DVC owners more entitled?

[Crystal_27]

I know that as Disney guests, we feel pretty darn entitled to wonderful, magical, jaw-dropping vacations. I was wondering, though, if you think that we (as DVC owners) take our expectations to the next level?? Do you think that the DVC community, particularly the DIS DVC community, expect too much of ourselves and our vacations?? I know that I have officially donned the DVC rose-colored glasses and I expect vacations from here on to be just amazing and wonderful now that I've joined DVC (when, in reality, I know that I'm probably setting myself up for failure).

Anyone care to discuss?

 

[dianeschlicht]

Not me. I just travel to my favorite place and go about my usual trip habits. Of course, I've been a member for 12+ years, so maybe that makes a difference.

 

[jpeka65844]

Hmm....in some ways, I look at this in the opposite way.

I suppose, probably since DVC makes me a frequent visitor to WDW, that my expectations have lowered somewhat. Since I've been 5 times in the past 4 years and will continue in that trend for the next 40 or so years, I'm WAY more forgiving if my vacation isn't amazing, wonderful, magical, etc....

For instance, our June '08 trip was flawless; service was amazing, pixie dust everywhere. Dec '08? Not so much. Crowds were much heavier than anticipated, staff were overworked and service suffered. Am I upset? Nope. I think to myself "better luck next time" because I know there will BE a next time.....If our Dec '08 trip was our "once in a lifetime" trip, I would have been super upset by a lot!

Disney is a business staffed by humans and businesses AND humans aren't always perfect.

I also think that DVC vacationers, and DIS DVC-er's in particular, are not your average traveler. We are EXTREMELY well-informed about Disney's policies and give a lot of care and planning to our travel plans and habits. With that kind of information, should come a little patience.....

 

[Muushka]

Well, I am not sure that I expect a wonderful, magical, jaw-dropping vacation, but I think that I may have higher expectations than I should have. This past January was the worst DVC vacation we ever had. Chock full of disappointments. And to be honest, it made us desire to not return for a year, whereas in the past we would try to squeeze in a trip in between our Christmas trips.

The vacation was not a problem with DVC, but more of a problem of having too much information prior to going, and with that information comes expectations. Our own fault really. In addition to the Disney related disappointments (crowded parks, strange CM happenings, discounts that were discontinued, way too early removal of Christmas decorations ), we had traffic and hotel on the way down and back irritations, so that just compounded the problems.

So entitled, no. Spoiled, yes . I say entitled, no, because it has nothing to do with being a DVC memeber or a DIS participant.

Just high expectations. We have had so many awesome vacations that we expect them all to be perfect!

Lately we have been really getting into cruising. This past cruise set the bar so high, I cannot imagine any cruise being as good as that one was. Oh no! we may have set ourselves up for disappointment!

 

[ADP]

I do expect a lot from our DVC resorts. That is what we purchased. I know some would say we purchased "a piece of the magic", but in reality what we purchased was a deeded property at a DVC resort.

I expect our DVC resorts to be well maintained and run. I expect good service at the resort. I expect very good and well maintained resort amenities. If I don't feel good about what I paid for then my expectations would not be met.

 

[ead79]

I'm sure that sometimes having so much knowledge about other people's trips (from reading about them on the DIS) can lead us to have unrealistic expectations and feel entitled to them. For instance, if a DISer posts about how they were given an upgrade to a club level room at check-in because they were celebrating their anniversary, then some DISers start to expect that the same thing will happen to them. To me, that is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Take for example the towel animal situation. Several years back the resort board was hopping with people all excited about having gotten neat towel animals in their rooms. Then some people got so over-excited at the thought of having a towel animal on their upcoming trip that they were actually bummed out if they didn't get one. Some folks even came back to the boards after their trips and complained about how ridiculous it was that they didn't get a towel animal.

So I think in some ways knowing so much about WDW and what neat things they sometimes do for guests can make people have unrealistic expectations and set themselves up for disappointment. Towel animals are fun, it's neat if your child can wake up Tinkerbelle in Tinkerbelle's Treasures, and it's nice to eat at Le Cellier. However, if you don't get to do any of these things, you can still have a wonderful, magical vacation.

