Changes to DVC Bookings - effective June 2nd

[KDM31091]

Unless I am missing something, I don't really see how this will improve availability. In demand dates (which are basically all of the year) always book out anyway. Lack of 7 month availability is really nothing new. It's never been easy for most of the resorts. This is why OKW and SSR have long been dubbed the resorts of last resort. They are/were typically the only ones available a lot of the time on shorter notice. Maybe it has gotten worse but a lot of it is social media influence and info about DVC becoming more readily available in that sense, and techniques like walking which most didn't know about before. Stopping rentals, eh. The rooms are getting used, the dues are paid, I don't really see why Disney cares so much.

 

[tanc]

I just rented for the first time before this change luckily lol. But why would anyone want to buy DVC if I could get reservations for half price and not even require a 50 year membership or whatever? Maybe they need to start providing more perks.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Unless I am missing something, I don't really see how this will improve availability. In demand dates (which are basically all of the year) always book out anyway. Lack of 7 month availability is really nothing new. It's never been easy for most of the resorts. This is why OKW and SSR have long been dubbed the resorts of last resort. They are/were typically the only ones available a lot of the time on shorter notice. Maybe it has gotten worse but a lot of it is social media influence and info about DVC becoming more readily available in that sense, and techniques like walking which most didn't know about before. Stopping rentals, eh. The rooms are getting used, the dues are paid, I don't really see why Disney cares so much.

I can definitely see how it would help to not be renting them out, especially when the middlemen groups are doing searches and actively helping making bookings happen for specific dates if I own a bunch of points and I'm not thinking about booking anything I'm just not going to till I'm ready as it is now if I think I'm going to just throw them into rentals. Well they're going to get eaten up every last one of them

 

[C33Mom]

I'm trying to identify the downside for Disney that they're trying to prevent.

Let's say my Private Equity company, Amalgamated Evil, buys a bunch of DVC contracts with the sole intent of renting them out.

Disney gets paid for the contracts, same as if they were sold to individuals.

Amalgamated Evil, a for-profit company, has every incentive to rent the points out to make money. So they rent to families far and near.

The families come to Walt Disney World and spend money like usual.

What's the downside to Disney here?

It is often discussed on this site that Disney has been having more trouble filling their hotel rooms, the huge wave of very generous discounts throughout this year seems to confirm it.

DVC gets members dues whether they show up or not, but Disney hotels lose some amount of revenue each time a person who would have stayed at Beach Club pays 60% as much for a BCV studio, or who would have stayed at Polynesian books a villa for 75% as much.

Okay, but it's still the same number of people in the rooms. I'm not even sure that on average, over time, the geographic demographic for Amalgamated Evil is that different from the average DVC owner.

Is there a direct cost to Disney shareholders for Amalgamated Evil to rent points?

As mentioned above, a Disney shareholder is losing the profit margin on each room that sits empty because someone picked up a spec rental instead…and probably also losing additional money as Disney has to drop rates across resorts to compete with the rental companies that can charge $250 a night at AK villas or BC villas and still make a big profit.

As mentioned by @ehh above, they are losing profit on the empty hotel rooms (whether deluxe, moderate, or value), any additional across the board discounts they offer to raise occupancy, *and* the DVC members who decide not to visit at all or leave the program entirely and stop visiting Disney for a while due to frustration being unable to book a studio at 11mo while seeing 10+ rooms available for their dates on rental sites.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

It is often discussed on this site that Disney has been having more trouble filling their hotel rooms, the huge wave of very generous discounts throughout this year seems to confirm it.

DVC gets members dues whether they show up or not, but Disney hotels lose some amount of revenue each time a person who would have stayed at Beach Club pays 60% as much for a BCV studio, or who would have stayed at Polynesian books a villa for 75% as much.

As mentioned above, a Disney shareholder is losing the profit margin on each room that sits empty because someone picked up a spec rental instead…and probably also losing additional money as Disney has to drop rates across resorts to compete with the rental companies that can charge $250 a night at AK villas or BC villas and still make a big profit.

As mentioned by @ehh above, they are losing profit on the empty hotel rooms (whether deluxe, moderate, or value), any additional across the board discounts they offer to raise occupancy, *and* the DVC members who decide not to visit at all or leave the program entirely and stop visiting Disney for a while due to frustration being unable to book a studio at 11mo while seeing 10+ rooms available for their dates on rental sites.

I would have no problem with them allowing the points to be placed into point exchange. I believe the old timeshare partner site has the ability to do this. Just limit when those bookings can be made(maybe 4 to 6 months out) to give the rest of a chance to book non home resorts at 7 months out.

