Anyone ever do this or is it a hairbrained scheme I am thinking about?

[Inkmahm]

Best Buy's CEO would disagree with you. Much of Best Buy's management has been involved in a multi year effort to make sure the "rules" have enough flexibility for customer satisfaction to translate into profitability, and yet cannot be taken advantage of by people who take advantage of such things. Several other retailers have been making similar efforts, Best Buy has gotten the most press.

Disney is getting hurt here if their goal is to have bodies in the park spending money. (I'm not sure if that is their goal or their goal in selling hotel rooms - I suspect its primarily the second - I also suspect that they have a rather complicated financial model of how much one body in the park means in dollars to Disney). If you book a DVC room and a hotel room for four people, and Disney's goal is to get eight people into the park - you aren't helping Disney meet its objective of more people in the park.

And Disney can make whatever rules they wish to make, no argument there. But as the rules are now, there is nothing at all wrong with renting rooms that you don't plan to sleep in. It isn't MY responsibility to "help Disney meet its objective for more people in the park." That's Disney's job. Disney holds all the cards in the game and they make the rules, period. As long as we play within those rules, Disney can have no complaints.

 

[dcamdad]

Using that logic, then none of the DVC members should ever do "no park" vacations in their villas because you're hurting Disney by not buying park tickets, food or drinks in the parks, or soveniers. And you should never ever stay at Disney properties but actually go spend the day at Discovery Cove, Sea World, Universal Studios, Adventure whatever it is called, etc. Because, you know, you're staying at Disney and they are planning for you to spend 100% of your time spending money at Disney! Let's not even talk about those people who dare to stay at Disney but do their shopping at the OUTLET malls instead of buying the overpriced Disney trinkets in the parks.

I didn't sell my soul or promise my first born child to Disney when I became a DVC member, unlike some of you seem to have done. Disney is still a business, that's it. If they have something for sale (hotel rooms) and I buy it, Disney has no room to complain. What I do with it is none of their business (within reason, and NOT staying in a room I'm paying for is certainly within reason.)

I think your missing the point of the perks they are adding to the value resorts, Disney is luring mostly first time visitors to WDW with free dining, etc knowing they will visit the parks and drop a ton of money on those trinkets.

 

[Mtnman44]

1) No, this is not unethical or cheating. It's just weird. Way too much trouble for me. it's also not cheating to buy an extra plane seat next to you, just so you have plenty of elbow room or to get airline miles. I know sometimes people book hotel rooms they never stay in, just to make it to elite levels or for bonuses, etc. It actually makes Disney more money as they don't have to turn those rooms or clean them each day.

2) Now that the terms of the dining plan have been changed and reduced value, it really doesn't save that much money except in extreme case examples. The dining plan before, when it included tips, was certainly something to look at, but now...nah.

Just my two cents.

 

[Inkmahm]

I think your missing the point of the perks they are adding to the value resorts, Disney is luring mostly first time visitors to WDW with free dining, etc knowing they will visit the parks and drop a ton of money on those trinkets.

Again, why should I care WHY Disney does what it does? As long as I follow the rules, I can take advantage of any offer Disney makes. Just like anyone else.

 

[Inkmahm]

1) No, this is not unethical or cheating. It's just weird. Way too much trouble for me. it's also not cheating to buy an extra plane seat next to you, just so you have plenty of elbow room or to get airline miles. I know sometimes people book hotel rooms they never stay in, just to make it to elite levels or for bonuses, etc. It actually makes Disney more money as they don't have to turn those rooms or clean them each day.

2) Now that the terms of the dining plan have been changed and reduced value, it really doesn't save that much money except in extreme case examples. The dining plan before, when it included tips, was certainly something to look at, but now...nah.

Just my two cents.

Ageed. I didn't do the DDP before and don't do it now after the changes, I just don't eat that much. I'll never rent rooms at Disney and not use them. But there is nothing wrong about doing that for the OP or any others who want to consider it.

 

[dcamdad]

Again, why should I care WHY Disney does what it does? As long as I follow the rules, I can take advantage of any offer Disney makes. Just like anyone else.

Agreed, Disney makes the rules and can always change them at any time. Like I stated earlier I don't think its a big deal now, but if in the future Disney decides that it is taking a bite (no pun intended) out of their bottom line they will make new rules to stop it.

Disney could reguire the occupants for the value resort to purchase park tickets for the entire length of stay regardless of whether you had AP or some other park pass. The bottom line is they want visitors to drop as much $$$ as posible while visiting.

 

[keliblue]

Yep we did it and would do it again..

