How is it people still don't know about DVC???

[Jacksmom99]

My MIL who is a DVC owner (becase of us ) was talking to a woman she works with about Disney. Apparently this woman and her family love Disney and make a trip every other year and stay on site. Last February she called to make reservations for October at the new Beach Club Villas(a 2 bdrm) she had heard were opening this summer. She was told that there was nothing available for that time and she was completely amazed, asking the CM how that coud be since the resort wasn't even open yet. In addition, they wanted $690.00 a night if she wanted to try the next week. The CM explained to her that it was a DVC resort and that there were only so many rooms available for cash ressies. (something we all know) This woman had NO idea what the CM meant by DVC! She asked the CM to explain it and ended up calling DVC and buying right away. My question is, if she went every other year, how could she miss all the DVC booths that are cropping up everywhere???

I also had a friend who stayed at OKW with her family (DF, DM, DH, and DS) and thought it was "so neat" that Disney had a hotel that had a full kitchen, a living room, and two bedrooms. But the cash price was so expensive that when they go next year they're gong to stay at the Holiday Inn suites. I tried to tell her about DVC but she looked at me like I had four heads. Why don't these people get it??? How can she have stayed at OKW and not known what it was???

How can people not know about the wonderful thing that is DVC??!!!

 

[BCVOwner2002]

I agree! There appear to be a lot of people who are willing to stay on Disney property but don't purchase DVC. I and a fellow DISer work with a man who goes to WDW at least once but usually twice per year and neither of us can understand why he doesn't buy DVC. I have another friend who thinks I'm crazy for buying DVC; yet they also vacation at a moderate hotel at WDW every year!! The benefits of DVC don't compare to a hotel room or condo off-property. Annmarie

 

[SheriB]

I have to tell you, having gone two years in a row, we had never heard of it until this year. We stayed at CBR and saw the booth at the food court and kept saying, "We have to check that out." We didn't "check it out" until the end of the week, and are currently in the closing process.
However, in defense of those who have never heard of it, I think that even though it's advertised all over WDW, people tend to pass it by, because it's not a major attraction, and it's not advertised outside of the "world". It's also not "in your face" advertising.
When we did finally check it out on the last day of our stay, I was shocked to find out that it had been around since the early 90's! I wish I had known about it sooner! I love WDW and everything about it, and if we hadn't stopped at the boardwalk on our last afternoon to kill some time and stumble upon the main office and sample rooms, we would have left, gone home, and still never heard about it, until possibly a future trip.
I can definitely see how people never heard of it (I'm finding that out myself in conversation when mentioning to people that we are purchasing). Now I feel privileged and somewhat "special" to be among some 60,000 members. And maybe it's better that not everyone has heard about it, or the club could become greater than the # of rooms it has to accomodate all those members.
Just my opinion. Thanks.
Sheri

 

[ncligs]

I would rather not tell anybody about DVC, it will only make it harder to make ressies at the 7 month window.

 

[lizziepooh]

I have gone once a year for the past three years and never took time to check it out. I just assumed it was a typical time share that cost way too much money. This website is where I learned all about it and recently purchased OKW resale.

 

[Candace]

Like everyone else, I see the DVC info booths everywhere at WDW, but does anyone else remember the little stand-up card advertisements (about 5 inches tall) that used to be in the rooms? I remember looking at one by my phone in a cabin at Fort Wilderness in '91. I bought in '94, and I haven't been in a hotel at WDW since - just DVC accomodations. Do they still have these in the regular hotels? I know they have the DVC channel for "selling" memberships on tv, but I was wondering about these little stand-up advertisements.

 

[Shontell_Crawford]

I think people are too busy doing the parks "commando" style to bother with the DVC pit stop. Especially since they are afraid and usually not in the mood for a sales pitch.

I agree with you though....the booths, the television, the print media...it is everywhere once you're on property...how do they miss it completely?

Kind regards,
Shontell

 

[Shontell_Crawford]

I think people are too busy doing the parks "commando" style to bother with the DVC pit stop. Especially since they are afraid and usually not in the mood for a sales pitch.

I agree with you though....the booths, the television, the print media...it is everywhere once you're on property...how do they miss it completely?

