Does anyone ever pay rack rates for DVC villas?

[CarolMN]

Just ran across this listing of 2006 rack rates for the DVC resorts:

2006 Rack Rates for DVC Resorts

Wow! Even during value season (least expensive), rack rate for a BWV studio is $305/night plus tax. Rack rate for a 1 bedroom is $410/night plus tax.

No way would we stay at our home if we had to pay the cash rack rates! Wouldn't even want to pay those rates discounted by 30%!

Best wishes-

 

[joepoe]

Just ran across this listing of 2006 rack rates for the DVC resorts:
2006 Rack Rates for DVC Resorts
Wow! Even during value season (least expensive), rack rate for a BWV studio is $305/night plus tax. Rack rate for a 1 bedroom is $410/night plus tax.
No way would we stay at our home if we had to pay the cash rack rates! Wouldn't even want to pay those rates discounted by 30%!
Best wishes-

Our first stay at OKW in 1996 was in a 2BR and we paid a rack rate of $375 a night (it was $425 including taxes) This was before we joined DVC and I tell you what we were blown away, and ended up buying two years later. Rack rates now, 9 years later are $590! That's over 6% increase per year!

 

[murcor]

We paid 290.00/night jan 05 for a 1 bedroom. It was on a general public code. Rack rate was 350.00

 

[Daitcher]

Just ran across this listing of 2006 rack rates for the DVC resorts:

2006 Rack Rates for DVC Resorts

Wow! Even during value season (least expensive), rack rate for a BWV studio is $305/night plus tax. Rack rate for a 1 bedroom is $410/night plus tax.

No way would we stay at our home if we had to pay the cash rack rates! Wouldn't even want to pay those rates discounted by 30%!

Best wishes-

Yes, I've payed $550/night for a 2 bedroom at BWV twice before joining DVC. I have to say I'm shocked with how out of touch DVC members are with todays prices. Maybe it is because they only travel using points, I'm not sure. $550/night is not out line for a 2 bedroom anywhere at a Resort. You can't think of DVC as hotel rooms. They are at the very least suites. Compare some suite prices for top hotel chains and you won't be so shocked. We travel often and find the prices in line. I just booked Aruba for next February for 8 days at a Marriott Timeshare property (Surf Club) on a cash ressie. A 2 bedroom oceanfront on cash goes for $875 per night. That price is cheaper than the one bedroom suite without a kitchen at the Marriott hotel in Aruba. Timeshares on cash are a bargain in my book. As the saying goes, if you want to play you have to pay.


DAVE

 

[crisi]

I disagree that they are "at very least suites" Suites at Disney are (IMHO) much nicer.

But I do agree its easy to fall "out of touch" with hotel costs. We have one night at AKL booked - Savannah view, AAA discount, in October - a Deluxe room (for the extra square footage) and its $300.

 

[Bill3]

We know a number of people who willingly pay rack rates. A 2 bedroom at a DVC resort is still the best room available( never had a villa) at WDW. We have paid for weekend night in premiumm season.

 

[minster22]

The first time my best friend and I stayed at the BW in a 1 bdrm we paid rack rate during peak season. This was before I knew about the Disboards, codes and DH was against DVC membership. We paid $435.00 plus tax for 10 nights!!! A couple of trips later DH insisted I buy points since I was spending so much money!!! (He sells timeshare for a company here in the NE, we own a couple of weeks, and thought I would come around to trading into one of the timeshares in Orlando......NOT!!!After using our DVC points, he has become a huge fan of DVC and how it works. His company has actually switched to a point system but not nearly as user friendly as DVC!!)

 

[jennypenny]

We are paying rack rate for a BCV 1 bedroom for 2 nights this august. We decided on a last-minute, 2 week vacation, and couldn't get two of the nights on points or the DVC discounted rate. It was either pay rack rate, or shorten the vacation by 2 days (you can guess what we picked).

What I don't understand is this--the room wasn't available on points, and it wasn't available with the DVC discount, but it *was* available at rack rate??? Either they have the room or not, right??? I am waitlisted for those two nights, so I haven't pushed the issue yet, but I'll call in July and see why I can't get the DVC discount if the waitlist doesn't come through.

