Disappointed

[jerseyduke]

The Poly DVC wasn't built for existing DVC owners, it was built for the Poly lovers who can now own a piece of their favorite resort by becoming new DVC members.

Bill

Those two groups are not mutually exclusive. I fall into both. I LOVE the poly. I was so excited about this DVC Project. I am not (at this time) buying.

I am sticking to my guns, the all studio format was because of the use of existing structures.

Like it or not, this is going to be a huge profit for DVC. People will buy just because it is the Poly, and just because it is DVC. And my guess is DVD's cost per point to construct was on the low side. I suspect the Poly will be DVD's highest margin resort.

Not to mention the cash those Bungalows are going to bring in that Poly owners pay to maintain.

 

[cwdefouw]

The Poly DVC wasn't built for existing DVC owners, it was built for the Poly lovers who can now own a piece of their favorite resort by becoming new DVC members.

Bill

This is exactly why it doesn't really matter what existing owners think. I am sure the guides are trained to spin their Poly sales pitch with lots of semi-truths about how if potential new owners want a larger unit they can always book at another resort using their Poly points.

Sure, Disney would love to sell Poly points to existing owners, but the "new owner" market is much larger than the "existing owner" market. And even though it appears on this board that first impressions are not exactly positive, there will still be a large number of "existing owners" that will addon here. Consequently this resort will eventually be just as much of a success as all of the other resorts have been.

For us, (we will not addon here), there is a benefit, as others have mentioned, of possibly being able to score a studio at 7 months with a little more ease, as many Poly owners may try to use their points elsewhere for larger units, and better value per point.

Disney basically has a money printing machine here. When the economy is good, I don't really see any downside for them unless they start to raise the price per point beyond the "Breaking Point" for new owners. That is really the question I am interested in... "What is the Breaking Point on price for new owners?"

 

[disneynutz]

This is exactly why it doesn't really matter what existing owners think. I am sure the guides are trained to spin their Poly sales pitch with lots of semi-truths about how if potential new owners want a larger unit they can always book at another resort using their Poly points.

Sure, Disney would love to sell Poly points to existing owners, but the "new owner" market is much larger than the "existing owner" market. And even though it appears on this board that first impressions are not exactly positive, there will still be a large number of "existing owners" that will addon here. Consequently this resort will eventually be just as much of a success as all of the other resorts have been.

For us, (we will not addon here), there is a benefit, as others have mentioned, of possibly being able to score a studio at 7 months with a little more ease, as many Poly owners may try to use their points elsewhere for larger units, and better value per point.

Disney basically has a money printing machine here. When the economy is good, I don't really see any downside for them unless they start to raise the price per point beyond the "Breaking Point" for new owners. That is really the question I am interested in... "What is the Breaking Point on price for new owners?"

New owners don't know any better, they will be sold on the Poly and they will want it. They will see the bungalows and expect to stay there not knowing that they probably can't afford them.

After buying they will adjust their expectations and if they don't learn from the internet, they will be happy with their purchase.

Bill

 

[nd43]

Consequently this resort will eventually be just as much of a success as all of the other resorts have been.

I think this is what depresses me the most. I think you are right.

It would be very hard to make a DVC product at the poly that would fail given the history and location and preexisting fan base.

It looks like that became an excuse not to try very hard for it to be a great achievement.

Was it really too much to ask to provide an option at the poly that served a DVC community that likes to vacation somewhere between a small studio and a crazy point hog bungalow? Was that really an impossible problem?

Fact is, they did not need to try very hard to solve that. The poly will be a success with a less then spectacular effort in my opinion. Things like time to market and cost efficiency get all the more powerful when you start believing you can sell anything anyway.

If that trend continues, however, they will eventually push it to far and end up with a real disaster. It just screams big company success resting on their laurels to me and not pushing themselves to provide a product more can enjoy.

One last rant . I guess there is a lack of studio inventory on the monorail which some have pointed out to justify the Disney decision. However, trying to solve a system wide problem in a single resort is not how I precieved DVC and the choices it was suppose to provide members. Imagine a future DVC development plan that had new resorts with only grand villas, or 2 bedrooms, or 1 bedrooms. It would continue to segment out the DVC population by resort meaning all of us would eventually have fewer options to truly diversify the use of our points going forward. It is just counter to the core program in my opinion. For some, more studios are welcomed and great but to take an entire resort like the poly off another group of members possible stay list due to lack of other room options (that exist everywhere else) is not positive to the system over time. I hope this is the last of this type of experiment.

