Aulani fees increase....33%...Ouch!!

[GrazingGoat1966]

Just curious as to how the increase in annual fees after the recalculation may affect sales in Hawaii. 33% increase is a fair hike. Will it change your mind re purchasing?

Apologies if this is posted elsewhere but I couldn't find it!

 

[JWG]

Didn't change our mind. It was a no before and remains no now.
In reality, this isn't that much off AKV.

 

[tjkraz]

I would say that the price hike can only hurt sales. I'm sure there are fewer people willing to pay $5.73 in dues than there are willing to pay $4.31.

But many other factors will influence sales. Until now DVC has only been selling an incomplete product based upon artist renderings and model rooms. The true test comes now that the resort is available for touring and is hosting hundreds of guests per night.

Only time will tell.

 

[XGrumpy1]

On the podcast about Aulani they said 80% of the sales so far had been from Asia, not the US.

I think the increase would decrease the chance of my buying, but there is probably another answer for the Asian customer.

 

[tjkraz]

The exchange rate is very favorable for Japan of late.

The rate hit 123 per dollar in 2007 and has been on a fairly steady decline since. When Aulani points went on sale the exchange rate was around 88:1. Right now its sitting at 76:1.

Every bit that rate inches downward represents a price reduction for Japanese buyers.

 

[DisDad07]

It's a wait and see game. Hawaii has always been a good vacation spot . It is alot like AK only has no Disney parks to enjoy. Beaches are nice but give me WDW any time. I have been to Hawaii and it takes 9 hours for me to get there, WDW 3 hours.

 

[chunkygal]

Wow! I can't believe they could get away with this in this economy..but if you are buying there, the economy might not be affecting you.

 

[Magnod]

Like someone already mentioned. I think most of the sales is from Japan. The yen was around 75 - $1 which is ridiculous. They must come to the US ready to spend, just like US citizens used to make their dollar stretch in Mexico.

When we took our visit at Aulani, we were one of two local residents, the other 6-7 groups were tourist.

 

[disneynutz]

Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to own there due to cost(s) and it being a non-park resort. IMO Hawaii has many beautiful resorts and Aulani is just another one.

Bill

 

[dcamdad]

Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to own there due to cost(s) and it being a non-park resort. IMO Hawaii has many beautiful resorts and Aulani is just another one.

Bill

 

[CMOORE185]

I could stomach it if I didn't know there were people paying alot less than me. The fact that I know this will stop me from purchasing their.

 

[DebbieB]

Wow! I can't believe they could get away with this in this economy..but if you are buying there, the economy might not be affecting you.

It's the cost of operating the resort. They tried to reduce them to stimulate sales and got caught.

 

[SanDeeKath]

The resort is HUGE and I think there are going to be plenty of available rooms even when it is sold out. Unless you are planning on travelling during the absolute peak times (Christmas or NY week, for example), I just don't see the point of owning there. My educated guess is that people will be able to reserve the weeks they want without having to own there and pay the MFs.

Katherine

 

[slowly]

Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to own there due to cost(s) and it being a non-park resort. IMO Hawaii has many beautiful resorts and Aulani is just another one.

Bill

I've been to the others and there is no other like Aulani! Only resort that made me feel like I was on another island. Sounds like an oxymoron but it is soo true. Can't wait to go again. I say all of this because Aulani is not my home resort either!

 

[DisWitt]

Speaking as an Aulani owner who bought in early, the 33% price hike probably wouldn't affect my decision if I was in the market anyway. It's the difference between a $1200 MF and $1500. If the #'s that affected your purchase decision were that tight, DVC isn't a good fit anyway. Many West Coasters vacation regularly in Hawaii. East Coasters are NOT the target market! And here on Oahu, the Japanese buy anything they can get (check out the luxury buying in Waikiki). Plus, Disney has a huge Japanese following.

As for home resort, Aulani has a TON of expensive Ocean View rooms. But if you want one of the other 3 categories, being an owner will be a big advantage. PV and SV have so few villas that I bet they'll be gone right at 7 months if not before.

 

[OhioDVC]

It's the cost of operating the resort. They tried to reduce them to stimulate sales and got caught.

What evidence do you have that DVD intentionally falsified the dues?

It would be interesting to see

 

[DenLo]

Dues for:
BWV - $5.46
BCV - $5.28

SSR - $4.51


People don't complain about the difference in dues for BWV and SSR, they look at the location of BWV and say I want to be there, near two parks and the boardwalk. That's 21% higher amount in dues. You could substitute BCV if want, but it's only 17% higher. I wonder in another 25 years how much more in dues those owners will pay? The same is for Aulani, location matters and by choosing Aulani you get a Disney Hawaiian vacation.

 

[CMOORE185]

Speaking as an Aulani owner who bought in early, the 33% price hike probably wouldn't affect my decision if I was in the market anyway. It's the difference between a $1200 MF and $1500. If the #'s that affected your purchase decision were that tight, DVC isn't a good fit anyway. Many West Coasters vacation regularly in Hawaii. East Coasters are NOT the target market! And here on Oahu, the Japanese buy anything they can get (check out the luxury buying in Waikiki). Plus, Disney has a huge Japanese following.

As for home resort, Aulani has a TON of expensive Ocean View rooms. But if you want one of the other 3 categories, being an owner will be a big advantage. PV and SV have so few villas that I bet they'll be gone right at 7 months if not before.

Your math is a little off. The point to me is not higher dues themselves but the fact that some get to pay much lower dues for the life of the contract.

 

[CMOORE185]

Dues for:
BWV - $5.46
BCV - $5.28

SSR - $4.51


People don't complain about the difference in dues for BWV and SSR, they look at the location of BWV and say I want to be there, near two parks and the boardwalk. That's 21% higher amount in dues. You could substitute BCV if want, but it's only 17% higher. I wonder in another 25 years how much more in dues those owners will pay? The same is for Aulani, location matters and by choosing Aulani you get a Disney Hawaiian vacation.

I wouldn't complain but I would rather own at SSR. You get the lower MF's, it is fairly easy to book those other resorts at 7 months, and SSR has more years than BWV's

 

[crisi]

I wouldn't complain but I would rather own at SSR. You get the lower MF's, it is fairly easy to book those other resorts at 7 months, and SSR has more years than BWV's

A standard view boardwalk one bedroom during magic season for a week is only $115 more in dues than an SSR one bedroom. I'd pay $115 over the course of a week (I do) more to be able to walk to two parks and have the amenities of the Boardwalk. As for the extra years, I'm old - and we bought BWV before SSR was even announced - we had a few more years. Its rather a relief to me to know its unlikely my children will be burdened by my timeshare.

Now, if I were 30, I might make different decisions. But I wouldn't buy Aulani at any rate, even if dues were $2. I loved Hawaii, have no desire to do more than spend two days on Oahu, and find Mexico much more affordable, more accessible, and almost as pleasant.