In my last article, we discovered the apparent value of the Resor Magic package. It requires the Unlimited Magic Pass, and provides one 'flex option' per guest. 

" Disney's Resort Magic Package:
Is It Better To Have or Have Not? "

We will now take a look at the next available package option: The Discovery Magic package.

Disney's Discovery Magic Package:
How Much Do Those Flex Options Really Cost?

or

"Ever Heard of the 'Bait and Switch' Technique?"

  
A quick review : We are helping the Smith family from Dallas understand the Walt Disney World Resort package options. They made their hotel reservations at Disneyâs Grand Floridian Resort and Spa from December 5 ö 10, 2000. They wisely waited on choosing their ticket package until they fully understand all of their options.

Kelly Smith is aware that I usually do not recommend Disney packages to my own clients, but wants to know everything about them. She has mentioned more than once that she is attracted to their convenience and believes that they probably offer a good value. She has made it clear that this vacation is very important, and she doesnât want to ruin all the fun by worrying about every single penny. Thatâs perfectly understandable.

In my previous article, ã The Resort Magic Package ,ä we discovered that it appeared to be a very good deal. If we divide its additional cost of $49.38 by four, it is a paltry $12.34 per member of the Smith family! And since all of their Îflex optionsâ are valued at more than that amount, why not go with it? Donât forget, we agreed to compare the other packages to its price.

At this point, I request that you make a mental note of that $1030.32 amount for the Unlimited Magic Passes. We are not going to examine it in this article, but we certainly will later when we find out what this family plans on doing during their vacation. Since all of the Disney packages require the ÎUMP,â we will leave it alone · for now ·

The Discovery Magic Package:

The Discovery Magic Package is the next step up the ladder of Disney resort package possibilities. It also requires the Unlimited Magic Pass for admission media, and provides not one, but two Îflex optionsâ per night for each member of the family. The combination of how they use them is entirely up to them. They can spend 4 on one day and none on the next, etc.

As I noted previously, although the UMP is charged by the day, these Îflex optionsâ are allocated by the number of nights. The Smith family is staying for 6 days and 5 nights, so they each receive 10 Îflex optionsâ for a family total of 40!

Where did that $36.55 dollar amount come from? I divided the $1316 by their 36 additional Îflex options.â Remember, they were already receiving 4 of them with the lower-priced Resort Magic package. We are presenting the Îprice differenceâ here. The $73.10 amount is because they each receive two Îflex optionsâ per night.

Now letâs find out more about the Îflex optionsâ that they are allowed to choose from! 

The Discovery Magic package includes:

• Commemorative Millennium Pin (one per person)
   
• Two 'Discovery Flex' selections per person per night. Selections include:  
  • Breakfast, lunch, or dinner at any of more than 250 Theme Park and Resort restaurants (applicable tax and gratuities included)  
  • A special Disney millennium watch  
  • Choice of selected spa treatments: (Examples: Face and scalp massage, sinus relief, pampered princess (for girls ages 6-10), milk bath, Îsilly smoothâ (exfoliation), fancy feet, smooth hands (Average price of these is $40 each)
  • Ten different recreational options to choose from:  
    - One round of golf (after 10 AM non-peak, after 2 PM if during peak, 1 round during these Înon-peak day timesâ is about $45-$60)
    - 30-minute private golf lesson ($50)
    - Length of stay health club access ($20 per family member, ages 14 and up)
    - 30-minute boat rentals ($20 water mice or $30 for a pontoon per half hour)
    - 90-minute group lesson (up to 8 guests) tennis clinic at Contemporary ($25)
    - Horseback trail rides ($23, not for young children)
    - 30-minute bike rental   ($5 per hour or $12 per day)
    - Round of miniature golf with souvenir golf and soft drink ($15)
     
  • Up to four hours per day at a Disney Child Activity Center (Mouseketeerâs Club at the Grand Floridian is $8 per child per hour / max. value = $32, 1 flex per child)  
  • Selected family photo opportunities ($25)  
  • Choice of selected Disney Discovery Tours (prices below)
    - Inside Animation ($49)
    - Gardens of the World ($49)
    - Hidden Treasures ($49)
    - Keys to the Kingdom ($45)
    - Family Magic ($25) (This is the only tour that allows children)  
  • And much more to choose from!

