DVC Members Resistance

[Longhairbear]

As a DVC member I've posted several times about that we have not been back to WDW in going on 4 years, I never expected that others were doing the same.
A new thread on another site has started about staying at their DVC, but going to Universal, and only doing 2 days at WDW Parks. Some are shortening their stays to use their DVC points elsewhere.
The main reasons?
Resistance to planning so far ahead for Fastpass, anything to do with MDE, and ADR credit card $20.00 no show fee. But the biggest reason for staying at their DVC, and not going to the WDW parks was the price of admission. Some are saying they are letting their AP lapse, and not being renewed. Threads about renting cars instead of using WDW transportation are also cropping up. DVC members are comparing ticket prices, and benefits at the non Disney parks.
I'm guessing the crew at the social media cubicles in Celebration Place are wondering if they should pass on the bad news.

 

[WDWDad13]

as a DVC member I can relate... kinda. We are letting our APs expire next year because we're going to go on a cruise instead (plus my daughter starts school so our trips will be reduced some)...but we'll get them again in 2016

no one has to use FP, MDE, the ADR credit card no show fee shouldn't really be an issue though (unless they were abusing it by booking multiple reservations before), and the price of admission is relatively the same at Uni. If you're comparing AP's that's a little different... but I think it's safe to say you're going to run out of things to do at Uni well before WDW.

the bus transportation I can somewhat see... because I drove to the parks for the first time on my last trip... and it wasn't all that bad. the busses can feel like a sardine can but I'm not sure what they can do to solve it (unless they can green light monorails for all resorts and parks which would be cool!)

as a frequent DVC visitor... I can also see many doing like I am and not going next year and waiting for 2016/2017 when Disney Springs and Avatar opens

 

[twebber55]

i know my last two trips to the world ive stayed at my DVC and went to universal instead of WDW

 

[awilliams4]

As a DVC member I've posted several times about that we have not been back to WDW in going on 4 years, I never expected that others were doing the same.
A new thread on another site has started about staying at their DVC, but going to Universal, and only doing 2 days at WDW Parks. Some are shortening their stays to use their DVC points elsewhere.
The main reasons?
Resistance to planning so far ahead for Fastpass, anything to do with MDE, and ADR credit card $20.00 no show fee. But the biggest reason for staying at their DVC, and not going to the WDW parks was the price of admission. Some are saying they are letting their AP lapse, and not being renewed. Threads about renting cars instead of using WDW transportation are also cropping up. DVC members are comparing ticket prices, and benefits at the non Disney parks.
I'm guessing the crew at the social media cubicles in Celebration Place are wondering if they should pass on the bad news.

Considering DVC visits are typically planned 7-11 months out and FP+ ressies started just a couple of months ago, I have a hard time understanding how that can be the main reason. The $20 thing started like maybe 60 days ago?!?!?!

The PAP was $399 last year. The regular AP is $424 to DVC Members. How much lower should it be?

I think what you discovered was just another thread with a group of haters griping about stuff they haven't even experienced yet.

You can just hang out at the Fox News comments section for that.

 

[DVCOwner]

I guess that maybe I am a little different than others on this post. I am in the processing of adding additional points as I write this. Just waiting on right of first refusal to come back. I just renewed my annual passes and plan on additional trips to Walt Disney World in the next few years. I guess that the fast pass and other issue do not concern me as much due to that I am now not rushing to get to every ride on every trip. I am a detailed planner so I like being able to pick a few key things I want to do ahead of time. I spend more time relaxing and walking in the Parks looking at the stuff I never saw before as I ran to the next ride. If I do not get to ride something this time I know I will be back in a few months. Disney Vacation Club has changed the way I vacation and for the better.

 

[twebber55]

Considering DVC visits are typically planned 7-11 months out and FP+ ressies started just a couple of months ago, I have a hard time understanding how that can be the main reason. The $20 thing started like maybe 60 days ago?!?!?!

The PAP was $399 last year. The regular AP is $424 to DVC Members. How much lower should it be?

I think what you discovered was just another thread with a group of haters griping about stuff they haven't even experienced yet.

