Is this common?

[WOODY13]

I am renting points and want to stay at BCV but the owner called and they told him there is nothing available during those times. When I call to book the same room they do have it available. What I don't get is why would DVC not be able to book the same room as CRO?

 

[dianeschlicht]

You are calling CRO, and he is calling member services. They come from different inventory, and the two do not crossover. CRO inventory is not available on points, and point inventory is not available to CRO until the last 60 days.

 

[DVCLiz]

I am renting points and want to stay at BCV but the owner called and they told him there is nothing available during those times. When I call to book the same room they do have it available. What I don't get is why would DVC not be able to book the same room as CRO?

Because there are two types of inventory, Woody13. There are a certain number of rooms held back from the inventory available to DVC owners, and they are rented to cash customers. These can be rooms that are parts of trades out of the sytem, for example. DVC must recoup their cost of the trade, so they rent a room for cash to pay for it. At certain times, those rooms might become available to DVC owners, but it's not a given. I know it's confusing, but the bottom line is, every room in a DVC isn't always available to a DVC member. Hope your request works out!!!

 

[browniemtb]

I am renting points and want to stay at BCV but the owner called and they told him there is nothing available during those times. When I call to book the same room they do have it available. What I don't get is why would DVC not be able to book the same room as CRO?

Other more experienced DVCer can probably answer this better then I, but here it goes. The DVC only has certain numbers of rooms in their inventory to rent for points at one time. Other villas are used for a cash option. So it very well could be that you call Disney and the Villa is available for cash where as the Villas on points are all gone. I have a problem with this also and I own. I wanted to go to BCV this March and nothing was available....for hah hahs I called Disney and there was availability for $425 a night, Studio. So we ended up booking VWL, the first 4 nights in a one bedroom on points and the last 2 nights in a studio for cash. The good thing is that we are wait listed to stay in the 1 bedroom the whole time, hopefully it comes through.
I really don't know how Disney comes up with the allotment of point rooms and cash room but I sure seasonality has something to do with it.
Brownie

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL, Woody! Are you sure you have that now?

 

[WOODY13]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I think if I owned at BCV and tried to book through DVC and they said it was all booked up then saw it available for cash I wouldn't be happy. But I suppose if you know that going in it wouldn't be as bad. I was just suprised to see that they wouldn't allow DVC'ers to book all the way up till the last minute. I can see why they would release some rooms to CRO but I guess to me it makes more sense to have those also available to DVC.The two systems must be completely seperate so they can't share the same rooms.Thanks again

 

[Caskbill]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I think if I owned at BCV and tried to book through DVC and they said it was all booked up then saw it available for cash I wouldn't be happy. But I suppose if you know that going in it wouldn't be as bad. I was just suprised to see that they wouldn't allow DVC'ers to book all the way up till the last minute. I can see why they would release some rooms to CRO but I guess to me it makes more sense to have those also available to DVC.The two systems must be completely seperate so they can't share the same rooms.Thanks again

Actually, you can book up to the last minute, pending availability. Some members have even reported stopping by a resort with no reservation at all, and being able to get a room on points.

As to the difference between Member Services and CRO, it goes like this:

1. Approximately 4% of the villas do not belong to members but are held back by DVC. These units are used as Member inventory when regular member inventory goes out of service for maintenance, etc. This ensures that 96% of the total resort is always available for members. When this 4% is not required to cover for other units, they are released to CRO for cash reservations. For example, say there were 100 villas. MS would have 96 of them, and CRO would have 4. Now two units go out of service for maintenance. MS gets 96 units, and CRO gets 2.

The units are all the same. There are no separate buildings for Member Services and CRO. So you could be staying in villa #2525 this week on points, and next week that villa could be going to a cash guest who got it through CRO.

2. Members may use their points for other than DVC resorts. For example, someone may use their points for the Disney Cruise Lines. In this case, a villa that normally would have been used with those points is taken out of Member Services and made available to CRO. CRO then rents the villa for cash, and the cash is used to pay Disney Cruise Line for the member's cruise.

You might think of it as if the member reserved a villa using his/her points, and then traded that villa to the Cruise Line for a cruise instead.

3. Finally, unreserved villas. DVC is designed to run at full occupancy. If at a particular time, not all the villas are reserved, then CRO will attempt to rent those villas out for a cash reservation. It's better to get the cash now rather than let the villa sit empty. Think of it this way. A member banks their points this year and doesn't reserve a villa. Rather then letting it go empty, CRO rents the villa for cash. Next year that member (or some other member) uses their points for the Disney Cruise Line. Since DVC has already received cash for a villa this year, they can use that to pay for the member's cruise line next year, and thus won't have to take another villa out of DVC inventory as explained in #2 above. In other words it's just the same as #2 above, except they trade a villa from this year to go on a cruise for next year.