 

[nickys]

I would have no problem with them allowing the points to be placed into point exchange. I believe the old timeshare partner site has the ability to do this. Just limit when those bookings can be made(maybe 4 to 6 months out) to give the rest of a chance to book non home resorts at 7 months out.

Are you talking about Interval International?

You can deposit points into there. Not sure how far ahead members of II can book Disneyland hotels, but I think DVC members are prevented from booking Disney hotels with their own points.

But that’s a trade, just like using points to book a cruise or non DVC resort. So it doesn’t solve any availability issues.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Are you talking about Interval International?

You can deposit points into there. Not sure how far ahead members of II can book Disneyland hotels, but I think DVC members are prevented from booking Disney hotels with their own points.

But that’s a trade, just like using points to book a cruise or non DVC resort. So it doesn’t solve any availability issues.

Well if people are dumping points in there to book non Disney properties, wouldn't that mean there were more available properties for those using their dvc points? I don't know the legality of things but I could certainly see a time when Disney closes the rental loop hole especially if they can figure a way to profit from it . Having never rented points myself, if you make a reservation for a random person, are you on the hook for any hotel damages ect?

 

[nickys]

Well if people are dumping points in there to book non Disney properties, wouldn't that mean there were more available properties for those using their dvc points? I don't know the legality of things but I could certainly see a time when Disney closes the rental loop hole especially if they can figure a way to profit from it . Having never rented points myself, if you make a reservation for a random person, are you on the hook for any hotel damages ect?

No, that’s not how it works.

If members put their points into II, then II members can use those points to book DVC resorts.

As for the legality of renting…. again, nope. Renting is expressly permitted; what is NOT permitted is renting for commercial use. If DVC think someone is making a business from renting they can stop it.

And for the last point, yes. You would be liable. They can’t run up charges (unless you were to give them your PIN for charging), but DVC could come after the owner for damages.

 

[Huskerpaul]

No, that’s not how it works.

If members put their points into II, then II members can use those points to book DVC resorts.

When a member deposits points into Inteval, DVC then gets to decide what 7 day reservation they want to deposit in Interval. These are always already made reservations and many reservations get added at the same time (bulk deposit). Interval members have to choose from whatever DVC decides to deposit. Deposits usually happen 3-4 months from check-in date.

I have never see studios for exchange in Interval. They are almost aways 1BD, sometimes 2BD. And probaly 80% - 90% of the time the reservation is at OKW or SSR. They never seem to deposit Fall reservations. Lots of summer gets deposited. I just checked and right now there are no DVC deposits available in Interval. These weeks get picked up pretty quickly after they get deposited by DVC.

 

[nickys]

When a member deposits points into Inteval, DVC then gets to decide what 7 day reservation they want to deposit in Interval. These are always already made reservations and many reservations get added at the same time (bulk deposit). Interval members have to choose from whatever DVC decides to deposit. Deposits usually happen 3-4 months from check-in date.

I have never see studios for exchange in Interval. They are almost aways 1BD, sometimes 2BD. And probaly 80% - 90% of the time the reservation is at OKW or SSR. They never seem to deposit Fall reservations. Lots of summer gets deposited. I just checked and right now there are no DVC deposits available in Interval. These weeks get picked up pretty quickly after they get deposited by DVC.

And those reservations come from DVC member inventory.

Meaning that when points are deposited into II, it doesn’t result in more availability for other DVC members.

 

[Huskerpaul]

And those reservations come from DVC member inventory.

Meaning that when points are deposited into II, it doesn’t result in more availability for other DVC members.

Correct. I believe the points for the reservations are owned by Disney. I think that if an owner of Riviera makes an exchange in Interval for a one bedroom week at an elite level resort for 150 points, DVC owes Interval one week. DVC can use a SSR reservation to meet that obligation. DVC can then rent out the original Riviera points beccause they swaped SSR points they owned for the Riveria points. At least that is my best guess at how it works and explains why most of the DVC Interval inventory is OKW or SSR. Interval is pretty opaque about how their system works.

 

[C33Mom]

Correct. I believe the points for the reservations are owned by Disney. I think that if an owner of Riviera makes an exchange in Interval for a one bedroom week at an elite level resort for 150 points, DVC owes Interval one week. DVC can use a SSR reservation to meet that obligation. DVC can then rent out the original Riviera points beccause they swaped SSR points they owned for the Riveria points. At least that is my best guess at how it works and explains why most of the DVC Interval inventory is OKW or SSR. Interval is pretty opaque about how their system works.

The important distinction between exchanging into II and commercial renting is that Disney is generally dumping the *least desirable* rooms and times into II, but a commercial renter is typically gunning for the rooms and times that are most in demand from other owners (because they are low on the point chart and most profitable).