DVC Concerns...

[puntagordabob]

Buy into DVC...its been great to my family! My brother owns at Old Key West and we own at Bay Lake Tower.... My brother got hurt quite a lot by the bad recession $$$wise...and says the DVC was his best investment coming out of it when compared to 401Ks etc...

We have never regretted our purchase.....and will add on in time....

 

[dmoore22]

Buy into DVC...its been great to my family! My brother owns at Old Key West and we own at Bay Lake Tower.... My brother got hurt quite a lot by the bad recession $$$wise...and says the DVC was his best investment coming out of it when compared to 401Ks etc...

We have never regretted our purchase.....and will add on in time....

Same here! DVC has been quite stable compared to our portfolio in this recession. Plus more fun than holding stock certificates.

 

[maryloubsw]

We just purchased DVC last summer and made our first visit as DVC members at Christmas and stayed at 2 resorts over the week. We stayed at BWV and then transferred to AKV Kidani. I expected to find a clean and nicely themed resort and was happy to find exactly what I expected. It was so nice that the staff welcomed us "home" and bell service helped by transferring our luggage -making the move so easy! I look at a vacation as a relaxing experience and expect DVC to enhance this experience, NOT look for the negative, as it seems some do... I have to say I would have hesitated to purchase after reading the negativity that carries through some of the posters and I would have missed out on so much fun! I think if you expect fun you will find it and if you expect a negative experience you will find it- it is in the eye of the beholder....good luck in your decision and hope you enjoy your July stay- a hot and humid disney vacation beats no disney vacation!

Great point! It really is in the way you look at it, I loved SSR whereas some people write nothing but negative things about it (not on here but other sites and travel sites)

 

[dmoore22]

Great point! It really is in the way you look at it, I loved SSR whereas some people write nothing but negative things about it (not on here but other sites and travel sites)

Another ditto here. When I read the negatives that are being posted I can't believe they have stayed in the same resorts as we have. Per chance these are ringers from the competition?

 

[Slakk]

Last month we requested a room by the elevator in BWV and of course got 3006 way at the end. That was annoying but since we usually get the worst room money can buy it was not horrid - I assume I get the worst room now (easier on me since we have experienced most).

BUT the toilet was broken - a piece of the plumbing was gone and you could not flush it nor could you stop the water from running. I find that hard to believe that when it was serviced this was not noticed...

It took an hour to get another room - I refused to accept *maintenance will fix it* I am sorry but I am not going to get back at 9 pm and not have a working toilet. That to me is a complaint - but honestly that was not too horrible.

What did bother me is standing in iine and listening to a potential DVC buyer get a *surprise 1 BR MK View* instead of her lake view studio up on a high floor. Oh she was even MORE excited for her tour.

I got the 4th floor MK view 1 BR that was so bad our friends LAUGHED when they walked in. I of course put in my ressie the very first day BLT opened and was an owner.

I contacted DVCSatisfaction and basically they said it was *unfortunate* but that all of the DVC rooms were low floors until it sold out and then we could get high floors - I told them that was not true. I spoke to a supervisor who said that I misunderstood.

I don't have a tinfoil hat or believe in black helicopters but I do think they try to give the worst rooms to owners, pat us on the head and tell us we are special.

We are now down to 150 points from 550 and will be down to 50 before the end of the year. Honestly we will stay at the regular hotels at this point or just do transfer points if we stay longer than a weekend.

For us we are not as much disillusioned as just ready for something new - WDW for us has become like a second job, I hate what the DDP has done to restaurants - I don't want to guess 6 months in advance where I want to eat - I don't want to zig because the masses are zagging or not sleep in...

We have started using MVCI and enjoy the relaxation of a non-planning vacation. I spent July in Aruba sipping a drink on the lazy river and had no worries - THAT is not something DVD can fix (maybe when Hawaii comes in) but just how our travel has evolved and we are turning into a square peg and disney is a circle

 

[disneynutz]

What did bother me is standing in iine and listening to a potential DVC buyer get a *surprise 1 BR MK View* instead of her lake view studio up on a high floor. Oh she was even MORE excited for her tour.

