If DVC occupancy is down, why

[LindaBabe]

am I finding it nigh on impossible to get ten continuous days in January in a studio?

 

[tomandrobin]

Occupancy at DVC resorts are not down. DVC occupancy is pretty consistant, usually in the 95% range....give or take a few.

 

[DebbieB]

From what I've heard, the developer points available are increasing occupancy, which I can't figure out. How can developer points be issued for AKV when the rooms are not ready for occupancy yet? Seems to be putting the DVC system out of balance, there are more points available than rooms.

 

[CraftyMouse]

January (along with Sept. and the first two weeks of Dec.) is Adventure Season which offers the lowest points-per-night of the year. It's one of the most popular times at DVC resorts, even though it is a traditionally slow time in the parks.

 

[hakepb]

From what I've heard, the developer points available are increasing occupancy, which I can't figure out. How can developer points be issued for AKV when the rooms are not ready for occupancy yet? Seems to be putting the DVC system out of balance, there are more points available than rooms.

I liked the theory someone here suggested. Developer points are at SSR. Perhaps what the developers (DVC) did was declare a new-construction, occupiable unit into the system before it's use year began. DVC then took that one year's of SSR points, transfered and banked them for use now.
Remember how there is a relatively new policy that allows transferred points to be banked?

Thus there was greater availability when all those new SSR units were being built and now somewhat lesser availability?

 

[Deb & Bill]

When were you trying to go in Jan? The first week is usually packed with holiday guests. Then the second week is usually packed with Marathon fans. Then you have the MLK holiday in mid-Jan.

Where did you hear that occupancy was down?

 

[disneynutz]

am I finding it nigh on impossible to get ten continuous days in January in a studio?

New membership sales are down, not occupancy. You also need to remember that Jan is available to all members because it's less than seven months away.

 

[OKW Lover]

I haven't heard that DVC occupancy is down. I suspect your difficulty is that we are actually fairly close to January now and people have already booked their stay. I'd put myself on a wait list - when you get to 30 days out people will start canceling so their points don't go into the holding account.

 

[CarolMN]

From what I've heard, the developer points available are increasing occupancy, which I can't figure out. How can developer points be issued for AKV when the rooms are not ready for occupancy yet? Seems to be putting the DVC system out of balance, there are more points available than rooms.

I think most of the developer points issued as sales incentives are from SSR. I also think that the only thing the developer can do with those points (besides offer them as sales incentives) is rent the corresponding rooms nights to the general public. I do not think there are more points out there than there are rooms to support them. (It would be illegal if there were).

HOWEVER - I think that prior to the incentives, a lot of those "developer room nights" sent to CRO/WDWTC ended up unused. Not so, when the developer points were used as sales incentives. New members are using their developer points and it appears (from anecdotal evidence) that they are mostly booking right at the 7 month window. So the sales incentives are both increasing overall DVC resort occupancy rates (at least at SSR) and decreasing the time it takes for the DVC resorts to "sell out".

Just a theory.

 

[DebbieB]

With the increase in members, I think the reality is you need to plan farther out. DVC is becoming more difficult to book less than 4 or 5 months out.

 

[LindaBabe]

With the increase in members, I think the reality is you need to plan farther out. DVC is becoming more difficult to book less than 4 or 5 months out.

Usually we plan 11 months out - but since we cancelled 5 nights in a one bedroom in December, last week (due to a ummmm "miscommunication" between spouses), I thought it would be nice to use those borrowed points for some time in January.

I got the "low occupancy" idea from another thread in one of the DVC boards. It was posted by a person I consider a reliable resource.

 

[Pennyguy23]

ten continuous days in January in a studio might be hard to find anytime inside the 6 or 7 month mark but this short of notices seems near impossible. Especially in January

 

[DebbieB]

I think post about low occupancy was talking about this month, September. I don't think September is a very popular time for DVC, especially when the WDW resorts are offering free dining.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I don't really think DVC occupancy is or ever will be significantly affected by things....

....like say....a total crash of our banking and investment system


The Bookings at WDW are significantly down for the next 6-9 months.....which has been reported in the Sentinel and some business journals already....

but that isn't DVC. DVC is typically for the more frequent traveler who are not likely to sacrifice their weeks in disney for anything short of the apocalypse.

So you can look at it from the half full or half empty angle:

The half full is that once you get there.....the crowds will be lighter outside of your resort and it will be a much more relaxing trip

The half empty is that you still will have wall to wall people at your pool and you might just get a bit aggrivated when you go to another resort that looks like a ghost town (figuratively speaking....for WDW that's somewhere between 60-85% occupancy) and wonder why you can't get a room at a DVC and go when and where you really want....

I've always thought that there should be some kinda system where the rooms at other resorts are "released" within a certain window leading up to check in and become available for DVC points in a reasonable range.....not the ridiculous rates that the "disney collection" goes for....

But...there are plenty of issues preventing that.....most notably state laws governing timeshares and the resort computer systems' archaic characteristics that does not allow conversion from cash to points very easily...

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I've always thought that there should be some kinda system where the rooms at other resorts are "released" within a certain window leading up to check in and become available for DVC points in a reasonable range.....not the ridiculous rates that the "disney collection" goes for....

That's not going to happen because DVC will have to pay Disney for those rooms reserved by members using points. That's the reason you can't make a short term reservation in the last four months of your UY for non-DVC rooms. DVC needs enough time to recover the cost that they spent to put you in that room.

Disney is out to make money. Even from DVC.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

That's not going to happen because DVC will have to pay Disney for those rooms reserved by members using points. That's the reason you can't make a short term reservation in the last four months of your UY for non-DVC rooms. DVC needs enough time to recover the cost that they spent to put you in that room.

Disney is out to make money. Even from DVC.

yeah.....i know it can never happen....


but.....your explanation is taking into account alot of smoke and mirrors....


Disney....DVC....ESPN.....ABC....Hannah Montana....


it's still all the same stuff.....because they break off units into seperate little fiefdoms for tax and revenue purposes....doesn't mean they all don't fall under the same umbrella when it gets down to it....

i believe they will never do what i suggested above because of tax purposes....not because DVC (a divison of the Walt Disney Company) would have to "buy" the rooms from WDW (a division of the Walt Disney Company)....

and they still own every square inch of Celebration......

All hail the great Oz