 

[hellerjw]

I suppose, probably since DVC makes me a frequent visitor to WDW, that my expectations have lowered somewhat. Since I've been 5 times in the past 4 years and will continue in that trend for the next 40 or so years, I'm WAY more forgiving if my vacation isn't amazing, wonderful, magical, etc....

I also think that DVC vacationers, and DIS DVC-er's in particular, are not your average traveler. We are EXTREMELY well-informed about Disney's policies and give a lot of care and planning to our travel plans and habits. With that kind of information, should come a little patience.....

I couldn't have said it better, I feel the exact same way. I look at it as a DVCers version of dollar cost averaging. I may not get a perfect vacation every time but in the long term the majority will be good ones and will out weigh the few disappointing ones.

 

[starbox]

Hmm....in some ways, I look at this in the opposite way.

I have to agree - my dad has a saying that you can stop chasing the trolley once you piad your fare. I feel like that's the way with DVC - they've already got ten grand at least from every DVC member - and they know we'll be back. I don't think that DVC owners get anywhere near the level of service and pixie dust that non-owners get. There are occassional reports of DVC special treatment - but they are rare. We've had four DVC visits where a CM went "above and beyond" to do something special - and that's out of probably 20 stays. We've had something special or extra happen 100% of the time with non-DVC stays. There is simply no business incentive to do the little pixie dust extras that make occassional visitors "fall in love" with Disney.

BUT - that's totally okay with me because I get to visit for weeks at a time and more than once a year. My comfort level at Disney is so high, I really feel like I am "home" and I don't feel entitled to the bells and whistles I'd expect were I dropping five grand on a single week long vacation.

I think if you are looking for someone to roll out the red carpet for you, you're better off paying to stay club level at a deluxe and communicating all special requests/celebrations to the concierge. In terms of service, DVC members get new towels on the fourth day - and we've had trips where we did not even get new teeny bottles of shampoo midway through the trip. If being pampered is important, IMHO, DVC may not be the best choice.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

now that I've joined DVC (when, in reality, I know that I'm probably setting myself up for failure).

I read some of these threads with DVC'rs fretting that their vacation will be ruined or less special if they can't get exactly what they want, ie: ADR's at a certain restaurant, resort, a certain room and/or a certain view and I just don't get it.

DVC only serves to enhance my vacation which I choose to share with family and friends. My vacations were darn fabulous before DVC and have continued to be so with DVC, no matter where I stay, how long or what view I have. And (whisper) Don't tell anyone but we still vacation outside of Disney and without DVC.

For me and mine it's about sharing fun times away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and work, and again DVC only serves to enhance the whole experience. Even when things don't always go according to plan, I'm still on vacation with people that I enjoy spending time with and it's all about having fun. Where's the failure in that!, Relax.

 

[stopher1]

Hmm....in some ways, I look at this in the opposite way.

I suppose, probably since DVC makes me a frequent visitor to WDW, that my expectations have lowered somewhat.

I tend to agree with this myself. I think as we have used our points and enjoyed our stays - we've come to not expect as much as when we weren't DVC'ers, and weren't sure that there would be another trip on the horizon. We have so many different ones in the planning stages now, that we know if don't see, do or experience something this time, there's always next time. And even if something doesn't quite "go right" on every single trip, that's okay too. We also understand that Disney already got our money, so they don't really need to do anything special to attract us back again. We'll go back or lose out on our initial outlay.

With that in mind, actually, the one thing in the entitlement realm that I have come to be or have, more or less, is the mindset that I am entitled to more stays in my happy places on both coasts, because I have several decades of points ahead of me - and I am entitled to enjoy it/them as we see fit. If I don't want to go to the parks, or eat in their restaurants, or or or... I don't have to. If I want to great, but my options are quite plentiful using the accomodations I've paid for and still have a good time however we decide to do it.