(I apologize, but no one could give me any specific information about the Îand much more to choose fromâ options! Disney does not supply the dollar values for the Îflex optionsâ when you reserve one of their packages. In order to do so for this article, I called each office in charge of reserving them and requested the information.)

Hey, some of those Îflex optionsâ look great donât they? But I challenge you to look a little closer. How many of them have anything to do with playing in a theme park? Except for the food options, none of them. Why is that important? Remember that this package must include the Unlimited Magic Pass. You are paying for park admission every day, regardless of how many days you enter one during your visit.

Most of the Îflex optionsâ above are activities that require time away from the parks. That means you are paying $36.55 per activity in addition to a park admission ticket that is not being used. None of these Îflex optionsâ require all day, but I hope you see what I mean. (Remember that $1030.32 amount the Smiths are paying for their UMP.) Yes, most of the tours are in the parks, but that's not why most guests visit them.

Our Smith family only has four full days to experience four Walt Disney World theme parks. We might even say that they have an additional half-day when they arrive, but they are leaving in the morning of their last day. My point is: When do they have time to experience anything from their list of options? The answer is: Very little to none. And thatâs exactly what many guests realize when they visit the resort.

I am not suggesting that they can't go experience some of these activities. In fact I always try to provide at least one or two days away from the parks when designing a VIP Tour or Custom Itinerary. But the reality is that most guests come for the theme parks, which they pay dearly for, and do not have a lot of free time for other things.

And one more question to ponder: How many of the above Îflex optionsâ are available for children? Very few. So what do most families end up using their Îflex optionsâ for? Food.

It is now time for an important question: Will little, six-year-old Karen require $73.10 to eat two meals per day? Will her nine-year-old brother, David? Will either of her parents? If this helps, Iâm a man that enjoys the wonderful resort restaurants, but I would have to eat a lot more than my waist line wants me to in order to spend that much money.

Let's hope that no one would use his or her flex option for an inexpensive breakfast! With that noted, the average lunch at a theme park full-service restaurant for an adult, excluding alcoholic beverages, is about $20, and a childâs is about $9. Although you have the option of having an appetizer, main entrŽe, and dessert for lunch, most guests do not normally eat that much. Do you? If yes, does the rest of your family? 

The dinners come, of course, with higher prices. They average approximately $35 per adult, but are still only about $12 per child. And these figures assume that you want to eat at a full-service restaurant for every lunch and dinner every day. The theme parks and hotels are famous for high priced dining, but using a resort package to pay for them makes those prices even higher!

Can you see how difficult it is to receive 100% of the value from this package? There are some wonderful opportunities available, but when we review the flex features as they are typically used, this package is not a good value for anyone.

I believe it would be a challenge for any guest, other than maybe an avid golfer, to reap a return on the benefits they pay for. For the record, these 'flex options' are only available during your reserved dates, just like the Unlimited Magic Pass. When you leave Walt Disney World, any unused Îoptionsâ or days are gone forever. But donât forget, you do get a VERY nice Commemorative Millennium Pin!

I mentioned the "bait and switch" in this article's title because I believe it applies to the sales and marketing used to sell these packages. This classic sales technique involves advertising a low priced product and then upgrading the 'customer' to a higher priced, more profitable item when they arrive.

Kelly Smith mentioned that when she first called about making hotel reservations, the CRO agent told her that the Resort Magic package actually lowered the cost of their Unlimited Magic Passes.

