DVC Chit Chat Thread

[Becx N Gav]

I’ve been at my company for 10 years. We get 4 weeks of flex-PTO and an extra week every 5 years. We also get 5 sick days or something like that.

We can carry over up to 7-days each year, but if we have more than that then they are gone forever. There is no vacation payout.

I just make sure to carry over my 7-days in case someone gets sick and beyond that I am going to use every minute of vacation I can.

I get 25 days holiday and then 8 days paid for the bank holidays (Christmas, New years day, Easter, 2 in May and 1 in August).
I can carry over 5 days but have to use them before April (so I took my son to DLRP in the Feb half term holiday) which is very handy.
As for sick days I think you can get signed off for 3 months before they look at stopping pay, not sure as thankfully I haven't had to use it. If it's shorter periods (like a few days at a time or less) then I don't think there is a limit.
It seems crazy to me that the US can be so stingy with days off! I wonder where that stems from?

Have watched multiple videos on multiple resorts and there’s one takeaway I just don’t understand. What’s the hype for the Grand Floridian? It’s a beautiful resort but just can’t understand the how popular it actually is. Maybe I just have to see it in person?

I stayed there (with my ex husband) on our first visit to WDW (Club level), we had originally booked a split stay at the Polynesian Club level and Beach Club Club level. I happened to check the website and noticed it said the Club rooms were being refurbed during our stay! I'd not had any communication from Disney and was not impressed! They offered us the Wilderness Lodge as an alternative but I'd specifically booked a monorail resort (and the cost of WL was much less and they didn't offer any refund of the difference!!) so I pushed and we got GF Club level. I was very excited as it looked so beautiful and (literally) Grand! We were in our mid-twenties and I honestly felt like people were judging us and wondering why we were there! It was weird! But we liked the decor and overall feel. We did however have a few issues that we felt were handled badly, when we first got to our room there was a lot of bird mess on the balcony so we mentioned it expecting them to clean it, through the whole 5 nights they didn't clean it! Then one night around 3am we heard drilling noises (sounded like the floor above us), we called the front desk and they argued there was nothing going on, then a few minutes later the noise stopped and we heard a screw drop and roll across the floor! So there was something going on and again I was disappointed with the way they handled the issue.

Welcome home! Yikes, get some good sleep. I have to use earplugs when I fly due to the air pressure changes and my ears popping, but it also works great for screaming toddlers.

This is the kind of Welcome Home I don't like hearing lol!!

I didn't realise ear plugs help with ears popping, my son doesn't like that so I will get him some for the next trip

 

[Becx N Gav]

Morning all!

 

[tx911]

2 weeks at DLR or WDW?
I can see that being too long at DLR for sure, not too far off at WDW.
I think 10 nights is great, it gives you plenty of slower during the week days and then also some busier weekend days that can be used as resort days or whatever else.

My most common trip 9 days/8 nights is basically perfect, but could still stand to add a few days. That’s Sat thru the following Sunday only 5 days off of the work week (if you work M-F) and a 7 day hopper.

13 days/12 nights is the longer version of perfect… 10 weekday park days and 2 weekend days in the middle for a nice break and good time to change resorts. Two sets of Sun-Thurs peak park time.
Sun thru the following Friday. with a 10 day hopper.




Here

For me, 4 nights is the sweet spot for DLR.
At WDW, I find I can really enjoy a variety of trip lengths from as short as 3 nights up to 6 or 7 () nights. I think 7 is the longest I've stayed at this point, but can't imagine needing more than that. Obviously if you are traveling long distances that would probably change.

 

[PrincessGidget]

Here

 

[haletiki]

Just had a friend who isn't huge into Disney find out that someone they know was friends with Chip/Dale/Donald awhile back. But my friend isn't big into Disney so instead of using the usual "Friends with" parlance they said that their acquaintance was "The Skeleton of" and honestly I love that terminology way more for the costumed characters.

 

[Brian Noble]

We are on our way back from 2 weeks. Longest we have done. I decided while convenient for flying purposes it’s really just too long. I think 7 days could be a sweet spot. But we normally do 4-5 nights prior to this.

