Is it just me...?

[WilsonFlyer]

Or has Disney's Best Kept Secret gone BUST lately?

I mean seriously...

1. AP's go WAY up in price
2. Nothing new happening
3. Member communications to near zero
4. Did I mention BORING???
5. Lots of people talking about trading out and renting points and I get the impression these are people that never thought they'd be even considering doing these things
6. Did I mention BORING?

Maybe it's because we've been around too long. Maybe it's because we've gotten out of our cycle of going every 4-5 months and haven't been since April and won't be back until Thanksgiving.

Something doesn't feel... "right." It hasn't for a while now. It can't just be me/us. Maybe it is. Maybe we've just been around long enough that the "old hat" thing is really setting in.

I know it's just a room... blah, blah, blah. This isn't about that. It just seems that there used to always be something going on... good OR bad, but at least something was going on. Lately, it seems, nothing's going on. Nothing. Do other timeshares do things, new things; to entice members to stay around and spend money or do they truly not care once the sale is made?

It just seems there's no interest from DVD in the membership anymore. This surprises me since we seem to be a pretty captive audience and a pretty large on in the scheme of things WDW. I'd contend that we're not quite as captive as DVD may think. I see a LOT of resales and a lot of people actually making money on reselling these days. I guess the net result to DVC is the same, huh?

It just makes me wonder about retention from the perspective of P&R. One would think that Parks and Resorts would care, even if DVD didn't. One of the points of the entire DVC program had to be to draw people into the P&Rs over the long haul, yet it seems that they are doing everything they can to actually discourage this behavior. My guess would be that this group has pretty good disposable income. you would think they'd want us in and often, but that just doesn't seem to be the case ANYMORE. It seems it used to be.

Is it just me? Maybe I need for Nov 28 to hurry up and get here. Even the Christmas Tree threads seem dead this year compared to years past! What gives??

 

[McCrae]

Think this is more about how you are feeling. Overall demand for Disney remains very strong and this is why they can charge more. Every year a small proportion of owners no longer feel the magic, they sell and move on. We wouldn't have a resale market without this.
Resale prices are going up, so no sign of the market cooling its interest in DVC.

 

[lugnut33]

I think a lot of problem is seeing prices race up for everything at WDW, but management just isn't giving back. They are making incredible profits but not expanding entertainment options at the parks, matter of fact they are cutting back. Yes, they announced things for DHS, but that's about 5 years too late. And don't even get me started on them letting EPCOT become old and stale. Yet Iger will make 50 million or more this year.

 

[lugnut33]

Think this is more about how you are feeling. Overall demand for Disney remains very strong and this is why they can charge more. Every year a small proportion of owners no longer feel the magic, they sell and move on. We wouldn't have a resale market without this.
Resale prices are going up, so no sign of the market cooling its interest in DVC.

I think a lot of the upward movement in prices can be attributed to Disney rocketing up the price of new shares. It's good for us owners, but only if you get out on top.

 

[jdkdorn]

I think it is an overall pull back at Disney because they can. They are making so much money lately that they do not need to offer anything to anyone to get them to buy, stay and play in the parks and hotels. The biggest example of this is Hollywood Studio. This park is basically going to be a ghost town until they get the new parks up and running yet they raise the price of tickets because people will still go. We are going twice in the next few months but then we are done until 2017 due to no points. Yesterday we find out that we will not be able to go on Sourin on either of our trips. Another ride shut down for 6-8 months in a park that only has two E ticket rides. I love EPCOT so I will have other things to do in that park but it is just another thing on the list.

 

[disneynutz]

Disney greed is the major issue and the new management at DVC seems to only care about selling and not servicing the members. Long phone hold times, a website that is like playing a slot machine, for pay events, and a studio only resort.

