Folks who are so excited about VGF2

[bobbiwoz]

What about the “No AP’s for sale” policy? Do you think that’s temporary? What about the GENIE+, LL effects on park enjoyment? I am curious because the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney.

I am not happy with Disney right now, and I feel they have devalued my VGF1 points.

 

[Marionnette]

What about the “No AP’s for sale” policy? Do you think that’s temporary? What about the GENIE+, LL effects on park enjoyment? I am curious because the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney.

I am not happy with Disney right now, and I feel they have devalued my VGF1 points.

I think a lot of people who prefer to buy direct and have been shut off from owning at VGF are excited. As someone who already owns there, I echo your feelings. The Mouse's lust for money has become insatiable and there is so much about Disney that has me turned off. This cheap addition of glorified hotel rooms to the VGF condo association is just another brick in the wall.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

What about the “No AP’s for sale” policy? Do you think that’s temporary? What about the GENIE+, LL effects on park enjoyment? I am curious because the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney.

I am not happy with Disney right now, and I feel they have devalued my VGF1 points.

I’m sorry that you feel that way, but I understand.

I definitely feel that AP sales will be back. I also feel that Genie+ is here to stay, and I’m not thrilled about it… so I choose not to pay. I am not happy about everything, and really hope the crowd levels don’t get much worse… but, yes, I am happy with my membership and am excited about VGF2. Disney is still my happy place and I love owning at multiple resorts. The only thing that would keep me from adding on is if my hubby changes his mind

 

[CarolMN]

No idea when they will come back, but I do I think the AP policy is temporary. Also think things will settle down for Genie+ and everyone (including Disney) will adjust. I did not buy G+ for our last trip and we did just fine. (I'm not a G+ fan & wish FP+ was still an option, even if we have to pay for it.). I did buy ILL for RotR, but don't feel the need to do that again.

I'm looking forward to the return of more entertainment and dining options. Rides are no longer our primary focus (we're old, LOL and BTDT). I don't think we will be all that interested in TRON or Guardians. (Did I mention we're old and thrill rides/coasters aren't our thing)?

I don't think we will renew our APs. They expire several months before our next trip. If new purchases are still not available, we'll stay DVC, but not buy tickets and either eat off site, order groceries or pay cash for Disney venues. IMO, not buying tickets, not charging to the room & not using the DVC discounts will send a message to DVC re APs. If enough of us "send that message", I believe Disney will respond with ticket incentives & better discounts targeted to us. We'll see.

 

[bobbiwoz]

^ Oh Carol, we are old, too!
I think I will try Guardian at least.

 

[CarolMN]

^ Oh Carol, we are old, too!
I think I will try Guardian at least.

We'll probably try it, too. But I doubt we'll feel a need to do it more than that, LOL. We'll see. I might end up eating these words.

 

[Sandisw]

I definitely think we will see the APs return at some point.

They just updated GP+ to now include Mickey and Minnie’s, Space Mountain, and Frozen until August instead of those being ILL. So, at least they seem to be monitoring.

WDW is going through changes but it is still my happy place so I am excited to add more and just adjust.

 

[Her Dotness]

I am not happy with Disney right now, and I feel they have devalued my VGF1 points.

Maybe you're projecting a bit? This statement "I am curious because the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney," struck me that way.

As others say above, they aren't that happy either with recent changes that seem to cost more, give less and cheapen the experience. Nor am I.

Wait and see if we still feel that strongly in a few years is my game plan.

This cheap addition of glorified hotel rooms to the VGF condo association is just another brick in the wall.

I differ in how I perceive this offering. I think Disney's pretty astutely recognized that more people may buy into VGF because they don't want to fix food for themselves at all and consequently like the idea of a villa that has no more kitchen than a regular room does. That's especially so since BPC is closer to pool, restaurants and the main building.

Particularly if the dining plan comes back, that would be us at buy-in if we didn't already own at VGF. We ate so much on the DDP that anything else to eat in the room was almost nauseating to consider. Had no interest in anything beyond a fridge for storing drinks, didn't use the coffeemaker.

In fact, I can see buyers-in not having as much of an impact upon VGF1 availability as many of us current owners fear. More than we think may actually prefer the resort studios, bizarre though that seems to some of us.

 

[dcfromva]

I am curious because the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney.

Have they announced a price yet?

 

[Her Dotness]

Have they announced a price yet?

Not until March 3.

 

[kes601]

They just updated GP+ to now include Mickey and Minnie’s, Space Mountain, and Frozen until August instead of those being ILL. So, at least they seem to be monitoring.

This is big even if it seems like a small thing. Having those 3 rides (and I assume eventually Everest) in G+ instead of ILL causes a chain reaction of availability of the other rides. When they did this over the winter holidays we had tremendous luck with G+ once we figured out how to best use it.

 

[lowlight]

I am not happy with Disney at all. In fact, I want to sell my two existing contracts. My wife and young children, however, love Disney and the wife wants to buy VGF.

I do understand you being upset with VGF2 as an existing owner. I disagree with a few people here that DVC recognized a need to have resort style rooms vs villas with kitchenettes, and capitalized on it. I think it was a pure and plain as day greedy money grab that harms existing owners. I do wonder how a motivated owner base could legally handle this situation if they can show a decision by the association made not in the interest of their membership, harmed their memberships ownership interest. My fear is that with the success of VGF2, it’s going to show Disney the pile of easy money they are sitting on, and do it at every existing resort. We should demand more. But I’m a hypocrite, because I’m probably going to buy in, so there’s that I guess.