Kind regards,
Shontell

 

[Richyams]

Things were very different back in '92.

The prior year we had taken a vacation to St Maartan, we took a high pressure tour ended with a sales pitch from a fat, sweaty, low brow, slimy sales dude. We were more than intrugued with the idea of a timeshare, but wanted to go home ande research it more before buying, besides, this guy would have sweat all over the paperwork and we probably wouldn't have had time to buy...that guy was a real turn off to timeshares.

A year goes by, forgot to do all the timeshare research, but we get to WDW staying on 192 somewhere and begin our vacation. At our first breakfast at the COntemporary, we asked two different CMs, hotel CMs, not resturuant CMs, we asked about Disney's entry into the timeshare market, we knew they had to have something. "NO" says one CM, he says that Disney would not get involved in such a slimy business. The second wasn't as adament, but still sure that there was no such thing as a Disney timeshare.

After breakfast, we went to MK, I asked a Suit, he said "Yes, hold on....", he called us over to the side of the ticket booth and asked if we would like to be piccked up to tour right then, we said 'sure', that cool looking OKW bus/suv/thing, was there to pick us up in ten minutes, we toured and bought.

Imagine being told by a bunch a CMs that Disney is not in the timeshare business....almost TWO YEARS after it began.

 

[Zurg]

The first time I saw a DVC sales person I just about laughed out loud. I had been to Timeshare pitches and didn't ever want to do another. I expect a lot of people feel that way. Rich was being nice in his description of the sales person.

My sister bought in to DVC so I started looking into it, okay, Zurgswife was looking into it.

She took me for a suprise trip for my 40th birthday and we ended up in Boardwalk after being less than happy in the campground "cabins." Wow we loved it.

The deal looked a lot better having stayed in the place and we signed up. Unfortunatly the "guide" we had wasn't much better than the other timeshare sales people but the program is.

Great move for us. Oh and we got a new guide.

 

[Lora]

Even with DVC, it seems that "word of mouth" is the best advertisement. I don't think I ever would have paid attention to the booths in the parks. In 1994, my husband and I were on our first trip as a couple and ran into someone I knew from a summer job about 10 years prior. (One of those weird meetings you have while your at WDW.) He and his wife had just taken the tour and were telling us about it. We were planning to leave in the morning, but decided to squeeze a tour in before our long trip home. We didn't end up buying then because it just wasn't the right time for us. We did end up making our purchase after I found this board and rekindled that desire to belong to DVC. (That was May 2000).

I think it's actually better that the reps aren't so hard-sell that they give DVC a bad name...like those other timeshare presentations most of us have been through.

 

[Mickmse2002]

We also saw the booths and advertising several times before "checking it out". One year we sat down at the office on the Boardwalk, did to room tour, saw the charts with teh "break-even" analysis, listened to our guide explain how our room costs would be covered until 2042, etc. and the wife and I thought it was just too good to be true. The "timeshare cynic" in me said there must be some catch that I couldn't figure out. We passed on the deal the first time around and have regretted it ever since. We ended up buying the next year but lost the chance at the magical beginnings deal the offer only once.

 

[DVCajun]

I don't know how anyone misses them. I think the thing that would get me is the "own a piece of the magic" signs that you see, either on the side of a van or on a poster. I would just *have* to find out how I could do that!

 

[DVC1996]

I don't see how anyone could miss it! At the DVC resorts, they have the TV turned to the DVC channel so it's the first thing you see when you turn on the TV. Plus.....all those booths!

 

[DaveH]

I use to ignore them. I did because I thought I could not afford them. Therefor I did not look into it. I got a letter from DVC during a trip I did as a single dad in Aug 1992 and I know I could not afford it then. If I had taken the tour then I would have bought into it about 3 years later. Oh well.

 

[jmminarik]

I can easily see how people can miss it....they're too danged busy having a commando vacation and besides, if it looks like a timeshare, smells like a timeshare, it must stink like a timeshare. Or something like that.

