Aggressive Hawking Of DVC On Cruise Ship

[Dean]

I sat and listened in horror during the Laughing Place Podcast as they were telling the story of how aggressive the DVC sales team was on the new Disney Dream cruise ship. They said they literally followed people down the hallways trying to get them to come in for a meeting. And then when they did the presentation they came outside to announce for everyone at the top of their lungs that a presentation was commencing.

Sorry, I just don't like that sales tactic because it "cheapens" the product.

they have no choice but to become more aggressive to sell the product with the current economy and the off property resort.

 

[csharpwv]

I have been on three Disney Cruises, 2 7night cruises - and one 3 night.
I have never seen 'aggressive' sales tactics. As a matter of fact the person at the kiosk on deck 4 (Magic, Wonder) sometimes is so glued to their computer screen, they don't even acknowledge people as they walk by - which is a major 'no-no' in the marketing field, especially when you have a captive audience and you have the opportunity to learn a few names, and say HELLO! to them as they walk by - ask them about their day - what they are doing next etc etc.

The phone calls on each day of the cruise didn't bother us at all - we came home with a ton of cool DVC Member stuff - backpacks, pins, luggage tags, lanyards, hats, the nice wooden box, etc, etc, etc. Which we really like!

Even though we have WAY too many hats now! LOL

BUT, I think you should be able to opt out of the phone calls etc. It's just practical and hospitable. I'm sure they will remove you from the call list if you ask. I can't imagine they wouldn't.

I always go to the presentations, I'm always excited to learn more about what's new and what's next - and what is happening with membership. Plus I usually come away with a pin or something.

Plus, a referral can never hurt!

 

[Ello]

We're scheduled for our first Disney Cruise in April and was surprised to hear about the intense DVC pitch onboard.

 

[DisneyBride'03]

I am actually looking forward to a sales pitch on the Dream next year...I know they cant convince me to fork over more money....But I love the product, and who doesnt love another baseball cap?!

 

[cdmickey]

I can't believe that either a "no thank you" or "we already have as many points as we can afford" wouldn't allay a DVC harsh sell. We have been on five cruises over the years, and besides knowing where the DVC desk was, have never been accosted as some have inferred.

 

[Goofy4Disney99]

The DVC team on the Wonder Panama Canal cruise seemed larger than in the past (4 or 5 CMs). And they weren't as personable as on prior cruises. But ot give them credit, there wasn't a lot of pressure to buy or add on - even at the member reception. But the almost daily phone messages were a bit annoying, especially given that the topics mentioned in the phone messages were often in the navigator.

 

[mom_rules]

A little OT-if you book a cruise (not using points) do you have them note that you are DVC member on the reservation anyway?

 

[keishashadow]

A little OT-if you book a cruise (not using points) do you have them note that you are DVC member on the reservation anyway?

I mention it when making reservation, then make sure to stop over @ the DVC kiosk in the terminal to say 'hi', they've always added our cabin number to their roll and we've received the invites and 'swag'.

 

[Goofy4Disney99]

When paying cash for cruises (which is what we generally do) I never mention that we are DVC members - but they have always found us. I imagine they have that info in their system attached to your Castaway Club record.

 

[csharpwv]

Your DVC membership information is in fact attached to your membership in the Castaway Club.

The two records are in the same area of the DCL system.

I asked about it on my last cruise.

I was actually just curious about how they know DVC members are booked and what stateroom they are in.

The same list that is given to the cabin stewards to place Castaway Club gifts in the room is the same list that DVC pulls its information from to place Welcome Home magnets on the stateroom doors.

Thus - it is that same electronic list that the 'auto dialer' uses to call and leave pre-recorded messages on DVC Member Stateroom phones.

It's a very sophisticated system - and it's very efficient. However, for some it can be a little overbearing!

But once again, I have never felt that they are too aggressive on DCL. i love DVC because they are not aggressive. Are there some aggressive employees? I'm sure that there are, especially ones who receive incentive pay for the traffic they send to presentations, tours, and meetings!

 

[goofystitch]

DVC is hiring people from other timeshares because it's all about the sale and profit, not about Disney. The magic is going away.

 

[bbn1122]

I was on my first DCL cruise last April. I never saw or heard from anyone on DVC. However, we loved the cruise so much we new wanted to do it again. We meet a couple who cruised a lot and were DVC members. It was from talking to them that my DH stopped the DVC desk. He found them very helpful never pushy. We were allowed to take the info home and had two weeks to decide. Well, we did decided yes and our now DVC members. We never felt any pressure from anyone.

We will be back on our 2nd cruise this summer. I welcome any information on DVC. I will let everyone know if there is a lot of pressure.

 

[tjkraz]

DVC is hiring people from other timeshares because it's all about the sale and profit, not about Disney. The magic is going away.

Disney has been in the timeshare business for 20 years now. They didn't just start hiring people with previous sales experience yesterday.

And the company has always been highly motivated by profits.

That said, I wouldn't be surprised to see their sales approach get marginally more aggressive over time. There isn't an endless supply of people who are willing to spend 2-3 weeks per year in a Disney Deluxe resort for the next 50 years.

I don't foresee them locking folks in a room for a 3-hour high-pressure pitch like other TS outfits. But some subtle changes to their approach are to be expected.