Thatâs not entirely untrue if we allow that most of the Îflex optionsâ available for the Resort Magic package are valued at more than the $12.34 additional cost amount per Smith family member. (And remember, those prices are retail. Disney is not losing any money!) One might say that if you add the potential retail value of the Îgiftsâ to the posted rates for the UMP, a guest comes out ahead. In short, it can be said that the tickets are less, or the Îflex optionsâ are less · Regardless, it appears to be a very good bargain.

Because most guests are presented with the Resort Magic packageâs Îvalue tagâ first, I believe they naturally assume that the more deluxe packages also represent a good or even better value. In fact, most people associate the word Îpackageâ with savings. And, normally, the more we spend, the more we can save.

For example, when we go to a fast-food restaurant what do most of us purchase? We choose a Îpackageâ of a sandwich, fries, and soda. When we buy a car, we select Îoption packagesâ to save money. We even accept options we might not want otherwise, but the savings negate the concern that we may never use them. Additionally, most travel agents sell Îpackagesâ from other resorts because they do save money. In our society packages = good!

When reviewing the price quotes for the Disney packages, however, it is very challenging to even approach the break even point, let alone save any money! I love Walt Disney World, and have great respect for the thousands of cast members that work together to provide us with such a wonderful place to visit. My argument, however, is that there is no need to pay them more than is necessary to enjoy their amenities!

My next article will be published soon. Kelly Smith now realizes where Iâm going with these articles. (She doesnât even want to read my next one!) Her husband, David, is still interested in other options. An associate at work told him that as long as they were staying at the Grand Floridian, they should select the Grand Plan package like his family did. You know how it goes, ãIf you are going to do it, do it right!ä

Before we review that one, though, we need to review the Deluxe Magic package. (If for nothing more than the analysis entertainment value, right?)

Last week I received E-mail from readers advising me of ways that they maximize their Unlimited Magic Passes. I am very aware of these techniques and promise to provide this information for you after I finish presenting the remaining two packages. 

There are very few 'official' ways to make the UMP appear better, though, so I will probably include those helpful hints when I write about the other ticket options for our Smith friends. (Kelly is concerned that they will already be at Walt Disney World before I finish this series, so I promise to do a better job!)

The underlying philosophy of the articles that follow will always be: Why spend more money than you need to? Have a GREAT, magical time at the resort, stay at a beautiful hotel, eat in the best restaurants, and definitely reserve some of the memorable activities, but donât needlessly throw money away. I can think of many other things to do with that money for you. (Remember, I was an Economics major, and my father is a very successful financial manager if you need some personal advice!)

Test question: Have you noticed that every time I referred to the value of our recommended Resort Magic package, I used a variation of the word 'appear?' Why is that? Stay tuned to this site for the answer and more!

Tune in next time for:

The Deluxe Magic Package:
Okay, I'll say it first ... "You must be kidding?"

I knew I wanted to develop my own business some day, so in college I majored in Economics and Finance Management and hoped it would prove useful. It has. It forces one to look at everything from a 'total realized cost' angle. What is the real cost per 'widget' per day? Our enjoyment of 'widgets' is illustrated with a bell curve, etc. I could continue, but you don't want me to. Trust me.

I hope this introduction to a series of articles that delve into the world of Disney Resort Packages makes a positive difference with your vacation planning. The information you will learn here can free up money for other things, instead of on tickets and packages that you do not need. It's true in life ... 'Waste not, want not.'

Please visit the Michael's VIPS site to find out more about the quality services Michael Hewell offers.

Go to: Top | Section Contents | MousePlanet Main Page

Copyright © MousePlanet® Inc. | Legal Information & Privacy Policy | About/Contact MousePlanet | Link to us

MousePlanet® is not associated in any official way with the Walt Disney Company, its subsidiaries, or its affiliates. The official Disney site is available at www.disney.com. This MousePlanet Web site provides independent news articles, commentary, editorials, reviews, and guides primarily about the theme park resorts of the Walt Disney Co. All information on this site is subject to change. Please call destinations in advance to confirm the most up-to-date information.