DVCNews June Direct Sales article - Direct Sales Continue to Trend Upward in June 2024

[Jack Kerouac]

It can be fun to question the wisdom of how others spend their money, and that happens often here on the Dis. I'd offer, though, that as much shade as we sometimes throw on folks who may spend differently than some of us might, there's a whole world of non-DVC'ers out there who question our sanity for buying a Disney timeshare at all. Spend some time reading the "How much have you spent on DVC" thread, and you'll see some relatively large numbers.

This is my co-worker. She thinks the fact that I have DVC is ridiculous (she doesn't know we are in for north of $46,000 so far) and she is getting ahead by paying rack rates minus any sales for Disney vacations because she isn't locked into Disney every year. She might have a point if I wasn't going to go to Disney every single year for the next 30+ years.

We all spend money, but we all have different priorities when we choose to spend it. I chose not to buy the bigger house, the fancier car, etc. Thankfully, those aren't struggles for me. But DVC, yeah, I might as well be living behind a Wendy's dumpster due to my habit.

 

[tjkraz]

They just flat out didnt overlap very long either, only a few months IIRC.

No they didn’t. In fact, I think it may have overlapped more with BoardWalk. Several BWV rooms were added when the sales center relocated to SSR.

Beyond that, SSR was probably the only resort available for about 4 years until AKV came along in 2007. And DVC direct was still pretty under-priced relative to demand.

 

[MISCdisney21]

It’s not a totally fair comparison. The resale market is so much bigger now and with DVCRM sponsoring every conceivable DVC resource, resale sucks up so much DVC ecosystem oxygen. Direct inevitably is slower just because of the era.

I do bet they eventually gas Riviera one last time and sell 6 months of points in 8-10 weeks.

I was kind of expecting a huge promotion this summer on riviera before poly tower sales start along with having cfw, Aulani , Disneyland tower still on sale.

Maybe big incentive could stil happen but looks like they’re happy with current sales.

 

[tidefan]

SSR first started selling in fall of 2003. It first achieved "sold out" in July of 2008. They added THV (which opened in 2009) and that re-opened sales. Achieved sold out status again in February 2012. (Great recession and the foreclosures that happened afterwards severely hampered sales).

https://dvcnews.com/resorts/saratoga-springs/news-94078/1872-saratoga-springs-sold-out

Considering what people were doing in 2007-2008, opening Kidani, THV, BLT, and GCV in 2009 was pretty bad timing. That added roughly 12 million points when foreclosures were just starting to bring back thousands of contracts. No surprise it took several years of big incentives to sell out all 4 properties.

NOTE: I remember @tjkraz posting that SSR's first couple phases sold faster than BLT was selling. The problem was SSR kept seeing additional phase after phase.

I had forgotten that when we first bought into SSR that it was only the Springs, Congress Park, and the Paddock. The Grandstand and Carousel were in the "may be built" status...

Agreed. I'll add that while I was joining in the fun to joke about some of the more trivial benefits of buying direct, I personally decided to buy my last set of points direct since I did ultimately view them as worth the extra money.

I went with Riviera, and in my opinion the decision to spend what I estimate to be ~$6000 extra over resale was worth it. Gaining the ability to book at restricted resorts, discounts that are better or more numerous than my Visa, $2000 off Annual Passes for my family once or twice in my future, the lounges, Moonlight Magic, that Aulani reception, the extra years on the contract, and, yes, the popcorn and those darn sparkly bands... I wanted it all emotionally but also felt like it was worth the money.

There is not a discount on APs anymore. As members, we used to get, if I recall, around $100 or maybe around 10% off of any AP pricing. Now all we get is the ability to purchase the non-discounted Sorcerer's Pass. Anyone can buy the Incredipass AP.

The best was in 2012 or 2013 (not quite sure of the timeframe) when DVC members got the Premium Annual Pass (all 4 parks, Disney Quest, Waterparks, mini-Golf, and Oak Trail) for $399. How times have changed...

 

[Cfabar1]

The best was in 2012 or 2013 (not quite sure of the timeframe) when DVC members got the Premium Annual Pass (all 4 parks, Disney Quest, Waterparks, mini-Golf, and Oak Trail) for $399. How times have changed...

Something like this would certainly sell a lot more DVC contracts today!!!! What a bargain!

 

[CastAStone]

I was kind of expecting a huge promotion this summer on riviera before poly tower sales start along with having cfw, Aulani , Disneyland tower still on sale.

