DVC's 4th Television Advertisement - dispelling the "myth"?

[eliza61]

According to independent surveys, DVC member satisfaction is over 90% and tops in the timeshare industry. Any perceived negative feelings toward DVC exhibited in these forums is not representative of the membership as a whole.



An.

Except that most timeshare owners really have no idea what the exchange marketplace really looks like. There might be sseveral hundred people active at sites like TUG and TS4M. Those folks are incredibly well informed. The average timeshare owner? Not so much. For them, it's vacation, not a hobby or, for that matter, a job.

The DVCers I know who use II are generally pretty satisfied. True, they are not getting anywhere near top value for their exchanges, but that doesn't seem to take away from their satisfaction.

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Brian,
You hit the nail on the head. I think what you have to remember guys, is that we dvc dissers while very well informed are still a very small section of the population.
All the other dvc'rs I know (~10 couples) do not worry about value per points,
They worry primarly about one thing "Where can I go on vacation"? I saw it when I started talking to them about the removal of the glassware in the studios. Eyes start to glaze over, deer caught in a headlight look and a few couldn't believe I even found it worth discussing.

 

[jimmytammy]

Definitely bought DVC for visits to WDW. The appeal of HH, VB, Disneyland and soon to be Hawaii is a draw as well. But until DVC can get pts at a reasonable level for use at "other" locations, our trips will remain at true DVC resorts.

 

[tjkraz]

That 7 to 11 month window is sounding more and more important.

Yep, as more DVC resorts go up outside of Disney Parks, it will get probably harder to book the ones inside the parks.

For a location like Hawaii, I doubt it will have a negative impact on the theme park resorts. Given its status as a premier vacation destination, it may even help 7-month bookings at the theme park resorts as members flock to schedule trips to Oahu.

The 11-month window wouldn't be impacted at all. There is a fixed number of owners who can book at any Home resort and future developments won't change that number.

At 7 months, it depends upon how popular the new destination is with existing members. The Hawaii resort will only be about 10-12% of all DVC rooms. Even if a large portion of owners there were to use their points at the other 88-90%, the impact won't be earth shattering. And there will be plenty of non-owners among that 88-90% who would love to book Hawaii. Many are doing it now thru Interval or the Concierge Collection. When the Ko Olina resort opens we'll all benefit since DVC rooms won't leave the system when non-owners book Hawaii as is the case now.

The long-term impact of off-site developments will be driven by a number of factors including:
1. Where they build.
2. How many units are built.
3. How the number of off-site rooms developed compares with on-site projects.

If DVC halts construction at WDW and announces 1000 units in Branson, MO, then we're in trouble. But if they announce 250 units in Lake Tahoe while they're working on 500 at Walt Disney World and 500 at Disneyland, I doubt there will be any noticeable impact on booking trends.

 

[rcchello]

When advertising DVC, the "D" comes in loud and clear even if they don't emphasize it. It is supposed to mean a bunch of things to people, the Disney resorts, the Disney touch, the Disney legacy, Disney as a trustworthy name. (there is enough resort advertising so we won't forget the resort part LOL)

What they want to bring out is the other things - Disney as a way to explore the world. A provider of vacation experiences outside the resorts. This builds into their building resorts outside Disney and the whole Disney Adventure thing.

 

[eva]

Except that most timeshare owners really have no idea what the exchange marketplace really looks like. There might be sseveral hundred people active at sites like TUG and TS4M. Those folks are incredibly well informed. The average timeshare owner? Not so much. For them, it's vacation, not a hobby or, for that matter, a job.

The DVCers I know who use II are generally pretty satisfied. True, they are not getting anywhere near top value for their exchanges, but that doesn't seem to take away from their satisfaction.

The only danger to DVC in marketing this way is not keeping a very sharp eye on the resorts available to members.

Well said!

A number of people here on the DIS have certainly educated me on timeshares, trades, etc. Will I still trade my points from time to time? Most certainly. Do I personally care if there are better values out there? I hate to say it, but not really. I want to take Disney vacations, with the majority in the parks. But I enjoy a cruise or ABD occasionally. I think that the majority of members are like me. The main reason they bought was to stay at WDW. The trades are just an added benefit. I do shop around for trade discounts and early bookings and usually hit between $7-9 a point. With early booking for ABD for this fall I got a bit over $9 a point. So I really don't feel like I am losing any value on the points. Especially since I bought most of my points for under $65 a point.

Do I feel that DVC is misrepresenting their product? Not really. They do offer the trades they are advertising. I believe the ad also says currently you can trade to over 500 locations. It is up to the consumer to educate themselves. By reading the paperwork alone, you can learn that all trading can disappear at any time. And if a person doesn't read the paperwork and investigate prior to purchasing, it is his own fault.

 

[Robo-Daddy 3000]

The long-term impact of off-site developments will be driven by a number of factors including:
1. Where they build.
2. How many units are built.
3. How the number of off-site rooms developed compares with on-site projects.

If DVC halts construction at WDW and announces 1000 units in Branson, MO, then we're in trouble. But if they announce 250 units in Lake Tahoe while they're working on 500 at Walt Disney World and 500 at Disneyland, I doubt there will be any noticeable impact on booking trends.

Until Hawaii opens, DVC will mainly still mean Disney with a big capital D. But after that, things can change. If the long-term future of DVC means expanding away from theme parks, then the success of this new resort in Hawaii is crucial. With a Hawaii resort and HHI, DVC will have their own resorts in 2 popular timeshare desitnations, add in Lake Tahoe and a Caribbean resort in the future, along with VB, and then you've got 5 off-site and away from theme parks resorts for all of us to enjoy. And, at that point, the D in DVC would get smaller.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

This TV ad is just another sign that DVC is expanding off-site.

I've mentioned this before, but do you think it is possible that DVC would eventually build a complex at WDW to accommodate (sp?) all of the off property buyers that want to occassionally visit WDW, or require/encourage new buyers to purchase 50/50 (50% at the off-property site and 50% at WDW.)

It just seems like it would be too easy for the off property buyers not to have good access to WDW. What do you think?