 

[jerseyduke]

The Poly WILL NOT BE AS SUCCESSFUL as previous resorts!

It will be MORE successful!

It has to have the cheapest cost per point to build (adjusted for time, inflation, etc). and is selling for the most.

Lowest cost, highest retail = Biggest margin!

That is gold!

 

[theww228]

Really? One resort with a majority of studios (when we are told they are the most in demand) is going to throw the DVC system out of whack? I might buy it if there were only 2 resorts in the system, not 13. SSR is what threw the system out of whack and will continue to until additional resorts help dilute the impact or they add something there that will equalize supply and demand.

 

[wdrl]

I think this is what depresses me the most.

Forgive me if I'm mischaracterizing your statement, but it sounds like you are depressed that PVB won't fail. Really?

Perhaps I am in the minority, but I don't think DVD owes me additional DVC resorts. I bought in 2009 at BLT and since then VGC, Aulani, VGF, and now PVB have come online, and SSR and AKV have expanded to include the Treehouse Villas and Kidani Village. To me, these additions are icing on the cake. Sure, it would be nice if DVD expanded it presence at Disneyland, or if it built a resort at Fort Wilderness or next to Blizzard Beach or at the Yacht Club. But future resorts would be just more icing on the cake.

Does it bother me PVB will bring in thousands of new DVC members who will be trying to get into other resorts at the seven month mark? Absolutely not. I'm one of those fortunate people who can always book at 11 months when my home resort windows open. I own at three DVC resorts because I really want to stay at those three resorts. If I want to switch to another resort, say PVB, I know full well that I might not get what I want. If that happens, I'm perfectly content to stay with my home resort. DVD certainly doesn't owe me the right to switch to another resort at seven months.

Does it bother me that the bungalows are so expensive? Absolutely not. There are many things in this world that I can't afford or don't want to afford, but I don't begrudge others who can and do afford them. At BLT, there are owners who love the more expensive Theme Park Views, while others love the cheaper Standard View villas. I prefer one over the other, but I know that everyone has their own preferences and budgets.

Does DVD owe existing members certain choices and options when it builds a new resort? No. There were numerous complaints when DVD announced it was building Aulani in the Ko Olina area on Oahu. Many complained that DVD should have put it on Maui instead, or at least in the Waikiki area of Oahu. When details emerged about VGF having only one bathroom in the one bedroom villas, many complained that they needed the second bathroom like at BLT and Kidani Village.

The beauty of our market system is if you don't like the product then you don't have to buy. Anyone not impressed with PVB or Aulani or VGF or OKW shouldn't buy there.

 

[LauraLea]

But my disappointment comes from what DVC has done to my resorts to help them gain sales to PVB. Their belief that prospective owners only want studios that sleep 5 has drastically affected my value of the resorts I own, VWL and BWV. Not only that but they used my membership fees to pay for the horrible furnishings now (or soon to be) in the studios.

Laura

 

[DebbieB]

The Poly DVC wasn't built for existing DVC owners, it was built for the Poly lovers who can now own a piece of their favorite resort by becoming new DVC members.

Bill

I agree.

I'm a BWV member who bought in at $65/point in 1999. Why in the world would I buy Poly for $160? The bungalows are out of reach, I'm betting studios will be available at 7 months for a good part of the year.

I considered buying VGC and didn't and I'm 4 for 4 at 7 months (2 studios and 2 one bedrooms). Also 1 for 1 at VGF at 7 months (studio in May) and 1 for 1 at BLT.

If I was going to add on points, I would buy resale at an existing 2042 resort (I'll be 82, don't need longer).

But my disappointment comes from what DVC has done to my resorts to help them gain sales to PVB. Their belief that prospective owners only want studios that sleep 5 has drastically affected my value of the resorts I own, VWL and BWV. Not only that but they used my membership fees to pay for the horrible furnishings now (or soon to be) in the studios.

Laura

I typically go with 2 adult friends, I like the extra bed. It gives us each our own bed.

 

[eliza61]

This is just my opinion and I understand if you don't agree with my thoughts. I am very disappointed with the Poly DVC. The Poly has always been my favorite Disney hotel. I had high expectations.

The decor of the studio is not impressive. I feel the old hotel rooms had more living space in them than the converted DVC studios.

The points needed for a bungalow stay are astronomical. You can buy a house for what it would cost for one week a year even for the next 50.

Oh well, I knew I wasn't going to buy here and now I doubt I will even stay here.

