Anyone else getting a little annoyed?

[shellybaxter]

No. What I am saying is that research should be done to find out why they don't want to stay there and fix the problem or make additional incentives to make staying there more appealing. I have never stayed at SS but I have stayed at OKW a bunch of times and loved it and I imagine SS is much the same. However, I am not a typical vacationer. I do not have kids and I own 300 points so I am usually going to disney twice a year sometimes with additional family in tow. My wife and I are going in november and turning around to go back in february again and I have invited my mother and sister to go with us.

Hi rowbear,

Dh and I are a family without kids like you and we have 290 points (180 at SSR and 110 at AKV). We sometimes bring our niece with us but its usually just us. We always rent a one bedroom. We've had the pleasure to stay at SSR twice, OKW once, and BCV once. We like SSR a lot. We haven't got to stay at AKV yet, but are sure we will like it as well. Those are our home resorts. We also want to try other DVCs when its possible. Last year we went from the day after Thanksgiving to December 10th. I knew this was a busy time for DVC so I booked at SSR at the 7 month mark (I was using some AKV points and some developer points). Our next trip is planned for Jan 23rd through Feb 6. I'm not sure when in Feb you are going but I wanted you to know that I got (at 7 months because we needed to use both AKV and SSR points) a one bedroom savannah view for one week AND BLT one bedroom MK view for the second week. This was a slower time and we had our choice of resorts. So its not ALWAYS hard, just at popular DVC times.

 

[CarolA]

About two months ago I booked for next week at BWV.... So OKW and SSR aren't the only places available late LOL! (That said I enjoy staying there so it doesn't bother me if they are the only options)

I booked a few days at AKL with about 90 days notice earlier this Spring...

Now if it's VERY important I do book ahead. I have BCV points and book my annual Food/Wine trip there EVERY year about 9 to 10 months out. I am not organized enough for 11 month booking

 

[Tozzie]

I just don't get how you freely admit that you don't book at your home resort yet you blame the people who own at SSR but don't stay there for your inability to get into the resort your want. You don't plan ahead and that is your perogative but your reasoning defies logic.

 

[quirty30]

I rarely stay at either of my home resorts. Don't see why that is a problem.

I hardly ever eat breakfast either.

Thank you for making me smile in the midst of such serious discussion : )

 

[bigsmooth]

One of the things that are always exhibited in these threads is that people make the assumption along the lines of the following: "Because I prefer X, everyone else must prefer X, so because I do not prefer Y it was a huge mistake for Disney to build Y.". The fact is, there are actually different type of people out there. People <gasp> like to golf and stay at a resort next to a golf course. People <double gasp> like spas. People <triple gasp> like high rise urban city style condos. People <scandalous gasp> like to look at the rear end of a zebra while sipping their coffee from a balcony in the morning. I could go on and on. While there are always exceptions to this, I bought Y and I wanted X because X was not available, the vast majority of owners out there are perfectly satisfied. Just because you don't like X, don't assume everyone else does not. But it is as Chuck said, there is a problem of sheer numbers. DVC has gone from a small club where choices were limited to a huge member base that will only see these issues compounded as more resorts are opened. I do think that this may require some changes down the road. The good things about message boards is that if you don't like X, you are perfectly able to tell the world about it and guaranteed you will find people who agree with you, and people who don't (which makes for good discussion).

 

[rowbear]

It is an urban rumor that SSR members do not stay at their home resort. Precentage wise I bet they do not book other resorts anymore than anyone else. We always stay at either SSR or OKW as we like the condo style setup over a hotel style.

Buy where you want to stay, book at 11 months and you will not have any problems. Also if you really want to try other resorts, we have had excellent luck getting exactly what we want at 7 months, even during hard to book times.

As to selling DVC rooms to the general public, that was understood when we buy, that 3% belongs to Disney to as they wish. Any other rooms that are available are due to DVC members trading out to other locations other than DVC resorts.

Also I think what has changed is that off times are not truly off times anymore.

Yet from my personal experience the rumor seems true. I have only gone in a peak season one time in 8 years and I have never had trouble booking rooms until very recently. I am actually in a bit of a crunch right now because I have so many banked points from failed attempts to get down there. I will adjust my habits now but because of my work schedule this hurts quite a bit. The further into the future I have to book a vacation the stronger the likelihood that I will be stuck in the room in front of a notebook doing work several hours a day.