Bill

 

[bobbiwoz]

I celebrated being able to travel after two new knees by going to WDW in July, and I bought mugs from the Photopass site with a photo of my knees sticking out of a tube at BB. In August we had a great time on DVC's Member Cruise. We have a mid December trip, and then a NYE trip! I have 3 trips planned for 2016 so far.

I am affected by the increase in AP's because our PAPs expire December 19th, so I have to pay up for our NYE trip, or have a non park trip. It would be possible to avoid parks because we are staying at BLT specifically to see the NYE fireworks from TTOTW lounge. This will be our 6th NYE stay, we have seen those delightful fireworks, from inside all parks and from cruises, both Illuminations (2 times) and from the 7 Seas Lagoon. We have a CP dining package on Dec. 30, the last night. So we will pay for the passes that include NYE.

I was angry, I did send DVC a note, complaining that DVC has not championed DVC members in the corporation.. We pay a premium in points for the Christmas, NYE period, why could we not have a different sort of AP, one without the extra charge. Now we pay extra points, extra money. I did hear from Joy. She is a delightful CM who listened to me, commiserated with me, but alas, she can do nothing but pass my sentiments on.

We are retired, we still like going to Disney. I especially enjoy the Flower show and the workshops provided. I wish the concerts would be daily, I was disappointed when they changed to have them only Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We made a special trip last year specifically to see the Frozen fireworks. They were marvelous! By the way, won't there be added fireworks celebrating Star Wars in DHS? I look forward to the night show at Animal Kingdom.

If you need to take a break, do so. We went to Aulani in September....I truly hope to use many points there in another trip, we are planning Winter 2017!

Bobbi

 

[bwvBound]

Or has Disney's Best Kept Secret gone BUST lately?

I mean seriously...

1. AP's go WAY up in price
2. Nothing new happening
3. Member communications to near zero
4. Did I mention BORING???
5. Lots of people talking about trading out and renting points and I get the impression these are people that never thought they'd be even considering doing these things
6. Did I mention BORING?

Maybe it's because we've been around too long. Maybe it's because we've gotten out of our cycle of going every 4-5 months and haven't been since April and won't be back until Thanksgiving.

Something doesn't feel... "right." It hasn't for a while now. It can't just be me/us. Maybe it is. Maybe we've just been around long enough that the "old hat" thing is really setting in.

I agree. We feel much the same.

 

[DisDadDVC]

I celebrated being able to travel after two new knees by going to WDW in July, and I bought mugs from the Photopass site with a photo of my knees sticking out of a tube at BB. In August we had a great time on DVC's Member Cruise. We have a mid December trip, and then a NYE trip! I have 3 trips planned for 2016 so far.

I am affected by the increase in AP's because our PAPs expire December 19th, so I have to pay up for our NYE trip, or have a non park trip. It would be possible to avoid parks because we are staying at BLT specifically to see the NYE fireworks from TTOTW lounge. This will be our 6th NYE stay, we have seen those delightful fireworks, from inside all parks and from cruises, both Illuminations (2 times) and from the 7 Seas Lagoon. We have a CP dining package on Dec. 30, the last night. So we will pay for the passes that include NYE.

I was angry, I did send DVC a note, complaining that DVC has not championed DVC members in the corporation.. We pay a premium in points for the Christmas, NYE period, why could we not have a different sort of AP, one without the extra charge. Now we pay extra points, extra money. I did hear from Joy. She is a delightful CM who listened to me, commiserated with me, but alas, she can do nothing but pass my sentiments on.

We are retired, we still like going to Disney. I especially enjoy the Flower show and the workshops provided. I wish the concerts would be daily, I was disappointed when they changed to have them only Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We made a special trip last year specifically to see the Frozen fireworks. They were marvelous! By the way, won't there be added fireworks celebrating Star Wars in DHS? I look forward to the night show at Animal Kingdom.

If you need to take a break, do so. We went to Aulani in September....I truly hope to use many points there in another trip, we are planning Winter 2017!