Maybe big incentive could stil happen but looks like they’re happy with current sales.

I think it will happen when there’s less than a million points left to sell. I don’t expect anything crazier than the current sales (which are much better than average) in the next 12 months.

 

[CastAStone]

Something like this would certainly sell a lot more DVC contracts today!!!! What a bargain!

I think back then a regular AP was just $699!

The great AP price increase was in 2018-19 when Disney took 3 increases in 17 months, going from $849 in Jan 2018 to $1219 in June of 2019 (and then a 4th in 2 years to $1295 in Feb 2020). Then the DVC discount (in Feb 2020, save $300 on Platinum / $280 on Gold) died during Covid.

Whatever they call the Gold AP today is more thana DVC member would have paid for Platinum Plus in 2020.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Something like this would certainly sell a lot more DVC contracts today!!!! What a bargain!

Ohh I got one. Let DVC members buy the AP that allows you to visit WDW and DL again!

 

[tjkraz]

There is not a discount on APs anymore. As members, we used to get, if I recall, around $100 or maybe around 10% off of any AP pricing. Now all we get is the ability to purchase the non-discounted Sorcerer's Pass. Anyone can buy the Incredipass AP.

While that’s factually correct, I think the point is that if you can live with about 3 weeks of blockout dates, the DVC sorcerer pass will save $450 per person off the price of the Incredipass. Non-members and those ineligible for DVC perks don’t have that option for 51 weeks/yr of unlimited admission.

 

[tidefan]

While that’s factually correct, I think the point is that if you can live with about 3 weeks of blockout dates, the DVC sorcerer pass will save $450 per person off the price of the Incredipass. Non-members and those ineligible for DVC perks don’t have that option for 51 weeks/yr of unlimited admission.

The point is that it really isn't a discount. In fact, you don't have to be a DVC member to purchase the Sorcerer Pass, you can be a FL resident. In fact, there are lesser passes that FL residents can purchase as well (Pirate, Pixie?). Up until COVID, the passes were discounted for DVC members off of the standard price.

While I appreciate that DVC members can purchase the Sorcerer's pass, the point is that DVC members pay the same price as anyone else that's eligible, and that had not been the case up until the pandemic. I know that Disney changes the pass names all the time, but I remember pre-COVID that there were discounts on the Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold passes. At the time, we went over New Year's a good bit, so we very much enjoyed the Platinum Plus pass. Now, anyone can buy the "Incredipass", but it's the same price for DVC as everyone else...

 

[Massachusetts]

I think back then a regular AP was just $699!

The great AP price increase was in 2018-19 when Disney took 3 increases in 17 months, going from $849 in Jan 2018 to $1219 in June of 2019 (and then a 4th in 2 years to $1295 in Feb 2020). Then the DVC discount (in Feb 2020, save $300 on Platinum / $280 on Gold) died during Covid.

Whatever they call the Gold AP today is more thana DVC member would have paid for Platinum Plus in 2020.

That was during the period when Disney was increasing minimum wages for WDW employees from under $11 per hour to $15 per hour beginning in December of 2018 through October of 2021. The minimum wage increase also seemed to impact DVC dues substantially in 2019.

 

[tidefan]

That was during the period when Disney was increasing minimum wages for WDW employees from under $11 per hour to $15 per beginning in December of 2018 through October of 2021. The minimum wage increase also seemed to impact DVC dues substantially in 2019.

My economist friend would ask if one is better off paying $1295 making $15 per hour vs. paying $849 and making $11 per hour.

He is so much fun at parties (j/k). Hey _____ (name left off), what do you think about so-and-so? He always answers the same. "There is no right or wrong, only trade-offs..."

 

[jennypenny]

My economist friend would ask if one is better off paying $1295 making $15 per hour vs. paying $849 and making $11 per hour.

Except someone making either $11 or $15 can't afford an AP at all.

 

[RivShore]

My economist friend would ask if one is better off paying $1295 making $15 per hour vs. paying $849 and making $11 per hour.

He is so much fun at parties (j/k). Hey _____ (name left off), what do you think about so-and-so? He always answers the same. "There is no right or wrong, only trade-offs..."

Economics - known as the Dismal Science for a reason apparently! LOL

 

[Sandisw]

The point is that it really isn't a discount. In fact, you don't have to be a DVC member to purchase the Sorcerer Pass, you can be a FL resident. In fact, there are lesser passes that FL residents can purchase as well (Pirate, Pixie?). Up until COVID, the passes were discounted for DVC members off of the standard price.

