Any DVC'ers out there think we should have more perks?

[tjkraz]

Adjustments to the point charts may be painful for the individual but they are done to serve the greater good.

The entire reason for having variable point charts is to balance demand. All things being equal, demand for Christmas and Easter weeks is much higher than, say, the month of September. Demand for weekends is higher than weekdays--particularly to those within easy driving distance of WDW who would use DVC for weekend getaways.

So the nightly point rates vary. High demand periods are priced higher to reduce member demand and low demand periods are priced lower to raise demand.

The problem is that weekends were priced just too high. This reallocation was probably 4-5 years late in coming. Fewer and fewer members were using points for weekends. Meanwhile more and more new members were buying in with the idea of using points exclusively for Sun - Thurs stays.

The entire concept behind DVC is for the resorts to be full 365 days per year. With the exception of some points held back for maintenance the resorts should be full of members using points every single night. But with the charts slipping more and more out of balance with demand, that was happening less frequently. That's why you see increased complaints about people no longer getting last-minute reservations or being unable to book a resort at 7 months they used to book. It's because most people are looking for those low priced weekdays and don't want to spend double the points for a weekend.

Under the "old" charts valid through 2009, only 55-60% of a week's points were spread over Sunday - Thursday nights. (The other 40-45% were in Friday and Saturday.) But the percentage of members wanting to use points for Sun - Thurs is MUCH higher than 60%.

THAT is why the reallocation was both necessary and long overdue. Really DVC had no choice. As the timeshare manager it's their responsibility to best facilitate 100% of the membership using their point allocations. Having point charts which accurately reflect demand is the most direct way to live up to that obligation.

That said, I do agree that the point charts for the Bay Lake Tower were handled poorly. DVC should have been able to present both the 2009 and 2010 charts before sales began. They also could have given members more advance notice of the changes. As it was, the new values were revealed just a couple days before 11 month bookings began for 2010.

Those gripes aside, I really can't fault DVC for updating the charts. Personally I will be impacted along with many others. In about 6 years of ownership I've used my points for exactly two weekend nights. So if I continue those patterns, my stays will cost more. But in trying to serve the greater good, I don't see where they had any other choice.

In the long run, we members would have been far worse off if DVC had left things alone. More and more people would continue to buy with the intention of using most points for Sun - Thurs. You can't have people trying to use 80% of all points for weekdays when only 55% of the points are spread over those days. It just doesn't work.

 

[rfemle]

Slappy, and all, thanks for the feedback and comments, I am still learning a lot as a DVC member, but to answer Slappy.
It just seems that every year I get the new points for stay books, the same times and locations I stayed before now require more points. I have not analyzed it, but that is what I remember each time I get one. Might be perception vs actual, but I can tell you, my perception is, I pay in many ways more as a DVC member than a non, and feel, as many point out, they have us "a captive market" no reason to make an incentive for us. I have read all the other reasoning on how DVC members have it so good, but I still do not see it. Maybe as some have said, with the economy, perks are plentifull, but once recovery comes along they will be gone and DVC members will be sitting good, HMM, still not quite sure. I will keep reading this thread. Good stuff.

 

[slappy magoo]

Slappy, and all, thanks for the feedback and comments, I am still learning a lot as a DVC member, but to answer Slappy.
It just seems that every year I get the new points for stay books, the same times and locations I stayed before now require more points. I have not analyzed it, but that is what I remember each time I get one. Might be perception vs actual, but I can tell you, my perception is, I pay in many ways more as a DVC member than a non, and feel, as many point out, they have us "a captive market" no reason to make an incentive for us. I have read all the other reasoning on how DVC members have it so good, but I still do not see it. Maybe as some have said, with the economy, perks are plentifull, but once recovery comes along they will be gone and DVC members will be sitting good, HMM, still not quite sure. I will keep reading this thread. Good stuff.

Perception vs. actual - perception. Definitely perception.

Here's how I always try to explain it. Your points represent a teeny tiny, itty bitty PERCENTAGE of the DVC resort that is your home resort. Of course, the way DVD works is, you own that percentage for the duration of the contract, then your percentage gets deeded back to Disney. But, for as long as your contract is valid, you are a co-owner of a small piece of real estate.

This, essentially, is why point values can't go up at DVC resorts. Because to increase point values across the board means DVC is saying "Hey, you know how we originally told you you owned this much of your home resort? Well, we've decided you now own this much. Gotta problem with that? Call your Congressman, while we rub our nipples all over this giant pile of money you gave us."

Now, when it comes to NON-DVC resorts - for instance, if you wanted to use your points at a moderate resort, or at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, or Disney in Paris or Hong Kong...THOSE points can and will increase. Because they're not part of DVC, they can set a "price" on point values independent of what a comparable DVC room would be. But as far as DVC rooms go, they can shift point values around, take a few points here, add a few points there, but they can't across-the-board raise point values.

Hope this helps.

 

[slappy magoo]

I'll give you an example of how this is a true statement, from my perspective.

Looking at buying into Bay Lake Tower earlier this year, I spent hours poring over all the information to determine what my actual cost would be. A big part of DVC ownership is your number of points purchased, agreed?

I looked at my historical travel plans which might be "arrive on Friday night, leave on Monday . . . or Tuesday." I then calculated how many points I'd have to purchase depending on what season I booked this trip, or couple of trips.

Well, lo and behold - a few weeks later, it was announced that the points required for days of the week would be re-allocated, to better balance demand. So much for being able to rely on the points never changing! Technically, the same number of points all add up to the same over the course of a month, but I'm not staying for a month! :lol:

The person who stays for a week may be able to say there is no difference. But for many, many Disney park guests, the length of stay is less than a week. (Perhaps there is a perception that most DVC members stay for a week or longer at a time - I doubt that is true with the number of people buying the minimum number of points). And DVC's ability to shift the points around from one day of the week to another is one reason why I am not a DVC member.

