DVC units used to cover sold out resorts?

[sparkyboy]

OP-glad that they had such a great upgrade and enjoyed their trip. Perhaps they too will become DVC members in the future.

 

[wildernessDad]

I don't see a problem with this. Disney can do whatever it wants with their rooms. When members use their points to exchange for reservation points / go on cruises / adventures by Disney, they give up the use of those points. Disney then uses those points at their discretion.

 

[mommyoftwinfants]

While I agree "Good for them for the value to Deluxe upgrade" - but the thing that bothers me is that it will NEVER happen to me - when I book my 1 bedroom - I will never here a CM say - Oh were sorry - all the 1 bedrooms are booked and you are such a great DVC Member - lets upgrade you to the Grand Villa.

Cash customers always take #1 priority.

Yes it does happen, it happened to me at AKV in December, we had booked a 1bdrm concierge and were told that they had given our room away and stuck us in a 1bdrm standard... except I didn't receive an apology.....

 

[littlestar]

Yes it does happen, it happened to me at AKV in December, we had booked a 1bdrm concierge and were told that they had given our room away and stuck us in a 1bdrm standard... except I didn't receive an apology.....

They had better have refunded the point difference. I would have expected some food credits, too, because of the loss of concierge! Showing up and losing a concierge reservation is a big deal - you didn't have any time to plan for a grocery delivery or maybe renting a car for the difference. I would have been HOT and expected some comps or at least let me use Concierge while in that standard room. You need to file a complaint with DVC - that's just plain ridiculous.

 

[Mouse511]

There is little (if any) real cost to Disney for these upgrades.

Doc - What about the wear & tear the room gets that I pay to fix up with my annual dues ?

Nope - no cost to Disney - but what about the DVC owner ?

We love our DVC membership and have zero regrets - but I dont like the fact that we are sometimes treated as an after thought when it comes to the cash paying guests.

Just food for thought.......

 

[Lynne M]

Doc - What about the wear & tear the room gets that I pay to fix up with my annual dues ?

Nope - no cost to Disney - but what about the DVC owner ?

Sure, there's a cost to Disney. They pay the dues for the points that they own, just like we do, so they're paying their share of the cost for wear and tear.

 

[Chuck S]

Doc - What about the wear & tear the room gets that I pay to fix up with my annual dues ?

Nope - no cost to Disney - but what about the DVC owner ?

We love our DVC membership and have zero regrets - but I dont like the fact that we are sometimes treated as an after thought when it comes to the cash paying guests.

Just food for thought.......

Why do you think that there would be more wear and tear from a cash guest than from a DVC Member, or someone that rents from a DVC Member?

 

[Mouse511]

Sure, there's a cost to Disney. They pay the dues for the points that they own, just like we do, so they're paying their share of the cost for wear and tear.

I was not aware of that. Thanks for letting me know.

I didnt think there would be any more wear & tear from a cash paying guest - I didnt know that Disney actually paid member dues for their portion of the rooms they own from DVC.

Just saying the room would get used more then if it was left empty....hence less wear & tear from an empty room.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't see a problem with this. Disney can do whatever it wants with their rooms. When members use their points to exchange for reservation points / go on cruises / adventures by Disney, then give up the use of those points. Disney then uses those points at their discretion.

I am with you as I don't have a problem with it either as Disney can do what they want and when I was a cash guest, I also knew that I was just as eligible for an upgrade than the next cash guest. It happened once and we were very happy.

I almost look at it like a raffle. A lot of people buy tickets knowing only so many will win. When you book a cash room with Disney, you are entering the upgrade raffle--some will win and others will not.

And, you will have those that received the upgrades last year possibly book another Disney trip this year in hopes that it happens again.

 

[stopher1]

Thank you.

If someone staying at a value gets a once-in-a-lifetime upgrade to a villa, and I'm using points to stay at the villa next door, am I still getting a fantastic deal on my lodging? Yup.

Am I getting exactly what I was promised in the contract? Yup.

Is what the guest next door paid for their villa any of my business? Nope.

