Benefits not available to resale owners

[MountainMouse]

There have been reports here on the DIS that resale owners have called to book the Member Cruise for cash and have been told no. Whether it changed to "no" and then changed back, I can't tell you. But I have seen posts from folks who were denied the Member cruise because they purchased resale.

I personally don't consider that a loss, but I'm sure some do.

I purchased resale and was told no on paying cash for a member cruise. This occurred this past winter and for what it's worth the MS rep seemed new and uncertain, I'm not sure I would have gotten the same answer from someone else. I only wanted to check pricing so I didn't push the question.

 

[zavandor]

Cruising never ever makes since on points..not even once

I saw a post some time ago of a member who booked a cruise and the value per point was about $10, so not a bad deal. It was because she booked a week when the DVC points charts where in low season and the DCL was in high season (sometime late summer, I believe). However it's the exception, not the rule and renting points would have been more convenient in any case.

 

[drusba]

What's with the Buena Vista Trading Company dues budget item that we all pay for every year?

Bill

Buena Vista Trading Company is one of the Disney subsidiaries that make up the DVC related companies. For all practical purposes it is just part of MS and has the same employees as other entities that make up MS. Its designated function is handling all trade-out reservations such as trade-outs to the Disney Collections and RCI resorts, but it also includes something most members do not think of in terms of a trade-out -- reserving a non-home DVC resort at 7 months or less out.

Via the official documents, BVTC gets funding from three sources: (a) a $1 per member annual fee which is the "DVC Reservation Component" that you see as a specific line item in the dues; (b) any fees charged to do an exchange to non-DVC resorts (the $95 charge currently); and (c) a proportion of breakage income (rental income after costs of rental) of DVC rooms not reserved by members by 60 days before a date. Breakage income goes first to offset dues up to an amount that is 2.5% of the annual operating budget for a resort. The excess of breakage income then goes to BVTC for its operations until BVTC has total income that equals its annual costs plus 5% of such costs. Any excess thereafter is just income to the Disney that may be used if needed to offset other MS costs not covered by the Management Fee that is part of your dues (that Management Fee equals 12% of the operating budget and, among other things, it is supposed to cover the reservation component costs that relate to members reserving their home resorts). Note, that one of the reasons we do not get a charge for trading out to non-home DVC resorts is because the provisions providing for breakage income to BVTC state BVTC gets that income in lieu of its charging any trade-out fees for memebers to reserve non-home DVC resorts.