Is DVC worth the money, does it give you what you deserve?

[deedisneydream97]

I am a recent DVC member and recently i received a video in a email, and the video was this DVC member song which was not good at all and either was the video. After i watched the video i looked at all the comments below for it and discovered there are a lot of DVC members that are not happy with there membership. I noticed the posts talked about how members do not get half the discounts on rooms and tickets as people buying trip packages. Then after reading all the negative comments i thought to myself instead of making all these videos for us members why don't they use that money to help get us more and better discounts on room and tickets. So i guess i would like to ask everyone do you feel the same way i do, do you feel being DVC member gets you more privileges then when you came as a regular guest , because i think more should be done for DVC members.

I hope everyone doesnt think im complaining about being a DVC member i was just putting this conversation out there because i saw so many complaints about DVC after i watched that video.

Seriously??? "I think more should be done for DVC members". From your first post. Your second post makes me think that you really are not a DVC member. Or....you were an extremely uninformed resale purchaser that had no idea what you were buying. So which is it? Did you buy direct and were fully aware of what you purchased? Did you buy resale and had no idea about the ins and outs? You have one post, but you are able to figure out how to do a survey.

And yikes....don't depend on spell check.

 

[deedisneydream97]

I don't know about complaining.... So much as expecting a reasonable quality- and being taken aback when those expectations are disappointed.

I am overall happy because I get a nice big room/suite at a reasonable prepaid cost.

But I have to admit, I've had terrible IT issues with Disney (shockingly bad a few years ago- it's gotten better thankfully). I used to work in SF for an IT consulting firm. I can say with candor the IT support was and is definitely subpar to what I would expect of a Fortune 500 company.

Phone holds can be long... Upwards of an hour. I expect it on certain times (Monday mornings... Or when needing to pay my annual dues via target cards, lol). But overall the phones are ok.

In our experience thus far, rooms have also been dirty. Body hair in the tub and floors. Carpets not vaccuumed with crumbs everywhere. Appliances not working. But they tried to make it right and credited us a meal or two for the inconvenience. That made me feel better, enough to enjoy the vacation and shrug off the issues.

Is dvc perfect? No. But given the convenience (2 hr flight) and cost (we bought resale at decent prices), I'm happy

 

[DebbieB]

I think it would probably benefit both Disney and DVC members to offer tickets at a discount. I mean, here you've got a whole group of hundreds of thousands of people, locked in to visit your resorts every year for decades, and from what I've heard people are buying less tickets because of the prices and staying at the resort more instead of visiting the theme parks. It seems like it would really benefit Disney to get those people through the turnstyles and spending money inside, even if they discount the tickets a bit. But I'm sure they've run the numbers on guest spending and decided it isn't worth it or something. It doesn't really affect me, since I'm a Florida resident and keep a Florida resident annual pass that is already less expensive, but a lot of people kind of balk at those MYW ticket prices and non-Florida resident annual pass prices.

The DVC annual pass is the same price as Florida resident.

 

[deedisneydream97]

Sorry suebeelin..still am not used to this new forum. I agree...the IT issues with Disney across the board is unbelievable.

Disney does take any complaints very seriously. Right now I am in the middle of an issue...not DVC, but Disney in general. Believe me, my complaint is being handled very professionally. As soon as they are made aware of an issue, they act on it (I should say a "serious issue"...not a dumb thing like "I did not get the room I wanted").

 

[Sammie]

I think why some members become dissatisfied is they think everything that has Disney on it, is the same. You have members say DVC should give me Disney dining discounts, Disney park ticket discounts, etc. You have to think of each as separate companies all wanting to make the most profit. DVC offers you only what is in your contract. They don't own the park division, food and beverage or tickets, or even transportation.

I have never understood the reasoning behind the fact some members think they deserve more than nonDVC. Why?

 

[jennib5426]

I am 8 years into my SSR purchase and I feel like it was a great investment for my needs. We have stayed at all the WDW DVC places except GFV, there is no way we could have ever afforded to stay at deluxe properties over the years if not for my DVC. I didn't have kids when I bought and now I have 2 so we need 1 bdr but we still make my 160 points work for the family. We are saving up for Hawaii next and I can't wait to go.
I just wish I would have bought when BCV or BWV were being built.
Even if we never stay at Poly or GFV because there point scale is so high that's ok, we love all the older resorts.

 

[ffcheff]

I am very happy with my membership. Although I did do my home work prior to my purchase. Now that my kids are getting older we will be venturing to the dvc resorts outside of disney world. I have taken advantage of some of the discounts on annual passes, TIW cards spa discount for the wife. Over all If they did not give discounts I would still be happy.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

I expect a clean, well-maintained room. Moreover, I expect housekeeping to clean our rooms on assigned days and DVC to properly maintain the building(s) and public spaces.

I bought units at two properties; I did not purchase the Walt Disney World resort.

