I’m so curious. Is current dissatisfaction with Disney affecting DVC sales?

[aboveH20]

As far as we mortals can tell, the current unhappiness with Disney parks doesn’t seem to be generating much interest among the suits. It seems to me it might get their attention if DVC sales fell off dramatically. We’ve never owned DVC so I’m wondering what the scuttle but is amongst owners. Dissatisfied? Content? Happy?

I spent a week at WDW in March and for the first time ever I was not interested in returning. Made me wonder how DVC owners think about their yearly commitment to going back.

 

[Sandisw]

While things have changed over the years, we are still able to go and enjoy.

Going as often as we do as DVC owners it changes what needs to be accomplished.

 

[kilik64]

https://dvcnews.com/dvc-program/fin...-sales-resume-direct-sales-jump-in-march-2022

Tells you all you need to know. VGF2 sales were to current members only and it was only 15 days of sales. Had most single month sales since 2019 total.

 

[CarolynFH]

If you spend some time reading these DVC boards, you'll see that yes, there is dissatisfaction, and some owners are selling their contracts and moving on. There are also a lot of owners who are using their DVC points to stay in lovely DVC resorts but are visiting the parks less and less, and many who have cars who are eating offsite more and more. I think it will take time - years, not months - to see the longterm effects of the current dissatisfaction with the Disney company in general and parks operations in particular.

 

[tjkraz]

I suspect most DVC owners take a long view of Disney. They are probably more forgiving of the occasional customer service blip or bad meal because they have dozens of other experiences to fall back on. Meanwhile, DVC owners aren't getting gouged for $700-800 Deluxe hotel rates or resort parking fees. Most DVC rooms have full kitchens, giving people control over their dining expenses. So maybe...maybe...DVC owners are collectively a little more tolerant of things like Genie+. Either they're OK with the upcharge or accept the standby waits for things they've ridden dozens of times previous.

We all still have a drawer full of magic bands. And judging by the state of resort parking lots, It's possible that DVC members drive in greater numbers than the occasional cash guest.

DVC sales were down for nearly 2 years, likely due to a variety of factors including the reduction in tourism during Covid. But the last month's sales of Grand Floridian points suggests a lot of people are setting-aside long term concerns.

 

[J-Dog]

If you spend some time reading these DVC boards, you'll see that yes, there is dissatisfaction, and some owners are selling their contracts and moving on. There are also a lot of owners who are using their DVC points to stay in lovely DVC resorts but are visiting the parks less and less, and many who have cars who are eating offsite more and more. I think it will take time - years, not months - to see the longterm effects of the current dissatisfaction with the Disney company in general and parks operations in particular.

Yes, I agree. DVC, for most people, is a long-term proposition. Disney has had low-points in the past, and so far has always bounced-back from them. I may be wrong, but if this is just a storm that Disney has to weather, then a few years of turmoil won't drive away DVC owners that likely plan to be hangin' around for 20+ years.

 

[Royal Consort]

When I bought DVC I asked myself the following question: am I prepared to weather another Paul Pressler? My answer was it was inevitable and yes, I would do so.

 

[J-Dog]

When I bought DVC I asked myself the following question: am I prepared to weather another Paul Pressler? My answer was it was inevitable and yes, I would do so.

I had to Google who that was, but yes, that's exactly what I was talking about as well.

 

[MiraclesTakeTime]

We are going to buy soon, and we did consider if we should given the current turmoil. However, so much is in turmoil everywhere, that we expect that at some point in the future the bumps will even out, especially with a place like Disney.

 

[john7994]

As a newer direct owner (January 2022), visiting the parks in the first week of January 2022 (staying offsite) and buying two more DVC resale contracts afterwards; we plan on returning in May (our official Welcome Home Visit), September and again next January 2023. The value I derive personally from DVC far outweighs my perspective of the last 6 months as the parks struggle with accommodating pent-up demand, recovering from supply chain issues, and worker shortages.

Agreeing with an earlier comment, for us, what we need to do and prioritize at the parks will surely change over the upcoming visits. While its disappointing at times to see things at less than perfection over our recent short visit, I was also mindful of the amazing ingenuity, adaptability and resiliency in what it takes to return things to a consistent standard and signature magical experience - especially from Cast Members.

Far from apologizing on behalf of Disney, the concept of value for me is in a constant process of evaluation. As time moves forward, if that value starts to degrade, we will move on, spend our dollars elsewhere and sample Disney far less than we would like to do. For this year (2022), I can only look at it as a recovery year. For those veterans of Disney and DVC that have already reached that threshold of negative value, I empathize with your frustration.

 

[MilwaukeeMom]

We’ve been members since 2004 and the whole vacation has changed for us. The planning involved to have a wonderful magical trip is enormous. I have knocked myself out making special reservations and planning memorable park days. My kids now want an all inclusive resort on a tranquil beach somewhere. They don’t care if the grandkids like it or not

 

[Jonfw2]

The "current dissatisfaction" as you call it seems to be limited to message boards and blogs...the reality is that the parks are doing record business right now. One would assume this translates to success for DVC.

