A list for Claire . . . .

[tjkraz]

Tim, at some point they won't be able to build anymore.

There are always new customers for DVC. In another decade, people who are 15-20 year old high school and college students today will be married and taking their families to WDW for the first time. But there is some question of realistic expectations for sales pace and price. That's the equilibrium DVC will be challenged with finding in coming years.

If you compare to 2-3 years ago, DVC appears to be settling for smaller sales numbers while raising their profit margins. That's a legitimate approach to take, particularly when the product is one that can only be sold one time in 50 years. In a few months when all of those BLT points are gone, DVC may have to wait 48 years before they can start marketing another resort at the Contemporary.

Aulani and other off sites will certainly garner attention. As stand alone projects, those ventures won't be as profitable as a WDW or DL resort where Disney already owns the land. But if adding destinations like Hawaii, Washington DC and others help to grow the overall appeal of the program, they can still be justified to the powers that be.

Then they will have to focus on existing customer satisfaction. Part of the DVC equation can't just be the huge influx of cash from the sale, but the continuing locked in vacations to WDW. If they can't keep up the quality of the experience and vacation homes they promised then it will collapse in on itself.

If you're talking about quality of accommodations, I'm not particularly worried about that because DVC is spending our money. Quality will vary over time, as it certainly has in the last 10 years or so. But at the end of the day, DVC isn't going to run the resorts like a Motel 6 because we are the ones signing the checks.

My comments were directed more toward perks and extras. Owners are committed to using the points. If there isn't a steady stream of new business to maintain, there's really no reason to offer AP discounts, holiday mixers, Welcome Home Wednesdays, cruise gatherings or most of the other perks typically afforded to members.

 

[Greysword]

Sigh, would you have talked me out of buying?

I lurked here and did research, as well as DH on other sites. We also talked to people about it IRL.

I would, yes, and I have said so to others who asked on the operations board. Unfortunately, it seems rule #1 was missed in reading the boards; "Buy where you want to stay". Since I've been on here, there have frequently been reported issues getting the EPCOT resorts at the 7-month mark, especially during Food & Wine and more recently the marathons. VWL are also difficult to reserve at the 7-month mark, especially during Christmas.

Also, many have frequently reported that DVC availability is worst during lower crowd periods at WDW (and vice versa except during Christmas-New Year week). I don't know when you plan to be at WDW, but maybe this is something to consider.

We bought when BLT was still being built. We thought we would love it there, but we realized after our stay there that it is not for us, we are more Epcot area people... In hindsight, we should have bought on the resale market, and got BW or BC.

BLT resale value is still pretty high, and if you purchased early you have a good chance of breaking even with your initial investment. Maybe it would be beneficial to consider selling your current membership and purchasing VGC on resale.

Good luck! The good news is that you have an excellent shot at reserving any room at BLT at the 11 month window, since you own there. You also have a great shot at reserving SSR and OKW at WDW and reserving a room at DLH and PPH in Anaheim. The hardest at BLT are the standard view rooms, but you are (likely) 99%+ guaranteed to get a Lake View room at the 8-11 month window (I'd even say 100% at the 11-month window).

Good luck and happy staying!

 

[Mkrop]

I'm in the camp that is willing to have a dues increase to ensure the quality we expect. Lets have a graduated assessment starting this year for the next few years to get quality furniture for BLT, so we don't have a large one later. If we need more staff or supervisors, lets hire them. Given the number of points for each resort, the dues increase can be relatively incremental and make a large difference.

This is actually kind of surprising given your veteran status on the DISBoards. We would have been happy to provide some help before buying and ensure you knew what was coming.

I would, yes, and I have said so to others who asked on the operations board. Unfortunately, it seems rule #1 was missed in reading the boards; "Buy where you want to stay". Since I've been on here, there have frequently been reported issues getting the EPCOT resorts at the 7-month mark, especially during Food & Wine and more recently the marathons. VWL are also difficult to reserve at the 7-month mark, especially during Christmas.

Also, many have frequently reported that DVC availability is worst during lower crowd periods at WDW (and vice versa except during Christmas-New Year week). I don't know when you plan to be at WDW, but maybe this is something to consider.

