Confused? 8 months out. Thanksgiving booked @ MS, but 1bdrms available on Disney site

[jack hannah bananah]

Ok, can someone explain the developer inventory thing to me. At least, that's what I think is happening????

We wanted to book a room over Thanksgiving...yes..we know it's one of the busier Holidays but how, at 8 months, does DVC member services not have 6-7 consecutive nights at a home resort whereas if you go to Disney World's website you can book 1 bedroom's and studios until your blue in the face.

The only DVC units available during that time right now are at OKW and SSR.

DVCrs' for 3 years now and this is the first time we've called inside the 11 to 7 month window and not gotten what we wanted. Yes, it's the latest into the window we've ever booked and....it is very frustrating.

 

[CarolMN]

Sorry to hear that you can't get a reservation for Thanksgiving at your home resort. Hope you got on the waitlist and that something works out for you very soon.

The inventory of rooms available for cash is separate from he rooms available for points. Cash rooms come from several different places.

The largest share of cash rooms come from DVC members who use their points for selected non-DVC options, such as cruising or staying at one of the non-DVC Disney resorts. DVC sends the equivalent number of rooms over to CRO/WDWTC to get the cash to pay for the members' trades.

Developer cash inventory comes from unsold points. For example, SSR is completely finished and all of the units are available for occupancy, but there are still many thousands of points left to sell there. The unsold inventory still belongs to the developer and is rented out for cash. The cash proceeds belong to the developer.

60 days prior to arrival, any unreserved points inventory is sent to CRO/WDWTC. Members still have access to those rooms but compete with the general public for them. Proceeds from any CRO rentals go back to the DVC and is used to reduce annual dues.

Disney retains a small percentage of each DVC resort for administrative purposes. If not needed for that purpose, those rooms may also be rented out for cash.

All that said, more and more members seem to be reserving early in the booking window, especially for the popular Holiday weeks. Now that you know that, you too will want to reserve earlier if you don't want to depend on a waitlist.

Hope something works out for you.

 

[Dean]

Ok, can someone explain the developer inventory thing to me. At least, that's what I think is happening????

We wanted to book a room over Thanksgiving...yes..we know it's one of the busier Holidays but how, at 8 months, does DVC member services not have 6-7 consecutive nights at a home resort whereas if you go to Disney World's website you can book 1 bedroom's and studios until your blue in the face.

The only DVC units available during that time right now are at OKW and SSR.

DVCrs' for 3 years now and this is the first time we've called inside the 11 to 7 month window and not gotten what we wanted. Yes, it's the latest into the window we've ever booked and....it is very frustrating.

There are a number of reasons for rooms to be available cash but not for points. They include that points traded out are used to reserve time to rent and generate the cash to pay for the traded option, points owned by DVC (not sold or ROFR points) used for rentals and unsold developer inventory such as at SSR & AKV. DVC also anticipates breakage inventory but that likely doesn't apply here. Not being frustrated with it is simply understanding how the system works. The only alternative is to eliminate exchanges altogether which would remove a portion of the cash rooms but not all of them.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

I see, so Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruising are actually allowing Disney to obtain points for anytime of year. That stinks since Disney will obviously take points for rooms in the more popular time of year. Man are they sneaky!

 

[Dean]

I see, so Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruising are actually allowing Disney to obtain points for anytime of year. That stinks since Disney will obviously take points for rooms in the more popular time of year. Man are they sneaky!

Not necessarily. It provides a service to the members, one I personally don't think has much value, but a service some enjoy. They are also bound by the same reservations rules as you and I including home resort. IF DVC used their inside connections to get the best rooms and times to rent out, I would agree with you, but my info suggests they purposefully don't do this and spread them out over the year trying to balance the cash needed and benefits/needs of the members. Obviously they can't just get the worst times but they aren't hogging the best times either. Since this system is a zero sum situation, the more in demand and higher price the rooms are, the less points it would costs for the DVC members exchanging. Do realize that CRO takes 50% of any rental they do thus it's fighting an uphill battle to get enough cash to cover some expensive options found in the exchange group like CC, DC & DCL.

 

[CarolMN]

I see, so Adventures by Disney and Disney Cruising are actually allowing Disney to obtain points for anytime of year. That stinks since Disney will obviously take points for rooms in the more popular time of year. Man are they sneaky!

Without this process, no one could use points outside of the DVC resorts. I obviously don't know how they pick the times to send to CRO, but it wouldn't' surprise me if the DVC members who traded out, traded for Thanksgiving week. Lots of people travel & vacation that week. Disney didn't send those weeks to CRO until after the 11 month window opened, so members reserving their home resort with points did have an opportunity to reserve that time before it was sent to CRO.

Really, we're sorry you didn't get your reservation, but DVC is truly a first come first served system. You'll need to reserve earlier in the booking window in the future, especially if your home resort is VWL, BCV or BWV and you want a popular Holiday week.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

Thanks for your concern. No need to apologize. I should have also mentioned we love DVC and this was our first experience not getting what we wanted and was looking for some answer's.

We realize it's a first come first serve system. We just thought that the mad rush didn't begin until the 7 month window.

I guess we'll be booking day by day at the 11th month!

I believe we should have dibs on any DVC Villa room that is available.

