Well, that answers that....

[Victoria]

You are exactly right, V. Definitely keep your eye out for more potential changes.

What is interesting is those buying resale after 3/21/11 will not be able to use points to book DCL. Apparently, many members use points to book cruises (we don't) so that could be a deal breaker for some people.

I know my sister has used her DVC to book DCL. Not sure who thought that was a good idea. :hammer: I believe she blew almost an entire year's worth of points to pay for one adult. They weren't able to go to WDW for a whole year because of it. The horror!

 

[mousefan1972]

I know my sister has used her DVC to book DCL. Not sure who thought that was a good idea. :hammer: I believe she blew almost an entire year's worth of points to pay for one adult. They weren't able to go to WDW for a whole year because of it. The horror!

Yep. Disney cruises use a huge amount of points. I could never forsake our WDW trips to use points for 1 cruise! :lol:

 

[Victoria]

Yep. Disney cruises use a huge amount of points. I could never forsake our WDW trips to use points for 1 cruise! :lol:

It's just pure craziness! I bet it was my BIL's idea. :lookaroun

 

[Phonedave]

My thoughts on the new announcement.

1. As long as they grandfather in whatever privileges are existing, existing owners of resales should not complain.

2. It will drive down the cost of resales. Meaning either DVC buys up more via ROFR and keeps the price high, or the price drops $10 a point and if you ever have/want to sell, you get less.

3. If you really really wanted to use your points for a cruise/resort you could rent your points and then use the cash to pay for the cruise/room. A popular rental broker gives you $10 a point. If like someone said, a cruise was 400 points, you can take a nice cruise for $4,000

4. This move, while not surprising, was different. Many of the 'perks' I have seen other timeshares do are things like priority check in, flexibility in booking, possible upgrades to rooms. Things like that. Not the ability to book at a different property.

-dave

 

[dizzney]

The last time I talked to a DVC rep I mentioned I was interested in the Boardwalk and she went into a lengthy monologue about how old and tired the entertainment is there. She insisted we'd be sick of it if we had to stay there over and over again.

Nice to see someone being honest.

And we never get tired of it, and neither does our Rep as she owns there too.

Perhaps the rep got a larger commission for a newer property?????

 

[slappy magoo]

I don't forsee myself trying to trade in DVC points for POFQ (even though I love the resort dearly) or wanting to stay at any of those concierge collection hotels listed above.

Off topic, I'm just curious (and anyone else can feel free to answer): If you really wanted to go to WDW at a time that, for whatever reason, you just could not find a DVC room, would you be inclined to try to use your DVC points at a non-DVC resort? Or just chalk it up to bad luck and try another time? Or just say "**** it," pay cash for the room and bank the points for another time?

As I said, it's not really an economical use of your points to use them anywhere else on WDW but a DVC resort...but if I were in a position where nothing was available, and I couldn't adjust my time to go, in that unlikely situation, I might be inclined to try to use my points at a moderate.

 

[Victoria]

Off topic, I'm just curious (and anyone else can feel free to answer): If you really wanted to go to WDW at a time that, for whatever reason, you just could not find a DVC room, would you be inclined to try to use your DVC points at a non-DVC resort? Or just chalk it up to bad luck and try another time? Or just say "**** it," pay cash for the room and bank the points for another time?

As I said, it's not really an economical use of your points to use them anywhere else on WDW but a DVC resort...but if I were in a position where nothing was available, and I couldn't adjust my time to go, in that unlikely situation, I might be inclined to try to use my points at a moderate.

In such a situation I would just try and book a cheap room somewhere on property using an AP discount. I don't think I could justify blowing valuable DVC points on anything other than a DVC resort. :shrug: Then, when the time came, I would use the previously banked points to add on some extra days, stay at a more expensive DVC resort, or stay in a bigger unit on my next trip.

 

[Phonedave]

Off topic, I'm just curious (and anyone else can feel free to answer): If you really wanted to go to WDW at a time that, for whatever reason, you just could not find a DVC room, would you be inclined to try to use your DVC points at a non-DVC resort? Or just chalk it up to bad luck and try another time? Or just say "**** it," pay cash for the room and bank the points for another time?

As I said, it's not really an economical use of your points to use them anywhere else on WDW but a DVC resort...but if I were in a position where nothing was available, and I couldn't adjust my time to go, in that unlikely situation, I might be inclined to try to use my points at a moderate.

I would most likely drop down to a moderate and pay cash. If there were no discounts available and I HAD to be in WDW at that time - lets say for a race, then I would bit the bullet and use points. Otherwise I would adjust the timing of the trip.

-dave

 

[Coach81]

With this new policy does it mean that re-sale points couldn't be used at Grand Californian DVC or just a regular Grand Californian non-DVC room? I think I may have just answered my own question but I want to make sure I'm reading it correctly.

Resale points (those purchased after 3/21/11) can still be used at VGC, but not the Disneyland Hotel or Paradise Pier. Those are in the Disney Collection, which will now be excluded from resale purchasers going forward. No DVC points can be used to book a regular room at the GC, because there are DVC villas there.

Was wondering the same thing.. thank you!

 

[rock_doctor]

This is what worries me. A booking window restriction would suck royally.

This is actually the same comment i have been making on the other DVC forum. I can see them saying direct points for 11-mo bookings and resale for 7-mo bookings i.e. resale points will have no home resort. Although, technically it would impossible to not have a home resort since those points represent a % in a physical deeded property. No home resort means you own a % of vapor, which i suspect is not deed-able...

 

[LeafsFanNL]

Dw and I were getting preliminary research out of the way last month in preparation to buy into BWV via resale. DVC's polict change has made our minds up for us. We won't go near DVC with a ten foot pole. If they can make these kinds of changes mid contract, what might thay do next, and what would it do to the value of my purchased points? In my opinion Disney has made a serious mistake with this. They will sell less points, and people who have points will have a harder time unloading them.

