Disney Vacation Club adjusts 2010 Vacation Points charts

[Disneycouple99]

I do Software Quality Assurance for a living and I can pretty much tell you what happened. I'm sure somebody accidentally committed the code with the new point charts that everyone is seeing. They made a code release after hours yesterday for something, and accidentally included the point chart. They've now realized the mistake, and backed out the code. This was not a prank or a way to guage people's feelings on this, it was accidental and WILL happen shortly (whenever the planned release was supposed to be.) I'm also surpised that people seem so shocked by this news. There were tons of people who took advantage of the Sun-Fri stay due to the points and never used the weekends. If anything, people won't be able to take as many weekdays and you might even get some better availability now.

Somebody is in troubleeeee.

 

[tjkraz]

Looking at the big picture, this move may help DVC but is going to hurt WDW itself. Instead of us taking 2-3 trips a year, we will only do 1-2 trips and stay the entire week instead of staying 5 nights (plus usually a night or two at a Value or Moderate before our DVC stay). That is a lot less nights staying at WDW which means less ticket sales (no more AP's), less meals, etc.

But for every night that you are forfeiting, someone else will be staying in the room. The overall goal is more balanced occupancy closer to the 98% year-round level that we SHOULD see.

I know one thing - I've watched DVC make a lot of changes over the last few years and never really gotten bothered too much by them. But this time they have made a change that really directly effects our DVC experience and I'm very bothered by the change.

Good way of putting it. I feel the same way. My brain still knows this could and should happen, but it's the first time any DVC change has really left me a bit unsettled.

 

[dd08]

I do Software Quality Assurance for a living and I can pretty much tell you what happened. I'm sure somebody accidentally committed the code with the new point charts that everyone is seeing. They made a code release after hours yesterday for something, and accidentally included the point chart. They've now realized the mistake, and backed out the code. This was not a prank or a way to guage people's feelings on this, it was accidental and WILL happen shortly (whenever the planned release was supposed to be.)

It could be that it was a mistake as you describe, but keep in mind that they also released a link in the "news" section describing the "reason" for the realllocation of points. Which they pulled at the same time they pulled the '10 charts.

If the mistake you described is what happened, then it was also for the news link. It would seem odd that they were "committing a code" for a news link but that's just me


My thought is that somewhere there was the "ok" to give the announcement regarding the change in the waitlist and this was misunderstood as to roll out the announcement for the point changes along with it.

 

[dd08]

How can they even state low weekend occupancy as an issue when kadini is not even open yet.

Not going to defend how they announced the changes, but if every other resort, including Jambo at AKV, had lower occupancy on weekends, it really wasn't a stretch to assume Kadini and BLT would as well

 

[deedeetoo]

Well it seems to me in addition to reallocating between weekend and weekdays they have also reallocated between seasons.

We always go for 1 week during Magic Season. The cost for 1 week has gone up 2 points for both 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms. Its not going to break us or affect our immediate plans, but since we bank and borrow between years it is going to eventually result in one less night for us in a villa.

 

[alldiz]

OOH, LIGHTBULB MOMENT!!!!


You know how people have posted intermittantly that their points totals on the member website were messed up? I was one of those people. A few months ago a stay I had taken (2 b/r, BCV, early June) went from showing as 170 points used to 195 points used. It went back to normal the next day, but I called Member Accouning and asked if they were messing with the website (and was told no). Since the error was corrected, I didn't think too much more about it.

But now it hits me: that 195 points is the NEW points total for the new charts. The IT people must have been testing it (and there must have been a screw up for the testing process to make it on the website).

This change has obviously been in the works for MONTHS!!! Absolutely no excuse whatsoever to spring it like this.

This really stinks.....I just realized how it seems all resorts went down in Value.....except WLV...it went up.
Less than BCV, SSR.....same as savannah view.....I'm pissed.
Kerri

 

[KLR-wlv]

I don't think sun-thurs folks were "taking advantage" of anything - that is the system disney sold and we purchased. I bought 8 years ago added on once - have spent $20000 on points and now I can't even take a 5 night vacation during spring break without borrowing? They have a point chart out for blt which people made purchases based on - and change it within 4 months? I just made a WL reservation for 2 weekend nights before our VB trip in nov. thinking I'd have enough points for a 5 night stay in a 2 bedroom at christmas in 2010 - and now I'm 35 points short for that and it makes that trip impossible. I don't see how that is more "fair and equitable".

 

[epcotwanderer]

I don't think sun-thurs folks were "taking advantage" of anything - that is the system disney sold and we purchased. I bought 8 years ago added on once - have spent $20000 on points and now I can't even take a 5 night vacation during spring break without borrowing? They have a point chart out for blt which people made purchases based on - and change it within 4 months? I just made a WL reservation for 2 weekend nights before our VB trip in nov. thinking I'd have enough points for a 5 night stay in a 2 bedroom at christmas in 2010 - and now I'm 35 points short for that and it makes that trip impossible. I don't see how that is more "fair and equitable".

I don't think the Sun-Thurs were taking advantage...they were just making the system work for them. This is now causing a breakdown in the system that is now being recalibrated and fixed.

 

[CaptHomer]

Really weak on DVC's part. The have now lowered the weekends so the locals can now stay on weekends only at a lower cost and make it harder for us that have to travel to get a full week because we have to stay a week to justify the airfares.