BLT resale value is still pretty high, and if you purchased early you have a good chance of breaking even with your initial investment. Maybe it would be beneficial to consider selling your current membership and purchasing VGC on resale.

Good luck! The good news is that you have an excellent shot at reserving any room at BLT at the 11 month window, since you own there. You also have a great shot at reserving SSR and OKW at WDW and reserving a room at DLH and PPH in Anaheim. The hardest at BLT are the standard view rooms, but you are (likely) 99%+ guaranteed to get a Lake View room at the 8-11 month window (I'd even say 100% at the 11-month window).

Good luck and happy staying!

Couldnt even get those this time, we wound up offsite, probably bc of all the contruction at DLH

 

[Greysword]

If I had to make a wish list I would say:

1) Leverage the DVC membership numbers to form relationships with other corporate entities (i.e. official sponsor of the Disney Vacation Club), which could yield free advertising for new DVC resorts and gain offered benefits in exchange for the logo. (I mentioned this in a post a few months ago, and wanted to echo what Horace said on page 1).

An example would be an airline offering DVC members a 15% discount on current airfares to Orlando or LA for current members and maybe a small stipend for DVD. This would be a win-win, since the airline could use the Disney name (with "Vacation Club" after it) in their advertisements and on their planes, incentivise more DVC members flying to WDW or DLR to their airline, DVD would be able to add this discount to their Perk list for selling a DVC interest, and members get a little less cost for airfare.

Other examples could be a rental car agency with a special price code for DVC members (like other businesses have for a free upgrade, LDW coverage for nothing, etc), a retail store chain (like Macy's), charge/credit card (in addition to Chase), satellite or cable TV company that is good to WDC, Fed Ex/UPS, Owner's Locker, and many other companies.

2) If you build another resort on WDW property, consider a monorail resort on the EPCOT line and make the theme epic. SSR, BWV, BCV, and VWL are from the same basic time period, so they compliment each other well. How about a future setting, such as a space or undersea theme. Maybe a playfully Haunted Village theme or a medieval/renaissance village. Stretch those imaginative muscles. Who knows, maybe a theme park will pop-up near it

3) As an owner, I would like to see a moratorium on building for a while, have DVC sell only one resort at a time, and exercise RoFR a bit more. I'm not concerned about the resale value, as I don't plan to sell, rather I'd like to see DVD make money from existing inventory instead of building new units. Even if it is for the most popular resorts (BCV, VGC, and maybe BLT), I'd like to see if it would be profitable for DVD. I have as much a vested interest in keeping the machine sustainable as you do, and I think the RoFR was design for that purpose. Let's test it out.

5) How about adding a weekly (or monthly) poll to the DVC Member website. If you want feedback from a significant portion of the membership, this is a good way to get it.

You can even make additional polls demographic specific. You have our personal info (and if not, you can likely ask and get it), so set up some polls that are password protected and send out emails to specific members for their opinions.

6) I would like to see the Disney Files (or whatever it will be called in the future) released in pdf format for download on the member website as soon as it is mailed. Don't get rid of the print version, but maybe offer the option to opt out for those of us with eReaders. This may lower the overall printing costs charges to all of us (and my share will still be charged to me even if I opt out).

7) As I mentioned before, if you need to raise my dues to raise the quality, then do so.

I would love to have the DVC areas be the new flagship for WDW and DLR! I would like to see the aforementioned cleanliness, replacement/refurbishment of nicked or damaged furniture, upgraded mattresses and linens, replacement of missing kitchen/bathroom items, and everything anything else required to make a DVC room of any category gain the "WOW" factor by new and veterans alike. If this means paying more for it, then so be it!

Thanks for your time!

 

[DVC Grandpa]

I side with those who are calling for the same ticket discount (12% off the gate price) on all WDW ticket media currently being offered to corporations affiliated with Disney.

 

[Scott H]

6) I would like to see the Disney Files (or whatever it will be called in the future) released in pdf format for download on the member website as soon as it is mailed. Don't get rid of the print version, but maybe offer the option to opt out for those of us with eReaders. This may lower the overall printing costs charges to all of us (and my share will still be charged to me even if I opt out).

This is a great idea, as well as have an archive of all past issues.