 

[DaveH]

It seems to me the first few years we have a tendency to expect too much. After that we seem to settle down some. I have seen and heard folks say I spent x amount of $ and I deserve this. They forget others have too. We joined in 2001 and have seen the perks change alot. Some were good for us and others not. Most things that are done at the resorts we pay for with our dues. I have found a kind word to CM's make them want to do more for all of us. Sometimes we do expect too much. We have to remember we paid for rooms at a Disney resort. We do have a responsibility ourselves to help keeping things great by reporting things that need fixing. This keeps our cost down and the resorts being great. That way we actually need to do a little more.

 

[eliza61]

Disney, in an of itself is a special animal. Disney has taken marketing "Perfection, magical and special" vacations to new heights and this is part of the problem.

How many other travel destinations have the number of blogs, websites, planning books and information as disney?

We (dvc'er and non alike) spend months some times years planning our meals, park times, down times so by the time vacations actually do roll around our expectations are through the roof. Throw in the fact that owners or not, Disney vacations are pricey.

As a rule I don't feel entitled. I feel very lucky. I get to enjoy great vacations at a place I love yearly. I have been lucky that my interactions with cm's have been great and I've had no major episodes with room quality. Although lately I've seen a decline in restuarant quality but that's another thread.

 

[DebbieB]

I have realistic expectations. I expect quality for what I paid for, which is the room/resort. I don't expect free dining, better ticket discounts, more dining discounts, special priviledges etc. Maybe it's because I've been a member almost 10 years, I know if something doesn't go right, there's always next time. I don't have heightened expectations when I go anymore.

 

[TINKERIFIC]

I just want to be there right now...

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

No entitlement here except for the ability to use my points each year!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

My feeling is to be as "entitled" as anyone else staying at any of the Disney resorts.

I do admit that I have an expectation for perks having had them for many years prior to DVC. That expectation came from the free membership that Disney had several years ago to the Magic Kingdom Club or whever is was called - it was given to employees of business' that signed up for it and was free. There were many discounts, a free magazine etc.. That built up my expecations more than becoming a DVC member.

I never have liked the argument though about Disney having our money so why should they have to do more for us. Core customers are what keep a business going and should never be disregarded or assumed to be safe from leaving as a customer.

But, in the end, my DVC purchase was not based on perks or entitlements. I just want my free membership back that didn't cost thousands of $$$$'s.

 

[minnierealtor]

I agree that Disney creates the high expectations with every commerical they run. I was finding with the more amount of planning prior to the trip I did, the higher the expectations. It had less to do with Disney and staff but my family. They weren't following the plan I had labored over for months nor were they grateful I had spent so much time to make it special. Any crabby cast members after that would be a joy. Now I have learned to just go with the flow and enjoy Disney and DVC for what it is..."a special place outside of reality". I love knowing I'm going to be back many more times over the next 40 years or so.

 

[DebbieB]

I just want to be there right now...

 

[Crystal_27]

I've really enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on this issue (and I hope that everyone has been able to gather that I was not using the word "entitled" in a negative matter - - maybe it would have been better to ask if DVC members expect or hope for better vacations...).

I too have been very lucky that our past trips to Disney have been as great as I imagined they would be (although staying at a non-monorail resort during our last trip and having to bus it everywhere almost did us in), and each time I've learned about something that I could do better next time.

 

[Tara]

I thought for sure this post was going to be about the sense of entitlement to more perks and discounts than many DVCers seem to have!

For me, being a member hasn't taken my expectations to the next level (which implies "higher" to me), just to a different level. I don't expect more magic, more thrills, etc. I expect less stress, less hurrying, less go-go-go. It's about my mindset about vacationing going from "wonder when the next trip will be...better do X, Y and Z cause it may be a while before we're back" to "there's always next time." Heck, even my 7yo son already has mastered this - on our trip last week he skipped several things saying "I'll just do them in December instead." We just had one of our best WDW trips ever, and that was due in large part to more relaxing together in our room, more chilling and exploring the resort, and less getting up early for rope drops and such.