When we went in '98, we stayed off site at a really horrid Ramada on 192. I recall seeing the booths, but being on vacation, I ignored them, and I think even going so far as to not want to look the CM at the booth in the eye...no fool said I would I talk to a sleazy timeshare person. (How little did I know....) [As an aside, I wonder if questioned, how many DVC Booth CM's would say how often they notice people going out of their way to avoid eye contact with them....hmmmm]

Anyway, we had 11 days booked at the WL with friends through an AAA package....since they were HUGE Disney fans, and after my last 'bad' trip planning, we figured we'd let them do the planning...after all, they're really into it and we were just newbie Disney fanatics.

Not too long before we were ready to leave, another couple with whom we're much closer had gone for a week. We were chatting with them about our upcoming trip and their recent one. During the conversation our friend brought up the DVC. It surprised me he had even considered talking with the reps, but I think he had time to kill while waiting for his wife. Joe was impressed enough talking with the person at the booth that he set up an appointment to go to the tour.

While he didn't buy in then, he did get all of the info to consider. While we were exchanging information, he mentioned I should check out the DVC. After explaning the basics, and how it works on the point system, it did sound appealing to me. But I think what convinced me to want to check out the DVC was that "Mr. I'm more fiscally conservative than any other replublican you know" was seriously considering buying into the DVC. That right there made me pay more attention!

Once at the WL, we were sitting down with the CM working the desk, waiting to set-up an appointment...I forget the details of it all, but for some reason we had to wait while the CM did something....while we were there, at least 5 different families walked by (two British if I recall correctly), and said it was the best thing they ever did. Well, an unsoliciited and enthusiastic endorsement made us think maybe this really really is something to consider.

The next day, we went, took the tour, and then signed up. I think we'd been mostly convinced before we got there, but the sleaze-less sales presentation, the ability to finance right then through Disney, and the general warm-fuzzy we got sold us.

Our only real regret is not doing any research before going down. That's surprising to me in retrospect since I've been researching stuff on the Internet back before most people ever heard of a web browser. We'd have learned some things (like buying at the BW when it was still available was better than at VB just to save $10/point), but more importantly, we might have been able to apply a good chunk of our $5600 vacation at WL to our DVC purchase, while still staying at the WL....The Villas had just opened while we were there.

So anyway, the point is, its very easy to miss out on the DVC if you're not already clued in somewhat....the low pressure sales plan probably does mean that alot of potential DVC'ers miss out because they're not looking for it.

-Joe
p.s. Oh, our friends finally bought in....at BCV. I think they knew that someday there would be a DVC built at their favorite pool.

 

[jmminarik]

I can easily see how people can miss it....they're too danged busy having a commando vacation and besides, if it looks like a timeshare, smells like a timeshare, it must stink like a timeshare. Or something like that.

When we went in '98, we stayed off site at a really horrid Ramada on 192. I recall seeing the booths, but being on vacation, I ignored them, and I think even going so far as to not want to look the CM at the booth in the eye...no fool said I would I talk to a sleazy timeshare person. (How little did I know....) [As an aside, I wonder if questioned, how many DVC Booth CM's would say how often they notice people going out of their way to avoid eye contact with them....hmmmm]

Anyway, we had 11 days booked at the WL with friends through an AAA package....since they were HUGE Disney fans, and after my last 'bad' trip planning, we figured we'd let them do the planning...after all, they're really into it and we were just newbie Disney fanatics.

Not too long before we were ready to leave, another couple with whom we're much closer had gone for a week. We were chatting with them about our upcoming trip and their recent one. During the conversation our friend brought up the DVC. It surprised me he had even considered talking with the reps, but I think he had time to kill while waiting for his wife. Joe was impressed enough talking with the person at the booth that he set up an appointment to go to the tour.

While he didn't buy in then, he did get all of the info to consider. While we were exchanging information, he mentioned I should check out the DVC. After explaning the basics, and how it works on the point system, it did sound appealing to me. But I think what convinced me to want to check out the DVC was that "Mr. I'm more fiscally conservative than any other replublican you know" was seriously considering buying into the DVC. That right there made me pay more attention!

Once at the WL, we were sitting down with the CM working the desk, waiting to set-up an appointment...I forget the details of it all, but for some reason we had to wait while the CM did something....while we were there, at least 5 different families walked by (two British if I recall correctly), and said it was the best thing they ever did. Well, an unsoliciited and enthusiastic endorsement made us think maybe this really really is something to consider.