My default WDW trip is seven nights. That's probably because we started off going during the kids' mid-winter break, and a Saturday-to-Saturday worked best for those weeks off. Then we got in the habit of week-long stays everywhere thanks to timeshare exchange. I have booked a full week but not used the whole thing several times---incluidng once on an exchange in to OKW on an Interval Accomodation Certificate.

The last few years have been eight nights, but tha's becuase my partner can't be there the whole time, so we go down together on Friday, they head back on Wednesday, and I come back on Saturday.

Coming out of lockdown we had a backlog of unused timeshare assets, so I booked three weeks at SSR---two concurrently, and the third back-to-back with the first two. We had extended family join us for the first week, my family stuck around for an extra day or two into the second week, and I stayed for the remainder. That would have been too long to do Just Disney, but this was before APs had come back. So I bought a 10 day PHP, used most of the days in the first week, and the second week was a lot more relaxed---a litltle bit of work, hanging around the pool, walking the grounds and catching meals at Disney Springs.

I did hit Typhoon a couple of times in there, and ended up buying an AP to Sea World to catch up on the coasters I'd not had a chance to ride yet. Ice Breaker was okay, but Mako is the real deal. Their Seven Seas Food Festival is really good--on par with and in some ways better than Flower & Garden's verison. It was vastly better than the Universal Mardi Gras booths, IMO.

He is the proud owner of a Riviera shirt I bought him while staying at Boardwalk.

Was it the Peter Millar? I bought the white one, and really like it. With the 20% merch discount, the price is competitive wtih the outside world, too.

This can be good and bad, I think.

For the most part, it is bad, in that employees at "leave whenever you like" places in the US tend to take less time off than those with defined vacation benefits.

Having to plan 7-11 months out helps with getting vacations out on the calendar.

This is really one of the best parts of owning a timeshare. It makes vacation a priority around which you plan other things.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Our usual trips to WDW are 1 week (8 nights). 4-5 nights at DLR. And 2 weeks for other trips, especially if intentional.

Usually plays out thus: 2 week international trip yearly, plus alternating WDW and DLR every other year, plus some long domestic weekend trips sprinkled throughout. We used to do an additional weeklong domestic trip on years when we went to DLR since our stays at DLR resort are shorter, but having seen much of the country now we've shifted to DCL, specifically the DVC Member Cruises (which this year happens to be tacked onto the international trip)

No kids yet, but about to be licenced for foster-to-adopt so that might change soon... and so might the pattern

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

As for lots flying and airfare: I'm good at travel hacking so we almost never pay for flights. We're used to traveling a lot at this point, especially since our parents and families live in FL so we always have to fly to visit them, so don't mind flying. Usually we have a flight at least every 2 months...

ETA: DH and I have been together since High School and have been travel enthusiasts since. I feel like it's part of our relationship, lol, so frequent flying is just part of our life. The worst part isn't the pile of laundry, it's the rising costs of pet care for our dog and cat!

 

[Canchaser143]

Have watched multiple videos on multiple resorts and there’s one takeaway I just don’t understand. What’s the hype for the Grand Floridian? It’s a beautiful resort but just can’t understand the how popular it actually is. Maybe I just have to see it in person?

Love everything about the Grand Flo except the fact that it shares buses with the Poly! I wish they'd give her the respect she deserves with dedicated bus service!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Have watched multiple videos on multiple resorts and there’s one takeaway I just don’t understand. What’s the hype for the Grand Floridian? It’s a beautiful resort but just can’t understand the how popular it actually is. Maybe I just have to see it in person?

The Grand is completely overhyped and no one should try and stay there…. especially in the OG building….

 

[IsDVCForMe?]

Has anyone ever called Membership Services and found there was availability but it wasn’t showing availability on the website?

 

[RivGirl]

Wait, wait, wait…

@PolyRob ’s only home resort is VGF?!!!

POLYRob? With a Stitch avatar? (I think? I can only squint so hard…)

*faints away*

 

[Cfabar1]

We like 6 nights for now at WDW…

We like the parks, but we are really true parks AND RESORTS people… we like the dining, the hustle and bustle of it, but also the variety…

We have found that 6 nights is a good balance for us. Usually by the end of that trip, we are ready to go home, which I personally feel is a sign of a good vacation.

