I'm really worried...

[Deb & Bill]

We've been thinking about selling one of our contracts - different use year from the others and a small contract, only 50 points. We have to wait until after mid-Jan because Bill is using that one for his Marathon trip. Just last week I started thinking about selling another contract - BCV for 100 points - and have been looking at the TTS site to see what these are going for.

Now with all the 2042 -2057 stuff, I'm thinking maybe we should sell them all and buy something at the beach.

It's ten years in Nov. Am I having a mid-life crisis or just getting tired of all the jacking around from DVC?

 

[lisareniff]

Deb, What you really need to do is...



Add-on at Vero Beach!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

No, no more points. No more points. I'm paying about $200 a month in dues now. And DVC is going to want $7500 from me for the added years at OKW.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Deep breaths, Deb....inhale.....exhale....inhale....

Surely this is just some sort of virus! You'll get back to your DVC-loving self soon, I am sure of it!

I think you might need a trip---and soon!

However, we are also going to buy another timeshare (resale, non-DVC) so that we have direct access to II for trades. They are INCREDIBLY inexpensive if you buy resale. So you can keep both.

 

[Sammie]

I would say your concerns are the same that many of us that have gone for years have, including myself and Lifebabe to name two.

If I don't see some immediate improvement with DVC management I will be right there selling everything except HHI. We will keep it simply for the booking advantage and the fact we truly enjoy it over other HHI locations.

Unless things with DVC begin to change, I won't however continue to use DVC for trips to WDW. I can get treated better at Disney resorts than DVC and I will just book AP rates and FL rates and get treated like they appreicate my business.

We don't use extra magic hours much anymore, so I am also looking into more off property housing. I can rent a really nice house, with private pool, (no pool hopping allowed) for less than my annual dues. With the changes to the DDP we will be eating more meals off property anyway and we will throw in some trips to other locations such as Sea World.

 

[JimMIA]

I'm usually one of the ones who jump to DVC and Disney's defense, but I certainly see a lot of "revenue maximization" that looks a lot like gouging to me.

Some of the recent changes (like the $95 fee) really don't matter to me because we never intended to use those features. But the intent in most of the recent changes (not all, but most) seems to be more about generating revenue from the current owners than it is about making DVC better.

It's not even about additional sales -- it's just about increasing the cost to the owners for the benefit of DVC. I've also seen this attitude in other areas. I actually noticed it first in the referral-for-kickback arrangement with a brand-new, totally inexperienced broker for resales. It's amazing (and disappointing) to see what some folks will do for 50% of a relatively small pie.

If I were counseling a newbie about buying DVC, my advice would be to go somewhere else for vacation in 2008, and come back a year from now and take another look.

We enjoy DVC, and we'll continue to use it as long as it benefits us. But we do have two contracts, and we could step back from one or the other if we feel DVC ownership is no longer giving us what we expect.

 

[jimmytammy]

Hey Deb

I can understand your frustration. You folks like so many here have been longtime DVC owners and seen lots of changes through the years. We on the other hand have only been in DVC for 6 yrs so we are still young in that regard. The new hasnt worn off yet for us. What I will say is dont make a rush decision on selling. You probably know this and dont need me advising you on such matters. I think we all have gone through times when we thought we need to get rid of pts for one reason or another. If its for financial reasons, then I think it can be based on what your family can handle. But emotional reasons tend to pass in time. We have considered selling on both accounts and so glad we didnt in the end. Things have a tendency to work themselves out. So personally, I hope you will stay a DVC owner cause it makes belonging all the more special to have DVC friends like you

 

[lisareniff]

You guys really give me reason to pause and think. I have been wondering about our DVC purchases in the long term as well. DH is not a Disney nut and maybe we shouldn't have purchased so much. For the time being we are good, but opinions such as Sammie's, who knows very well the workings of Disney Resorts and DVC, makes me question the future.

 

[DVC Grammy]

We're not at that point (yet) since DVC still works for us, but I can't see us keeping all our points "forever", especially since two of our three grown kids aren't "into" Disney or WDW.
When the time comes that trips to DVC resorts aren't as appealing or frequent (we don't trade out), we'll probably start selling, beginning with our first "home", BWV, since (so far) the resale value has gone up nicely, compared to when we bought in.

