on those for years.

Yep, and some are still paying those cheap rates. I was never on ezpay and paid the increase every season because I bought my passes outright.

 

[WDWRLD]

A few things....

BGW is a business. Businesses are supposed to try to make money. The people in charge of finances at the park decided these would be the best ways to give perks to members at an acceptable price. That means sponsorships unfortunately. The scale of money WDW brings in isn't comparatively close to what BGW does so it's *checks forum rules* somewhat silly to compare the two.

I can see how sponsorships can be somewhat annoying. I'm glad that WDW doesn't have anything that's sponsored...

You mean like Pandora, Dixie, Babybel, Ziploc just to name a few....

 

[Ghost of Pretzel Kaiser]

Nothing gets by you.

 

[Gavin]

If it bothers you so much @WDWRLD, why don’t you just cancel/non-renew? By your own admission, you feel that you get more value out of your WDW AP. I’m genuinely curious.

 

[Mushroom]

To play the devil's advocate, I was also turned away from SWO with my unlimited membership. Dropped several hundred dollars in tickets we didn't expect to spend as a result, and we were unsuccessful in getting a refund. Definitely frustrating.

If anything, this raises a separate issue of the membership perks: the chain needs to do a better job of consistently honoring the perks that BGW's guests paid top dollar for.

 

[WDWRLD]

If it bothers you so much @WDWRLD, why don’t you just cancel/non-renew? By your own admission, you feel that you get more value out of your WDW AP. I’m genuinely curious.

It has come to that.....I feel like I have been a passholder for so long that things will change so ive held out the past couple years...but the park is just fleecing us for cash while other parks get more. While KD is a hour further away we visited there almost twice the number of times as we did BGW this season.

 

[warfelg]

I'll just say:
I've been a member at Hersheypark, Dorney Park, Kennywood, Kings Dominion, Six Flags Great Adventure, Lake Compounce.

BGW is the first park where I feel valued as a member. Honestly. Other than Hersheypark, it's amazingly landscaped. Amazing shows. Only one that gives that many free passes, cheap upgrades to a bunch of things. Is there certain things some of those other parks do better that I wish BGW did? Absolutely. Does it ever make me regret my BGW pass? Absolutely not.

If you're wondering what they are:
Dorney/Kings Dom: Being they are part of the same chain you get the same perks. Early ride time.
Hersheypark: Dedicated pass holder parking.
Kennywood: More member only days.
SF: Member exclusive stuff (really cheap) was given out in a bag on member day only.
Lake Compounce: Free cabana rentals 1 time a month.

Things IMO BGW does better: Extended ride times, member merch (At least starting), discounted upgrades, best park discounts.