Long story short.. We had already booked a bounce back with FD trip for 9 days at POP two adults and two 16 year old boys before we bought DVC. Then we purchased a loaded contract and needed to use pts.. So we stayed at POP Fri & Sat and left the room empty again until the night before we departed.. I paid about $100 a day for POP instead of $160 for the dining plan, left the room empty 6 of the 9 nights and had a blast at our DVC. We took the one day tickets and upgraded to AP's.

Do I feel guilty...heck no

 

[hansel1]

Using that logic, then none of the DVC members should ever do "no park" vacations in their villas because you're hurting Disney by not buying park tickets, food or drinks in the parks, or soveniers. And you should never ever stay at Disney properties but actually go spend the day at Discovery Cove, Sea World, Universal Studios, Adventure whatever it is called, etc. Because, you know, you're staying at Disney and they are planning for you to spend 100% of your time spending money at Disney! Let's not even talk about those people who dare to stay at Disney but do their shopping at the OUTLET malls instead of buying the overpriced Disney trinkets in the parks.

I didn't sell my soul or promise my first born child to Disney when I became a DVC member, unlike some of you seem to have done. Disney is still a business, that's it. If they have something for sale (hotel rooms) and I buy it, Disney has no room to complain. What I do with it is none of their business (within reason, and NOT staying in a room I'm paying for is certainly within reason.)

I think you missed out on the logic of what the poster was saying. If 25% of dvc members staying in dvc resorts also book WDW resort rooms they don't intent to use, that removes 2500 guests that would normally be spending money at the resorts and parks.

That doesn't have anything to do with how a dvc member uses his/her vacation time while lodging at a DVC resort.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have to sell my soul or promise my first born to disney in order to understand that the loss of 2500 extra guests would be a financial hit to disney. As a VP of finance for a multi-million dollar company, i'm sure you can agree with me that if your company lost 2500 clients or sales your company would feel it.

 

[dcamdad]

I think you missed out on the logic of what the poster was saying. If 25% of dvc members staying in dvc resorts also book WDW resort rooms they don't intent to use, that removes 2500 guests that would normally be spending money at the resorts and parks.

That doesn't have anything to do with how a dvc member uses his/her vacation time while lodging at a DVC resort.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have to sell my soul or promise my first born to disney in order to understand that the loss of 2500 extra guests would be a financial hit to disney. As a VP of finance for a multi-million dollar company, i'm sure you can agree with me that if your company lost 2500 clients or sales your company would feel it.

Thank You.

 

[Mtnman44]

Well, what if 1000 couples book 500 rooms that could be rented to 4 guests each. That means 1000 less people in the parks. So what? Disney Knows what it's doing. Don't forget, it makes a lot of money back on unused DDP credits.

Plus, isn't free dining only offered during low periods. Do the disney resorts sell out in September? I'm highly skeptical that the 2,500 guests in this example never got a room or never ended up going to the parks. Unless the resort is sold out, it's moot anyway.

I think you missed out on the logic of what the poster was saying. If 25% of dvc members staying in dvc resorts also book WDW resort rooms they don't intent to use, that removes 2500 guests that would normally be spending money at the resorts and parks.

That doesn't have anything to do with how a dvc member uses his/her vacation time while lodging at a DVC resort.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have to sell my soul or promise my first born to disney in order to understand that the loss of 2500 extra guests would be a financial hit to disney. As a VP of finance for a multi-million dollar company, i'm sure you can agree with me that if your company lost 2500 clients or sales your company would feel it.

 

[hansel1]

Well, what if 1000 couples book 500 rooms that could be rented to 4 guests each. That means 1000 less people in the parks. So what? Disney Knows what it's doing. Don't forget, it makes a lot of money back on unused DDP credits.

Plus, isn't free dining only offered during low periods. Do the disney resorts sell out in September? I'm highly skeptical that the 2,500 guests in this example never got a room or never ended up going to the parks. Unless the resort is sold out, it's moot anyway.

During the "low periods" disney does not have full capacity at their resorts. But during "free dining periods" disney value resorts hit capacity. This thread has veered off a little bit, but he main point of most people that are against this idea is because families that could only afford value accomodations with free dining could be left out of the promotion due to limit availability at the value resorts.

Disney does not allocate 100% of the value rooms for the free dining promotion. So if people double book rooms when they aren't using them, its a waste to the people that can't book the value accomodation and get free dining.

 

[Inkmahm]

I think you missed out on the logic of what the poster was saying. If 25% of dvc members staying in dvc resorts also book WDW resort rooms they don't intent to use, that removes 2500 guests that would normally be spending money at the resorts and parks.

That doesn't have anything to do with how a dvc member uses his/her vacation time while lodging at a DVC resort.

