VERY disappointed in DVC and their member cruise!

[tammymacb]

My favorite part is that you can book more than one room and bring your non DVC owning family and friends with you. But, they will exclude members who are paying dues and going to the park.

I agree with Dean in that this decision is mean spirited and wrong.

 

[tjkraz]

What DVC should have done--IMO--is to only allow bookings on the 11th from members who are paying for at least one passenger on points. That would naturally disqualify resale owners (no cruising on points) without suffering the PR disaster.

Then state that those wishing to pay cash for the entire cruise fare can call starting on December 12th or some other later date.

2500 cruise ship cabins will open for booking simultaneously. Call volumes will be tremendous, yet it is extremely unlikely that both ships will fill within one business day. I agree with others who think this policy will be quickly reversed if Disney has trouble selling out the voyages.

I'm also forced to wonder what will happen if a resale owner doesn't spot that fine print and sits on hold for 4 hours on the 11th. Is DVC really going to simply apologize and hang up? Sorry for wasting your day...

 

[Harlemgirl720]

yes mr. moore, i think you are on target.

just my opinion, it isn't a timeshare company but the dvc. it
something they build { image } for the purpose of selling. recently
the resales people have been cutting in to their profits &
spreading the "word" all over the boards. some even took joy
by throwing it back @ the guides. i think this got their attentions,
and they have been working on actions to redirect new sales back
to the "home base".

i haven't read how the resales people are going to sell their shares
since they can no longer go on member cruises. not one. i only
mentioned this because if they all rushed & sold out that might
get their attention to re-think. [ when i look the big picture,
i can see the values of both -resales/direct would have for the
dvc well being. ] but i also think many were forced to sell because
of their fiances , not for profit. i know we didn't buy in thinking
to resale for profit. we brought it for our current & future disney vacations.

our biggest disappointment is trading with rci. we won't
being do it so our blt points will be kept there. it seem way out of
balance & our feedback is to dump it. or make some new "adjustments".
dvc to us, is the real prize not the other way around. so we 're
just redoing our previous goals. besides we have mutiple friends
with timeshares to work with.

resales are a wonderful bargain but if something sounds too good,
then there are going to be future changes. even disney can't sale
their image without it have some true grit.

all i see, the organization putting their house into proper order. i know
we were shocked by the system after buying 3 contacts. then
reading here, seeing how some insiders were misusing their positions,
made us put a hold on any further buying. nor do i think we are
the only ones.

however, the changes we are hoping for , has to do with using our blt
points @ our home resort. the new system allows them to recognize
these differences then that where i think they will make great
progress...including selling direct- "you will have the first dibs on
your requests @ your home resorts." i call it bringing back the
magic!


surely there are those with these holdings, that can recognize that
dvc has many, many options they can rely on , to boost sales?
[ i know i have been giving them our wish list}

i don't think the talk about tier levels matter when you are vacationing.
i also think i would be upset if i was just a resales buyer but i would
still go to disney. we met dvc owners after our member cruise.
original owners, that were blocked out after last year. if you
were a owner that brought dvc , wouldn't you feel cheated that
resales were able to booked over you? exactly who should be more
entitled? even if i had purchased resales...i would vote those
buying direct deserved it more. but if they are some left after a
few months then they should be opened up. now if i was a dvc
manager with authority, i think offering the member cruises
for buying a large amounts of points would be a great way to sale
new points. especially with 2 sailings.

I like your wish list. I agree. If I bought direct (which I did), I should get more perks than those who paid less for their points. I know times are tough and I could have bought at a cheaper price but I chose direct. We should be able to get requests 1 year in advance, those who bought at home resort non-direct 11 months. Those who own at other resorts and bought direct at 7 months, non direct at 6 months.

Dining plan- either lower our costs and keep others at same rate or allow us to pay upon check in.

Annual Passes- payment plan or lower rate.

