Looking at SSR with a critical eye.

[Beca]

How does writing on a internet board help SSR become a better resort? And how are you making people who buy think that it is a great resort so they would want to stay there? If any thing you are doing the opposite. You don't make sense. Oh yea you do....

I have to disagree. I know that ownership of my DVC has been greatly enhanced by reading these boards. I agree with B3 that DVC managers do read these boards, and that many of the "enhancements" to our DVC memberships come from the suggestions that many here write.

I also think that both reading and writing on these boards helps people to organize and clarify their thoughts on their DVC purchase. This helps all of us when we write, email or speak out at member meetings.

I know (from what I heard at the BCV annual meeting) that DVC feels that a "lot of trouble" is stirred up on these boards. Personally, I take that to mean that people get together, discuss how DVC is both wonderful and not so wonderful, and take their complaints/suggestions is mass number to DVC. I would LOVE to write DVC a letter, and fwd this thread onto the satisfaction manager.

I do believe DVC listens (sometimes) to our suggestions...and, the more we request/demand them, the more likely they are to happen. So, how does Daitcher's thread improve SSR? If we take action, rather than just complaining....this could have a positive impact on SSR, and all owners of DVC.

Maybe it is me...but, I see threads like this as VERY useful. My definition of "stirring the pot" is when someone says things like, "BCV owners suck and only trash own there." (i.e. non-factual, offensive comments). I think Daitcher's reasons were much different than that.



Beca

 

[boatboatboat]

conciergekelly do you think the mgmt team of DVC reads the comments about DVC on the largest on line forum?

I would think that if they see current owners upset that a resort needs some more *pixie* dust, that they would take these concerns into consideration.

IMO it would ve foolish for the mgmt team of DVC to not lurk here. It's a free way to get a feel for what a small % of your consumers are talking about.

Companies pay 10's of 1000's of dollars for consumer surveys.

 

[Beca]

The only email address in my Vacation Magic that didn't pertain to the newsletter itself was members@disneyvacationclub.com Not sure if that's the appropriate one or not!

Thanks for that, but isn't there one that goes straight to Carli? If someone knows this address, please post it. I really think this is a thread that DVC management needs to have fwded to them.



Beca

 

[conciergekelly]

conciergekelly do you think the mgmt team of DVC reads the comments about DVC on the largest on line forum?

I would think that if they see current owners upset that a resort needs some more *pixie* dust, that they would take these concerns into consideration.

IMO it would ve foolish for the mgmt team of DVC to not lurk here. It's a free way to get a feel for what a small % of your consumers are talking about.

Companies pay 10's of 1000's of dollars for consumer surveys.

Why don't you write to them? That would be the most effective way to get your point across.

 

[bpmorley]

I'm new to this thread. And a fairly new DVC owner. I stayed at SSR last June and loved it. We stayed in the Springs and it was great. The place is pretty new and they're still working our the kinks, but overall it was nice. I hear some of the negative stuff about the place, but I guess until I experience some of it won't know. I've stayed at only 3 DVC resorts and haven't had any problem with any. I'll be staying at VWL in May and I hope it's just as nice. Just my 2 cents

 

[boatboatboat]

Why don't you write to them? That would be the most effective way to get your point across.


In a round about way i am writing them. I have no doubt when they see a thread about SSR with 100 post in it, THEY DO READ IT.

Also keep in mind, by posting here, it gets other owners who maybe haven't set back and realized that SSR now makes up over 40% of the DVC units, to see just how important this issue is TO ALL OF US.

 

[jarestel]

As a still young and growing resort, I would expect that what we see now at SSR is not the finished product. Still, it makes perfect sense to me to make DVC aware of some of the improvements and enhancements members would like to see. It can't hurt to make them cognizant of the opinions held by members and it just might help! After all, one can still be a "good" member and at the same time admit that the emperor might be in need of a new and improved wardrobe.

 

[conciergekelly]

Why don't you write to them? That would be the most effective way to get your point across.


In a round about way i am writing them. I have no doubt when they see a thread about SSR with 100 post in it, THEY DO READ IT.

Also keep in mind, by posting here, it gets other owners who maybe haven't set back and realized that SSR now makes up over 40% of the DVC units, to see just how important this issue is TO ALL OF US.