I'm pretty sure I didn't have to sell my soul or promise my first born to disney in order to understand that the loss of 2500 extra guests would be a financial hit to disney. As a VP of finance for a multi-million dollar company, i'm sure you can agree with me that if your company lost 2500 clients or sales your company would feel it.

I didn't miss a thing. My examples are giving you thousands of people who are staying on Disney property and not spending money at the resorts or parks, just like the people who aren't staying in the hotel rooms that are rented but not used. There is NO hit to Disney, they are getting the exact price for the room that they agreed to rent it for. There is no more hit to Disney for people not going to the parks from those rooms than there is a hit to Disney for those of you who sit in the villas and don't go to the parks at all, or go to Sea World, Dicovery Cove, etc instead. Why aren't you concerned about all of THOSE people not staying to spend money on Disney property?

p.s. That was multi BILLION dollar company.

 

[Inkmahm]

During the "low periods" disney does not have full capacity at their resorts. But during "free dining periods" disney value resorts hit capacity. This thread has veered off a little bit, but he main point of most people that are against this idea is because families that could only afford value accomodations with free dining could be left out of the promotion due to limit availability at the value resorts.

Disney does not allocate 100% of the value rooms for the free dining promotion. So if people double book rooms when they aren't using them, its a waste to the people that can't book the value accomodation and get free dining.

And it's okay to have a big heart and want other families to enjoy Disney. But recognize that for what it is. NOT caring whether other families get to go to Disney or not is fine, too.

 

[dcamdad]

And it's okay to have a big heart and want other families to enjoy Disney. But recognize that for what it is. NOT caring whether other families get to go to Disney or not is fine, too.

Yeah, Disney is not offering the free dining out of the goodnes of their heart, it drives business to put people in the parks to drop cash. If they wanted underprivilaged to " enjoy" disney they would offer everything free under a certain income bracket.

 

[LIFERBABE]

To me, this is the equivalent of purchasing Gift Cards and not using them.

The vendors seem to love that!

One could argue that if you dont use your gift cards, they lose out because they increased their inventory and staffed their stores to accomodate all those gift card users and most will spend more than the amount on the card when it's time to use it.

Same difference. They made their money, the rest is a hedge that seems to benefit them enough to make it worth it. When it stops benefitting them, the rules will change.

 

[hansel1]

I didn't miss a thing. My examples are giving you thousands of people who are staying on Disney property and not spending money at the resorts or parks, just like the people who aren't staying in the hotel rooms that are rented but not used. There is NO hit to Disney, they are getting the exact price for the room that they agreed to rent it for. There is no more hit to Disney for people not going to the parks from those rooms than there is a hit to Disney for those of you who sit in the villas and don't go to the parks at all, or go to Sea World, Dicovery Cove, etc instead. Why aren't you concerned about all of THOSE people not staying to spend money on Disney property?

p.s. That was multi BILLION dollar company.

The difference is that the folks who would be staying in the value resorts would most likely be going to the parks otherwise they would probably stay off property.

Some DVC members choose not to go to the parks but I would say that most do.

I guess I'm just a good ol' southern boy who believes that we shouldn't forget about those less fortunate than ourselves.

 

[Inkmahm]

The difference is that the folks who would be staying in the value resorts would most likely be going to the parks otherwise they would probably stay off property.

Some DVC members choose not to go to the parks but I would say that most do.

I guess I'm just a good ol' southern boy who believes that we shouldn't forget about those less fortunate than ourselves.

Don't kid yourself into thinking that anything but profit matters to Disney in the end. It's a for profit corporation, not a charity.

 

[Mtnman44]

Hmmmm. I've got a 2BR booked for our family of 4 this December. I guess this is unethical as I'm needlessly taking a 2BR away from some other family of 6 that needs it more than me...

Disney should come inspect the room and really make sure I am using all the beds... After all, a 2 BR sleeps 8, therefore I'm depriving the company of 4 paying guests...

This is nuts, really. I'm getting back to work (well, just going to read other threads actually )

 

[Anal Annie]

I personally would not burn the points I would just stay at a moderate, get my free dining and bank my points.

Bingo! Free dining is not worth burning the points IMO!

 

[global_mom]

Hmmmm. I've got a 2BR booked for our family of 4 this December. I guess this is unethical as I'm needlessly taking a 2BR away from some other family of 6 that needs it more than me...

Disney should come inspect the room and really make sure I am using all the beds... After all, a 2 BR sleeps 8, therefore I'm depriving the company of 4 paying guests...

This is nuts, really. I'm getting back to work (well, just going to read other threads actually )

Ya'll are really getting obnoxious. Can it all get back to the OPs topic or just drop it?