How many guides are there?

[Cfabar1]

I'm curious how many guides there are. Maybe we could start a running list? Is everyone a guide who sells at the booths in the hotels and the parks? Or only some people? I also wonder how many guides stay for years.

 

[BeachClub2014]

My current guide is Yvette Gamble, and she is awesome.

 

[PalmettoPath]

We've had four purchases and four different guides. So never time to build a relationship. It's been a revolving door for us. Three of the four have been competent; one was a nightmare who bungled the paperwork. The new guide we were assigned after that was gone within a few months. So I don't think it's viewed as a long-term deal, more like a bank teller/customer service rep short-term gig.

 

[Disney_escape]

Our guide has been there for over 10 years, she is based out of California and is very competent. Worked with us on 2 contracts over the past 4 years. Anytime something new comes up (new property, special deals) she checks on our addonidis to make sure my symptoms haven't come back.
Our first guide left soon after our purchase.

 

[Cfabar1]

Our first guide didn't see us over the finish line, but our current guide has been very strong. He seems to be known throughout the company as his name is recognized whenever we go into the Epcot lounge.

 

[hhisc16]

We have had 2 guides. Both guides have been with DVC since the 90s it appears.

We bought in person at WDW when our other guide was on vacation.

 

[Sandisw]

My understanding is that the ones in the parks are not guides.....but those that work in the resorts and take you on a tour are.

Bill Koontz is who I bought through most often....though we did buy through Jonathan Greer when we met with him onsite in 2019 because my daughter was there, and her and her siblings would be becoming owners...

 

[MagicDVC]

I've had 2 guides and both left soon after purchase. The last one retired the day after we signed.... probably should've rescinded but we enjoyed that contract for a few years before we sold it. We got a voicemail from a guide trying to become ours, but as we weren't in the market for direct points we didn't return his call. We might go on a tour of VDH when we are out in CA next year and hopefully get a good guide.

 

[KPeterso]

I am on my 3rd guide now. My others have left after a few years. My current one I have had since about 2016-2017 I believe. My last 2 direct contracts have been bought through him. He used to be located in CA but during the pandemic, he relocated to FL. He is a southern guy (accent) anyway, so makes more sense he is out there as I think most of his family is there. But whenever he calls, he always wants to chat about SoCal and loves the town I live in, so we always have a good chat. My current guide is Steve Wilbanks and the DL guides all get a laugh when I tell them he is my guide since he used to work there with them.

 

[Cyberc1978]

It always puzzled me why DVC guides are named the way they are, same with financial advisors in banks.

They are there to sell their company products and nothing else.

So why not call them what they are a Salesman.

 

[awestbrook23]

Our guide has been there for over 10 years, she is based out of California and is very competent. Worked with us on 2 contracts over the past 4 years. Anytime something new comes up (new property, special deals) she checks on our addonidis to make sure my symptoms haven't come back.
Our first guide left soon after our purchase.

This sounds like our previous guide Katie. She was awesome. But she left this past year.

 

[Cfabar1]

They are called guides because Disney chose to use that term to make them seem less scary than timeshare salesmen and saleswomen.

 

[Twilghtsprkle]

We've had four purchases and four different guides. So never time to build a relationship. It's been a revolving door for us. Three of the four have been competent; one was a nightmare who bungled the paperwork. The new guide we were assigned after that was gone within a few months. So I don't think it's viewed as a long-term deal, more like a bank teller/customer service rep short-term gig.

My current guide was named in the zombie thread from 2004 so he’s been there at least 19 years. So there are some long term ones.

 

[Straulin]

I don’t know how many but when I took a tour last week at WDW, the guide giving the tour asked our guides name. I told him the first name and was blanking on his last name, the tour guide immediately suggested the correct last name. He then mentioned some background info on our guide about how he started in Florida but moved to California.

So either it was a coincidence that they knew each other, or it’s a small enough list that they all know each other.

 

[Cfabar1]

I don’t know how many but when I took a tour last week at WDW, the guide giving the tour asked our guides name. I told him the first name and was blanking on his last name, the tour guide immediately suggested the correct last name. He then mentioned some background info on our guide about how he started in Florida but moved to California.