I'm sure when I'm enjoying a hurricane hannah in a lounge chair watching my kids play in the sand I won't care how much I paid for the room

Jenny

 

[DisFlan]

We paid $219 for one nite (Sat) in a studio at OKW in Mar '04. It was a room only discount code through CRO. No WAY would I pay full-tilt rack rate for a DVC villa. The dollar cost is nuts.

DisFlan

 

[Daitcher]

We are paying rack rate for a BCV 1 bedroom for 2 nights this august. We decided on a last-minute, 2 week vacation, and couldn't get two of the nights on points or the DVC discounted rate. It was either pay rack rate, or shorten the vacation by 2 days (you can guess what we picked).

What I don't understand is this--the room wasn't available on points, and it wasn't available with the DVC discount, but it *was* available at rack rate??? Either they have the room or not, right??? I am waitlisted for those two nights, so I haven't pushed the issue yet, but I'll call in July and see why I can't get the DVC discount if the waitlist doesn't come through.


jenny,

They only offer so many discounts for the cash rooms. I'm not sure how many but once they are gone they are gone. The rest go at rack rate. Many types of business use the same strategy. For instance Southwest Airlines offers different prices for the same flight. They offer so many seats at the lowest price. When they are gone the price moves up and up until they are booked. As with most things in life the early bird gets the worm. I hope your waitlist comes through.


DAVE

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip).....What I don't understand is this--the room wasn't available on points, and it wasn't available with the DVC discount, but it *was* available at rack rate??? Either they have the room or not, right??? I am waitlisted for those two nights, so I haven't pushed the issue yet, but I'll call in July and see why I can't get the DVC discount if the waitlist doesn't come through.......

The inventory of rooms available for points is completely separate from the inventory available for cash. THe DVC member cash discount rooms come out of the points inventory. They are only offered if DVC thinks all of the rooms available for points will not be booked by members using points. If there aren't any rooms available for points, there shouldn't be rooms available for the DVC member cash discount.

Most of the rooms available via CRO for cash come from DVC members who decided to use thier points for something other than DVC - like a Disney cruise or a stay at the GF or the Tanque Verde Ranch,for example. DVC has to send cash to pay for those choices. So they send the equivalent number of DVC resort nights over to CRO from the points inventory. CRO rents them out to the general public and sends the cash back to DVC to pay for the DVC members' other choices. In essence, the rooms CRO has for cash have already been used by a DVC member - he/she traded it for something else.

Anway, that's why sometimes there are still rooms for cash and none for points. Sometimes there are rooms for points and not rooms for cash - it's just the way the system works.

HTH.

Best wishes -

 

[Laurabearz]

Our first stay in a DVC unit was on cash.... 2 bedroom OKW January. Rack was $489 but I discovered the fun of searching for codes and got it down to $269.... I was thrilled....

Now $70,000 bucks later..... I have no clue what rooms cost and I like it that way.

 

[vernon]

If you compare "like for like" those rates are pretty much in line with similar "regular" hotel rate offerings. A room at BWV or BCV is in line with a room at the Y+/or BC. A one bedroom unit ( which I may add at only $105 a night extra than a regular room seems to me a pretty good deal) compares reasonably with a suite at a similar hotel. Now I would agree that it's "horses for courses" the regular suites usually come with consierge level services, but the DVC one bedrooms have a jacuzzi, are usually bigger and have a fully equiped kitchen ( I conceed the kitchen isn't for everyone, but as a facility and an opportunity to save a lot of $$) , for those that like that style of accommodation I think it's an equal to a suite, although it is not an exact copy.

JMHO


All that this proves is what a good deal DVC is, not that the cash rates for those resorts is out of line.

 

[jennypenny]

Thanks, that clears some things up for me. I called CRO, and I could have gotten the BCV 1bd at the AP rate, but then I'd probably have to move, and (having done that once) that is such a pain. If it was for more than a couple of days I wouldn't pay for the convenience of staying put, but for two days I like not moving.

