Here's what I'm paying

[OneMoreTry]

According to the Annual Budget, here's what I'm spending for next year (300 points at OKW):

Administrative and front desk: $116

Annual audit: $0.42

DVC reservation component: $1.62

Fees to the division: $2.13

Housekeeping: $205

Income taxes: $5.16

Insurance: $34.89

Legal: $0.03

Maintenance: $120

Management fee: $84.42

Member activities: $31.05

Security: $20.49

Transportation: $115.53

Utilities: $62.90


Total operating expenses: 800.49


This doesn't include "annual capital reserve" and "ad valorem taxes."


Plus I calculated that there are a total of 7,674,905 points at OKW (by dividing total expenses by expense per point).

 

[Kadorto]

Looks like the security folks could use a raise

 

[OneMoreTry]

OK. I'm responding to myself. And I'm OK with that.

Did anyone notice that I'm paying $205 DOLLARS for HOUSEKEEPING???!!!!

Doesn't that seem high for one trash-and-towel-service, one cleaning, and clean sheets for a 2BR once a year???

And $115 for transportation I don't use because I bring my car? And $116 for the FRONT DESK for heaven's sake? Just for the guy to check me in and slip a bill under my door when I leave? Although I must admit the front desk at OKW at least is friendly. I'd be really ticked if they were as awful as some of the other resort owners complain about.



I really need to be more demanding with these prices! I don't think I'll let things slide like I have been.

 

[rinkwide]

$205 DOLLARS for HOUSEKEEPING???!!!!

Have you ever seen the mess left at the end of the week when five people stay in a one bedroom?

 

[Quadman]

I also made a quick mental break down (not nearly as detailed as yours) and saw what I figured was a disproportionately high housekeeping component, and then the front desk.

Then I kind of justified it to myself by saying that the housekeeping was also taking into account the common areas….. Hmm, that led me to thinking, since the resorts are also rented out for cash and developer points (I think is the term) are also processed through the year, is a proportional component from these NON DVC stays at the DVC resorts contributed towards those services that are consumed by NON-DVC guests.

I mean if you check in on a cash basis you have housekeeping every day, and of course you are using the common areas, so I’m wondering where that contribution towards these charges gets credited?

Does anyone know where ‘this stuff’ gets accounted for?

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by OneMoreTry
OK. I'm responding to myself. And I'm OK with that.

Did anyone notice that I'm paying $205 DOLLARS for HOUSEKEEPING???!!!!

Doesn't that seem high for one trash-and-towel-service, one cleaning, and clean sheets for a 2BR once a year???

...

You could also use that 300 points to stay many weeknights in a studio during the low points season. It all averages out.

 

[childsplay]

Originally posted by OneMoreTry
Did anyone notice that I'm paying $205 DOLLARS for HOUSEKEEPING???!!!!

Doesn't that seem high for one trash-and-towel-service, one cleaning, and clean sheets for a 2BR once a year???

Based on how you use your points, one long trip, I would tend to agree. However, you need to keep in mind that others might get upwards of 10 trips from those 300 points. IMO, you can trace Dvc's higher dues (compared to the rest of the timeshare industry) directly to its flexibility.

 

[BillPA]

Originally posted by joepoe
You could also use that 300 points to stay many weeknights in a studio during the low points season. It all averages out.

300 points would let you stay for 37 nights, Sun-Thur during Adventure season. That could be 12, 3 night stays... or 18, 2 night stays, worse case would be 37 one nighters, if everyone did this it would really run up the HK costs. I think it's $25 to have a full cleaning at a studio, so $25 x 37 = $925. So, $205 isn't a bad deal.
JMHO

I agree, it all averages out in the long run.

 

[crisi]

And front desk is "Front Desk and Administrative" - so it isn't just the person checking you in, its all the hotel administration that is centralized as well.

 

[greenban]

Originally posted by rinkwide
Have you ever seen the mess left at the end of the week when five people stay in a one bedroom?

Can 5 people stay in a one bedroom??????

 

[jcodespoti]

When you go out to dinner you pay a lot more than when you go make a meal by yourself, why? Labor.


Same is true for DVC and all other hotels and resorts.