 

[delilah]

Generally, I am happy with my membership. My original contract was at SSR, and we have two additional contracts at AKV. To be honest, we have not stayed at SSR since AKV opened. We have stayed at AKV about 90% of the time because we like it better. We always have taken our vacations at the same time, either the first week or two of summer break, fall break or the first week of Christmas break. This is the first year that I am concerned that I may not be able to get the room we want for Christmas break, because there is so much more demand for rooms than there was back when we first bought AKV. So, if I am not able to change my SSR reservation over to AKV this December, I may be selling the SSR points. It's not because I am disappointed in any way, but, there are things I would prefer to do with that money.

 

[Judique]

I think why some members become dissatisfied is they think everything that has Disney on it, is the same. You have members say DVC should give me Disney dining discounts, Disney park ticket discounts, etc. You have to think of each as separate companies all wanting to make the most profit. DVC offers you only what is in your contract. They don't own the park division, food and beverage or tickets, or even transportation.

I have never understood the reasoning behind the fact some members think they deserve more than nonDVC. Why?

Because those who expect more usually end up getting more. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The people who don't complain when they have problems aren't usually going to be reimbursed if no one knows they have a problem.

I have a few pet peeves.

1. some housekeepers - not all of them. One came in and threw away my stuff before I was finished with the room (well before 11am).
2. booking a room category and getting a different category
3. changing my regular room that I booked to HA a few days before the start of my trip and then giving me a lie excuse or a lame excuse.
4. being stalked on arrival - please let me get to the restroom and not have to explain it to you
5. Renovations - should stay more whimsical - we bought into the fairytale - not the Holiday Inn

Oh, and Disney has all kinds of divisions, but at the end of the day it is still all Disney - there is only one stock offering - take responsibility for your product

That said, overall very happy - where else can you match the overall product?

Bill should not stop complaining - without Bill and others who complain - complacency will set in. Complaining takes a whole boatload of time - some of us will just move on rather than put the effort into it

 

[disneynutz]

Because those who expect more usually end up getting more. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. The people who don't complain when they have problems aren't usually going to be reimbursed if no one knows they have a problem.

I have a few pet peeves.

1. some housekeepers - not all of them. One came in and threw away my stuff before I was finished with the room (well before 11am).
2. booking a room category and getting a different category
3. changing my regular room that I booked to HA a few days before the start of my trip and then giving me a lie excuse or a lame excuse.
4. being stalked on arrival - please let me get to the restroom and not have to explain it to you
5. Renovations - should stay more whimsical - we bought into the fairytale - not the Holiday Inn

Oh, and Disney has all kinds of divisions, but at the end of the day it is still all Disney - there is only one stock offering - take responsibility for your product

That said, overall very happy - where else can you match the overall product?

Bill should not stop complaining - without Bill and others who complain - complacency will set in. Complaining takes a whole boatload of time - some of us will just move on rather than put the effort into it

I have been critical of Disney because our family worships the old Disney, the ideas that Walt had, he wasn't perfect but he believed in pulsing it and creating a magical place for young and old.

DVC is polar opposite, it's all about making sales and doing what seems to be as little as possible to improve the member customer service. In the last few years we have had three different executives running the DVC, one got fired, one got transferred to France after 18 months, and now we have the current SVP. There is something wrong when an organization has this type of turnover.

Bill

 

[jbish]

I don't want more privileges than a regular guest, I just don't want to be forgotten because they have so much money up front.

The feeling that once you buy, we gotcha and don't need to look out for your best interests.

Bill

I would say that I'm "happy" with my purchase. But I'm not "very happy" because I am a little disappointed when I check into my home resort and find the furnishings in decay (e.g. the veneer ripped/ripping off of the dresser - just not very "Disney") or hearing stories of poor housekeeping (next trip for us is in November and I'll be sure to take more notice). I don't want to feel like I made the investment (which was sizable and, probably, not the most sound financial decision we could have made at that time) only to come to find my home resort not being maintained. My maintenance fees should be going to keeping my home resort in tip top shape, IMO. Hopefully they aren't being redirected to fund other resorts - either their maintenance or their construction. (I don't know how the finances work - I'm just sayin'.)

Now, I will say that, when we bought, they did sell us the "privilege" and "perks" of being DVC members. For those of you that went into it 100% knowing that it was a timeshare and ONLY a timeshare, then great. But that's not how they sell it. They are selling "owning a piece of Disney" and being a "member", which implies that we're in an exclusive group that's separated from the masses. Yes, I get it - I bought a timeshare. But I feel like, as someone who's paid a lot of money up front and committed to going to Disney for years to come, I wish they'd show us a little more love. I'm not asking for free dining - I get why that doesn't really apply to us. But better pricing on the ever-increasing cost of park tickets would be nice. Despite not having to pay cash for a room, it still costs a LOT of money for a family of 5 to vacation at WDW. Maybe that's asking for too much. But that's my two cents.

 

[tjkraz]

...from what I've heard people are buying less tickets because of the prices and staying at the resort more instead of visiting the theme parks...

Be careful what you believe. Anecdotal conclusions based upon a few forum posts--or even a few dozen forum posts--are not known for their accuracy. For decades they've been losing old park guests (kids aging, tastes changing, etc.) and replacing them new park guests. A handful of people saying they make less frequent visits to the parks is neither concerning nor is it a new phenomenon.