Did I forget about the lack of unit sizes....

I too am disappointed but I said I was going to reserve judgment until I see it in person. A lot of times I've found that I like things much better once I see it in person.

My problem is I don't care for much of the new renovations happening at Disney. Every thing is going very "generic" imo. the new poly lobby is just so plain as compared to the old style. I admit I loved the poly lobby.

I'm with Bill though. I have no horse in this race as I would never pay the price they are asking for the poly and I think Disney knows it. They are not banking on current members buying in, they are counting on new members who love poly.

I really don't care either way if it succeeds or fails, Disney will spin it as a win no matter what.

 

[nd43]

Really? One resort with a majority of studios (when we are told they are the most in demand) is going to throw the DVC system out of whack? I might buy it if there were only 2 resorts in the system, not 13. SSR is what threw the system out of whack and will continue to until additional resorts help dilute the impact or they add something there that will equalize supply and demand.

I guess, like many, I do not consider the poly "just another DVC" resort. It was a founding resort of Disney World and where I took my children, now adults, first. It is too bad they used this historic (for Disney) resort to do such a narrow plan, thereby, limiting its' usefulness for many DVC members.

It was just a missed opportunity. Not the end of the world.

 

[nd43]

Forgive me if I'm mischaracterizing your statement, but it sounds like you are depressed that PVB won't fail. Really?.

Just a bit of hyperbole on my part. I do not wish for the utter failure of Poly.

However, if it is a blazing success it might breed more of the same. I would be disappointed if this model replicated itself in new developments because studios is not what we use and Grand Villas are not what we can afford. It makes the new resort of little value to us. Again, missed opportunity.

Being disappointed and walking around bitter and entitled are two different things. I am just disappointed Poly will not work for us as it had a special place in our history when we were a much younger family.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Did anybody check to see if Jim's back?

 

[LisaS]

Just a bit of hyperbole on my part. I do not wish for the utter failure of Poly.

However, if it is a blazing success it might breed more of the same. I would be disappointed if this model replicated itself in new developments because studios is not what we use and Grand Villas are not what we can afford. It makes the new resort of little value to us. Again, missed opportunity.

Being disappointed and walking around bitter and entitled are two different things. I am just disappointed Poly will not work for us as it had a special place in our history when we were a much younger family.

I understood what you meant in your original post and I agree. Count me as another DVC member disappointed in the direction DVC went with the Poly and concerned that it may be a sign of things to come.

If they didn't want to build 1BRs and 2BRs, it would have been great if they had constructed some "premium" studios with a king bed and a washer/dryer. That would have made purchasing there more appealing to more members. Add a whirlpool tub and I, and I think many others, would have been excited about the Poly. Yes I still would rather have the space of a 1BR but a large studio with more amenities would be an acceptable compromise.

 

[DebbieB]

I understood what you meant in your original post and I agree. Count me as another DVC member disappointed in the direction DVC went with the Poly and concerned that it may be a sign of things to come.

If they didn't want to build 1BRs and 2BRs, it would have been great if they had constructed some "premium" studios with a king bed and a washer/dryer. That would have made purchasing there more appealing to more members. Add a whirlpool tub and I, and I think many others, would have been excited about the Poly. Yes I still would rather have the space of a 1BR but a large studio with more amenities would be an acceptable compromise.

I really think they wanted to convert the existing rooms as quick and cheap as possible and to do that they made them all studios.

I really think there will be more construction. They had 2 new buildings on the initial plan. If they see $$$ there, they will.

 

[Donna M]

It wouldn't surprise me if they built one bedrooms at PVB in the future. There were tons of complaints about SSR not having a large enough pool and now there is a second pool.

They retrofitted all the BLT studios with a sink inside the bath when they realized that was poor planning.

They wanted more studios knowing the demand is there, so they built them. There are plenty of rich people out there that will stay in the bungalows. We're not rich but we will try them out for a night, maybe.

They will make sure the units are occupied, if not, then they will change something.

We have SSR points and have stayed at VGF 3 times, BLT 2 times and will try for PVB for May.

 

[Dean]

At the end of the day this project doesn't hurt anyone from a DVC perspective. IF one hates it, will never stay there, etc, it won't make the 7 month window worse (like SSR) and it doesn't increase other resort costs. All one has to do is ignore it. As I've said previously, I think they've left some good choices on the table such as upgrading the studios to an in between the current studios and 1 BR setup and the points may or may not be too high. In the end I see there are enough sheep that they will follow DVC to slaughter no matter what.