 

[RoseGold]

I had thought about trading in my SSR for VGF2 if it opens fire sale cheap, like these boards seem to think. But with no APs, I’m thinking about selling.

I almost rented bonnet creek instead for my summer trip so I could sell sooner. I heard Chapek loud and clear. He wants more revenue per visit. That doesn’t seem compatible with my goal of casual AP usage.

I can use my APs from swolphin or bonnet creek.

 

[Marionnette]

I differ in how I perceive this offering. I think Disney's pretty astutely recognized that more people may buy into VGF because they don't want to fix food for themselves at all and consequently like the idea of a villa that has no more kitchen than a regular room does. That's especially so since BPC is closer to pool, restaurants and the main building.

Particularly if the dining plan comes back, that would be us at buy-in if we didn't already own at VGF. We ate so much on the DDP that anything else to eat in the room was almost nauseating to consider. Had no interest in anything beyond a fridge for storing drinks, didn't use the coffeemaker.

In fact, I can see buyers-in not having as much of an impact upon VGF1 availability as many of us current owners fear. More than we think may actually prefer the resort studios, bizarre though that seems to some of us.

I hope you're right about those who buy in not having an impact on VGF1 availability. I have serious misgivings about the imbalance of rooms.

And regardless of demand, this is a quick and dirty conversion to grab some easy cash at a resort that has historically had difficulty selling hotel rooms.

 

[Brian Noble]

the VGF2 pricing thread seems to indicate that DVC members are so happy with things now that they are just opening their wallets for Disney.

I don't think there is only one way that "DVC members" feel about things. There are plenty of people upset who are thinking of selling, let alone not thinking of buying. It's a spectrum. And this spectrum of fan reaction doesn't seem at all new to me, but part of a constant churn of customers who come, stay for a while, and leave for one reason or another.

Disney has been a fairly ruthless business for as long as I've been a customer---and, in fact, for much longer than that. That doesn't excuse it, nor is it a reason why you shouldn't feel the way you feel. But, it might help to know this is a path that many others have been down.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I anticipate APs will be back. They will probably cost even more but Disney needs APs. The parks won't always be full. Maybe they're being shortsighted, or maybe I am, since I'm sitting on 6 Platinum vouchers and plan to wait this out / renew when I need to.

Worst case scenario, if people do flock to the parks every year for the next 10 years, I'll visit once a year and rent out my excess GFV points. Should be plenty of demand with packed parks.

 

[RoseGold]

Worst case scenario, if people do flock to the parks every year for the next 10 years, I'll visit once a year and rent out my excess GFV points. Should be plenty of demand with packed parks.

That's not the worst case scenario. Plenty of DVC owners need APs to make this plan anywhere close to reasonably priced. The worst case scenario is that APs are gone and waaaay fewer people are going to be making multiple visits a year and don't need DVC anymore. That's me. DVC demand drops. DVC pricing drops.

I don't want to be left holding the bag when Disney parks have priced out us cheapskates and we all finally realize it's time to sell. Chapek has been very clear that is his goal, not an accident. Writing is on the wall.

DVC as a product doesn't make sense to me when even people like me who want APs and want to come multiple times only visit once a year or every other year. I'll just pay for my tickets and stay at Swolphin. I'm really struggling with whether I will even renew in October if APs are gone.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Whatever the price is, the fact that it’s for 40 more years, not the 50 and to me, that is significant. It’s not a new offering, yet when I read the pricing thread, folks have discounted that, or it’s not mentioned at all.

I’m not in the demographic that’s expected to buy these points. I have enough points, although I did recently buy 40 more HHI points before the last increase.

At 11 months, I used my VGF points for a stay this April. I hope to see the Easter Egg display like they have had in the past. I’m not anti VGF.

 

[Her Dotness]

I hope you're right about those who buy in not having an impact on VGF1 availability. I have serious misgivings about the imbalance of rooms.

Important to note, IMO, that I didn't mean those buying in won't have an impact on VGF1 availability. I just think it could be less of a threat, per se, than we fear.

The impact will come from people like us who are eager to get more points to upgrade to the 1br+ category from the studio. Don't necessarily care about the full kitchen but really would like more space and separate rooms.

And regardless of demand, this is a quick and dirty conversion to grab some easy cash at a resort that has historically had difficulty selling hotel rooms.

Your perception, with which I disagree as previously stated.

I can understand Disney's trying to draw buyers with different wants than the current studios may meet. It's a legitimate business endeavor, IMO.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I don't think there is only one way that "DVC members" feel about things. There are plenty of people upset who are thinking of selling, let alone not thinking of buying. It's a spectrum. And this spectrum of fan reaction doesn't seem at all new to me, but part of a constant churn of customers who come, stay for a while, and leave for one reason or another.

Totally agree. We have been a DVC family for many, many years having bought and sold several contracts for various reasons, none of which ever had anything to do with Disney. DVC/Disney is a multi-national, mega-corporation whose purpose is to deliver products that people are willing to buy that results in profits for the investors. Same as any other for-profit enterprise in the world.

It's fun to complain about the corporate greed and some of the seemingly dumb decisions that we may not agree with, but at the end of the day our family stays with DVC not because of Disney but because of the time spent with family and Disney is where we choose to do it.