 

[Allan]

We've been members for 10 years and for the first time we have also recently been discussing unloading DVC and buying at a beach. Like Jim, I feel like they are concentrating on squeezing more out of current owners without giving much in return.

 

[disneynutz]

 

[Orelover]

We also have been thinking of selling. Lately DVC has done nothing but cut services at the resorts, all to save money, require more money from members by imposing silly fees, and provide lame customer service. Yet dues have not gone down (which I don't really expect) but mabey not go up so much every year!? or possibly stay the same for a year? were are the cost savings going from all the cuts they have maid. Pun intended. I'm just disillusioned. DVC BWV for 9 years

 

[Mike©]

I'm sure that we've "had it" with DVC. In the last two years we've done several trips. Half DVC and half cash at non-DVC resorts.
The DVC resorts have consistantly been:
A. Dirty, not just " I'm a picky twit" dirty. I mean DIRTY. Quarter inch of dust on lamp shades, cobwebs everywhere, windows that look like a 5 yo licked them after a PB&J sandwich DIRTY.
B. Dirty AGAIN! But now it's outside the room in the hallways. And it Mousekeeping doing it !!!! Rows and rows of garbage bags down both sides of the hallways sitting there for hours. Now is this a money saving move? More than likely. Does this happen in other "Deluxe" resorts. Hmmmm... Let me think... NO IT DOESN'T. Nor did it when I first joined in 99.
C. The program is simply not what I signed on for originally.

Now our cash stays have been clean ( inside and out ) and the "Magical" experience that made us WDW fans in the first place.

On a larger scale: I'm most worried about the way Disney handled the new DSA policy change issue. ( NO!!! let's not start yet another pro/con debate ). My point is, they were in charge of the change. It was not being forced on them on any timetable. Yet they thought it was a good idea to institute it while they still had confirmed smoking room ressies instead of cutting off smoking room ressies by a arbitrary date and putting the policy in place after that. This is a BAD SIGN of how Disney managment is now regarding their own guests and how they can be handled.

Well Just my 2¢

 

[mjy]

No, no more points. No more points. I'm paying about $200 a month in dues now. And DVC is going to want $7500 from me for the added years at OKW.

Unless, of course, you do not go for the add-on. They you simply keep the original intent of the contract til 2042 and then they're done. You don't have to add on.

 

[crisi]

We've been thinking about selling one of our contracts - different use year from the others and a small contract, only 50 points. We have to wait until after mid-Jan because Bill is using that one for his Marathon trip. Just last week I started thinking about selling another contract - BCV for 100 points - and have been looking at the TTS site to see what these are going for.

Now with all the 2042 -2057 stuff, I'm thinking maybe we should sell them all and buy something at the beach.

It's ten years in Nov. Am I having a mid-life crisis or just getting tired of all the jacking around from DVC?

I think its reasonable to have DVC points for Disney - but its also reasonable to not have a lifelong commitment to Disney. You have a LOT of points. But you have probably more points than you need for this moment in time.

You continue to like OKW and you continue to like Disney - so it makes sense to keep enough OKW points to visit as often as you like. Unless you like something else better - when we are kidless, I'll probably dump our points to go back to Deluxes and back to a less Disney schedule - right now its every other year - but without kids - every four or five was fine for us. And we constantly are open to reevaluating after each planned trip - if Disney doesn't hold up its end as a vacation destination (my big worry is restaurants - if I can't eat marginally well, Disney doesn't have a lot of appeal - and crowds - if Disney can't manage crowds effectively and keep people from acting like trash - I don't enjoy it), we will sell and go other places.

You don't have to commit through to 2057 - and, as I remember your situation you are in a similar boat to us - the additional years don't have a lot of value to you. Yeah, that will change their value on the resale market - but you've already gotten a TON of value out of your points - you don't need to get every penny out of selling them.

I'd sell the points you don't want to use - but I wouldn't be rash about selling all your points right now while DVC goes through this change. It doesn't have to be all or nothing for you since you have several contracts.

I'd also be really wary of buying a different timeshare if what is bothering you is these administrative changes. With any timeshare over the term of the contract, you are going to get change. The only thing for sure is what you are contracted for - which is never really very much. If change over time bothers you, limit your exposure by keeping the time you make the commitment to a minimum.