Bobbi

Why should they? There is nothing special about being a DVC member. It is merely fractional interest in a timeshare. The AP has a premium for the exact same reason the room has a premium. Supply and demand.

 

[jillmc40]

Why should they? Well, you could go to wdw and do all kinds of things for free. Dvc members can be very frugal if they want. You could still use it as a resort to visit, use the transportation, pool hop, have groceries delivered, etc. you don't have to go into the parks for meals. So, they could potentially have a bunch of rooms tied up with people who never go to the parks, eat in the restaurants, or buy another stuffed Mickey!

If times got tough for us money wise, I would still go, but think about how to do it the most frugal way possible. After all, timeshares allow you to vacation without a hotel bill.

I have 2 other time shares, and Marriott doesn't do a single thing for me to make sure I am a happy Marriott owner. At least Disney gives me somewhat of a discount. Yes, they could do more, but they could do less as well. Maybe they save the big guns for when the economy is really in the toilet? I don't know.

 

[GAN]

Yet Iger will make 50 million or more this year.

That's always been my pet peeve, not just at Disney(although it's a near-perfect example), but other Companies as well. I have NO problem with CEO's making a 20M bonus/incentive for a total 50M paycheck or whatever it is. But when your employees make a little above minimum wage, you've cut health-care benefits, you can't keep bathrooms clean, or any other example of cost-cutting like layoffs -your "bonus" should be indicative of those things as well as profitability. Am I only one of a few that see this as an issue? There must be a class missing at today's high-level business schools, or maybe it's just that too many of the kids who didn't share in kindergarten have amazingly ascended to the position of CEO.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Think this is more about how you are feeling. Overall demand for Disney remains very strong and this is why they can charge more. Every year a small proportion of owners no longer feel the magic, they sell and move on. We wouldn't have a resale market without this.
Resale prices are going up, so no sign of the market cooling its interest in DVC.

You're right. It's just me.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/i-think-i-am-finally-sick-of-disney.3457522/

 

[cm8]

Think this is more about how you are feeling. Overall demand for Disney remains very strong and this is why they can charge more. Every year a small proportion of owners no longer feel the magic, they sell and move on. We wouldn't have a resale market without this.
Resale prices are going up, so no sign of the market cooling its interest in DVC.

Disney created their own demand and seasons. They charge more because they can. No price will ever be too high because it's DISNEY. We need to start voting with our dollars. Start visiting those places where the magic is still happening and for cheaper cost! Maybe if we treat DISNEY like they do us, we would get some improvement. Until then, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

Disney greed is the major issue and the new management at DVC seems to only care about selling and not servicing the members. Long phone hold times, a website that is like playing a slot machine, for pay events, and a studio only resort.

Bill

I agree, and yet here we are making back to back visits just because of what was... Once people get over nostalgia, DISNEY is going to lose big. Those same people they are casting to the side help maintained them while the economy was down and now that they are living like Scrooge, it's like the heck with the rest of them!

 

[wdrl]

Starting next month, my wife and I will be spending 16 nights at Walt Disney World. It will be out 16th DVC trip since our first DVC trip in March 2010. We were last at WDW in June, when we spent 8 nights at SSR. I mention this to show we are Disney regulars who can say we've "been there, done that" for most things.

I'm still looking forward to DVC trip #16 for lots of reasons:

1. It will be our first stay at PVB. Never stayed at the Poly before, so it will be a new experience. We booked a Lake View studio, so I'm looking forward to watching the MK fireworks while enjoying one of the Ohana family meals that can be ordered from room service.

2. Checking out the construction at VWL. We were at WDW in May when news of the waterfront cabins broke, so we walked around WL and VWL taking photos of the areas that will be impacted by the construction. We'll take more photos during our upcoming trip and watch as things change over the next few years. We watched VGF and PVB being built, so its fun to see how things are changing.