Ok. If you say so.

 

[LisaS]

conciergekelly do you think the mgmt team of DVC reads the comments about DVC on the largest on line forum?

I would think that if they see current owners upset that a resort needs some more *pixie* dust, that they would take these concerns into consideration.

IMO it would ve foolish for the mgmt team of DVC to not lurk here. It's a free way to get a feel for what a small % of your consumers are talking about.

Companies pay 10's of 1000's of dollars for consumer surveys.

I agree, particularly since there have been a couple of posts stating that SSR is not selling as fast as DVC had hoped. If sales need a boost and you have a group of DVC owners with a lot of suggestions on how to turn things around, why wouldn't you tap into that?

 

[tomandrobin]

Why don't you write to them? That would be the most effective way to get your point across.


In a round about way i am writing them. I have no doubt when they see a thread about SSR with 100 post in it, THEY DO READ IT.

Also keep in mind, by posting here, it gets other owners who maybe haven't set back and realized that SSR now makes up over 40% of the DVC units, to see just how important this issue is TO ALL OF US.

40% of the ON-SITE DVC units....its those facts again. Also, SSR is 35% of the WDW units, 31% ot the total DVC units. The unit numbers are on the resort info on this board.

 

[tomandrobin]

LOL....when I I go back and reread some of these posts, it almost sounds like a zoning hearing for a new Walmart that wants to move into your small town!

 

[boatboatboat]

Well conciergekelly 6 years from now when you are sitting around the best pool at WDW and having drinks brought to you from the pool side food service, and you are talking with the family beside you, just how DVC went over the top with SSR and how all the owners of BCV and BWV are on waitlist to get in, I hope you tip a glass to all the folks, who at this point look at SSR with a less then fuzzy feeling.

The masses often bennifit due to the demands of the few..........

 

[Dean]

I agree, particularly since there have been a couple of posts stating that SSR is not selling as fast as DVC had hoped. If sales need a boost and you have a group of DVC owners with a lot of suggestions on how to turn things around, why wouldn't you tap into that?

We certainly know it's fact that some guides have used the buy X and stay at Y & Z resort approach over the years. We saw it with VB and HH sales ad infinitum. Part of the problem is that for the first time since DVC had more than one resort, there is only one option to buy or on the immediate horizon. And I frankly don't have a problem with that as long as the buyer understands the risks and limitations.

 

[iankh]

Beca - Thank you for doing the numbers. I really never thought about each resort and their percentage of the overall pool of rooms. That really made me sit back and think.

I am not going to criticize SSR since I have never stayed there, only walked through the property.

I bought into DVC just a year ago. At the time my guide was of course selling SSR, and never let me know that I could get one of the sold out resorts. So, I went the resale route.

The big selling point at the time that really seemed to be emphasized were the 12 additional years. This didn't mean much to me, because I'll be dead anyway, so who cares.

I ended up buying a VWL resale (as it turns out from a well known personality on these boards).

The decision for me came down to resort size and where we wanted to stay. WL was always our favorite resort so, once I made the decision to buy resale VWL was it. We have since added on at BWV to balance out the "portfolio."

I do want to come to the defense of SSR on the point of AP.

We really, really, really, like AP.

We went down for New Year's Eve, staying for the first time at BCV. A day or two after NYE we were in DTD, hungry and annoyed with the huge crowds. We headed over to SSR our first time there.

Walking through SSR it did seem that the place was a little too spread out for our tastes. It was so spread out that we got lost, and it appears that it never occurred to the Imagineers to put a "you are here" marker on the maps that are placed about every 10 yards.

AP was perfect. Quiet, relaxed and we really liked the choice of food. Maybe we're in the minority? We had just wished they had outdoor tables.

We agreed that we wished that VWL had something like AP, instead of the fare at Roaring Forks, and preferred it to the Market at BCV.

 

[Beca]

40% of the ON-SITE DVC units....its those facts again. Also, SSR is 35% of the WDW units, 31% ot the total DVC units. The unit numbers are on the resort info on this board.

Once again, it comes down to what "numbers" you are using. The numbers used in my post are from the the DVC member handbook which is given to all owners when they purchase.

It says:

BCV 208 units
BWV 383 units
OKW 531 units
SSR (says 532 because it was pre-expansion), now it is 858
VWL 136 units.

