Is this misleading information on the DVC info channel?

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

During my stay this month at the Boardwalk Inn I was watching the DVC info channel and one of the members on there was saying that since joining DVC one thing they don't need to worry about reserving is their accomodations, since they only need to book their flights. Now am I the only one who finds that statement misleading? I guess she was saying that from now on they will only stay at DVC Resorts, however shouldn't they also remember that the specifc DVC Resort they stay at might not be available? So to say they don't need to worry about where to stay might lead others to believe they won't have problems booking DVC Resorts as DVC members. Again this is just my opinion so what do you all think?

 

[RobDoc]

There will be availability at your home resort at 11 months. While some accommodations might not be available, as long as you are flexible, there will be something available. No resort has ever been completely reserved right at 11 months on the first day. In addition, even at 7 months, there has always been availability at some DVC resort. Many always expect availability at WDW and seem to forget about HH, VB and VCG (and soon, AHV).

There is nothing misleading about those comments as they are based on that member's personal experience with the DVC program. They are not comments made by actors playing the role of members. All reservations are based on availability, but if you are flexible and plan to call at 11 months for your home resort, you will be able to find accommodations available.

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

Again this is just my opinion so what do you all think?

I think that I'm enjoying my vacation too much to care about what someone says on a commercial.

 

[drusba]

It does not sound misleading to me. They know where they are going to stay every year and thus don't have to worry about choosing accomadations and can easily get their home resort at 11 months out. What they say is true as far as it goes. Is one required for every statement like that to then give 5 minutes of caveats and warnings? It is like a car commercial stating the car gets 40 miles per gallon on the highway. True under ideal conditions but if said does it mean the car company has to then explain (a) its lower in the city; (b) its lower in hill and mountainous conditions, (c) its lower when running air-conditioner, (d) you can go on and add any number of others for when it is lower. Do that and we may as well not have any commercials because companies would need to pay for 10 minutes instead of 30 seconds and no one could show them.

 

[wdrl]

The statement is 100% true if the person has a guaranteed week at Aulani. With the Guaranteed Week Option, the member is guaranteed a specific accommodation type and view for a specific week which runs from Sunday to Sunday. The member does not need to call MS to reserve their villa. They only need to call MS if they choose to opt out of the Guaranteed Week option for a specific UY. At this time, Aulani is the only DVC resort that offers the Guaranteed Week Option.

 

[JWG]

At this time, Aulani is the only DVC resort that offers the Guaranteed Week Option.

And let it stay that way... points are so much better then guaranteed weeks (in my mind). It's why we bought DVC... freedom and flexibility.

 

[dizfan]

And let it stay that way... points are so much better then guaranteed weeks (in my mind). It's why we bought DVC... freedom and flexibility.

I agree the freedom of points is great.

However, it's difficult to put down the Aulani guaranteed week.
They can switch to points for the year, thus having flexibility.
However, if they own Christmas week, they never have to call to get that week. They never have to worry about all the rooms being booked in the view they want. They never have to wonder if someone walked a reservation.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I think for some people it may be misleading-giving them the notion that they can get whichever DVC resort they want whenever they want. That's one of the pluses of our guide-he really emphasized that we'd be best booking the full 7 months out to hopefully get a big choice (and even that's not guaranteed). 3-4 months out? Prrobably just OKW or SSR, he said. But unfortunately, some guides don't emphasize that, and people are left with a shock when they first go to book.

 

[Dean]

And let it stay that way... points are so much better then guaranteed weeks (in my mind). It's why we bought DVC... freedom and flexibility.

DVC in HI is selling a fixed week options tied to points if not used. There are benefits to both depending on the circumstance. Having fixed week for the week you travel would be better. Also, the 2 options are not mutually exclusive, for example, I have 72K Bluegreen points and they are tied to fixed week units in Aruba. Generally either prime winter or holiday summer weeks.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

DVC in HI is selling a fixed week options tied to points if not used. There are benefits to both depending on the circumstance. Having fixed week for the week you travel would be better. Also, the 2 options are not mutually exclusive, for example, I have 72K Bluegreen points and they are tied to fixed week units in Aruba. Generally either prime winter or holiday summer weeks.

Off topic... 72K points sounds like a lot. Our friends have like 60K Wyndham points. Understanding there are likely different tiers of resorts and other factors, I still want to ask you if you can give a reasonable comparison of what this would equal in DVC points? Is it possible?

Happy Holidays, Dean.

 

[Dean]

Off topic... 72K points sounds like a lot. Our friends have like 60K Wyndham points. Understanding there are likely different tiers of resorts and other factors, I still want to ask you if you can give a reasonable comparison of what this would equal in DVC points? Is it possible?

Happy Holidays, Dean.

60K gets you to Platinum which is the highest tier. Think of it as about 5-6 2 BR weeks per year.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

60K gets you to Platinum which is the highest tier. Think of it as about 5-6 2 BR weeks per year.

Thanks. Wow!

 

[Dean]

Thanks. Wow!

This is not directly DVC related so anyone who doesn't have interest in how other timeshares have evolved may want to stop now.

How and why I got there might be interesting to you. We owned fixed weeks in Aruba for a number of years. We had never gone to Aruba and bought them to trade. At the time dues were low, units were cheap, I had a friend who owned there and was happy (she still does) and they traded fairly well. A few years into our ownership, Bluegreen bought out the unsold inventory and began selling the fixed weeks. It took them another 2-3 years to start offering their points system there, I know there were some roadblocks to them doing so but I don't know the specifics.