You can just hang out at the Fox News comments section for that.

for us it s pretty simple
no new rides...my group going this summer is actually excited about the magic bands (im not)
my personal opinion is its a pain to set up your FP 60 days out and setting up a MDE account was not fun either but i do think ill appreciate not running to TSMM to get FPs

simple build rises and we ll come

 

[Longhairbear]

Considering DVC visits are typically planned 7-11 months out and FP+ ressies started just a couple of months ago, I have a hard time understanding how that can be the main reason. The $20 thing started like maybe 60 days ago?!?!?!

The PAP was $399 last year. The regular AP is $424 to DVC Members. How much lower should it be?

I think what you discovered was just another thread with a group of haters griping about stuff they haven't even experienced yet.

You can just hang out at the Fox News comments section for that.

Actually, I was posting this as to what I am reading on one of the most conservative sites that i go to. That is why the general response is so enlightening.

 

[awilliams4]

Actually, I was posting this as to what I am reading on one of the most conservative sites that i go to. That is why the general response is so enlightening.

Enlightened with misinformation then.

 

[awilliams4]

Personally I'm more irritated with the semantics DVC has played with the law than the rest (We were guaranteed a week at home resort with the points purchased but due to the increase/changes we can no longer book a CONTIGUOUS week without paying for a night????). We leave today and I was able to secure FP+ at MK at perfect times for what I wanted only 3 days out. AP passes are expensive but relative to paying each trip, still a decent deal. ADR credit card no show charge am fine with, too much abuse of the system (And they are accomodating for true emergency situations).

What? The only resort that allows you to guarantee a week is the Villas at the Grand Floridian and there have been no changes at that resort in regards to the point chart. So this is bull. Where in your DVC contract does it say you were guaranteed a week?

 

[twebber55]

What? The only resort that allows you to guarantee a week is the Villas at the Grand Floridian and there have been no changes at that resort in regards to the point chart. So this is bull. Where in your DVC contract does it say you were guaranteed a week?

right..never been promised a week anywhere even at our home resort..

 

[WDWDad13]

there were some point re-allocations a few years ago (same total, just shifting seasons or things like treehouse villas up a few I believe)... that might be what they are referring to but you are right... no one is guaranteed a week

 

[PhilharMagician]

We actually sold our DVC points last year. Initially we planned on a 4 year break as our daughter was in high school and she simply cannot miss a minute of school at this point in her life and that is the time we would travel to WDW. I expected to rent out our points for this time period and get back to WDW as soon as we could. Well after some hard discussions and thinking about all of our family complaints we decided to sell and that we would never be visiting WDW like we have been unless it really changed. We did nor do we still see any change in the near future.
We purchased in 2003 and spent anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks in WDW each year. Since 2003 the total WDW annual attendance numbers went from about 37,700,000 to 48,500,000 in 2012. During this time frame there were many ride and show changes but only one major addition which was EE. That is over a 20% increase in guests with minimal additions. We started seeing the strain on the infrastructure and noticed we were just not enjoying ourselves as much since more time now was spent in queues rather than experiencing the rides and shows. Then to tope that the rate of price increase for food and park tickets was increasing at a rate that far exceeded inflation specially during the recession we have all be dealing with over the past few years. So I just cannot take paying a lot more money for a lot less experience.
Since we last visited they have begun to open FLE and there is Avatar to look forward too in 4 years but again there is nothing to absorb the 11 million more guests nor does there look to be anything in the immediate future as attendance grows. My families season pass at a local Six Flags cost me about $180.00 and they add something new each year to keep locals coming. It is not as awesome and breathtaking as Disney, but it at least is something affordable for the family to do together and enjoy.
Maybe in 5 years or possibly 10 years I will see a change in the philosophy and operations at WDW and we will be back. We will visit again, but the key is when?