So, correcting my "from memory" numbers above.

Total number of onsite units is 2116

SSR = 40.55%
OKW = 25.09%
BWV = 18.10%
BCV = 9.74%
VWL = 6.43%

of WDW DVC rooms.

To do some more figures:
Condo style rooms = 65.64%
Attached hotel-style rooms = 34.36%

Looking at the figures from above, 2/3's of the rooms are "condo" and 1/3 of the rooms are "hotel". It makes me realize that, if you want "hotel" style rooms....you'd better be able to book further out than 7 months. It seems to support the "buy where you want to stay" theory IF you are a hotel-style person.

I wish I knew how to make a poll asking people to rank the onsite resorts 1-5. We could tally up the results and see how "different" the rankings are from the availability of rooms.

BTW, I don't worry about off-site owners using their points on-site "skewing" the system too much, mainly for three reasons:

1) A good percentage of those who own at off-site resorts do so in small contracts because they want to use those points off-site. MANY people own both on and off site, and use their off-site points to stay off-site, and their on-site points to stay on site.

2) Those points can only come on-site at the 7 month window, when all is "fair game" anyway.

3) They are VERY small resorts. HH has 102 units, and VB has 175. Those two resorts combined are 1/3 the size of SSR.



Beca

 

[LIFERBABE]

Beca I think you've said it the most clearly and have used much more tact. For this, I thank you

And paragraphs!!!!

Great post Beca.

I guess that is why I purchased 4 out of 5 DVC's. They all offer something different and I wouldnt feel stuck at any of them.

You are correct about booking at BCV being stressful, especially if you have a change in vacationing dates after booking. It is almost impossible to change or add a day without using the waitlist.

I do consider myself EXTREMELY fortunate that my family really loves SSR. I was so scared I would feel like others here before our first visit and when we felt the total opposite, all that stress fell away and I knew we would be perfectly happy staying at SSR as much as BCV or BWV or OKW. We truly do have the most flexibility in the program because staying at SSR or OKW is not a deal breaker for us, we know we will have a great time and really enjoy our resort. I guess if you can't say the same, then you are going to have something to say about it.

I know for a fact that Disney Execs walked thru SSR back in Jan 06 and several suggestions, recommendations, direct orders and comments were made. None of us knows what exact changes will be made but SSR will only get better.

I just hope they crank back up the pool temps before December

 

[OKraysLoveDisney]

We purchased at SSR because we fell in love with it as soon as we set foot on the property.

We don't care if you can't get food at the pool or room service - we do LOVE the fact there is a golf course right there as well as a spa and DTD!!!

As far as not being "themed" why do folks feel you have to see characters running around everywhere to feel like you are at a Disney property - let the characters be found at the theme parks.

Hubby and I don't have grandkids, our adult kids are happy about where we purchased and we bought where we felt we'd feel at HOME...hubby loves to golf and I love to hit the spa as well as relax by a quiet pool. We enjoy going to DTD at night and not having to take a bus back to wherever, but we back at our HOME in a few minutes.

Sue

 

[Beca]

I know for a fact that Disney Execs walked thru SSR back in Jan 06 and several suggestions, recommendations, direct orders and comments were made. None of us knows what exact changes will be made but SSR will only get better.

I just hope they crank back up the pool temps before December

Interesting??!!!! I didn't know that! I hope that many good changes come out of that.

ITA on the pool situation. DVC, if you're reading this....TURN UP THE POOL HEATERS!!! Please?!!



Beca

 

[tomandrobin]

Once again, it comes down to what "numbers" you are using. The numbers used in my post are from the the DVC member handbook which is given to all owners when they purchase.

It says:

BCV 208 units
BWV 383 units
OKW 531 units
SSR (says 532 because it was pre-expansion), now it is 858
VWL 136 units.

OKW 709 units

 

[tomandrobin]

Once again, it comes down to what "numbers" you are using. The numbers used in my post are from the the DVC member handbook which is given to all owners when they purchase.

It says:

BCV 208 units
BWV 383 units
OKW 531 units
SSR (says 532 because it was pre-expansion), now it is 858
VWL 136 units.

OKW 709 units, VWL 181, BCV 282,