Drop part of lockoff

[BEASLYBOO]

send the studio straight to breakage..

I'm not familiar with this term, wouldn't the studio just go back into DVC inventory?

 

[ziravan]

I'm not familiar with this term, wouldn't the studio just go back into DVC inventory?

Anything less than 2 months out is fair game for DVC to sell for cash. They have to share some with members but can keep most of it.

It’s referred to in member docs and annual resort budgets as breakage income.

The goal is to keep rooms from sitting empty. If they haven’t been reserved by 2 months out, DVC can try to sell them so that both DVC and members don’t take a loss on an idle room.

Look up “DVC breakage income”

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Anything less than 2 months out is fair game for DVC to sell for cash. They have to share some with members but can keep most of it.

It’s referred to in member docs and annual resort budgets as breakage income.

The goal is to keep rooms from sitting empty. If they haven’t been reserved by 2 months out, DVC can try to sell them so that both DVC and members don’t take a loss on an idle room.

Look up “DVC breakage income”

Breakage first goes to the home resort and is an offset of dues up to a certain amount. After breakage sales reach that amount then DVC keeps it all. However there's been no signs that they send things over to breakage immediately at 60 days. I kind of wonder if they have a metric that rents rooms out based on expected breakage.

 

[AndreAggie]

Pardon my ignorance, but could the OP have gone through a rental company to rent out the studio as a separate reservation?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Pardon my ignorance, but could the OP have gone through a rental company to rent out the studio as a separate reservation?

That would still require splitting the reservation - and once that were done they could have just cancelled part. If it were not split then the renter would have access to their room too and vice versa as both door entries on a lock-off are keyed the same for entry.

 

[ziravan]

Breakage first goes to the home resort and is an offset of dues up to a certain amount. After breakage sales reach that amount then DVC keeps it all. However there's been no signs that they send things over to breakage immediately at 60 days. I kind of wonder if they have a metric that rents rooms out based on expected breakage.

Another way DVC tried to get late open rooms occupied is through holding points. If you cancel within 30 days of a reservation, then those points become tied to use 60 days out or less.

The goal is to have a pool of points searching for last minute reservations. Between holding points and breakage income, DVC does try to keep rooms full.

Holding points are in direct competition with breakage so it’s not like DVC can just take everything out of inventory at 60 days. If they had a holding policy that was totally undermined by a breakage policy, that would become a legal problem.

I do think that the goal of breakage is to keep rooms full. That said, my guess is there’s lots of money there. Enough so that there’s no reason to kill the golden goose by engaging in breakage enough to undermine the ability to use holding points.

I doubt DVC sees those two programs as competitors but instead as complimentary approaches to clearing last minute inventory.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Here's the problem. OP comes on here and says "I told them about my friend and they let me do what I wanted"

20 people now call with a similar story.

One of the sad things that has happened as a result of the internet is Disney has reduced the "exceptions to the rule" because thanks to places like that the "look that story worked" is out there and people will use it even though it's not true in their case.

 

[kboo]

OK thanks! We did find someone to come along, although I don't know how crazy it will get with twin 1 yr olds and a 4 yr old and all (including parents) their first time at Disney.

Glad you found someone to come along. FYI, with 3 little kids it can be crazy, but you'll find that a 2br gives you quite a bit of space (since I'm assuming the twin 1yo will be in the lockoff studio part with their parents?). A couple of years back we had a 4yo, and 2 infants (cousins, 4mo apart) and 6 adults in a 2BR. There were some nights where 1 or the other baby was crying, but it wasn't too bad. The 4yo was so exhausted from being at WDW that she slept through everything. I hope you enjoy your trip.

 

[Chuck S]

I have done so a few times, but it was always early enough that there were still one bedrooms in DVC Member inventory. I always did so as soon as I was sure the other party wasn't going to be able to come, and not within the 60 day breakage window. If there are one bedrooms available, it probably will be no problem for the OP. If none are available, Member Service may not (and probably should not) be able to break it up. Good luck to the OP.

 

[ziravan]

I have done so a few times, but it was always early enough that there were still one bedrooms in DVC Member inventory. I always did so as soon as I was sure the other party wasn't going to be able to come, and not within the 60 day breakage window. If there are one bedrooms available, it probably will be no problem for the OP. If none are available, Member Service may not (and probably should not) be able to break it up. Good luck to the OP.

Right but in your case it’s essentially cancel and rebook a different, avail room. No need to worry about days going to waitlist as the dates remain open for the 1br. And of course it would be different if it was the now booked studios part that you wanted to keep.

I think if a member or one of their immediate family has a documented illness to the point that they cannot make the trip, then DVC should work with them to fix their point status that occurs because of cancellation.

My perception from being active on the DVC blogs is that is exactly what happens most times.

I don’t think that should extend to modifying rooms. If someone is still able to go and wants to go, work around it. And that goes double when the person ill is twice removed from the member (neither the member nor their immediate family).

Otherwise, you’ll have to allow too many exceptions to have a rule. Then, you might as well allow unbundling of lock offs.

And if you think walking is bad, just wait until members can book studios into their one bedrooms “just in case I might need it later” and hold them for 10 months without penalty, releasing them last minute in ways and times that completely step around the home resort advantage. If you think booking studios during Fall Frenzy is bad now, just wait until all the lock-off studios are tied into lockoffs at 11 months for the greater flexibility it allows.

I feel for the OP’s friend and I’m glad they made an accommodation for the room. I don’t think it’s in the membership’s best interest to view lockoffs as breakable.