Honestly, I'm not going to lose one microsecond's sleep worrying about what other people pay for stuff. It doesn't affect me in the least.

I agree with you Lynne. It doesn't bother me any. Disney can do what they want with their inventory. And as another poster said, what a great way to actually demonstrate the product! Some of those upgraded guests might just be our fellow owners in the future because of that very cool upgrade. Every company gives out freebies at some point - this is just one way that Disney does it.

 

[RickinPA]

I really wasn't trying to create a Philosophical debate regarding the practice of upgrading rooms. My original post was very non abstract in that I was just curious if the story I was told is true. I too stayed at POR in September 2008 and yes the resort was filled to capacity. I saw several families being told that the resort was overbooked. Long story short, that week we purchased our first DVC contract.

My feelings are more of a supply and demand outlook. If this creates a greater demand for DVC, then the supply will decrease. If the supply decreases, then the value of my ownership will increase.

Do I get bummed when I see buy 4 get 3 on one hand while I’m loosing free valet parking on the other hand? Yes and no. But that is not why I purchased DVC. The give away deals won’t last forever

 

[RobDoc]

Doc - What about the wear & tear the room gets that I pay to fix up with my annual dues ?

Nope - no cost to Disney - but what about the DVC owner ?

We love our DVC membership and have zero regrets - but I dont like the fact that we are sometimes treated as an after thought when it comes to the cash paying guests.

Just food for thought.......

If the villa used came from Developer inventory, DVD paid dues for the room. If the villa came from Member Inventory (points from non-DVC options) member dues also covered the room and if the villa came from Breakage Inventory (rooms not reserved prior to 60 days before arrival) then the cash reservation is applied as a credit towards member dues (listed as a line item in the budget each year as "Breakage Income").

Even though the cash reservation might be at a lower-than-usual level, there is still income paid to DVC in this case and it benefits the owner/members of the resorts involved in reduction in dues.

I'm not sure how "members are treated as an afterthought" in any way. In most cases, these villas have come from points used by DVC members for non-DVC options - and without the ability to use those points for such cash reservations, the DVC program loses a lot of flexibility regarding options for using points - regardless how many feel about using DVC points for other options.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Friends of ours booked their first ever trip to WDW this past October. They booked the buy 4 get 3 at POP Century.

When they arrived to check in, they were told that the resort was over booked and that they were getting a free upgrade to Old Key West.

After some additional computer searching by the Cast Member, they were told that OKW was not available. They were given a one bedroom suite at Saratoga Springs Resort.

Anyone else hear about a similiar upgrade??

Wow. I have never heard of this but what a treat for these families. I wonder how many of them end of turning into DVC members.

Jason

 

[UConnJack]

How often have DVC members out there been upgraded to a larger unit? I ask because while I don't have a problem with Disney upgrading CRO reservations to DVC rooms, I DO have a problem with them giving a value resort guest a 1-br suite before upgrading me from my studio (at least from breakage inventory). I personally don't think anything but a studio should be used an upgrade. I assume the breakage income we get against our dues is the same (the amount the CRO guest paid) regardless of what unit they get put into, and any value or moderate guest would already be getting quite the upgrade with a DVC studio.

Maybe I'm wrong, but anecdotally I get the impression that DVC members are rarely upgraded unless DVC screws up the reservation themselves and they have to put them into a better room. Since studios and 2-brs are the most popular, I suspect that 1-brs are often sitting unused, especially if Disney is often using them as upgrades. I do think it is an insult to members not to upgrade us to better rooms (view, concierge, size, even resort) if they are available.

Maybe Dean, Chuck, Doc or someone can give a good reason for why they wouldn't do this other than the hassle. The incremental increase in mousekeeping, which really shouldn't be that much, is all I can really think of.