I got the 4th floor MK view 1 BR that was so bad our friends LAUGHED when they walked in. I of course put in my ressie the very first day BLT opened and was an owner.

I contacted DVCSatisfaction and basically they said it was *unfortunate* but that all of the DVC rooms were low floors until it sold out and then we could get high floors - I told them that was not true. I spoke to a supervisor who said that I misunderstood.

I was told yesterday by a DVD Manager that only 40% of BLT is declared and that most of the rooms on the upper floors are being used for CRO cash Guests.

Bill

 

[Greysword]

I guess I have a slightly different view. I feel as though I am an owner of DVC, instead of simply a hotel guest, and I enjoy taking the responsibility and rewards of ownership. In fact, we tell our daughter that this is our vacation home instead of a hotel.

As with ownership in anything, I feel possessive of my little part, and do what I can to maintain and care for the DVC resorts in which we stay. I take heart in the imperfections that make it a true home instead of a hotel. The responsibility to make the bed, do the dishes, clean-up spills, vacuum the villa, and straighten the living room periodically enhance my connection to the resort. Like my main home here in Colorado, I expect to see the odd stain on the floor or couch, minor scratches on the end tables, and other imperfections. This adds to the feeling of a lived-in home. If I see minor things that can be corrected quickly (usually through cleaning), I like having the responsibility for getting those items corrected quickly. If there are larger concerns that do not require outside resources (missing dishes or towels, light bulbs, minor drain clogging, etc), I will usually call mousekeeping and let them know near the end of our stay, so they can correct the issues before the next family arrives. Major issues are called on quickly and I do expect the same response (time and courtesy) I would get at home.

For this, there are a lot of benefits to ownership. For instance, I enjoy having happy dedicated people on the resort staff to interact with and help me enjoy my vacation, and I take pride in knowing my dues help to compensate them for their time (especially at the DVC only resort of SSR). I also take pride that the grounds look nice, the rooms are spacious compared to the general guest population, we can cook anything we want due to the full kitchen, there is room in the villas to spread out and not be in each other’s way, laundry is easy, and that we are simply home. At BLT, I enjoy knowing that a portion of my dues, albeit small, is funding the monorail. Also, I enjoy knowing that I am a part of the WDW community, even if we are not actually there that year.

For me, DVC is more than a prepaid hotel room, rather, it is a community, in which, I am so lucky to be a member.

- Chris

 

[dmoore22]

I guess I have a slightly different view. I feel as though I am an owner of DVC, instead of simply a hotel guest, and I enjoy taking the responsibility and rewards of ownership. In fact, we tell our daughter that this is our vacation home instead of a hotel.

As with ownership in anything, I feel possessive of my little part, and do what I can to maintain and care for the DVC resorts in which we stay. I take heart in the imperfections that make it a true home instead of a hotel. The responsibility to make the bed, do the dishes, clean-up spills, vacuum the villa, and straighten the living room periodically enhance my connection to the resort. Like my main home here in Colorado, I expect to see the odd stain on the floor or couch, minor scratches on the end tables, and other imperfections. This adds to the feeling of a lived-in home. If I see minor things that can be corrected quickly (usually through cleaning), I like having the responsibility for getting those items corrected quickly. If there are larger concerns that do not require outside resources (missing dishes or towels, light bulbs, minor drain clogging, etc), I will usually call mousekeeping and let them know near the end of our stay, so they can correct the issues before the next family arrives. Major issues are called on quickly and I do expect the same response (time and courtesy) I would get at home.

For this, there are a lot of benefits to ownership. For instance, I enjoy having happy dedicated people on the resort staff to interact with and help me enjoy my vacation, and I take pride in knowing my dues help to compensate them for their time (especially at the DVC only resort of SSR). I also take pride that the grounds look nice, the rooms are spacious compared to the general guest population, we can cook anything we want due to the full kitchen, there is room in the villas to spread out and not be in each other’s way, laundry is easy, and that we are simply home. At BLT, I enjoy knowing that a portion of my dues, albeit small, is funding the monorail. Also, I enjoy knowing that I am a part of the WDW community, even if we are not actually there that year.

For me, DVC is more than a prepaid hotel room, rather, it is a community, in which, I am so lucky to be a member.