Bottom Line: The number of villas available from Member Services and the number available for cash through CRO will vary all the time, from Disney Season to Season, and from year to year. It all depends on member's patterns of using points, including banking points, borrowing points, and usage of points outside of the DVC resorts.

For high demand times, basically all the villas would be available for members and CRO would get none or very little. During low demand times, when members are not using the villas as much, CRO would get more villas to rent out for cash. For example, if a member uses their points for a cruise, DVC will make villas from the lower demand times available to CRO to cover the cost of that cruise. They would not give CRO a villa from one of the more popular DVC vacation times, such as Christmas.

Hope this helps.

 

[Dean]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I think if I owned at BCV and tried to book through DVC and they said it was all booked up then saw it available for cash I wouldn't be happy. But I suppose if you know that going in it wouldn't be as bad. I was just suprised to see that they wouldn't allow DVC'ers to book all the way up till the last minute. I can see why they would release some rooms to CRO but I guess to me it makes more sense to have those also available to DVC.The two systems must be completely seperate so they can't share the same rooms.Thanks again

But some of the points and therefore units, don't belong to the members or have been given up by members to use for cash equivalent options like DCL. That'd be just like if one owned a beach house, rented it out for a specific week, then showed up that very week to use it themselves.

 

[ByWm]

Some additional information from the New Member Handbook:

"Member inventory is available only to Members. However, any Member inventory unreserved by Members within 60 days of any arrival date may be made available for maintenance and rental."

and:

"Accommodations that are exchanged through the Member Getaways program are made available for rental..."

ByWm

 

[WOODY13]

Thank you all for yuor responses I am much clearer on the subject now.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Woody, don't forget that members begin booking 11 months ahead of time at their home resort. Other DVC's can book at your home resort when it's 7 months ahead. The rooms aren't released into CRO inventory until 60 days ahead of arrival, so we all have plenty of opportunity to rent the accommodations before it goes for cash.

 

[jerinknox]

Thank you all for your quick replies. I think if I owned at BCV and tried to book through DVC and they said it was all booked up then saw it available for cash I wouldn't be happy. But I suppose if you know that going in it wouldn't be as bad. I was just suprised to see that they wouldn't allow DVC'ers to book all the way up till the last minute. I can see why they would release some rooms to CRO but I guess to me it makes more sense to have those also available to DVC.The two systems must be completely seperate so they can't share the same rooms.Thanks again

Here is the reason I just sold all my points!

 

[fishermouse]

Here is the reason I just sold all my points!

I can think of plenty of reasons to sell but having a system operate exactly as designed and exactly as explained when purchased is not one of them. This is what permits us to go other places.

 

[dvc-NE]

Some additional information from the New Member Handbook:

"Member inventory is available only to Members. However, any Member inventory unreserved by Members within 60 days of any arrival date may be made available for maintenance and rental."



ByWm

I appreciate sophisticated explanations like Caskbill's, but I am convinced that booking inside 60 days is not likely to happen on points during any popular time.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I appreciate sophisticated explanations like Caskbill's, but I am convinced that booking inside 60 days is not likely to happen on points during any popular time.

We booked Labor Day the day before.

 

[Sheetshouse]

Here is the reason I just sold all my points!

So you can rent a studio for $425.00 / night????

 

[dvc-NE]

We booked Labor Day the day before.

Diane: Not to say that it can't happen, but I tried booking Dec 1 thru 3 with no luck at all, even at Disney Collection resorts that accept points. I wound up renting 3 nights from another member at OKW at $12 a pt for a studio. I started out at SSR before changing rooms. One woman I spoke to at an SSR bus stop said she is a non member and found a deal online about a month before. I would not have felt comfortable trying to book one day out.

 

[lizanne]

About six hours away from WDW on our ride there last Dec ('05) we decided not to stop anywhere and drive straight through. We needed a room for that night so I called Member Services. I never expected to be able to get a room on points so I just asked if they could check to see what was available for that night paying cash. I was told the only room available in all of WDW was a studio at OKW. Of course I said, "book it" and asked how much and I would give her a credit card #. She reminded me we still had points available and asked it I wanted to use them. We booked 6 hours away, on points.