I would consider a longer vacation in another context, and wouldn’t want to do something too much shorter than that for Disney World…

Disney Cruises, I prefer 3 nights which I know is a minority opinion. Ideally I’d prefer a 3.5 night I think, but such an itinerary doesn’t exist… there’s only so much food I can eat!

The kitchen in the villa allows us to extend the DVC trips…


I could see doing 2-3 weeks at HHI or VB though… would be more like a “vacation home”…

 

[AstroBlasters]

As for lots flying and airfare: I'm good at travel hacking so we almost never pay for flights. We're used to traveling a lot at this point, especially since our parents and families live in FL so we always have to fly to visit them, so don't mind flying. Usually we have a flight at least every 2 months...

ETA: DH and I have been together since High School and have been travel enthusiasts since. I feel like it's part of our relationship, lol, so frequent flying is just part of our life. The worst part isn't the pile of laundry, it's the rising costs of pet care for our dog and cat!

Pile if laundry-

My wife LOVES having a washer/dryer in our DVC rooms to avoid this when we get home.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Pile if laundry-

My wife LOVES having a washer/dryer in our DVC rooms to avoid this when we get home.

Oh yeah, it's great! But it only happens at WDW for us

 

[Cfabar1]

Pile if laundry-

My wife LOVES having a washer/dryer in our DVC rooms to avoid this when we get home.

The laundry room is so nice when traveling with infants…

It’s also just so incredible to be able to wash your bathing suit and have it dry every time you want to go to the pool…


Definitely the feature going in we didn’t expect to be so wowed by!

 

[AstroBlasters]

The laundry room is so nice when traveling with infants…

It’s also just so incredible to be able to wash your bathing suit and have it dry every time you want to go to the pool…


Definitely the feature going in we didn’t expect to be so wowed by!

We tend to always go back to the room from 2ish to 5ish and the last few days of the trip there is laundry going every day at that time in our room.

My wife just loves unpacking clean clothes when we get home and not having a mountain of laundry hanging over her head.

 

[Cfabar1]

We tend to always go back to the room from 2ish to 5ish and the last few days of the trip there is laundry going every day at that time in our room.

My wife just loves unpacking clean clothes when we get home and not having a mountain of laundry hanging over her head.

Yeah we are kind of similar… with the young age of the kids probably even worse…

Wake up around 8 or 9 walk to the MK or take a bus somewhere… if in MK leave around 12:30 or so, and grab lunch at Gasparillas or maybe the Cafe or just eat food in the room… kids nap for a bit, then off to swim, maybe run around on the lawn for a bit, maybe back into the park and then off to dinner which is usually on the monorail, though this summer we will probably drive to Toledo one night…

 

[Chili327]

For me, 4 nights is the sweet spot for DLR.
At WDW, I find I can really enjoy a variety of trip lengths from as short as 3 nights up to 6 or 7 () nights. I think 7 is the longest I've stayed at this point, but can't imagine needing more than that. Obviously if you are traveling long distances that would probably change.

Agree, 4 nights at DLR is ideal. w/ 5 day hopper allows for “arrival day” time in the park as well as some park time if you have a later flight home.
That is technically why I bought the VGC contract I did, for 4 nights around Halloween time (studio) every year (have yet to use it that way. lol)
And yes flying from west coast I don’t plan to ever stay at WDW less than 5-6 nights.

Has anyone ever called Membership Services and found there was availability but it wasn’t showing availability on the website?

I have seen things available on the site that I have a waitlist for, and grabbed it before my waitlist came through.. multiple times.

Wait, wait, wait…

@PolyRob ’s only home resort is VGF?!!!

POLYRob? With a Stitch avatar? (I think? I can only squint so hard…)

I said the same thing before, but it’s like a tattoo, it reminds you of another time/place and state of mind.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Yeah we are kind of similar… with the young age of the kids probably even worse…

Wake up around 8 or 9 walk to the MK or take a bus somewhere… if in MK leave around 12:30 or so, and grab lunch at Gasparillas or maybe the Cafe or just eat food in the room… kids nap for a bit, then off to swim, maybe run around on the lawn for a bit, maybe back into the park and then off to dinner which is usually on the monorail, though this summer we will probably drive to Toledo one night…

That sounds like a fantastic day.