I'm confused? Are you complaining?

Because if your traditional vacations are to arrive on a Friday, leave on Monday or Tuesday, then here's how I see it...

I'm just looking at studio point values in BLT, all categories, in 2009 and 2010 (BTW, I really hate admitting I go through the work of proving strangers on the internet wrong - I'm sure more than once I went through this trouble with someone who was just spouting ____*t to see if someone would bother to take the bait...but I digress). Point values on Friday & Saturday, depending on view and season, usually went down 2 points a night for 2010. Sometimes they stayed the same, sometimes they went down 1, 3 or during Premier Season with a Standard View, 4 points a night. But they either stayed the same or went down. Sun-Thursday, meanwhile, either stayed the same or, usually, went up ONE point. Only one exception - standard view during Premiere season - went up 2 points a night.

I'm sure, were I to check other categories or other resorts, I'd see a similar pattern.

So based on YOUR usual times of travel, YOU will use fewer points a trip, every time. Hell, you might be able to squeak enough points to extend a trip an extra day once in a while. In the grand scheme of DVC members, you're one of the rare winners.

Now, the people who were used to an "arrive on a Sunday, leave the following Friday" pattern, THEY'VE got reason to be p*ssed. :ROFLOL:

 

[MUTZIE77]

As a DVC member that lives in Wisconsin and can only make it down to the World for one week a year, I would like to see some sort of discount on park hoppers. I understand that the discount on the AP is pretty damn good, but how many members (besides locals and members within reasonable driving distance) can make an AP worthwhile? It costs $283 for a 6 day park hopper. An AP is $619 without the discount. I cant find what the discount is exactly, but unless it is like 60% it is not a perk for a one week a year DVC member. I dont know for sure, but I cant imagine the majority of members visit more than one week per year. I could be wrong. That would be the only perk I am looking for, I dont care about any of the rest.

 

[slappy magoo]

As a DVC member that lives in Wisconsin and can only make it down to the World for one week a year, I would like to see some sort of discount on park hoppers. I understand that the discount on the AP is pretty damn good, but how many members (besides locals and members within reasonable driving distance) can make an AP worthwhile? It costs $283 for a 6 day park hopper. An AP is $619 without the discount. I cant find what the discount is exactly, but unless it is like 60% it is not a perk for a one week a year DVC member. I dont know for sure, but I cant imagine the majority of members visit more than one week per year. I could be wrong. That would be the only perk I am looking for, I dont care about any of the rest.

It's $100 off a park hopping AP, and $125 off the Premium AP that includes the water parks, DQ and WWOS. If you're a little flexible with your dates, you can still squeak in two trips within one year - for example, this year, maybe your vacation begins October 1st, then next year, you go one week earlier, so your vacation ENDS October 1st.
So a Premium Annual Pass is about $526. Split in half, that's 263 for the equivalent of 2 8-day park hoppers that still include the water parks fun and more option. 6 day park hoppers with the WPF&M option (and WITHOUT the no expiration option) runs $356.78. So that's over $714 to do that 2 years in a row. And of course if you're staying a week, the more appropriate ticket would be the *8-DAY* tickets, which are $363.17 a year, $736 for 2 years (all of course at today's prices).
So a Premium Annual Pass will save each adult about $200 over comparable tickets for comparable stays.

If you wanted to forgo the water parks, but keep park hopping, that annual pass is $414. 8-day park hopping passes run $307. Two 8-day park hoppers at today's prices (using one one year, the other the following year) is $614. Again, you'd save 200 getting the annual pass.

Plus then you're offered deals and discounts available to passholders that aren't necessarily offered to DVC members, including the Tables In Wonderland membership that will save anyone who enjoys table dining much more money than the dining plan.

 

[MUTZIE77]

That is a very good point, and I have never thought of it. It just so happens that my two favorite times to go are the Christmas and Halloween seasons. I can go for Christmas one year and then Halloween the next. I am going end of november this year, so I could probably buy an AP right now. Thanks much for the tip! I retract my previous post!

 

[slappy magoo]

That is a very good point, and I have never thought of it. It just so happens that my two favorite times to go are the Christmas and Halloween seasons. I can go for Christmas one year and then Halloween the next. I am going end of november this year, so I could probably buy an AP right now. Thanks much for the tip! I retract my previous post!

I'm glad I was able to be of some help, and I hope you have a great trip.

Here's one more POTENTIAL bit of advice, and any other DVC member can feel free to either support this opinion or say it's a hunk o' nonsense. If you're going at the end of November, and you intend to try to go to a Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, there are specific dates that offer a discount to annual passholders and Disney Vacation Club members. Last year, I went to one of these discounted nights. The place was unbearably packed. Part of it was because Disney wasn't asking people to leave like they have in years past - people who didn't pay to stay there could remain for the enetrtainment, they just couldn't go on any attractions. But part of it was just people taking advantage of the discount. You may be better off paying full price for another day, if you decide to go to the Party at all.

Also, as an Annual Passholder, you'll be able to take advantage of deep discounts on other resort rooms. So if you'd like to save a few points to use on the next trip, or if you'd just like to experience some different resorts, you can opt to get a Passholder discount for a room in, say, a value or moderate, or go whole hog and stay at the Poly or GF, if you choose. Of course, a a DVC member, you can also opt to pay cash for extra nights in a DVC resort, too. If staying a few extra days, but not on points, interests you, just do a little investigating, and see which discount would be better for you

In fact, going back to the spirit of the original post - HERE'S a perk I wouldn't mind, for special events like the Christmas Party & the Halloween party to ALWAYS have DVC discounts, not just on select dates.