The next day, we went, took the tour, and then signed up. I think we'd been mostly convinced before we got there, but the sleaze-less sales presentation, the ability to finance right then through Disney, and the general warm-fuzzy we got sold us.

Our only real regret is not doing any research before going down. That's surprising to me in retrospect since I've been researching stuff on the Internet back before most people ever heard of a web browser. We'd have learned some things (like buying at the BW when it was still available was better than at VB just to save $10/point), but more importantly, we might have been able to apply a good chunk of our $5600 vacation at WL to our DVC purchase, while still staying at the WL....The Villas had just opened while we were there.

So anyway, the point is, its very easy to miss out on the DVC if you're not already clued in somewhat....the low pressure sales plan probably does mean that alot of potential DVC'ers miss out because they're not looking for it.

-Joe
p.s. Oh, our friends finally bought in....at BCV. I think they knew that someday there would be a DVC built at their favorite pool. Unfortunately, while they're the ones who really sold us on DVC, they weren't members so no bonus for them. And while we were the ones who nagged them until they joined, no bonus for us since we live in Pennsylvania.

 

[NancyDVC]

I have been a DVC member since early 1992. That year you had to know about DVC from another source because there was very little advertising. I had heard the year before that Disney was planning a 'timeshare' resort but couldn't find any information (remember this is pre-internet; at least for me).
I found a brochure at Guest Services at the Marketplace. One morning it was raining very hard and my friend and I decided to take the tour to pass the day. To make a long story short we had an 11:30 AM appointment, took the tour and by 4:30 were DVC members! And we never realized how long we spent there. (I think we drove our guide nuts with questions and such). It is by far the best decision that we have ever made.
I am constantly amazed by the number of paying guests at OKW who haven't a clue about DVC! It's on the TV, in the parks, in the welcome packets, just everywhere. (I have a compulsion to educate and inform folks about the benfits of DVC.)
But then again I am also a compulsive reader. I read signs-in museums, on walls, at information booths, in tour guides. [I carry a book or other reading material with me everywhere just in case I have to wait.] I collect brochures and pick up maps and 'tourist guides' whenever I go on vacation and sometimes at home too. (That's how I know what to tell out of town guests.)
Some folks walk right past the most interesting things without a glance as they rush off to the next ride or show. How many of you have read the 'historical markers'/signs on the buildings at PI explaining how it came to be? Try it sometime.
Until the rest of the world catches up to us I'll just keep on spreading the word. (Or maybe I should stop because it's getting too crowded?)

 

[crisi]

I think sales do go up when it rains and people head for the DVC umbrellas!

For us, we had all the hotel room literature and TV channel (which wasn't adequate to make a decision). We had two small kids in tow (which means stopping to talk to a guide was impossible). Enough to let us know it was there - and when we got home I began doing the research.

Disney has a bad habit of releasing a bunch of stuff that looks or sounds the same. So Disney Vacation Club gets confused with Disney Club. The use of the word Villas puts some old timer in mind of the treehouse villas. Owning in Disney reminds some of Celebration. So its easy to glance, say "I know what that is" and be completely wrong.

People also have different financial lives and different vacation lives. Some will put every CBR vacation on a credit card, but would never dream of taking out a "mortgage" on a timeshare. Some may go to Disney every year, but see it as a short term "stage" while the kids are little.

We have friends who are great DVC candidates in their vacation habits - Disney lovers who go down frequently (every other year, they'd like to go more often). But are poor DVC candidates in their financial lives. Their vacations are funded on credit - or Mom and Dad take them on family vacations, they live paycheck to paycheck, and the $10-15k initial minimum outlay would be too hard.

 

[BobH]

I can remember being at Disneyworld when Old Key West was under construction. I can remember reading in a newspaper somewhere that someone in the Disney family was behind the idea of Walt Disney World going into the timeshare business and that there was a lot of resistance to the idea even within the Disney organization because the older versions of timeshares in Florida had a questionable reputation. Then Disney re-invented and improved the way timeshares work and as usual Disney turned the concept of a timeshare into a very wonderful experience. Perhaps the low key approach to advertising and sales grew out of a desire by Disney to disassociate itself from some the high pressure sales that gave early timeshares a bad name.