 

[Sammie]

The thing that really frustrates me is they are not listening to us.

Disney resorts has started this test program where they moved some of their best managers to All Star and the Yacht and Beach to see if they could improve guest experiences at check in and throughout the resort. Why doesn't DVC do something similar.

Also while I applaud the move to provide a seperate check in at BCV, as I have always been one to think that was a big mistake when they built that resort. My contacts that work there tell me they did it not to make the DVC guests happy; but to the make the BC guests happy by eliminating some of the DVC crowds out of the lobby area.

Personally if they are checking guests at the desk that was used for DVC sales in the entrance of the DVC section, that truly does not seem like a good area for that. I would think the Breezeway would have been a more centrally located place. There are rooms close to that area, so those members will fill like they are in the lobby with that noise.

I guess it frustrates me more than some because I see what Resorts is doing and then I see what DVC is doing and DVC is focusing on expansion and sales for future members and Resorts is focusing on their guests.

I think DVC still offers a very good product once you arrive at the resorts, I am not sure they offer a great product right now prior to that.

 

[jodifla]

The thing that really frustrates me is they are not listening to us.

Disney resorts has started this test program where they moved some of their best managers to All Star and the Yacht and Beach to see if they could improve guest experiences at check in and throughout the resort. Why doesn't DVC do something similar.

Also while I applaud the move to provide a seperate check in at BCV, as I have always been one to think that was a big mistake when they built that resort. My contacts that work there tell me they did it not to make the DVC guests happy; but to the make the BC guests happy by eliminating some of the DVC crowds out of the lobby area.

Personally if they are checking guests at the desk that was used for DVC sales in the entrance of the DVC section, that truly does not seem like a good area for that. I would think the Breezeway would have been a more centrally located place. There are rooms close to that area, so those members will fill like they are in the lobby with that noise.

I guess it frustrates me more than some because I see what Resorts is doing and then I see what DVC is doing and DVC is focusing on expansion and sales for future members and Resorts is focusing on their guests.

I think DVC still offers a very good product once you arrive at the resorts, I am not sure they offer a great product right now prior to that.

And I think when someone as devoted to Disney and DVC as you starts to get really concerned, then we all should.

I don't have a huge amount of points. So we're waiting and watching to see what happens next. I have a young son, in love with Disney, so we'll hang on for awhile.

But I now can envision selling my points in the future. Before I never thought I'd say that.

 

[ducklite]

In the past six months I've been giving thought to selling here and there. Now that we live less than 30 minutes from our home resort (BWV) we don't really *need* the contract--although we do use it, we're staying at Vero for an upcoming vacation, and two nights at BWV during F&W. Next year we're thinking about a trade to Key West, and the year after will be Hawaii.

After that, who knows? We've got friends in Key West who have expressed interest in doing a "House Swap" for a few days to a week each year for the forseeable future--they've got three year old twins, so it would be perfect.

Most of the other places on our vacation short--and long--list don't really include much that DVC would be useful for. We joined just shy of ten years ago, then added on the the BCV--a contract we've since sold.

I guess because of our FL resident (and "local") status, many of the issues that other owners are facing aren't really applying to us--in particular we're usually super flexible about dates--but we might feel differently after these upcoming stays.

For now, we're just going to hang on for a bit and wait and see.

Anne

 

[diznyfanatic]

The thing that really frustrates me is they are not listening to us.

Disney resorts has started this test program where they moved some of their best managers to All Star and the Yacht and Beach to see if they could improve guest experiences at check in and throughout the resort. Why doesn't DVC do something similar...

And from what I understand, they moved one of the best managers on property, DJ at Boardwalk, to ASMU to manage and train others for this new resort pilot program. So DVC truly lost a gem.

Our upcoming F&W trip next month will be very interesting as we are staying at ASMU prior to checking into Boardwalk. It will be our first time ever staying at a Value, so I am extremely curious to compare the service levels, especially with this new Pilot Program, between being a "Resort Guest" (especially at a Value) and being a DVC member.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Deb, we joined about the same time you did, and we too have been talking about selling one contract. It isn't because we would give up on DVC, but because it would be nice to rearrange our points a bit. Oh well. We DID decide NOT to take the extra 15 years DVC is "offering to sell" us, but that could be exactly the reason we might sell a contract too.