 

[Phonedave]

Dw and I were getting preliminary research out of the way last month in preparation to buy into BWV via resale. DVC's polict change has made our minds up for us. We won't go near DVC with a ten foot pole. If they can make these kinds of changes mid contract, what might thay do next, and what would it do to the value of my purchased points? In my opinion Disney has made a serious mistake with this. They will sell less points, and people who have points will have a harder time unloading them.

Not to sway you in one direction or another, but it is clealy spelled out in the contract what are contractural committments and what are 'perks' subject to change.

The ability to use DVC for ABD, DCL and CC (and the fee associated with it) are all 'perks'.

You are buying a timeshare. You get a room at the resort your bought into for a certain amount of time per year. That is ALL that is contracted. (open meetings and transparancy of records not withstanding). That is about all that is guarenteed with ANY time share. If something like that scares you, then maybe time shares are not for you. DVC seems all safe warm and cozy because it is Disney and Disney is all sunshine and rainbows. Make no mistake, DVC is a timeshare.

-dave

 

[thewhitequeen]

Timeshares are rarely a good investment.

 

[slappy magoo]

Timeshares are rarely a good investment.

Depending on how you define "investment." If you think you're going to flip a timeshare, yeah, that rarely works out, especially as people keep building them, so older ones, by comparison, seem less unique or special unless they happen to be in desirable hard-to-access places.

But there certainly is a good chance you'll save money in the long run, unless you think about that money to use to buy the time share as money that you could expertly invest, continuously make profits off of it with no significant losses, and use that money gained for vacations.

 

[DVCOwner]

Off topic, I'm just curious (and anyone else can feel free to answer): If you really wanted to go to WDW at a time that, for whatever reason, you just could not find a DVC room, would you be inclined to try to use your DVC points at a non-DVC resort? Or just chalk it up to bad luck and try another time? Or just say "**** it," pay cash for the room and bank the points for another time?

As I said, it's not really an economical use of your points to use them anywhere else on WDW but a DVC resort...but if I were in a position where nothing was available, and I couldn't adjust my time to go, in that unlikely situation, I might be inclined to try to use my points at a moderate.

I would do it if I could not bank the points and might loss them if I did not trade them for a non-DVC resort.

 

[DVCOwner]

Not to sway you in one direction or another, but it is clealy spelled out in the contract what are contractural committments and what are 'perks' subject to change.

The ability to use DVC for ABD, DCL and CC (and the fee associated with it) are all 'perks'.

You are buying a timeshare. You get a room at the resort your bought into for a certain amount of time per year. That is ALL that is contracted. (open meetings and transparancy of records not withstanding). That is about all that is guarenteed with ANY time share. If something like that scares you, then maybe time shares are not for you. DVC seems all safe warm and cozy because it is Disney and Disney is all sunshine and rainbows. Make no mistake, DVC is a timeshare.

-dave

I understand what is in the DVC contact and what is a perk and what is not. I believed that perks where things that DVC would do to increase the value of membership. I never felt DVC would ever make changes to a perk to help DVC and not help the members. I have stated else where that I think DVC sold this not only as a time share but you where also a "member of the club". How I se that I was wrong and it is just another time share. I will still take my annual trip to WDW but I will not be investing in additional points that I had planned to buy this year. If DVC can make this change, what is coming next.

 

[Phonedave]

I understand what is in the DVC contact and what is a perk and what is not. I believed that perks where things that DVC would do to increase the value of membership. I never felt DVC would ever make changes to a perk to help DVC and not help the members. I have stated else where that I think DVC sold this not only as a time share but you where also a "member of the club". How I se that I was wrong and it is just another time share. I will still take my annual trip to WDW but I will not be investing in additional points that I had planned to buy this year. If DVC can make this change, what is coming next.

I think that is where the difference lies.

I went into DVC with no pre-conceptions about it being anything more than a time share.

What sold me are two aspects.

- The point concept, as opposed to fixed weeks. As far as I know, that is unique in the world of time shares.

- The status of Disney Parks as a vacation destination and Disney's ownership of all 'on property' land in Florida. This pretty much assures me that if I every have the need (or desire) to trade or rent my points, there will be at least a decent demand for them on the market.


I guess if people went into it thinking Disney is different and we are all one big happy timeshare family with them, then I can understand the hurt feelings. That same difference also explains my attitude to the parks. I KNOW they are there to make money off of me, as much money as possible. When Disney cuts something minor that is important to a small minority of it's guest in a park, I see it for what it is, a business decision as opposed to a violation of a trust.

-dave

 

[dizzney]

I think that is where the difference lies.

I went into DVC with no pre-conceptions about it being anything more than a time share.

What sold me are two aspects.

- The point concept, as opposed to fixed weeks. As far as I know, that is unique in the world of time shares.

- The status of Disney Parks as a vacation destination and Disney's ownership of all 'on property' land in Florida. This pretty much assures me that if I every have the need (or desire) to trade or rent my points, there will be at least a decent demand for them on the market.


I guess if people went into it thinking Disney is different and we are all one big happy timeshare family with them, then I can understand the hurt feelings. That same difference also explains my attitude to the parks. I KNOW they are there to make money off of me, as much money as possible. When Disney cuts something minor that is important to a small minority of it's guest in a park, I see it for what it is, a business decision as opposed to a violation of a trust.

-dave

Totally agree with your persepctive here, we only use our DVC points at WDW and usually stay at our home resort (though we have tried all but AKV)

As we see it, it may be a timeshare but its extremely flexible and easy to use.

We will continue to enjoy our DVC membership