Joe in CT

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by BillPA
300 points would let you stay for 37 nights, Sun-Thur during Adventure season. That could be 12, 3 night stays... or 18, 2 night stays, worse case would be 37 one nighters, if everyone did this it would really run up the HK costs. I think it's $25 to have a full cleaning at a studio, so $25 x 37 = $925. So, $205 isn't a bad deal.
JMHO

I agree, it all averages out in the long run.

Well then I think it is a rip to those who stay a week to have to pay for all the moving around of people who check out on weekends or only stay a couple nights!

 

[kingj]

For those of you who think that the maintenance fees are out of line, you always have the option of selling your points and purchasing a timeshare from another company. We all knew what the maintenance fees were when we purchased.

Something to consider. We not only get a housekeeping day once a week, we expect someone to be on call every day of the week to take care of any problems we may have. We also expect someone to be at the front desk 24/7. These services cost money.

I for one think the fees are fair which is I became a DVC member.

 

[Pig Pen]

Lots of people only stay one or two nights so those rooms would be cleaned more often. Also, if you are staying a week you could, theoretically, bug the front desk a lot everyday....

 

[tinkerbee]

The one that gets me is transportation. Since they are always saying "free transportation" just goes to show you nothing is free. LOL

 

[JulieWent]

Just a thought -- You guys have TOOOOO much time on your hands! LOL

Julie

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Originally posted by tinkerbee
The one that gets me is transportation. Since they are always saying "free transportation" just goes to show you nothing is free. LOL

Actually , they don't say "free transportation" if I remember correctly. From Deb Wills ticketing FAQ : "What do the Admission tickets include?

Regular theme park admission tickets provide entrance to a park or parks on a given day. None of the tickets described will provide admission to any of the special Disney events that are referred to as "Hard Ticket Events". Use of Disney transportation is included with admission. I'm pretty sure the same applies to resorts, too.

I don't mind that part of my room cost or ticket cost pays for the transportation system. The other alternative would for all of us to get in our rental cars and head over to the park's parking lots. With the number of stays that we have done on our AP's , we couldn't get a rental car that cheap !

 

[PamOKW]

Front Desk and Housekeeping entail people. People have costs beyond their salary.....I think we all like to have health insurance, don't we.

Housekeeping also doesn't just clean your room once during a stay (if it's a short one), they also clean it before and after you leave. Cleaning many of the units is equivalent to cleaning an apartment or house. What does Merry Maids charge for a full cleaning of a house? You also have to figure you double the salary to account for benefits and then there's the cost of supplies and other elements like the laundry etc., etc. I looked at the definition and it also includes the cost of linen and towel replacement as well as cleaning. Every towel that goes home with someone gets added into our costs.

Don't stress about the transportation costs -- we all pay for things that we don't use. The children's programs, the gym, etc. are all things many people pay towards but don't use.

$.68 per point isn't a lot to pay toward Housekeeping. 4 nights in a studio at 8 points per night works out to less than $22 for someone to get the room ready before and after your stay and to provide a T&T in addition to all the other HK related expenses. $5 per night for maid service in a studio -- not too bad.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Originally posted by PamOKW
Don't stress about the transportation costs -- we all pay for things that we don't use.

Actually, I've assumed that the transportation component of our OKW dues not only pays for OKW's portion of the bus transportation, but also toward Disney's private roads and for theme park parking (and associated trams).

Keep in mind that any operation at WDW has an operating statement that accounts for expenses and how those expenses are funded. Some operations, like transportation, are based on a cost recovery model; others that produce their own revenue, such as shops and restaurants, are based on a profit center model.

Some OKW guests drive; some take buses; and some do both. But in all cases, there are costs. Our dues fund our share of those costs.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I'm a realist. I don't think these costs are ludicrous. I was just surprised at the breakdown. My main conclusion is that I need to be more demanding. I think others utilize services more than we do. I've let things slide in the past but will be less inclined to in the future.

Based on some of the above comments, we leave our 2BR WAAAY neat and clean at the end of our stay. We even stick the dishes in the diswasher and turn it on! Do you? I now realize, also, that we pay for extra cleanings for those who take shorter vacations. I don't think it would increase costs that much to do a mid-stay cleaning for those staying 5 nights!!! It seems that would be more fair.

I would rather pay a little extra, though, and keep the condos in good shape. I wouldn't want quality sacrificed and that's what would happen if DVC tried to cut out some waste.