 

[Lost in Neverland]

For us if we had not been lucky enough to recieve an upgrade from a parking lot view at AKL to a 1 BR Savannah view on our last trip to WDW we would never had even shown an interest in DVC. We were so thrilled with our room that we purchased and are about to take our first trip home in 6 days. Sometimes the unexpected treat results in a lifetime of change. The way I see it for some of the people that get upgraded from a value resort this trip may be the only one they are able to take to WDW so why should it not be the stay of a lifetime.

 

[RobDoc]

How often have DVC members out there been upgraded to a larger unit? I ask because while I don't have a problem with Disney upgrading CRO reservations to DVC rooms, I DO have a problem with them giving a value resort guest a 1-br suite before upgrading me from my studio (at least from breakage inventory).

The upgrades from Value resorts are CRO reservations using points made available to CRO (actually now DRC) by DVC members - so those villas were already reserved using DVC points and are available to DRC to use as they wish.

While a DVC upgrade would be nice - the issue, as I see it, is which member should get the upgrade - and then why should that member get it and not you? In addition, the system would also be imbalanced if points paid for a Studio were accepted as payment for a 1BR. I'm not aware of any timeshare resorts that routinely provide upgrades to owners. Basically, we get what we pay for. RCI exchanges are never upgraded at DVC resorts. The occasional DVC upgrade that is offered is usually due to rooms being out-of-service due to maintenance issues.

Again, the upgrades provided to cash guests are typically made from inventory not available to DVC members since DVC members have already "used" the points that reserved the villa - which is what allows the DVC flexibility to provide the non-DVC options. Without that capability members would not be able to use points for a cruise or to stay at the Poly if they choose.

I don't see it as a snub of members at all. It is just a component of the DVC program allowing members more flexibility in the long run.

 

[NikiM20]

In August 2007 DH and I booked a weeks vacation at All Star Movies. We were upgraded to a 2br suite at Saratoga. It worked!! We are now members.

 

[UConnJack]

The upgrades from Value resorts are CRO reservations using points made available to CRO (actually now DRC) by DVC members - so those villas were already reserved using DVC points and are available to DRC to use as they wish.

I guess I have no burn with upgrades using inventory already in CRO, developer inventory, unsold invenstory, or DVC exchange inventory. My problem is with breakage inventory - basically just rooms left unused. I also don't have a problem with Disney paying DVC to use these as ugrades either, as they help us as members by recouping costs. My point is that don't get any additinal breakage income by putting outside upgrades into a 1-br than a studio. I would much rather see a member get upgraded from a studio to a 1-br, and have the outside upgrade get the studio.

While a DVC upgrade would be nice - the issue, as I see it, is which member should get the upgrade - and then why should that member get it and not you?

I have always been partial to first-come-first serve.

In addition, the system would also be imbalanced if points paid for a Studio were accepted as payment for a 1BR.

If the room would be vacant anywya, I'm not sure why this would be. I see no reason it couldn't be easy adjusted in the system.

I don't see it as a snub of members at all. It is just a component of the DVC program allowing members more flexibility in the long run.

I guess I don't see it as a snub, as much as I see it as a waste, and something that would be a great perk to members. Of course, people would start complaining about whatever method was used for upgrades, and people would start planning on getting upgrades during slow times, etc. and ruin it.

 

[Chuck S]

If the room would be vacant anywya, I'm not sure why this would be. I see no reason it couldn't be easy adjusted in the system.

If people were to get one bedrooms for the price of a studio on a regular basis, DVC could be accused of having "oversold" the resort, as there would be no way that all the points for the resort would be available to use during the year. Likely more to do with FL timeshare laws, and the way timeshares in general work, vs a cash resort.

 

[CarolMN]

The upgrades for CRO guests happen because something else (usually the value resorts) are overbooked, or because Disney thinks it can sell more of the something else than it can of what is left in inventory. 1 bedrooms are used more often than studios, because that is what is available in the cash inventory - 1 bedrooms sell out last for both points and cash.

If the rooms in breakage are used, members do benefit. The proceeds, even if they are less than hoped for, come back to us and are used as a credit towards dues. Some dollars for that purpose are better than no dollars. And IMO, some dollars are better than an upgrade for a DVC member.