3. Speaking of construction and changes, we'll check out Disney Springs to see all the changes its going through. Last time we were there, we rode the Characters in Flight balloon and got aerial views of all the construction. Hopefully, we'll be able to get some new photos and compare the old photos with the new.

4. Speaking of Disney Springs, Jock's Hanger Bar and the new Japanese restaurant (Morimoto's??) have opened since we were last there. I'd like to at least walk in to each place to see what they look like.

5. There is a new Jungle Cruise-themed quick service restaurant in Adventureland at the Magic Kingdom that I want to check out.

6. We are big fans of Star Wars, so I'm interested in seeing what Disney is doing in the Parks in anticipation of Star Wars #7 coming out in December. I definitely will be checking out the Star Wars Launch Bay that should be open at Hollywood Studios during our trip. Hopefully, we'll find some new Star Wars t-shirts to get for our nieces and nephews for Christmas (Truth be told: I hope they have a BB-8 t-shirt in my size, too).

7. Speaking of Hollywood Studios, we are looking forward to one last look at the Osborne Family Lights.

8. Hollywood Studios is already undergoing a major transformation as Disney adds Toy Story Land and Star Wars Land to the Park. We need to take more "before" photos of the Park so we can track how it changes over the years.

9. There are new animals on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride, so we need to check them out.

10. We'll be attend the DVC annual meeting. Wonder what DVC will say about the VWL project? Will it share any photos or drawings of what the cabins or villas will look like?

11. Perhaps the biggest reason to go to the annual meeting is seeing in person some people who we know from the disboards or DVCNews. Last year we met up with several people and it was fun sharing stories with them. I wonder who we might run into this time?

I admit that my life isn't all that exciting. Matt Damon and Robert Downey, Jr. don't stop by my house and tell me the latest Hollywood gossip; Warren Buffett doesn't call and ask me my opinions on stock picks; neither the Colorado Rockies nor Colorado Avalanche have asked that I take over the running of their franchises.

So maybe its understandable why I still find Disney far from boring.

 

[chrisaman]

I think everyone should sell their DVC interests so everyone drives down the prices and I can go on a spending spree

 

[GAN]

I think everyone should sell their DVC interests so everyone drives down the prices and I can go on a spending spree

I'm not going to sell at this point -between our every 3-year or so visit which we enjoy and the ability to rent out points at pretty good money with no problem at all ....we'll be sticking around for the next 10-years probably.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I don't consider it boring but things were hopping along at a much faster pace for DVC just 6-8 years ago. Project after project etc. For as many things as Jim Lewis did wrong he also did keep pushing DVC foward.

 

[McCrae]

You're right. It's just me.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/i-think-i-am-finally-sick-of-disney.3457522/

There has and always will be some people that are no longer happy with DVC.

This remains a small minority of owners. The ROFR numbers released today show demand for resale remains strong. If a lot of owners were not happy we would see more points being sold and prices in the resale market falling.
So in answer again to your question yes it is you and no the vast majority of people have not become unhappy with DVC.

 

[Minniesgal]

We are not there yet but we have found if we go too often we do lose some of the magic so we have decided to go less often but for longer trips.

 

[Sammie]

Not for us. We love our DVC. At Disney World right now having a great time. Service has been fabulous and I have used the website, MDE, fastpass and magic bands while here without any issues.
I don't think they have become greedy. I think they are a business and I understand that.

I do believe very much that negativity attracts negativity and once you become dissatisfied with anything, your experience focuses on what is wrong instead of what is positive. For us there is very much still to love.

I didn't purchase DVC expecting anything other than what I bought. AP discounts are never a guarantee. They have millions of guests every year and the cost of tickets is supported by supply and demand.

Lots new happening as I see it. This trip alone was worth it to see the new stage show at the Halloween party and the new baby zebra at AKL. Food and Wine was fabulous as always. And lots of changes at Disney Springs and coming to the studios.

As to member updates, I follow DVC on Facebook and they do a great job of sharing info.