- Chris

I totally agree with your way of thinking!!

 

[joksten2000]

We bought in 2000 and to date we have spent $121,900(includes purchase price of $78,000 plus maintenance) for our points (up to 2011 uy and have gotten $142,000 in vacation value. Most of our family vacations are cruises. Problems aside, it's the best purchase we have ever made and certainly would not have cruised as much. The memories for all of us are priceless and we're very tempted to purchase more points. Yes I'd like to be treated better, but we are getting exactly what we paid for. We are 67 and can't be on our feet alot so the parks aren't a good place for us(bad car accident) So if your young buy enjoy your youth you never know what life brings.

We were both in excellent healt and looked forward to enjoying our retirement and vacationing, but due to a semi jack knifing our plans changed drasticly..

 

[ajjollie23]

WE LOVE Disney and are very happy about becomming DVC members. But I do agree with your concerns. I don't see how it is fair that they have been giving free dining plans to people for making a reservation @ any resort and we were ineligible even though we were traveling at the same time. We may not pay for the resort but we paid for all the points and maintenance fees every year. And we had to buy park tickets so I don't think that it is right that we had to pay $1500 for our dining plan that other people got for free.
I know I am just complaining but I feel like we should be treated fairly since they are getting a guaranteed $__ of money in maintenance fees from us every year. My husband says that is why they feel they don't have to give us these things, they know we are coming or we lose our money (fees--points will bank to the following yr)
I also would love some sort of stroller rental discount--- they give it at disneyland but not disney world.

Also, I was sick in the room during our last trip and so our scheduled cleaning/towels didn't happen. We told them and yet we still went an additional 2 days without fresh towels. (The cleaning is fine, but fresh towels and TP would have been nice without us having to continue to ask for it)
Please don't get me wrong, I love being a DVC member but I agree the benefits are not what they should be for some things.

 

[ajjollie23]

WE LOVE Disney and are very happy about becomming DVC members. But I do agree with your concerns. I don't see how it is fair that they have been giving free dining plans to people for making a reservation @ any resort and we were ineligible even though we were traveling at the same time. We may not pay for the resort but we paid for all the points and maintenance fees every year. And we had to buy park tickets so I don't think that it is right that we had to pay $1500 for our dining plan that other people got for free.
I know I am just complaining but I feel like we should be treated fairly since they are getting a guaranteed $__ of money in maintenance fees from us every year. My husband says that is why they feel they don't have to give us these things, they know we are coming or we lose our money (fees--points will bank to the following yr)
I also would love some sort of stroller rental discount--- they give it at disneyland but not disney world.

Also, I was sick in the room during our last trip and so our scheduled cleaning/towels didn't happen. We told them and yet we still went an additional 2 days without fresh towels. (The cleaning is fine, but fresh towels and TP would have been nice without us having to continue to ask for it)
Please don't get me wrong, I love being a DVC member but I agree the benefits are not what they should be for some things.

For the record, I am not saying that we should have Better treatment than anyone else. I believe everyone should be treated really well at Disney...it is the happiest place on earth and we smile from the moment we see the people with the big Mickey hands waving us to the Magical Express.
We book from the moment that we can and we are like big kids ourselves counting down until the next time we can go

 

[disneynutz]

I think that most Disney fans tend to forget that Disney is a company who is profit greedy, just like other companies. Their business is to sell a product and make money, know matter what we think.

They make business decisions based how it will improve the bottom line. Sometimes those decisions my negatively affect some people while positively affecting others.

If resort bookings are down, Disney will offer "free" dining. It really isn't free but the Guests don't seem to mind paying rack rates for their room to get some free food. The food costs Disney very little and they make a lot of money on the room and the additional Guests. The Guests get some food and crowded restaurants.

In the above example, Guests who didn't participate in free dining have to deal with the crowded restaurants and poorer service. During free dining the Cast Members are instructed to get the Guests in and out as fast as possible. Disney has also dumbed down the menus to increase profits and to enable the restaurants to prepare the food as quickly as possible.