 

[Inkmahm]

Another advantage to Disney will be fewer change overs in rooms, I think, so fewer housekeeping costs. All those people staying Sun to Thurs, leaving for Fri andSat and then coming back for Sun again... now maybe they'll stay straight through. One less villa to be cleaned for "new" people on the weekend. Same for short stays at Pop, etc.

Just in general, I think longer stays are looked on favorably by Disney to save housekeeping. Now we'll see if the weekend point drop is enough to get locals to come for just a weekend at a time. That would offset a bit of the housekeeping savings I think.

 

[jamstew]

The changes hurt me for my weeknight solo trips in May & December.What has been 60 & 65 points will now be 65 & 70 points, a net increase of 10 points.

For my kids/grandkids trips in a 1BR for a week in Dream season, there is a 2 point increase. In Magic season, BCV stays the same & VWL goes up 2.

For 7-night family trips in a 2BR in Dream season, BCV went down by 3 and VWL went down by 1.

This is not dealbreaker, but I'm not happy about the extra 10 points a year for my solo trips. I still won't be staying on weekends. Actually, I've already booked an RCI exchange (with my traditional timeshare, not my DVC) for the first week in May of 2010 with a Sunday check-in. and I'll be moving to BCV for five weeknights at the end.

 

[hakepb]

Any points based timeshare only works if the points usage is balanced. We do pay DVC to run a balanced system.

If weekend use was too low, then they, unfortunately, owed us a re-balancing of the system.

It could be worse, if members all borrowed points without banking, DVC would have to put a (at least temporary) stop to all borrowing activities, that would affect members much much more.

And yes, I'm not happy about this rebalancing. I own closer to the minimum buy in and realize the worst thing they could do to me is making all nights the same points (because there would then be no "value" points periods that gave me longer trips)

 

[zackiedawg]

I'd have to say that the changes work in my favor, if indeed they go through...so no complaints on my end. I have always, since I bought, had weekends included in my stays. I go 5-6 times a year, and each time includes at least one, and usually both, weekend point days. I've always had to deal with the mystefying phenomenon of trying to book a 5 night stay on a Friday through Tuesday, and having lots of trouble getting a 2-bedroom availability in my preferred resort because all days were available except Monday night or Tuesday night (at the time, I never realized that there were folks who go on weekdays to avoid the higher weekend points...I generally HAVE to go on weekends as I'm taking days off at work for my many trips up there, and I can maximize vacation day usage if I append them to weekends).

So for folks like me who live locally, and go up 4, 5, or 6 times a year for 4-night or 5-night stays on extended weekends, this should reduce overall points per stay and possibly make weekday and weekend availability be a little more equal.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Another advantage to Disney will be fewer change overs in rooms, I think, so fewer housekeeping costs. All those people staying Sun to Thurs, leaving for Fri andSat and then coming back for Sun again... now maybe they'll stay straight through. One less villa to be cleaned for "new" people on the weekend. Same for short stays at Pop, etc.

Just in general, I think longer stays are looked on favorably by Disney to save housekeeping. Now we'll see if the weekend point drop is enough to get locals to come for just a weekend at a time. That would offset a bit of the housekeeping savings I think.

I am sure this was some of their intent, but then they should have left the full week totals alone and just adjusted the weekday/weekend amounts to balance (it can be done) to the original week.

In this case they did two major changes, adjusted the week totals in addition to the reallocation between weekdays and weeknights.

 

[dis-happy]

Another advantage to Disney will be fewer change overs in rooms, I think, so fewer housekeeping costs. All those people staying Sun to Thurs, leaving for Fri andSat and then coming back for Sun again... now maybe they'll stay straight through. One less villa to be cleaned for "new" people on the weekend. Same for short stays at Pop, etc.

Just in general, I think longer stays are looked on favorably by Disney to save housekeeping. Now we'll see if the weekend point drop is enough to get locals to come for just a weekend at a time. That would offset a bit of the housekeeping savings I think.

Do you really think weekenders will flock in now? The points are still quite a bit proportionally higher for weekends (if they went to a straight point across the week it would be a different story). Honestly, all they've really done is punish the S-Th night crowd; use up more points and there are less floating around out there being banked, etc. It may put a dent in the private vs. CRO rental spread though.

 

[dizney4us]

I am unable to see what the news points are for 2010. On the member website I can only find 2009? Am I missing something?
Also, is this only for 2010 or from now on?

 

[wildernessDad]

It's odd that the AKV GV required points were changed in the opposite direction. Weekday stays in 2010 will use less points than in 2009. Weekend stays will use more.

 

[chalee94]

I am unable to see what the news points are for 2010. On the member website I can only find 2009? Am I missing something?
Also, is this only for 2010 or from now on?

starts in 2010, but will continue (unless mgmt decides to make another big change on short notice.)

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2067216

 

[PEANUT1]

Count me into the "bummed out" group.

We do mostly sun-fri trips so we can maximize our points. We are planning to do the treehouses for 6 nights days next may. Our point total went from 220 with the old points chart to 233.

 

[logan115]

Do you think that this will increase, decrease, or have no effect on the amount of resales on the market ?

1) Increase - from people that are now "short" points and decide to sell DVC.
2) Decrease - from people that are now "short" points and decide to BUY more to maintain their existing vacation plans.
3) No effect - will basically have the same amount of people selling as buying.

Chris