I suspect Riviera must not be selling as well as they hoped it would

[CarolynFH]

4.2b Reservation Requests - Club Members can be put on a special season preference list that supersedes the first come, first served Reservation system...The Home Resort Priority Period will be subject to any preference list rights...In addition, DVCM reserves the right to modify the Home Resort Priority Period for a new DVC Resort...to give greater priority...to Members with Home Resort Priority at the new DVC Resort.

This is in the Rules and Regulations, which dictate how the system works for reservations and laid out in the membership agreement as this is the case, for all resorts. Again nothing new and applies to all resorts. I've been told it has never been utilized. What this is for is say Christmas week is always popular you would sign up and say you want Christmas week and those on the special season preference list would just be automatically assigned to a room. But it would be still a first come first serve basis I was told when I discussed with DVC just it would be a reoccuring spot. Also DVC has done something similar in the past where certain days were lottery based way back in the beginning.

Actually this has been used. When we bought in 1997 there was a lottery in place for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period. We didn’t have any experience with it but my understanding is that you notified MS of what you wanted (villa size and dates) and those requests were filled by some kind of random drawing. Hopefully one of the long term owners who did participate will see this and comment - I know I’ve seen reference to it in other threads!

 

[crvetter]

Actually this has been used. When we bought in 1997 there was a lottery in place for the Christmas/New Year’s holiday period. We didn’t have any experience with it but my understanding is that you notified MS of what you wanted (villa size and dates) and those requests were filled by some kind of random drawing. Hopefully one of the long term owners who did participate will see this and comment - I know I’ve seen reference to it in other threads!

Yeah I was aware of the lottery. Perhaps they were one in the same (lottery and Special Season Preference)

 

[CarolynFH]

Yeah I was aware of the lottery. Perhaps they were one in the same (lottery and Special Season Preference)

I believe they are the same.

 

[Chuck S]

Though I never traveled during those dates, here is how it worked, as I remember it:

You had to register with Member Services, it did not matter which resort you owned, so if someone at Vero wanted OKW for Christmas, using the lottery they had the same chances as an OKW Owner, home resort privilege was suspended for the lottery.

If you were chosen, and declined to book, you were kept in the lottery pool for the next year. If you were again chosen, and declined to book again, you were dropped from the lottery for one year, and could re-register after that.

 

[kboo]

Regarding the holiday lottery - might this be a way to alleviate walking for a Xmas/NYE reservation? If the rooftop restaurant is limited to guests staying on site for NYE (and 4th of July), for example, could this be used as a way to avoid walking?

 

[Chuck S]

Regarding the holiday lottery - might this be a way to alleviate walking for a Xmas/NYE reservation? If the rooftop restaurant is limited to guests staying on site for NYE (and 4th of July), for example, could this be used as a way to avoid walking?

Perhaps, but it also takes MS time and is likely a pain to implement and manage.

 

[kboo]

Perhaps, but it also takes MS time and is likely a pain to implement and manage.

Understood and agreed, but how much of their time is currently spent dealing with walkers? The online modification tool makes walking easier, but I wonder how many people still think they need to call MS each day and drop/add day by day.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Regarding the holiday lottery - might this be a way to alleviate walking for a Xmas/NYE reservation? If the rooftop restaurant is limited to guests staying on site for NYE (and 4th of July), for example, could this be used as a way to avoid walking?

I’m lost in what way you mean? Walking goes on all year. There’s no need for a lottery year round although actually I don’t think there’s a need any time. Lottery would be an extreme reaction to an action taken by a few.

 

[crvetter]

I’m lost in what way you mean? Walking goes on all year. There’s no need for a lottery year round although actually I don’t think there’s a need any time. Lottery would be an extreme reaction to an action taken by a few.

I always assumed the lotteries in the beginning were because the point charts aligned with actual DVC Member demand at the time and many owners who bought in initially had wanted to go and with only 1 resort at WDW and 1 at VB led to the lottery to ease demand and make sure the "ability" to trade among resorts was solid so they could keep marketing DVC in its infancy as something that was different. Interesting to see how DVC has changed over the years. That was probably very much to the benefit of members, refreshing.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I always assumed the lotteries in the beginning were because the point charts aligned with actual DVC Member demand at the time and many owners who bought in initially had wanted to go and with only 1 resort at WDW and 1 at VB led to the lottery to ease demand and make sure the "ability" to trade among resorts was solid so they could keep marketing DVC in its infancy as something that was different. Interesting to see how DVC has changed over the years. That was probably very much to the benefit of members, refreshing.

I think the lottery option was added because they really didn't know how the point system would work and were fearful that many were buying to go only during the busiest park time which at that point was the Christmas holidays. It gave them a way to deal with that if it became an issue. Then they realized it wasn't an issue.

 

[DougEMG]

Though I never traveled during those dates, here is how it worked, as I remember it:

You had to register with Member Services, it did not matter which resort you owned, so if someone at Vero wanted OKW for Christmas, using the lottery they had the same chances as an OKW Owner, home resort privilege was suspended for the lottery.