Everyone just assumes that because they can schedule a vacation 11 months in advance that every can and that is not the case. One of the reasons we have always targeted the offseason was to allow for shorter windows and until recently that was not a problem. A couple of years ago you can get into just about anywhere at certain times of the year with 2 weeks notice.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

why Breakfast?
I cannot have a WDW trip without a Mickey Waffle.
I love to start the day with a "proper meal."
Character Breakfasts are wonderful family experiences.
It is also a great cost-savings idea to eat a sit down breakfast (or lunch)instead of a sit-down dinner.
While, sure, there are many similiar items (which is helpful when you have plain, picky eaters), I like to focus on the few unique items like a different sausage, variety of French toast (some time, I'll have to have a French Toast "tour"), carved meat...

..and to help your problem, it is too difficult/time consuming to have a proper breakfast at SSR (AP i not really "proper" and is always packed in the AM), so you have to do a multiple bus hop (plan an hour) to get to most decent breakfasts... If you book another resort, you can sleep in longer before that breakfast ADR

We too enjoy breakfast, and one of our favorites is the Trail's End Buffeteria. If you haven't tried it already, you might want to, it is a good buffet at a reasonable price, and the TIW card makes it even more affordable.

 

[tjkraz]

Everyone just assumes that because they can schedule a vacation 11 months in advance that every can and that is not the case.

I'm not going to go down the road of saying "well, if you don't like it just sell!!!" However, the 11/7 month booking windows will obviously have great impact on members' ability to secure accommodations. When that 7 month window opens, you are competing with tens of thousands of DVC members for whatever is left. And only a fraction of those members are SSR owners.

If a prospective member told me today that they couldn't consistently book more than 7 months in advance, yet expected to be able to book their Home resort with regularity, I would discourage them from even buying DVC.

A couple of years ago you can get into just about anywhere at certain times of the year with 2 weeks notice.

Not sure how you can blame this on SSR owners, then. SSR has been open for over 5 years now.

 

[rowbear]

I just don't get how you freely admit that you don't book at your home resort yet you blame the people who own at SSR but don't stay there for your inability to get into the resort your want. You don't plan ahead and that is your perogative but your reasoning defies logic.

I do book my home resort but since a number of my vacations coincide with business conferences OKW has the best setup for having a car and getting to and from somewhere outside disney without chewing up tons of time. Besides OKW is almost always available since it is treated like a leper colony for some reason which brings me back to my original query what is wrong with SS and OKW?

I really don't get some of you. You are very defensive and I have stated very clearly that I believe this to be disney's fault not the owners of SS. I believe they should find a way to balance demand and if there are SS owners who do not like staying at SS they should find out why and fix it.

If I were to take a guess it would be the isolation factor. No easy access to a variety of restaurants without spending most of your vacation on disney transportation. OKW and SS are set up best for people with cars. So maybe they should offer car rental by the hour so you can use as you need. Or as I mentioned before dinner buses. When you compare the properties that are in high demand to those in low demand it seems to be a variety issue. Disney menus are just too short. Olivias at OKW is okay but it is not one of my favorites so even when we stay at OKW we seldom eat there.

The reality is that Disney has always shot itself in the foot when it comes to resort to resort travel. They have all these cool resorts with nice themes that are not easy to get to if you don't have a car. When we first got our DVC membership we spent 1 day per vacation just going to all the different places to see what Disney had created. It is a fun way to spend the day but it could take an eternity if you had to do it by bus.

We typically fly and avoid getting a rental car when possible however we never use buses to travel for meals. I'd rather get a taxi.

 

[rowbear]

Not sure how you can blame this on SSR owners, then. SSR has been open for over 5 years now.

Please show me where I blame SS owners.

 

[rowbear]

We too enjoy breakfast, and one of our favorites is the Trail's End Buffeteria. If you haven't tried it already, you might want to, it is a good buffet at a reasonable price, and the TIW card makes it even more affordable.

Is it better than their dinner because I finally tried them 2 years ago and they are on my do not return list. It is probably a tie between them and Boatwrights as to who is the worst disney restaurant.

 

[tjkraz]

Please show me where I blame SS owners.

From your second post:

"...what is happening is that people have bought into SS but are not staying there..."

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

OKW is almost always available since it is treated like a leper colony for some reason

I hope that perception continues and even grows with time. I love OKW. It is my home and hope that I can always book there (short or long term notice) when I want to stay there. We need to work on building the impression that OKW is second class or even third, not deter it.

