Are you D23? Should you be? (Podcast Show Notes) by MouseStation Crew

MouseStation 294 - Are you D23? Should you be?

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Show run time 0:50:50

In today's show, Mike and Mark take a look at D23, the new official community for Disney fans, and see what they like and don't like about it, plus more Twitter/Facebook polls.

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Feature: Are you D23? Should you be?

Mark took a look at part of the official announcement of D23, then reviewed a list of things that are included in membership, before giving an overview of the club and the history of Disney fan clubs.

Mark hasn't made up his mind about joining D23, though will probably end up buying in if only to be able to better talk about it. Mike is not only 23 (years old, that is), he is also D23, as someone bought him membership as a gift.

While Mark hasn't seen the Disney twenty-three magazine yet, Mike has a copy and described it as more of a coffee-table book than a magazine. Mike described it as similar to a magazine-length version of the old Disney Insider Yearbook, but with longer articles. Also, the content includes more of a focus on Disney history than the Yearbook. Mike feels that the magazine is worth the price. He also wanted to note that most magazine subscriptions cost less than the total cost of each issue, though Mark noted that you can't get Disney twenty-three via subscription without being a member of D23. On that basis, Mike noted that he probably would not spend $16 per issue if he had to pay for them individually. Mike also noted that the magazine has no advertising; Mark figured that, while there are 64 pages of magazine, it would probably be the equivalent of 100 pages or more in terms on actual content.

Mark and Mike then took a look at the value of the other items included in membership.

Likes

In terms of what has been announced so far, Mark thinks that the magazine will be really nice (and he'll go out and find a copy shortly to check it out), and he would like to hear more about what the special events for members might be, as those will be the major values for him. If he could get out to California for the D23 Expo, that would be a big draw for him.

Mike is excited to be a member, but he's not really sure yet whether it will be worth the cost. He really likes the magazine, but again none of the other benefits excite him that much except for the possibility of special events for members. It seems more like a merchandise club to him at this point.

Concerns

While Mark feels that the magazine will continue at a high level of quality, he is concerned that the special events for members may only be available to those at the theme parks, thus limiting who will reap benefits from these events. Mark also is concerned that Disney may end up in competition with the unofficial sites, and he's not sure how they're going to play with the existing communities. He's afraid that there are some unofficial communities that may not survive due to the dilution of the membership, though it may strengthen some of the other online communities. MousePlanet hasn't had official discussions about the possible impact to the site yet, but will be exploring that in another couple of weeks.

It remains to be seen how D23 will play with the various online communities. Disney was very gracious in inviting many of the online communities to the conference tall, and it appears to be a good goodwill gesture and perhaps an indication that they want to work with us rather than competing with us for our community members. Mark is hopeful, but also wary.

Mike is hopeful for D23, but he doesn't think that it has the power to get there. While he feels that the magazine will continue, he is concerned that the club still seems to be a merchandise club so far, with too much of what's to come being unspecified. He also can't find any community aspect to it aside from the Expo, which is really not well-defined yet. He's looking for online community aspects like message boards or other interactive elements.

Mark noted that, on the conference call, Disney said that they'd be rolling out more community-building features on the web site, and he expects to see discussion forums, possibly hosting your own Disney blog there and more. He's concerned that eventually they're going to roll into the space currently occupied by the other communities.

Mike doesn't think that higher-ups at Disney will allow it to have the free-flowing spontaneity that is currently part of all of the other communities. However he's concerned that the club won't succeed.

Mark pointed out that Disney rarely goes into a market without having a complete strategy already developed, yet a lot of what they said is coming to D23 has not been developed yet. He's wondering whether the delay is due to technical difficulty, whether all approvals have not yet been received, or whether a phased rollout was planned.

Speculation on the Future

Mike noted that nothing was promised, and he's not sure that the club will survive beyond year 1, pointing out that the Disney Insider Yearbook was also a here-and-gone proposition.

Mark discussed some of what was mentioned to be part of the D23 Expo, which sounds a bit like NFFC on steroids.

Mike wondered whether Disney will cut off D23 if there isn't sufficient return on investment.

Mark wondered more whether this club was considered to be part of the company's annual marketing budget, paying for more direct access to the company's most loyal customers instead of scattershot advertising impressions.