Bill

 

[DisneyMim]

We've been members since 1991, in fact one of the first, and we've always loved DVC. Never had many issues, in fact our biggest one was just this past Christmas when our washing machine overflowed at 1'oclock in the morning. We called and someone was there right away. Is everything always perfect? No, but it's not in the "cash" resorts either. We are in a position to say this as we are DVC members and stay on points, BUT we also stay as paying guests in Disney's other resorts (Deluxe and value). We take advantage of Free Dining sometimes (gotta love it!) and sometimes stay club level (sometimes feel the itch for pampering!!). One of our worst stays was in BC Club level(cash stay). Heard every sound from the room next to us. The staff was not too great about it either, said they couldn't move us, yadda yadda. What I am trying to say is that every resort, DVC or not, has it's share of problems. I would not base my decision on what COULD happen. My kids have been raised on DVC. They think of it as their "second home" and my husband and I do too. As corny as it sounds, buying DVC (and with us it wasn't even built yet!!) was one of the best decisions we ever made. Good Luck!!

Enjoy The Magic!!

 

[tiggerrr]

WE LOVE Disney and are very happy about becomming DVC members. But I do agree with your concerns. I don't see how it is fair that they have been giving free dining plans to people for making a reservation @ any resort and we were ineligible even though we were traveling at the same time. We may not pay for the resort but we paid for all the points and maintenance fees every year. And we had to buy park tickets so I don't think that it is right that we had to pay $1500 for our dining plan that other people got for free.
I know I am just complaining but I feel like we should be treated fairly since they are getting a guaranteed $__ of money in maintenance fees from us every year. My husband says that is why they feel they don't have to give us these things, they know we are coming or we lose our money (fees--points will bank to the following yr)

But the resort guests don't get the dining plan for free, really. They have to pay rack rate for their room (plus taxes on that rate) to have the dining plan included in the package. Disney just knows that the word "free" causes people to think they're getting a great deal.

If I want to go stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a Savanna Studio with 4 adults for a week in September (when "Free" Dining is typically offered) it costs me 102 points, plus the cost of the dining plan. The dues at AKV are $4.94 a point. I paid a little less than $100/pt for my AKV ownership for 50 years. The rough math says that means I paid less than $2/pt per year. Now the fact that Disney got my whole payment up front means that I have to increase that amount a bit(I won't get into messy details), so lets just say that effectively, my purchase price cost @2.50 a point.

This means that my room cost me in real money about $780 ((2.50+4.94)*102pts). The dining plan for 4 adults for 7 nights costs $1120 (40*4*7). My total trip with dining costs $1900. That's including tax. I haven't included the cost of tickets, so lets just assume you buy the same tickets either way.

Now the "free" diner has to pay rack rate to get their package. Rack rate for a Savanna Studio is $410/nt in September (and don't forget the outrageous room tax on top). Total cost for 4 adults is $3228.75 (410*7+12.5% tax). Not very free. Even if you say "I don't need to stay in a studio - a regular room will do" a regular Savanna view room at Jambo House has a rack rate of $310/nt (plus tax) for a total of $2441.25 for "free" dining. I'm still $500 ahead.

In fact, I could rent 102 points from a service like Daddio's at $13 a point, add the Dining Plan for cash and still only pay $2446, exactly what the "free" diners pay for a non-studio room. And if you have less than 4 adults in the room, the gap is going to grow.

I know this is long-winded, but the bottom line is that Disney really only got $780 from me for my one-week stay but they got $2400 from the person staying rack rate for the same week. So, while the term "free" is a great marketing gimmick, it's really nothing of the kind.

 

[going/again]

But the resort guests don't get the dining plan for free, really. They have to pay rack rate for their room (plus taxes on that rate) to have the dining plan included in the package. Disney just knows that the word "free" causes people to think they're getting a great deal.

If I want to go stay at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a Savanna Studio with 4 adults for a week in September (when "Free" Dining is typically offered) it costs me 102 points, plus the cost of the dining plan. The dues at AKV are $4.94 a point. I paid a little less than $100/pt for my AKV ownership for 50 years. The rough math says that means I paid less than $2/pt per year. Now the fact that Disney got my whole payment up front means that I have to increase that amount a bit(I won't get into messy details), so lets just say that effectively, my purchase price cost @2.50 a point.