At the time, all they had was Silver and Gold VIP levesl(20K & 35K) but there were significant rumors of a Platinum and Bronze with the Platinum likely to come in at either 60K (best rumor) or 65K points. To complicate things further, I actually bought and sold a few weeks over the years because I could get them so cheap and make a reasonable profit. By doing this (and later converting to BG points) I actually missed 3 special Assessments (by luck, not planning). I actually bought a couple of extra weeks just to add to the group as part of the conversion in case the level ended up being 70K for platinum. Then I simply bought 3000 points retail and was able to convert ALL my fixed weeks to points. Total cost relatively low compared to what I got and they all count as developer points. One could buy cheaper right now but they would be non qualified points. At the present time, one has to buy from BG (they also have their own resale arm) and pay at least $1.25 a point to have them count as qualified points. The benefits of being at Platinum are fairly significant and include free cancelations, 3 free off season weeks a year (can also trade them), free access to their travelers plus program (similar to DVC's exchange for CC, DCL, etc) and most importantly, the ability to wait list 4 months ahead of a non VIP members (1 mo ahead for bronze, 2 for Silver and so on).

In doing this I had to give up the actual weeks and units I had which I preferred not to do mostly because I had a 4th of July 3 BR double lockoff unit. They did have a program for a while that would have cost me even less (about $1250 total) and allowed me to keep my weeks. I tried (and was promised by the VP in charge of internet sales) that I could use this program but he drug his feet for 6 months and then I was not able to go that route in the end. I might have been able to complain and get it done but decided to proceed with the above mentioned purchase (about $3K more) rather than chancing it and boy am I glad I did. Within a year or less after I converted, they announced a major SA to the tune of $1000 for each studio and 1 BR ($2K for a 2 BR). I would have owed around $8K in SA plus the regular fees putting the total price at over $10K. Ultimately I got better units and weeks overall than I had owned previously, so it all worked out.

One other component of how BG fees work that makes the economy of scale a positive thing is that they have a base fee and then so much per point above that. It's really a much more fair way to do so because those with less points do cost the system more than those with more points (on a pp basis), on average. They also have a club fee which is the same for everyone. IF DVC were to go this route, think of it like a base of $400 for every member then $3 a point instead of around $5 a point. One who owned 100 points would pay $700 a year and one who owned 1000 points would pay $3400 compared to around $500 & $5000 now. Most members would pay around the same though.

To tie this into DVC, my BG experiences and my Marriott experiences are largely why I do pay attention to rumors. I bought, sold and positioned myself directly related to rumors for BG and taking those chances because of the rumors easily saved me $100K or more to date over buying retail and at least $30K compared to having not converted. Also, at the time of my conversion, the platinum option had not occurred but it did later and I was grandfathered as were all existing members.

Sorry to be so long but you sounded interested.

 

[Sandisw]

I would not call it misleading as we also always book at 11 months to so know that we will be at BLT for many years to come.

Now, I will say it does not explain all the specifics of how that can happen (ie: you have to book well in advance) but that information comes from the research one would do if they became interested in the product, not necessarily in a commercial meant to peak interest for those who know nothing about DVC.

 

[bicker]

I think it is easy to let ourselves be misled, when we read things presented to us. Commercials like that, for example, state that the comments made are the guests' interviewed own personal opinions.

It is always incumbent on people to think about the information that they decide to rely on, or that they put some stake in. People should never consider portions of the comments in a vacuum, outside the context within which those comments are made. People should never convert a conditional statement that they've read or heard into a non-conditional statement.

Conditions, specifications, parentheticals, complexities, equivocations - these things are important parts of statements we read and hear - perhaps the most important parts. Far too often I see people corrupting what others put forward by ignoring these critical aspects of the statements made, and then some actually go ahead and present their objections as if the original, nuanced statement was a gross, absolute, categorical statement, instead. Other times, I see people condemning statements that are properly qualifies with conditions, specifications, etc.

Either way, folks are well-advised to, instead, read/listen to the qualifications in what other people put forward, and internalize those qualifications into their understanding of what the person put forward.

 

[CarolMN]

Thanks for sharing all that, Dean. I don't have any timeshares other than DVC, but it was still interesting to read about your experience.

 

[Dean]

Thanks for sharing all that, Dean. I don't have any timeshares other than DVC, but it was still interesting to read about your experience.

Thanks. My view on timeshares in general is that we're all in this together and that we should be able to learn from each other. That's why I can't just learn the secrets and not share even though it may hurt myself in the long run as the loop holes get out.

 

[5forDiz]

Thanks. My view on timeshares in general is that we're all in this together and that we should be able to learn from each other. That's why I can't just learn the secrets and not share even though it may hurt myself in the long run as the loop holes get out.

Thanks for your insight; DH & I have been just taking our time for quite a number of months now researching timeshare options beyond DVC to determine if diversifying might be a better option for us instead of purchasing additional DVC points.

 

[psac]

On the misleading topic, we recently got the DVD in the mail (right after we made our resale offer from research here), and they basically said the same thing. You can stay in any one of these locations, as long as you have the points! You can stay where you want and when you want!

(Fineprint on the bottom of the screen -- *Depending on availability.)