 

[twebber55]

there were some point re-allocations a few years ago (same total, just shifting seasons or things like treehouse villas up a few I believe)... that might be what they are referring to but you are right... no one is guaranteed a week

yes..they also raised weekday points and lowered weekend points a couple years ago

 

[midwest_mice]

I guess for us being DVC members we plan to stay for the long haul. We enjoy taking family with us about every other trip that we take. We currently are using our Premium annual passes that we activated last month and have two more trips planned this year to use them.
Sure they continue raising food prices, etc. but we've come to terms with staying in a 1 bedroom with full kitchen and often make a trip to Winn Dixie and make our own breakfasts, and a meal a day, saving a lot of money.
Using the MM+ last month was ok, but some getting used to. We are always early birds and arrive at the park right at opening and hit the E ticket rides and then used to grab a fastpass to go again later in the day. Now we just will plan on making a reservation later in the day for one(in the parks that only one is allowed) and hit them right at opening still.
I do agree Disney Transportation sucks. That's why staying at a DVC near Magic Kingdom or Epcot/Studios is a benefit. We're staying at the Beach club villas for the first time this spring and look forward to walking to Epcot and also the Studios.

 

[Blueliner]

I can only speak from personal experience as a relatively new DVC member (we bought 240 points at the Boardwalk via resale about three years ago), but I can relate to some of the sentiment Longhairbear relayed.

We spent four nights at the Boardwalk at Thanksgiving, activating our $399 annual passes on the first day we arrived. We had used banked points to stay four nights at the Grand Californian during spring break, and we borrowed a few points to reserve the Thanksgiving trip.

For Thanksgiving, we used MM+ and we also went with the DDP. I generally enjoy mapping out our trips to a certain degree, and I will admit that I liked being able to get fastpasses for Soarin, Test Track, Toy Story Midway Mania, Peter Pan and the Mountains without running around the parks. However, I felt exhausted by the whole system (MDE, Fastpass+, the ridiculous 6-month-out dining reservations) before we ever set foot in the parks. On top of that, our slowly eroding faith in the bus transportation around WDW resort completely washed out on this trip. We abandoned the buses altogether and just drove to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom (walked to Epcot and DHS).

I much preferred the vibe at the Disneyland Resort at Spring Break, where everything felt more organic and less structured. Moreover, I really loved the ability to walk from our villa to Downtown Disney to Disneyland Park to Disney California Adventure with no need for transportation. Ironically, Disneyland Resort (without the "blessing of size") is, to me, a much more immersive resort than WDW these days.

I enjoyed WDW because it provided an escape from everyday life (traffic, conference calls, sitting in front of a computer, and other work stuff, keeping up with the kids' schedules for various sports and other activities). You could get into the WDW bubble, usually see something that had been built since the last time you visited, and forget about the real world for awhile.

Now, you are just as likely to be fighting traffic on Buena Vista Drive, you sit in front of a computer (or on your smartphone) setting up a detailed itinerary for everything ant to do while at the resort, and then you shuffle the family around to keep up with your FP+ and dining schedule. It's just a bit too much. On top of that, you are doing all of this planning just to experience the same stuff that was there last year. There's not a lot of new stuff to look forward to on upcoming trips.

While I understand it is possible to just go and enjoy the parks without all of the advanced planning, I also think that you should not be at a disadvantage for failing to schedule most of the details of your trip months or weeks in advance.

We are heading to WDW for spring break (to try to take advantage of the annual passes) and not staying in a Disney resort. We have at least one day set aside for Universal. I foresee a lot of time in the water parks (where we don't have to schedule our rides and meals), and likely a day trip to the beach. I just can't even bring myself to think about planning anything out.

From there, we are going to take a break from WDW, bank and borrow points for a trip to Aulani (spring 2015), and then likely bank and borrow points for another trip to Disneyland a couple years after that. I am afraid the annual trips to WDW are likely a thing of the past for our family.

 

[awilliams4]

2003 purchase at SS. and I'm NOT asserting it's a specific week, simply that your points allow you a week at your home resort during whatever "season" it happened to be going forward. Until last year for us (we banked 2012 so not sure when it actually changed), that meant a contiguous week, now it does not. This is permissible by FL timeshare law, but it still stinks. Call DVC if you prefer and hear it straight from them. You'll probably get a lot of stuttering and reluctance to admit it, but...