In response to a question from Mike, asking why the club cost $75 if it was a marketing tool, Mark couldn't come up with anything other than the fact that it made it feel that more exclusive (while keeping the Web site available to everyone.)

Twitter/Facebook poll questions

Instead of our usual listener feedback this week, we ran the responses to some questions that Mark was asking on Twitter and Facebook last week. If you'd like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

D23 - Are you signing up? Why or why not?

Already did... I had to have the "tink" pin, but more than that, I like "special" stuff.
I signed up before the official announcement was even made. I have every confidence that the perks are only going to get better and the benefits, to me, far outweighed the cost
I'll definitely give it a go and see how it goes...
Yep. I'm in already as well.
Not - I don't need to pay a fee to feel like a true fan.
I am not 23. I'm not impressed by the perks, and given financial circumstances I'd rather save my $75 for this summer's trip to DLRP.
Nope. Already did the charter member of the Disney Visa card. Crappy perks and outrageous % interest (they used the term 'shylocking' in ancient Rome). I've overcome my pin addiction, so no interest there. Oh, and I'm 53, not 23.
I'm inclined not to... seems like just another way to squeeze a few bucks out of the fans. I'd rather use the money toward my AP.
I signed up the minute the countdown went to 0.
nope. If the economy was better , it would just still be a maybe.
probably not. several perks were very disneyland specific and being so far away its not very practicable.
Nope...I can think of a lot of other things I can spend my $75 on that I'll enjoy down at Disney...they can get my money in other ways.
I might, sometime before the year is out, but not sure how I can justify the $75? I'll wait and see. I do like the exclusive merchandise though.
Nope. Why pay for D23 when I can get what I want at Mouseplanet?
Yup. The price is a little steep, but the magazine represents most of it, and what I've seen so far looks pretty good. If what they've shown is all there is, I may reconsider come mext year...
Too expensive......
No way Jose. I'm not spending $75 for a quarterly magazine and some stuff, especially during this economic crisis. I got bills to pay.
I signed up the first day. Most of the cost is the magazine anyway, so I'll give it a year. I feel like the magazine should have been exclusive to D23 and a portion of the website should be member only though. They said this is only the first phase, so we'll see what really happens.
No... not going to join. At least not right now. Ill go ahead and not be an "early adopter" on this one.
Maybe I was a little harsh after being shell-shocked with the price tag. I think I'll put a little money away and then buy in when summer hits. I hear the magazine is spectacular.
No. Not interested in exclusive benefits & everything else is free or generally available.
Yes, I joined. Like the idea of being a charter member. Sure I will get $75 enjoyment. Want to support Disney's fan projects.
no. Too much expense for too little reward
I signed up cause magazine cost 65$ to buy all 4 issues the gift should be worth atleast 10$. Then whatever perks are just gravy.
Need to more research on what it offers as the price tag is high compared to free sites like Mouse Planet and Talk Disney
Probably only for coverage purposes. I'm generally underwhelmed.
still on the fence. I already have an AP. That should be a cool club all in it's own. Just can't get past the idea of a 75$ mag sub!
I really want to sign up but I haven't looked into it yet due to the very weird week I've had. Are you?
D23: $75? Are they kidding? Just seems like they're out for easy money. I can be a Disney fan for free, thanks.
Still debating issue. My budget is tight. Sadly the choice is either renewing AP or joining D23. With MF not happening not sure.
I was about to join when my wife reminded me about all our upcoming expenses. So for now I wait and watch.

Mark hasn't decided yet whether to join. Mike is already in, though if he hadn't received a gift membership he probabaly would be holding off at this point as well.

What do you think?

What is your favorite live in-park entertainment act?

4
Studios Streetmosphere

2
World Showcase Players

1
Imaginum
Four for a Dollar
Jammitors
Billy Hill and the Hillbillies
Beauty and the Beast stage show at DHS
Laughing Stock
Dapper Dans
Finding Nemo: The Musical

Mark noted that there was no Festival of the Lion King on the list.

If you could bring back an extinct attraction (but only one!) which one would it be?

14
Horizons

4
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (WDW)

3
Disneyland Peoplemover
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

2
The Adventurers Club
Alien Encounter

1
Golden Horseshoe Revue
Tarzan Rocks
Skyway
Rocket Rods
America Sings
Timekeeper
DL Mission to Mars
Kitchen Kabaret
None. No matter how much a departure is lamented, crass nostalgia should be resisted and always move forward trying something new.