 

[DebbieB]

If a member trades out to ski in Colorado, how do you think DVC pays the resort they are at? They rent a WDW room. That couldn't happen if members had "dibs" on every open villa.

 

[Dean]

If a member trades out to ski in Colorado, how do you think DVC pays the resort they are at? They rent a WDW room. That couldn't happen if members had "dibs" on every open villa.

Actually they like rent 2-3 rooms or slightly more for each room gotten by members on the other end.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

Thanks. It all makes cent$ to me now.

 

[toocherie]

hmmmm, so does this mean that if a member trades out their points for a week in Colorado during Easter week, that DVC then takes a DVC villa or two out of inventory during the same time period for CRO? Or do we know?

Would seem to me that it would be fair to take it for the same time period that the member is using something else (under the theory that they would have used their DVC points onsite otherwise during the same time period). I wouldn't want someone trading out in say January and DVC accumulating those points and then using them for CRO all during Easter Week or Thanksgiving Week.

I admit I am thoroughly confused by this entire trade process and how CRO comes into play. Not sure that anyone really knows all the nuances of how this process works?

 

[PamOKW]

I'm not sure how they actually allocate the points. It's a pretty good balancing act. It's also another place where I think we may be undercutting ourselves with the "discount rental" system we've got in place. If DVC could get a higher price for cash rooms, they would have more cash to offer our trade partners. If the general public doesn't have the "alternative" discount DVC members they'd more readily pony up Disney's asking price for rooms filling the cash rooms and letting Disney recoup costs with fewer points used.

 

[Dean]

hmmmm, so does this mean that if a member trades out their points for a week in Colorado during Easter week, that DVC then takes a DVC villa or two out of inventory during the same time period for CRO? Or do we know?

Would seem to me that it would be fair to take it for the same time period that the member is using something else (under the theory that they would have used their DVC points onsite otherwise during the same time period). I wouldn't want someone trading out in say January and DVC accumulating those points and then using them for CRO all during Easter Week or Thanksgiving Week.

I admit I am thoroughly confused by this entire trade process and how CRO comes into play. Not sure that anyone really knows all the nuances of how this process works?

For II exchanges it appears they orient the weeks to a higher or lower time depending on what the season of the trade was for. For rentals, it's simply a desire to get the $$$ to pay for the destination while balancing the needs of the members to reserve. My experience suggests they do a good job of this overall though if more members exchange, it will become more difficult. Likewise, if there are less cash equivalent exchanges, it will become easier and likely more cost effective (less points) as well. I'd estimate the vast majority of the rooms reserved to rent to secure the cash are lower to mid level times and that DVC tries not to secure Easter and Xmas and tends to shy away from mid Summer and Thanksgiving. The same is not necessarily true for early to mid Dec in my experience, essentially that they see that time as the lower, adventure or Choice time it is.

 

[jack hannah bananah]

CarolMN thanks for your input. A little off thread topic, but still appropriate for the planning forum.

I am aware of the wait list but have a question.

I have a December UY, our points for 2007 are gone, just got back a few days ago, had another great trip.

I have 200 coming on Dec. 1, 2008. Would I have to borrow points and then go on the wait list? Or do they hold the room call you and then borrow the points to secure the reservation? Remember, we need the points for the week before I get my 2008 points.

Thanks

 

[jack hannah bananah]

Tooch,
I like your idea, maybe at least keep it in the season. Adventure, Choice, Premier....

 

[Deb & Bill]

CarolMN thanks for your input. A little off thread topic, but still appropriate for the planning forum.

I am aware of the wait list but have a question.

I have a December UY, our points for 2007 are gone, just got back a few days ago, had another great trip.

I have 200 coming on Dec. 1, 2008. Would I have to borrow points and then go on the wait list? Or do they hold the room call you and then borrow the points to secure the reservation? Remember, we need the points for the week before I get my 2008 points.

Thanks

You wouldn't borrow the points until the reservation was made. You'd just have to be able to have them available to make the reservation.

 

[CarolMN]

CarolMN thanks for your input. A little off thread topic, but still appropriate for the planning forum.

I am aware of the wait list but have a question.

I have a December UY, our points for 2007 are gone, just got back a few days ago, had another great trip.

I have 200 coming on Dec. 1, 2008. Would I have to borrow points and then go on the wait list? Or do they hold the room call you and then borrow the points to secure the reservation? Remember, we need the points for the week before I get my 2008 points.

Thanks

Just posting to say that I would have posted the same answer as Deb & Bill did.

You can't borrow points until an actual reservation is made. But you can call as soon as your booking window permits and if there is no availability for what you want, you can still go on the waitlist. If/When it comes through, MS will borrow the points you need to make the reservation. Be sure to specify that it's OK to borrow when you agree to go on the waitlist.

 

[starbox]

I think there's always a good chance of having waitlists come through on big holidays because I think a lot of savvy members go ahead and make 11-month reservations without being 100% sure they're going to do a Thanksgiving (or Christmas, or NY) trip - but just as a way to keep the option open.

Extended family has a way of changing holiday plans - so I bet there's a good chance a waitlist this far in advance will come through. We had a NY waitlist open up at VWL about three months prior - I was shocked at the time - but I think many of those holiday 11 month reservations are likely made without 100% firm plans.