Member cruise- strictly members. Only direct can use points and non direct pay oop. No one else allowed. No wonder its always fully booked. If you bring people who aren't even members, no one else can attend. So Members ONLY and only immediate family. Sorry but right is right. If only immediate family can get annual passes then they should be the only ones allowed on the cruise.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I don't think a 2 stateroom limit per membership is out of line. 5 people families for the most part book 2 staterooms if they can't get or afford one of the suites. I know we book 2 staterooms for DS's family.

 

[tammymacb]

I don't think a 2 stateroom limit per membership is out of line. 5 people families for the most part book 2 staterooms if they can't get or afford one of the suites. I know we book 2 staterooms for DS's family.

If it's for immediate family, then like APs, that's fine. But, if I get a room for me and DH and then get a room for my neighbor across the street, it's not. If you are a Member paying Member's dues, then you should get to pay cash to cruise with the other members. If you're my neighbor who's been to WDW twice and you're just along for a trip with friends, you should be waaay back in the line behind the person paying dues.

I actually met someone on the Member's Cruise in 2011 who wasn't a member and wasn't even WITH a Member. Their friend ( the member ) had booked a couple rooms and had to cancel his. But this guy still got to cruise on the Member's cruise.

To any dues paying person, that's a slap in the face at this point.

 

[Chuck S]

Dining plan- either lower our costs and keep others at same rate or allow us to pay upon check in.

So Members ONLY and only immediate family. Sorry but right is right.

Dining Plan is NOT controlled by DVC, it is made available to DVC by Disney Parks and Resorts division. They set the rules and pricing, not DVC. IF DVC places too many demands on the system, Disney is just as likely to eliminate it as a DVC option entirely.

If it's for immediate family, then like APs, that's fine. But, if I get a room for me and DH and then get a room for my neighbor across the street, it's not.

To any dues paying person, that's a slap in the face at this point.

Tell me, please, how it is a "slap n the face" if I choose to bring friends on the cruise with me? By your definition, I should be traveling alone. All my "immediate family" has passed away. I have no siblings, only friends and neighbors that travel with me. The closest living relative I have is a 2nd cousin. My estate is being willed to friends, not a blood relative. If I booked a members cruise with two cabins, one for me, one for friends, and I had to cancel....why should my friends, my chosen family, be forced to cancel as well? Especially given that they'd likely already have their flights paid for.

 

[tammymacb]

Well, are you allowed to buy APs for your friends who don't live with you? Then you shouldn't be able to book them in a separate room on the Member's cruise without a member in the room.

Resale owners should be no "less" than the general public when it comes to being allowed on this ship.

No member in the room should equal no room.

 

[tammymacb]

Tell me, please, how it is a "slap n the face" if I choose to bring friends on the cruise with me? By your definition, I should be traveling alone. All my "immediate family" has passed away. I have no siblings, only friends and neighbors that travel with me. The closest living relative I have is a 2nd cousin. My estate is being willed to friends, not a blood relative. If I booked a members cruise with two cabins, one for me, one for friends, and I had to cancel....why should my friends, my chosen family, be forced to cancel as well? Especially given that they'd likely already have their flights paid for.

Because it's a Member's cruise. That should be self explanatory.

If we book a military rate on a cruise ( Dh is a retired veteran ) it doesn't extend to other rooms including the separate room I often book for our daughter. DD isn't a veteran, her room doesn't get the deal.

 

[Chuck S]

Because it's a Member's cruise. That should be self explanatory.

If we book a military rate on a cruise ( Dh is a retired veteran ) it doesn't extend to other rooms including the separate room I often book for our daughter. DH isn't a veteran, her room doesn't get the deal.

Would you be willing to pay their airfare, to keep the cruise exclusively for members, or are you indeed saying that I should always plan to cruise totally alone on a members cruise?

A military "rate" is different, your daughter is still allowed to cruise, at a non-Discounted rate...or are you saying your daughter should also not be allowed on the ship, without military personnel in her room?