So either it was a coincidence that they knew each other, or it’s a small enough list that they all know each other.

I have often heard from our guide how he is attending training events. I would imagine the guides train together and also practice mock sales, etc. with each other. There is probably a healthy competition between the guides, and I would assume that certain locations are very choice locations whereas others are less desirable to spend the day at.

I'd be curious, do the guides know when you are coming on property? Probably not.

 

[DonMacGregor]

I don’t know how many but when I took a tour last week at WDW, the guide giving the tour asked our guides name. I told him the first name and was blanking on his last name, the tour guide immediately suggested the correct last name. He then mentioned some background info on our guide about how he started in Florida but moved to California.

So either it was a coincidence that they knew each other, or it’s a small enough list that they all know each other.

Every time I mention my guide's name to any of the ASA's or guides that ask for that info, I'm always given the impression that he's been around awhile and a bit of a whale. In fact, the young guide who gave us a tour of the cabins at CC a couple of months ago (I've seen them, but my sister who was traveling with us hadn't) asked if I'd ever met our guy and I said I'd never been on property when my guide was. The guy giving the tour said that didn't surprise him as our guy doesn't need to pull any of those resort desk shifts as he's got such a large book of business already. It was almost envious like "I wanna be like him someday" level admiration.

 

[Cfabar1]

Every time I mention my guide's name to any of the ASA's or guides that ask for that info, I'm always given the impression that he's been around awhile and a bit of a whale. In fact, the young guide who gave us a tour of the cabins at CC a couple of months ago (I've seen them, but my sister who was traveling with us hadn't) asked if I'd ever met our guy and I said I'd never been on property when my guide was. The guy giving the tour said that didn't surprise him as our guy doesn't need to pull any of those resort desk shifts as he's got such a large book of business already. It was almost envious like "I wanna be like him someday" level admiration.

I've heard this, but I'm often curious how that would actually work. I suppose if you paid your dues long enough... but...I'd imagine most dvc buyers are once or twice and then done. I'd imagine they're paid on commission of current and not past sales, but who knows....

 

[DonMacGregor]

I've heard this, but I'm often curious how that would actually work. I suppose if you paid your dues long enough... but...I'd imagine most dvc buyers are once or twice and then done. I'd imagine they're paid on commission of current and not past sales, but who knows....

I’m guessing he just has a big enough client list that even existing clients buying add-on points or reaching out to buy new resorts is substantial. There may also be a seniority system in place for being assigned new clients when people log onto the website to check out DVC, versus walking up to a park kiosk or resort desk.

 

[🍀TwinsMom]

My understanding is that the ones in the parks are not guides.....but those that work in the resorts and take you on a tour are.

Bill Koontz is who I bought through most often....though we did buy through Jonathan Greer when we met with him onsite in 2019 because my daughter was there, and her and her siblings would be becoming owners...

We had Bill Koontz, too, and loved him, but when we went to add on around 2020 he was gone. Then we got Summer Mullins, whom we also liked, and now she's gone.

 

[DonMacGregor]

My understanding is that the ones in the parks are not guides.....but those that work in the resorts and take you on a tour are.

There are occasionally guides in the parks, but it is definitely rare.

For others reading this, the majority of CM's at the park kiosks, in the DVC lounges, and manning resort desks are ASA's (Advanced Sales Associates) and not guides. They are the ones wearing the light blue shirts who are there to answer general questions, and gauge your interest. They are not licensed real estate agents.

If you are truly interested, the ASA will call or message (using their iPad) an actual guide who will come over to speak with you and take you on a tour (if you are at a resort) or set up an appointment for you (if you are in a park). Guides are typically dressed in business casual but do sometimes wear a DVC polo. All guides are licensed real estate agents.

Recently, with the opening of VDH sales, there are occasionally actual guides in the DL DVC lounge, at the park kiosk in Tomorrowland, and in the little preview office in the DLH lobby. Curiously, the large DVC kiosk in the DL Esplanade has yet to be staffed by anyone post-covid. The kiosks in DL and DVC began seeing staffing just several months ago. Not sure I've ever seen a guide in a park at WDW, so it is definitely not common in Florida.