I guess it all comes down to what you're willing to pay for. I know DVC people who switch rooms for weekends to save points. That would drive me nuts. I'd rather pay cash, even if it was rack rate. BUT, I cook most meals when we are in disney (we only eat out once every other day) and I know most people think that's *weird* so to each his own.

The fact that there are so many ways to work the DVC system convinces me what a great system it is. Everyone has figured out what works for them. My inlaws go every other year, and it works for them. We go 2-3 times per year and it works for us. Bravo DVC.

Jenny

 

[eileenkeeney]

I paid the rack rate for a 2 bedroom at OKW (with some sort of seasonal and Magic Kingdom club discount).
I wanted to actually stay there, before buying.
I was not comfortable with the risks associated with the DVC rental market.

- Eileen

 

[DVC-Don]

..........
What I don't understand is this--the room wasn't available on points, and it wasn't available with the DVC discount, but it *was* available at rack rate??? Either they have the room or not, right??? I am waitlisted for those two nights, so I haven't pushed the issue yet, but I'll call in July and see why I can't get the DVC discount if the waitlist doesn't come through.

..............
Jenny

That happened to us the summer of 2001. I just kept calling back and first got the members discount and then got it on points.

 

[Tink10]

We stayed at BWV for a week on our first trip to WDW on a CM discount & fell in love with it.....That same trip we also stayed a week at the Poly & to us, there was no comparison between the two. Don't get me wrong, the Poly was nice, but the kitchen, whirlpool tub and seperate bedroom was amazing to have.

If we weren't DVC members, we'd still either rent points or pay rack rates because the accomadations are wonderful!

 

[ClarabelleCow]

funny I was just looking into this, We have a reservation for NY's at VWL, I was thinking of canceling, but then thought about renting the points or renting the reservation, its 252 points for the 5 nights, I contacted Disney.com, plugged in the exact same thing, you could rent directly for 3233.50. I thought the savings with the points would be more, if I rented my points for 10.00 a point, the savings is only 713.50, I don't know what I was thinking, but I thought it would be alot more? It works out to 646.70 a night though CRO, but that is without any discounts? I guess my point is I don't know as a renter if I would go through it for a savings of 713.50, where you could book direct and if you had to cancel, you could get reimbursed? Does this make any sence, I havent had coffee yet!!!

 

[CarolMN]

I'd be willing to take some risk for a $700 savings - but then, I'd like to think the risk would be very minimal for me, since I know how it all works.

Best wishes-

 

[Scoootch]

The inventory of rooms available for points is completely separate from the inventory available for cash. THe DVC member cash discount rooms come out of the points inventory. They are only offered if DVC thinks all of the rooms available for points will not be booked by members using points. If there aren't any rooms available for points, there shouldn't be rooms available for the DVC member cash discount.

Yes...that much I understand, but I too don't get --

{snip}the room wasn't available on points, and it wasn't available with the DVC discount, but it *was* available at rack rate??? .

The inventory for MS and CRO are separate right?! So how is it that I called for availibility when I booked for VB last month and CRO DID NOT have the room for cash in their inventory (at all - not just discounted), yet MS DID have the room for cash but not with the discount?? Is there some kind of 3rd inventory? How can MS have the room for cash but at rack rate but not CRO? I thought the rooms for cash through MS were the rooms MS expects will not be booked with points and then they discount them? And the room was available on points still...I just didn't want to spend the points for a wknd night.

Most of the rooms available via CRO for cash come from DVC members who decided to use thier points for something other than DVC - like a Disney cruise or a stay at the GF or the Tanque Verde Ranch,for example. DVC has to send cash to pay for those choices. So they send the equivalent number of DVC resort nights over to CRO from the points inventory. CRO rents them out to the general public and sends the cash back to DVC to pay for the DVC members' other choices. In essence, the rooms CRO has for cash have already been used by a DVC member - he/she traded it for something else.

-

Which I also understand, and this would be CRO's inventory of cash rooms. How is it that MS has the room for cash but not discounted if the room is still available for points?