If you were chosen, and declined to book, you were kept in the lottery pool for the next year. If you were again chosen, and declined to book again, you were dropped from the lottery for one year, and could re-register after that.

Wow, I am amazed that they would allow non-owners of a resort to be in a lottery pool. As an owner I would definitely hate that, after all what would be the point then of owning a specific resort.

 

[Chuck S]

Understood and agreed, but how much of their time is currently spent dealing with walkers? The online modification tool makes walking easier, but I wonder how many people still think they need to call MS each day and drop/add day by day.

Probably not a lot. If they are savvy enough to figure out walking, they should be savvy enough to do it online, now that it is available.

 

[ljmiii]

I think the lottery option was added because they really didn't know how the point system would work and were fearful that many were buying to go only during the busiest park time which at that point was the Christmas holidays....

Or Vero Beach when the Dodgers were in town ;-) I wonder how many Vero Beach buyers were Dodger fans. Baseball's spring training is still Premier Season at VB.

 

[Chuck S]

Wow, I am amazed that they would allow non-owners of a resort to be in a lottery pool. As an owner I would definitely hate that, after all what would be the point then of owning a specific resort.

True, but like I said, I never traveled during Christmas week, so I was never affected. I think every year they had left over rooms to release to home resort owners doing regular bookings (which were done 11 months from check OUT day instead of check IN day), so that is probably why it was deemed unnecessary and discontinued. I would not be shocked to see some sort of lottery system come back for 2041/2042, especially if they see a lot of banked points sitting there, or some other allotment scheme to let as many owners use their points as possible. Or maybe limit the expiring resorts to home resort points only.

 

[MeTink]

Was in the process of buying Rivieria - my guide did not mention the resale restriction.
Glad it mentioned this new sticky point on this board! Thank you!!!
So, I just cancelled the purchase this afternoon - waiting on deposit to be refunded.
Told my guide that with the resale restriction in place (and no mention in advance from our guide about the changes before hand), it was not a good deal for me.
If they ever lift the restriction, would consider buying then.
I wonder how many other folks aren't aware of this new restriction..... and will find out afterwards the hard way if they decide to resell..

 

[Chuck S]

Yeah, but I wonder, really, how many people the resale restriction will truly affect? I know I'm not the "norm" but I rarely stay anywhere other than OKW, my home resort. I've used my points at Poly for a studio ONCE, that's one none home resort stay in 27 years, with 2 to 3 trips per year. Now, I do want to try the AKV sometime, and maybe the Riviera, but if I could not, I'd be just fine with OKW. Now, if such a resale restriction was in an offsite resort, like Vero or HHI, I could see resales plummeting.

 

[TexasChick123]

Yeah, but I wonder, really, how many people the resale restriction will truly affect? I know I'm not the "norm" but I rarely stay anywhere other than OKW, my home resort. I've used my points at Poly for a studio ONCE, that's one none home resort stay in 27 years, with 2 to 3 trips per year. Now, I do want to try the AKV sometime, and maybe the Riviera, but if I could not, I'd be just fine with OKW. Now, if such a resale restriction was in an offsite resort, like Vero or HHI, I could see resales plummeting.

I think it has more of us worried about how it will play out in the resale market. I agree with you about being fine with only staying at my home resorts which is why we bought them. It’s impossible to know how it’ll play out. However, whenever anything is different and more restrictive, I think the knee jerk reaction is to assume the worst.

 

[Drewferin]

Maybe we should all contact a guide and request some random number of RIV points. Pay the deposit and then cancel and complain about the resale restrictions. This would surely get somebodies attention at Disney. Imagine 100s of us doing this.

 

[ljmiii]

Yeah, but I wonder, really, how many people the resale restriction will truly affect? I know I'm not the "norm" but I rarely stay anywhere other than OKW, my home resort. I've used my points at Poly for a studio ONCE, that's one none home resort stay in 27 years....

I think what puts you outside the "norm" isn't that you've almost exclusively stayed at your home resort but that you've held onto your DVC points for 27 years.

 

[ljmiii]

Maybe we should all contact a guide and request some random number of RIV points. Pay the deposit and then cancel and complain about the resale restrictions. This would surely get somebodies attention at Disney. Imagine 100s of us doing this.

You know, if one person, just one person, does it, they may think he's just a nut and think nothing of it.

And if two people do it, they may think they're both idiots and they'll just ignore both of them.

And if three people do it! Can you imagine three people walkin' in, dropping a deposit on DDR and walkin' out? They may think it's an Organization!

And can you imagine fifty people a day? I said FIFTY people a day walkin' in, dropping a deposit on DDR and walkin' out? Friends they may think it's a Movement. And that's what it would be, the Drewferin anti-resale restriction movement! And all you gotta do to join is to call a DVC guide and join in!

(Sorry, I couldn't resist...and with all apologies to Arlo Guthrie).