TJ the rub is that when folks bought BC/BW/WL they assumed that future DVC's would be built in locations that would make them on par with the "little 3". Why wouldn't someone assume that? Why would you assume that furture DVC would be NOTHING like the one you just bought?
I can think of at least three reasons: Old Key West, Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island.
In fact, let's break this down a little further:
BWV Owners: When BWV was first offered, the DVC inventory included OKW, Vero, HHI and BWV. Seems like BWV owners should have known exactly what they were getting into. Their resort was the only one out of FOUR existing DVC properties within walking distance of a theme park.
VWL: Perhaps the only group with any room to complain by
your standards.
BCV: During most of the period while BCV points were for sale, plans for SSR and even Eagle Pines were public knowledge. These folks were (or should have been) well aware of the plans to build resorts in another location.
And everyone who has bought via resale over the last 4+ years has known exactly what DVC had in store.
So that if a BW owner couldn't get into the BW at 5 mths, they could stay at the BC or WL or the brand new DVC called XXX which was right outside of Animal Kingdom, or the DVC built 2 years ago called YYY that was a monorail ride away from MK.
And we all know what happens when one makes assumptions.
I'm also unclear as to why AKV falls into your desired category. You are aware that you can't walk or take a boat from AKV to the park, right? How does the bus travel distance from AKV to AK compare with OKW/SSR to Epcot?
But what happened was that now if you are unable to plan until 3 mths in advance, the DVC you are left with is a MEGA resort, near no park.
And before SSR, OKW was the only resort consistently available 3 months out.
Heck, if someone wanted to be a 20 min car ride or a bus ride away from the parks, why would they pay the Premuim price for DVC? Many other time shares in Orlando have nicer rooms, and are much cheaper in cost.
You do know that SSR is about 2 min up the road from OKW, right?!?! Sorry, but I'm not even going to dignify the implication that SSR's location is sub-standard when its entrance is 1/4 mile up the road from the flagship DVC property.
And speaking as someone who tends to make his way to Downtown Disney on about 75% of the nights during our trip, being 10 minutes from DTD is just as valuable--perhaps moreso--as being within walking distance of a theme park.
DVC is sold with the concept of being in the "loop" of the parks.
I'm sensing that personal bias again, here. To YOU that may be true...
But as I have stated before SSR is a wonderful place, the resort is great, the owners are tremendous people. But quite simply, SSR does not = BW/BC/VW, yet SSR is marketed with the concept of using the SSR points to stay at those other resorts.
And the same is true of all of the resorts since OKW. DVC's marketing has always placed an emphasis on the entire program. All we were ever promised is a set of points each year and a 4-month priority to book at Home (subject to availablility, and the Christmas '07 reservations are demonstrating how even that is not sufficient at times.)
Here's the problem I have with your mindset, Jim. You've made it clear that you believe that the deciding factor in resort choice for all DVC members is location. I'm here to tell you (as will THOUSANDS of others if you choose to listen) that is simply not true.
Which resort is actually the "most popular"? Heck, I don't know any more than you do. And even if people can't get into the "most popular" resort one year out of fifty, I don't see many people crying in their soup about it. It's the nature of the beast.
Yes, BCV, BWV and VWL will fill up quicker than SSR. Consistently. But SSR is SIX TIMES as large as VWL!!! If SSR is 75% booked at 7 months for any given date, it still has 200+ rooms open to non-members. If VWL is 75% booked for the same date, it has about 35 rooms available to non-members. It doesn't take a math wiz to figure out that those 35 rooms will be booked before the 200+ at SSR.
If SSR isn't your favorite, so be it. Do what you know to be necessary to make sure you book before that is the only option. Your attempts to generalize the likes and dislikes of 100,000+ members just come across as sour grapes.