OKW is a horrible, nasty, disgusting 3rd world hotel style resort. Staying there may cause disease not to mention the vermon and aligator infestations. Stay away from OKW you will hate it !!! If you want to stay at a condo style resort SSR is the ONLY real choice for you. Boycott OKW !!!

 

[rowbear]

From your second post:

"...what is happening is that people have bought into SS but are not staying there..."

Where do I say I blame them for this though?

 

[TagsMissy]

I just don't get how you freely admit that you don't book at your home resort yet you blame the people who own at SSR but don't stay there for your inability to get into the resort your want. You don't plan ahead and that is your perogative but your reasoning defies logic.

I was scratching my head about this as well. I see a pot and a kettle

 

[Chuck S]

I hope that perception continues and even grows with time. I love OKW. It is my home and hope that I can always book there (short or long term notice) when I want to stay there. We need to work on building the impression that OKW is second class or even third, not deter it.

OKW is a horrible, nasty, disgusting 3rd world hotel style resort. Staying there may cause disease not to mention the vermon and aligator infestations. Stay away from OKW you will hate it !!! If you want to stay at a condo style resort SSR is the ONLY real choice for you. Boycott OKW !!!

Don't forget the dense, overgrown, jungle-like vegetation.

To the OP's suggestion that offering hourly car rentals may be a solution...uh, they are...but daily rentals are generally cheaper. Just call the Disney operator, they will connect you with National/Alamo who will pick you up and take you to the car care center to get your car.

And again, traveling to other resorts using Disney transportation really isn't that bad, as long as you travel during park operating hours. One bus to the MK, then monorail or boat to any of the MK area resorts, and bus to Studios then boat Y/BC. The most inconvenient resort to resort transfer for a deluxe is SSR/OKW to AKL/AKV

 

[FindTheMickeys]

LOL!!! I have to thank all of you for the best laugh I have had in a long time! I am a PROUD owner of SSR and to date have not stayed at any other DVC resort. At this point in time, I have absolutely no inclination to stay anywhere else. Someday I might try BLT for the walk to MK but for now, I enjoy the peace and quiet of SSR. I truly feel as though I am on vacation when I can get away from the hussle and bussle of the world and relax in my room after a long day in the parks... And I tried to book a THV at my 11 month window and couldn't get it so I <settled> for the 2 BR villa at SSR. My life is wonderful when I am at the WORLD no matter where I stay And let me just say for the record that I am one of those absurd planners who has my vacations planned for the next 3 years. I'm sorry that not everyone has this flexibility and I would probably be very honked off if I couldn't get what I wanted at the last minute either. But if that were the case, I probably wouldn't have purchased DVC. My guide was open and honest and explained that DVC was more for the planners in life than the spontaneous vacationers.

With all of that said, I'm going to sit back and enjoy the banter of all the other DVC owners

 

[TDC Nala]

This made me go look up my reservation history. I own at BCV and SSR. In reverse order were: OKW, OKW, BCV, SSR, VWL, AKV, Disneyland, BWV, OKW, AKV. The home resorts only make that list once each and I seem to stay at OKW more than anywhere.

 

[Brian Noble]

Everyone just assumes that because they can schedule a vacation 11 months in advance that every can and that is not the case.

Unfortunately, as with any floating/points timeshare product, planning early is the key to success with DVC. For those who cannot plan early, DVC will necessarily be less attractive, and possibly require more work to extract fair value.

-brian, who has his vacation lodging completely arranged through 2010, and is starting to think about 2011, and who also thinks OKW is horrible and should be avoided like the plague.

 

[bigsmooth]

Unfortunately, as with any floating/points timeshare product, planning early is the key to success with DVC. For those who cannot plan early, DVC will necessarily be less attractive, and possibly require more work to extract fair value.

-brian, who has his vacation lodging completely arranged through 2010, and is starting to think about 2011, and who also thinks OKW is horrible and should be avoided like the plague.

I've got my 2014 date picked out.

But that is part of the problem- I think timeshares in general require advance planning which is not always possible for some. My employer is a hindrance for advance planning as they are starting to mandate when we use our vacation time (certain days each quarter), which doesn't leave much of a balance for a time of my choosing. But we are dealing with that the best we can. We also own at a Marriott in Kauai, and booking early into that system is also a prerequisite- especially if traveling during peak season.