 

[CMOORE185]

I find reading this thread very stressful. I began my DVC purchases in 1996 and now have 600 points, I always borrow from the next year and I have never traded out of Disney. I feel the restriction on the buyers from the resale market really devalued my investment. I have always believed what I continued to buy was an investment. The downside of disney was always the 42 year or 50 end. Marriott and others you can deed to your kids. I still thought Disney was worth it, but now.....I wish I bought at Marriott and vacationed at Disney. I would at least still feel like I made an investment and not just prepaid for my vacations.
Back to the topic at hand, I think its a disgrace you can't attend a member cruise. If your not a member, I guess you don't have dues to pay! not lol

I think the fact that you look at DVC as an investment is a mistake. We were clearly told by our guide not to look at DVC as a financial investment. It will and has decreased in value, all timeshares will.

 

[kyle051777]

Dining Plan is NOT controlled by DVC, it is made available to DVC by Disney Parks and Resorts division. They set the rules and pricing, not DVC. IF DVC places too many demands on the system, Disney is just as likely to eliminate it as a DVC option entirely.



Tell me, please, how it is a "slap n the face" if I choose to bring friends on the cruise with me? By your definition, I should be traveling alone. All my "immediate family" has passed away. I have no siblings, only friends and neighbors that travel with me. The closest living relative I have is a 2nd cousin. My estate is being willed to friends, not a blood relative. If I booked a members cruise with two cabins, one for me, one for friends, and I had to cancel....why should my friends, my chosen family, be forced to cancel as well? Especially given that they'd likely already have their flights paid for.

I do not care so much that you are able to bring friends except for the fact that I pay MF every year and they are restricting an actual member from going.

 

[tammymacb]

Would you be willing to pay their airfare, to keep the cruise exclusively for members, or are you indeed saying that I should always plan to cruise alone on a members cruise?

A military "rate" is different, your daughter is still allowed to cruise, at a non-Discounted rate...or are you saying your daughter should also not be allowed on the ship?

You're being a little ridiculous.

First of all, you've already said you don't cruise, so you're just arguing for the sake to argue.
Secondly, if DVC only allowed bookings with a *member in each room* as I believe is fair, than you wouldn't have to worry about your friends who are cruising with you ( even though you don't cruise ) losing their airfare.
And last, there is no VETERANS cruise. There's a prequalification in place to book that room on that cruise. Since it's not a VETERANS cruise, my daughter can, indeed, sail. But without the discount. If I wanted to take her on a VETERAN's cruise, I guess she's share a room with me and DH.

 

[Harlemgirl720]

Dining Plan is NOT controlled by DVC, it is made available to DVC by Disney Parks and Resorts division. They set the rules and pricing, not DVC. IF DVC places too many demands on the system, Disney is just as likely to eliminate it as a DVC option entirely.

Good to know.

 

[wdrl]

What DVC should have done--IMO--is to only allow bookings on the 11th from members who are paying for at least one passenger on points. That would naturally disqualify resale owners (no cruising on points) without suffering the PR disaster.

I wonder: Does Disney prefer that Members use cash or points to pay for a cruise? If Members use their points, then Disney has to convert those points to cash rentals at the DVC resorts in order to recover the cost of the cruise. In today's economy, it may not be that easy to fill the hotel rooms. If Disney gets cash for the DCL bookings, then it doesn't have to a large inventory of villas that have to be rented in order to recover it money

Some Members who would otherwise pay cash might decide to use their points just so they can book on the first day. By requiring that at least one passenger's fare be paid with points if a Member wants to book on the first day, will that result in more fares being paid with points? And is that what Disney wants to happen?

Then state that those wishing to pay cash for the entire cruise fare can call starting on December 12th or some other later date.

This makes sense but I can see Members who own fewer points complaining about this policy. The Members with 1,000 points or more will have no problem paying with points for at least one passenger. But the little Member with only 100 points may feel disadvantaged because they have to pay cash for all their passengers. Keep in mind people can always find something to complain about.

2500 cruise ship cabins will open for booking simultaneously. Call volumes will be tremendous, yet it is extremely unlikely that both ships will fill within one business day. I agree with others who think this policy will be quickly reversed if Disney has trouble selling out the voyages.

The simple solution to this PR headache would have been to say that resale owners get to book a week or two after the other Members have had their chances to book. That way, the resale owners get access to the Members' Cruise, but they only get the cabins that are left over, if there are any.