Disney keeps reporting record attendance and record revenues to shareholders. That pretty much speaks for itself.

They have offered limited-time ticket discounts to DVC owners in the past. But even then it's impossible to know whether those offers have some specific financial or crowd management goal.

Keep in mind whenever a discount is offered it applies to EVERYONE...even folks who would have otherwise paid full price for the product. Sure Disney would gain some park traffic with a lower ticket price but they're also sacrificing profits on a much larger group who would have paid the higher rate.

 

[Chic]

Unknown who is funding the videos, Disney bills the DVC owners every chance they get, we don't even know when they are allowed to bill us.

For us perks aren't the issue it's the sub par customer service, the resale game that DVC plays, the website issues, phone hold time, mixed answers from MS, room cleaning, maintenance, and referb design choices and quality. The feeling that once you buy, we gotcha and don't need to look out for your best interests.

Bill

I'm not sure if I agree with all of these issues. After SSR was complete, DVC built another pool in the Paddock section which was themed and has quick service food. A walkway bridge was also added at SSR to make the walk to Downtown Disney more convenient. VWL just received a new interactive water play area at the pool. BLT studios were redesigned moving the sink into the bathroom area and adding locks to the sliding doors. OKW added a sleeper chair to their 1 and 2 bedroom Villas to allow accommodation of one extra guest. All of these enhancements occurred after the resorts were built and sold. As far as maintenance and website issues, I've always found inconsistencies in these areas for regular cash rooms, DVC, and the official Disney World website.

 

[dgaston]

I bought into DVC because I'm a Disneyphile. Love everything about WDW. My late DH was supposed to say "no" on the tour and he didn't !!! We did the unthinkable and financed our purchase. Paid it off a little early. And we were able to visit WDW over 50 times, have some wonderful visits with all 3 of our adult children -- including our granddaughter. I bought a very small contract outright for my daughter at BWV. I've used perks to buy APs but now like non-expiring passes.

Yes for me DVC is worth all the memories...

 

[disprincess2213]

I am freakin obsessed with my dvc membership!! It is the best thing I (my family) ever invested in. I regret not doing it sooner. It was worth every penny for us because it made it possible for us to go to Disney over 3 times a year. We feel we get everything we deserve and more. We did a lot of research so we knew what the deal was when buying. Discounts/deals are extra bonuses. My only disappointment is not having enough money to buy points at every single resort and the inability to live in Disney on points. That is all.

 

[dvc at last !]

I am freakin obsessed with my dvc membership!! It is the best thing I (my family) ever invested in. I regret not doing it sooner. It was worth every penny for us because it made it possible for us to go to Disney over 3 times a year. We feel we get everything we deserve and more. We did a lot of research so we knew what the deal was when buying. Discounts/deals are extra bonuses. My only disappointment is not having enough money to buy points at every single resort and the inability to live in Disney on points. That is all.

Well said !

 

[ludari]

I'm very happy with my DVC membership, however I do believe DVC Members Services or the powers that be could do a little more. Every year I write member services to complain about the annual pass discounts offered for DVC members at WDW verses only $20 at DLR. Heck my work offers a $20 discount for annual passes at DLR and obviously I would expect being a DVC member I would receive the equal discount offered for DVC members at WDW.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm not sure if I agree with all of these issues. After SSR was complete, DVC built another pool in the Paddock section which was themed and has quick service food. A walkway bridge was also added at SSR to make the walk to Downtown Disney more convenient. VWL just received a new interactive water play area at the pool. BLT studios were redesigned moving the sink into the bathroom area and adding locks to the sliding doors. OKW added a sleeper chair to their 1 and 2 bedroom Villas to allow accommodation of one extra guest. All of these enhancements occurred after the resorts were built and sold. As far as maintenance and website issues, I've always found inconsistencies in these areas for regular cash rooms, DVC, and the official Disney World website.

Many of the items you mentioned were paid for by Disney or out of the DVC budget. We paid for the sleeper chairs which increased the occupancy which increases spending at Disney. BLT was an error in so many ways, I understand that DVD paid for the sink move and door locks to be installed because they fixed their design mistake. The Disney Springs bridge is part of the rental dock relocation and is expected to keep guests away from the road and bus loading area.

The Paddock pool is an unknown. One executive made it sound like Disney paid for it, another manager told me that it was funded out of the DVC capital budget paid for with dues money.

You are correct, Disney does have website and room issues, it's a shame that they don't spend some of their billions of dollars in record profits to make things right.

Bill

 

[DebbieB]

I'm very happy with my DVC membership, however I do believe DVC Members Services or the powers that be could do a little more. Every year I write member services to complain about the annual pass discounts offered for DVC members at WDW verses only $20 at DLR. Heck my work offers a $20 discount for annual passes at DLR and obviously I would expect being a DVC member I would receive the equal discount offered for DVC members at WDW.

On the other hand, there is a 10% across the board dining discount at DL, rather than selected locations and times like at WDW.