 

[Pens Fan]

While I'm not happy about some of the changes in the parks, owning DVC has made all the difference to us in continuing to enjoy our trips. We only recently bought (2019), but prior to that we probably averaged a WDW trip every 2-3 years. We would have liked to come more often, but you only get so much time off and had other places we wanted to go. As my husband neared retirement, we knew we'd go more often and took the plunge.

Now that he's officially retired, we have been taking multiple trips each year. DVC allows us to do that within our budget. Going that often has removed most of the stress of trying to "do it all", finding that perfect ADR, getting on a certain ride, etc. We know we'll be back in a few months, so missing out on something one trip is no big deal to us. We no longer rope drop. Somedays we don't even go to a park, just enjoy the resort or head to Disney Springs or check out other resorts. We stay in 1 or 2 BR's and love having the space to spread out with an actual kitchen and living room. Our Disney vacations are very different than what they were pre-DVC.

So no, we aren't even considering selling. In fact we have 3 resale contracts in ROFR right now. Addonitis is very real . But that is just us. A lot of DVC owners still only go every couple of years and spend most of their time in the parks. And yes, at least based on what you read on these boards, some of them have become disillusioned and are selling. I think it boils down to where you are in life and how you spend your time at Disney. But for us, the enjoyment is definitely still there.

 

[RoseGold]

DVC is too small of a piece of the Disney pie to move the needle for any of the suits. IMO, DVC owners have been collateral damage for money-making decisions elsewhere. But that doesn't mean DVC isn't selling. They scaled back their construction projects from a beast of a WL resort to a small flip of one of the worst, aging Grand Floridian buildings. Of course they can sell that.

 

[redboat45]

I think Disney+ is a bigger issues for Disney right now. A LOT of people canceling that. It's way easier to cancel that then DVC. You can tell there has been a big cancelation from Disney+ by the discount they're giving on resorts right now if you have Disney +. They're hoping more people will sign up for that or un-cancel to get the discount.

 

[tjkraz]

I think Disney+ is a bigger issues for Disney right now. A LOT of people canceling that. It's way easier to cancel that then DVC. You can tell there has been a big cancelation from Disney+ by the discount they're giving on resorts right now if you have Disney +. They're hoping more people will sign up for that or un-cancel to get the discount.

I sincerely doubt that is true. Last quarter, Disney+ beat projections by adding more than 11 million new subscribers. Things like the hotel deal are simply designed to create synergy. Ideally they will add a few new D+ subscribers, but it's very unlikely that their numbers are hemorrhaging.

 

[BamaGuy44]

The "current dissatisfaction" as you call it seems to be limited to message boards and blogs...the reality is that the parks are doing record business right now. One would assume this translates to success for DVC.

This is so true. Just another reminder that message boards and Twitter are not reality. To look at Twitter you'd think tumbleweeds were blowing through the parks and all the hotels and restaurants were sitting empty because "the magic is gone" and people have just stopped going. And don't get me started on the whole industry that has sprung up on YouTube where it is literally peoples' jobs to find the negatives and complain about every single thing Disney does because that's what gets the attention and clicks.

I'm not saying there's nothing to complain about, trust me I'm not happy about quite a few recent developments myself. But the profit is in downplaying anything positive and exaggerating any negative like it's the end of civilization.

But to answer OP's question, no the current dissatisfaction people are voicing hasn't hurt Disney or DVC. At least not yet. When the pent up demand wave is over, we'll see. Hasn't made me question my commitment to DVC at all, executive teams come and go, and we still enjoy the parks and the resorts.

 

[redboat45]

I sincerely doubt that is true. Last quarter, Disney+ beat projections by adding more than 11 million new subscribers. Things like the hotel deal are simply designed to create synergy. Ideally they will add a few new D+ subscribers, but it's very unlikely that their numbers are hemorrhaging.

you haven't been paying attention the last week or 2 then..

 

[Jonfw2]

This is so true. Just another reminder that message boards and Twitter are not reality. To look at Twitter you'd think tumbleweeds were blowing through the parks and all the hotels and restaurants were sitting empty because "the magic is gone" and people have just stopped going. And don't get me started on the whole industry that has sprung up on YouTube where it is literally peoples' jobs to find the negatives and complain about every single thing Disney does because that's what gets the attention and clicks.

I'm not saying there's nothing to complain about, trust me I'm not happy about quite a few recent developments myself. But the profit is in downplaying anything positive and exaggerating any negative like it's the end of civilization.

But to answer OP's question, no the current dissatisfaction people are voicing hasn't hurt Disney or DVC. At least not yet. When the pent up demand wave is over, we'll see. Hasn't made me question my commitment to DVC at all, executive teams come and go, and we still enjoy the parks and the resorts.

Well said. Totally correct.

 

[J-Dog]

you haven't been paying attention the last week or 2 then..

A short-term fad of unsubscribing due to the current mis-steps that Chapek made really doesn't mean much for D+ unless it really continues long-term, which seems unlikely.

On the other hand, I'm still not convinced of the long-term viability of streaming services as they are right now anyway - i.e. a whole bunch of small/separate streaming services that each only have a few rare programs that draw people in - but that's well beyond the scope of this discussion.