The Disney Dining Plan: Wonderful money-saver or evil destroyer of walk-up seating? Or other opinions? Why?

A huge money saver for me. But you do need large amounts of advance planning to make it happen.
We enjoy having everything pre-payed, but it would be nice to not have to make all our dinning reservations in advance.
Done trips with and without the plan. While you can have more control and schedule flexibility without the plan, if you are a planner, and if you use the plan to its fullest potential, you can really save some cash while eating at what I would consider to be some of the best eateries in WDW. For the longest time, Table Service walk-ups at some places have been challenging. The dining plan probably makes it worse but the free dining plan offer makes it nearly impossible. My take - if you are going for a longer trip, you might want to skip the DDP. After a while, you get to a point where you say that it is just too much food.
DDP used to be a wonderful value. However, with people going in and literally ordering "The Kitchen Sink" (at Beaches & Cream) for their included dessert, Disney had to change things. Gradually, offerings were removed (locations and items). With the recent removal of appetizers and gratuity from the inclusions in the plan, as well as changes as to what is considered a 'snack', we are seriously reconsidering the value of the program. I will say this though ... having the program allowed us to try places we would not have normally spent money for ... which made us glad we didn't spend the money simply try a place we had not eaten.
Hubby and I won't do DisneyWorld without it! Last time we kept track, and (although we ate a places we probably wouldn't have without the dining plan...) we saved over $500! Having it sort of forced us to slow down, and enjoy a nice meal as a family every day, and not be on the go the entire time.
I never used it before, but I plan to the next time I go. I doubt I would even go to table service restaurants without it. Burgers and fries all the way!
I've done WDW with DDP years ago and on previous trips without. I reserve dining prior to non DDP trips. We found that we lost a lot of the spontaneity (sp?) when all meals are prepaid and scheduled. Some nights a light dinner will suffice and with the DDP we felt obligated to dine to the budget.
I used the DDP for the first time last November. It was kinda cool to be able to experiment a little bit in my dining - I tried several restaurants that I never went to before. The downsides hit you more when you don't use the DDP - it's harder to get reservations at some restaurants no matter when you go and the menus at a lot of places - the desserts at the counter-service restaurants most readily come to mind - have been cheaped out and dumberd down. I thin I'd have to try it again before really making up my mind.
Our family absolutely loves it! It sort of makes WDW feel even more like a fantasy vacation.
Evil destroyer of staying on a diet! way too much food!
Indifferent. Too casual a traveler to use it and laid back enough that I am fine with eating wherever I end up if walk up is full.
Evil destroyer of walk-up seating, eating destroyer of fabulous dining menus at sit-down establishments
While the walk up seating part is bad, its the price inflation and choice reduction that really burns
!!!!!!!LIVE >:-) especially when people don't eat enough to justify the cost
Evil Destroyer. Quality has declined dramatically. Living locally I am no longer able to frequent Disney Restaurants like I used to.
Have used DDP 4x and loved it, great value & reduces stress of dealing with food $ on vac. Lack of walk up is due to ADR system
Disney Dining Plan: Wonderful money saver that has ruined the experience of casually walking up for dining anywhere.

Cat Cora's new restaurant at Walt Disney World, Kouzzina, is scheduled to open by fall 2009 in the space occupied by Spoodles.

I didn't realize Spoodles was going away. Must've missed that news nugget in the Update. I like Cat Cora. Hope it isn't TOO high end. Have you ever seen the stuff she makes on Iron Chef America??
The last couple times at Spoodles it seemed just average so maybe it is time for change
Well I guess that's one restaurant I can mark off my "where to eat in October" list.
Sad to see Spoodles go. Interested to see Chef Cora's menu.
Not happy to see Spoodles go away
Bye bye Spoodles. :(

Again, if you'd like to get in on answering these questions in the future, you can follow Mark on Twitter or friend him on Facebook.

March of Dimes

Mark was recently named the top walker for the March of Dimes Northeastern New York region for 2008, and second overall in Upstate New York (above the counties of Westchester and Rockland). MousePlanet readers and MouseStation listeners helped Mark to raise over $5,000 for the worthy charity. We're looking to beat that this year and raise $6,000! Just go to Mark's fundraising page and help to provide a better chance to prevent prematurity and to help those babies that are born prematurely.

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Are you D23? Should you be?