This means that my room cost me in real money about $780 ((2.50+4.94)*102pts). The dining plan for 4 adults for 7 nights costs $1120 (40*4*7). My total trip with dining costs $1900. That's including tax. I haven't included the cost of tickets, so lets just assume you buy the same tickets either way.

Now the "free" diner has to pay rack rate to get their package. Rack rate for a Savanna Studio is $410/nt in September (and don't forget the outrageous room tax on top). Total cost for 4 adults is $3228.75 (410*7+12.5% tax). Not very free. Even if you say "I don't need to stay in a studio - a regular room will do" a regular Savanna view room at Jambo House has a rack rate of $310/nt (plus tax) for a total of $2441.25 for "free" dining. I'm still $500 ahead.

In fact, I could rent 102 points from a service like Daddio's at $13 a point, add the Dining Plan for cash and still only pay $2446, exactly what the "free" diners pay for a non-studio room. And if you have less than 4 adults in the room, the gap is going to grow.

I know this is long-winded, but the bottom line is that Disney really only got $780 from me for my one-week stay but they got $2400 from the person staying rack rate for the same week. So, while the term "free" is a great marketing gimmick, it's really nothing of the kind.

This is the second post on this page that says you have to pay rack rate to get free dining, this is not true you can get 40% off plus free dining on the net.

 

[Chuck S]

This is the second post on this page that says you have to pay rack rate to get free dining, this is not true you can get 40% off plus free dining on the net.

To my knowledge this special is not available on US Disney sites, only select European based Disney travel sites, intended for use by Europeans. There is no legitimate way, as far as I know, for a US resident to book free dining without paying rack rate. Like pin codes, foreign specials have a select target group of consumers, and the DVC boards do not allow posts that encourage or demonstrate ways of circumventing Disney policies.

 

[tiggerrr]

This is the second post on this page that says you have to pay rack rate to get free dining, this is not true you can get 40% off plus free dining on the net.

Can you point me in the right direction on that? I can't find it listed on the WDW site as a special offer, nor on the Mousesavers site. That kind of deal might be worth looking at.

EDIT: Edited to acknowledge Chuck S's post that this isn't available in North America. Too bad

 

[dmoore22]

Can you point me in the right direction on that? I can't find it listed on the WDW site as a special offer, nor on the Mousesavers site. That kind of deal might be worth looking at.

EDIT: Edited to acknowledge Chuck S's post that this isn't available in North America. Too bad

Your first post was 100% accurate! The bottom line, like the old law of economics states, "there is no such thing as a free lunch." Since many DVCers are AP/PAP holders, that took advantage of the DVC discount, they could also take advantage of the AP room rate discounts which are a healthy savings over the rack rates and, including MYW passes, a savings over the package deals promoted with the DDP. I was feeling a little envious about not getting the "free" DDP as DVC owner until I did the math. Another one of Disney's best kept secrets.

 

[ajjollie23]

I see what you are saying and I guess you can look at it that way. Before DVC we pretty much only stayed at the all-stars, so our prices were a whole lot less than you are quoting. BUT the quality of the resort and rooms were obviously not the same. So I guess you get what you pay for. You are right though they are very good at manipulating the way things are worded and oferred so that they make out. It is a business, and I understand that. I still LOVE being a member and being able to stay in the resorts and can't wait for my trip every year.

 

[dmoore22]

. . . Also, I was sick in the room during our last trip and so our scheduled cleaning/towels didn't happen. We told them and yet we still went an additional 2 days without fresh towels. (The cleaning is fine, but fresh towels and TP would have been nice without us having to continue to ask for it)
Please don't get me wrong, I love being a DVC member but I agree the benefits are not what they should be for some things.

When we were at WDW this past Christmas our oldest daughter came down with the infamous flu-like symptoms. What a mess. We notified the front desk. Housekeeping was there in a matter of minutes with extra sheets/towels/ TP, etc. going out of their way to help during this situation. Even after our initial call they would ask how our daughter was doing and if there was anything else we may need. We asked to have the scheduled room cleaning rescheduled and it was. Our Christmas was salvaged and we made new CM friends at the same time.