The point reallocation was to improve the system for its members. It is needed from time to time to ensure that DVC works as intended. So suggesting that this was done maliciously is just wrong.

http://www.dvcnews.com/index.php/ot...debates/784-dvcnews-debates-2010-reallocation

'Additionally, as the timeshare manager DVC also retains the legal right to reallocate the points to better reflect member demand. Reallocation is the process of raising the point requirements for a specific resort / room size / season / day of the week while lowering the points elsewhere. The key to reallocation is that the total points for the year in a single resort cannot change. But DVC does have the right to increase points in one period due to excess demand while lowering points elsewhere due to lower demand. '

 

[hpyhnt 1000]

We purchased in 2003 and spent anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 weeks in WDW each year. Since 2003 the total WDW annual attendance numbers went from about 37,700,000 to 48,500,000 in 2012. During this time frame there were many ride and show changes but only one major addition which was EE. That is over a 20% increase in guests with minimal additions. We started seeing the strain on the infrastructure and noticed we were just not enjoying ourselves as much since more time now was spent in queues rather than experiencing the rides and shows. Then to tope that the rate of price increase for food and park tickets was increasing at a rate that far exceeded inflation specially during the recession we have all be dealing with over the past few years. So I just cannot take paying a lot more money for a lot less experience.

Maybe in 5 years or possibly 10 years I will see a change in the philosophy and operations at WDW and we will be back. We will visit again, but the key is when?

Follows my sentiments as well. My family were never DVC owners (we looked into it and seriously considered it though), but were Florida resident APs for a number of years and used to visit the parks on monthly basis. Your observations about the strain on the infrasturcture and rising costs, coupled with the lack of new shows and additions, are similar to ones we have had. As a result, we don't anticipate heading back to WDW anytime in the near future.

 

[awilliams4]

Maliciously? No. To make more $$$? Hmmmm. Also not sure how it "improved" things for us? We used to be able to take a weeklong vacation each year and only pay our annual dues...now I have to pay for one night's stay to do the exact same thing? So yes, they are within the letter of the law and can say what they like... but have you tried to stay a full week on older DVC points at home resort? Were YOU happy with what happened?

I'm not saying it didn't work out for some people who take other sized trips, but for us, not so much. Moving on....

It was not to make more money. Do a search on DVC Reallocation purposes on Google. No need to speculate, the answers are out there. Timeshares are designed to be at full capacity to the greatest extent as possible. Otherwise, the members pay in more ways than one. If this negatively effected you, then it was because you got the bare minimum to make it work when all the planets aligned and the dates were just right. If that is the case and you didn't purchase points with the understanding of how a Timeshare works and how it can be modified in the future, that is just short sighted. I mean, who can you blame besides yourself? You are arguing with gravity at that point.

 

[Gregoryp73]

We typically just alternate between parks, cruises, and external hotels. Yeah it drains more points if you stay at the lodge at Disneyland compared to your home resort...but Disney just isn't churning out the experiences in an "every three years" regularity.

But in the meantime, the cruises, Aulani, and any of the other hundreds of hotel locations will do just fine to burn points.

 

[flynnibus]

It was not to make more money. Do a search on DVC Reallocation purposes on Google. No need to speculate, the answers are out there. Timeshares are designed to be at full capacity to the greatest extent as possible. Otherwise, the members pay in more ways than one. If this negatively effected you, then it was because you got the bare minimum to make it work when all the planets aligned and the dates were just right. If that is the case and you didn't purchase points with the understanding of how a Timeshare works and how it can be modified in the future, that is just short sighted. I mean, who can you blame besides yourself? You are arguing with gravity at that point.

I find it hysterical that you are effectively arguing people can't predict how many points they will need in the future (a 40+ year contract) so they should have just buy more points.

I've said for a long time this having to align points to your desired use risks buying points you can't use or get caught short.. and everyone says 'nah.. that doesn't happen!' and here we have an example of a guest buying points to match their intended use.. and you're arguing 'well you just should have bought more!'. So for 10 years they should have been paying for points they didn't need?

Classic