I hope that while people on in the phone queue waiting to talk to a CM, the recorded message will repeat over and over that resale owners can't book the cruise.

 

[tammymacb]

I think the "point booking only on the first day- at least one full fare" idea is brilliant. It does give some advantage to large point holders, but I'm ok with that. ( I personally booked one person with points, one cash ) On the second day, cash guests and resale owners who had to pay with cash would get their chance. Disney wouldn't do it, because it would screw up MS lines for two days in a row.

But it would be fair to everyone and at least all Member's would have the same chance at sailing.

 

[Chuck S]

You're being a little ridiculous.

First of all, you've already said you don't cruise, so you're just arguing for the sake to argue.
Secondly, if DVC only allowed bookings with a *member in each room* as I believe is fair, than you wouldn't have to worry about your friends who are cruising with you ( even though you don't cruise ) losing their airfare.
And last, there is no VETERANS cruise. There's a prequalification in place to book that room on that cruise. Since it's not a VETERANS cruise, my daughter can, indeed, sail. But without the discount. If I wanted to take her on a VETERAN's cruise, I guess she's share a room with me and DH.

Whether I personally choose to cruise or not is irrelevant. If you are making blanket rules for members cruises, then surely there are other single, unattached DVCers that would be in a similar position that I am in. What you are saying is that they should not be allowed to cruise with friends/family in separate cabins? I think that is a little ridiculous.

 

[tammymacb]

Yes, I am.

I'm saying if the person is not entitled to purchasing an AP with your DVC discount, should stay in your cabin with you or stay home.

Do you really think that your friend is more deserving of being onboard a Member's Cruise than someone who is paying dues? Really??

 

[Chuck S]

Yes, I am.

I'm saying if the person is not entitled to purchasing an AP with your DVC discount, should stay in your cabin with you or stay home.

Do you really think that your friend is more deserving of being onboard a Member's Cruise than someone who is paying dues? Really??

I think who I would chose to travel with is every bit as "deserving" to travel with me as booking any other family member into a separate cabin. I mean, if a member travels with their elderly parents in a separate cabin, I guess those parents also are not as deserving as someone who is paying dues? Such blanket rules rarely work well.

As far as "deserving", no one "deserves" to be on a members cruise over any other person. It is, in reality, simply a charter booked by DVC Marketing. It is not booked by the DVC Association Management as any sort of exclusive "Members Only" event using DVC funds. Under law, it is doubtful DVC funds/dues could be committed to such. Dues are legally tied to resort operations and maintenance, not chartering cruise ships.

So, should the same be applied to WDW DVC resorts? No DVC booked rooms at DVC resorts for friends/family? After all, booking a room for them could prevent a dues paying member from getting that reservation. What about renters? By the same logic, those "dues paying members" would be more deserving of the room than any non-Member, no?

 

[tammymacb]

OMG...again. Really?

We *ALL* have the exact same chance at booking a DVC room. Whether for me, my family, my neighbor or as a spec rent. Everyone can pick up phone and call and we all have the same opportunity.

What's happening with the new rule is members aren't getting the opportunity while random non owners are.

It's completely different.

 

[Chuck S]

OMG...again. Really?

We *ALL* have the exact same chance at booking a DVC room. Whether for me, my family, my neighbor or as a spec rent. Everyone can pick up phone and call and we all have the same opportunity.

What's happening with the new rule is members aren't getting the opportunity while random non owners are.

It's completely different.

But all direct purchasers ARE getting the same opportunity. The newer resale purchasers are not, just as newer resale owners can not book into the Disney Collection. The members cruise works the same way. Direct purchasers have the ability to book, for whatever purposes they choose, over newer resale purchasers. That is marketing. You may not agree with it, but those are the rules. The resorts are OWNED by DVCers, and maintained by our dues. The cruise ships are not, nor are they chartered by DVC for the cruise. It is DVD/Marketing that charters them. Dues are irrelevant to the cruises, even the members cruises. Paying dues does not make one more deserving, as dues are not involved in the charter.

You may not agree with the cruise booking rules, but no one "deserves" it over anyone else.