While I appreciate that DVC members can purchase the Sorcerer's pass, the point is that DVC members pay the same price as anyone else that's eligible, and that had not been the case up until the pandemic. I know that Disney changes the pass names all the time, but I remember pre-COVID that there were discounts on the Platinum Plus, Platinum, and Gold passes. At the time, we went over New Year's a good bit, so we very much enjoyed the Platinum Plus pass. Now, anyone can buy the "Incredipass", but it's the same price for DVC as everyone else...

Gold passes were not discounted for DVC....we paid the same price as FL residents...and they were the only other ones available to purchase that....basically, it was the same situation as we have with the Sorcerer Pass.. Now, there were a few promotions that allowed you to get a special deal, but it was not ongoing...

The higher levels did indeed have a discount over the general public, but the fact remains that DVC owners who are eligible for the Sorcerer pass have the ability to purchase a pass that offers them savings on admission over those who are not eligible.

 

[stat]

Gold passes were not discounted for DVC....we paid the same price for FL residents...and they were the only other ones available to purchase that....basically, it was the same situation as we have with the Sorcerer Pass.. Now, there were a few promotions that allowed you to get a special deal, but it was not ongoing...

The higher levels did indeed have a discount over the general public, but the fact remains that DVC owners who are eligible for the Sorcerer pass have the ability to purchase a pass that offers them savings on admission over those who are not eligible.

Agreed. I think there's a technical discussion over the word "discount" but I don't think that word was used. The fact is I don't live in Florida so having access to an annual pass via DVC that's $450 cheaper than the cheapest one I could otherwise buy is a tangible cost savings for my family, even if there are some blackout dates and no literal savings for the specific product in question.

 

[tidefan]

Agreed. I think there's a technical discussion over the word "discount" but I don't think that word was used. The fact is I don't live in Florida so having access to an annual pass via DVC that's $450 cheaper than the cheapest one I could otherwise buy is a tangible cost savings for my family, even if there are some blackout dates and no literal savings for the specific product in question.

You can spin it all you want, but the fact is that there used to be a discount on APs for DVC members and that has been taken away. I know that most of you seem fine with that, but the more things like this are accepted, the more will be taken away. That's my beef.

Many people complain about those of us that talk about "the way it used to be" as that we are out of date, and maybe so, but what I find is that time brings perspective. I will admit that I may have conflated the old Annual Pass/Premium Annual Pass with Gold/Platinum. They keep changing the naming of the passes so much it's hard to keep track.

Here is a good link to the history of DVC perks (thanks @tjkraz !):

https://www.dvcnews.com/other-resou...aring-more-than-a-decade-of-membership-extras

 

[Cfabar1]

A Florida resident who was a DVC member used to pay less for the pass than a Florida resident who was not a DVC member.

That's my understanding anyways, and if so, it means DVC eliminated a discount that used to be there, and at the same time the APs became significantly more expensive.

The fact is Disney doesn't feel the need to have APs too much, although they like having them there when they need to press the "increase attendance" button.

 

[tidefan]

The fact is Disney doesn't feel the need to have APs too much, although they like having them there when they need to press the "increase attendance" button.

I tend to agree with this, added with the fact that there are so many more DVC owners than say 10-15 years ago, that offering discounts probably has much more of an impact now that it did in the past.

The balancing act with APs is that it is a carrot to the purchase of more DVC points, in that higher point ownership promotes multiple trips a year, which makes an AP very desirable. Without the AP, it's harder to justify multiple trips and higher point total ownership if you have to purchase date-based tickets each trip. I'm sure there is a middle ground there somewhere...

 

[Sandisw]

A Florida resident who was a DVC member used to pay less for the pass than a Florida resident who was not a DVC member.

That's my understanding anyways, and if so, it means DVC eliminated a discount that used to be there, and at the same time the APs became significantly more expensive.

The fact is Disney doesn't feel the need to have APs too much, although they like having them there when they need to press the "increase attendance" button.

I’ve been an owner for 15 years and I do not ever remember a time when a DVC owner paid less than a FL resident.

FL resident have always had more options and ways to reduce costs for park visits.

Since we never needed a pass without black out dates, because we didn’t travel during those times, the discount that was given didn’t matter because even with it, it was more then the DVC pass that worked.