need a few more perks

[bluslag]

I'm afraid I might get in trouble for saying this but here goes. We love our DVC and we use it fully. We have 600 points and we share it with as many family and friends as we can. Use to be mostly friends but now the kids are having families so we stretch them as much as we can. It will be all the points that we will buy because it is not easy keeping up with the maint fees.
My only comment (not complaint) is that its hard to see all these great deals that WDW is offering and we don't get anything else offered to DVC. I don't want to stay anywhere else but it would be great to get a little free dining or better rates on tickets for extended family. Am I being unreasonable?

 

[wdw1972]

Yes, I'm afraid you are. There's nothing stopping you from booking a free dining reservation at a dvc resort...just pay rack rate! Or do it the much smarter way & book it using your points and then BUY the dining plan - you'll come out way ahead. Or, do the smartest thing of all & book with your points and skip the dining plan. Nobody needs everyone in the party to have their own dessert, lol - you may find eating just what you'd normally order will cost you less without the plan...especially if you're eligible to buy the TIW or visit places that give a DVC discount.

 

[Deb & Bill]

All the free deals are a way to fill the rooms that would probably go empty if they didn't have the deals. Disney already has our money and if we leave the rooms empty and fail to use our points, they don't care. But if a lot of members bank into the next UY, there is going to be a lot of points to try to fit into the available villas.

Most of the time, if you do the math, those free deals aren't always so free.

 

[jdkdorn]

I know we all read the rules and bought into DVC knowing that they would probably never be offered extras, but I think that they could offer deals once in a while. They offer regular visitors free dining and Florida residents ticket discounts but DVC gets very little.

I know the reason for this and I understand, they have our money already, they know we are going to come why offer more incentives. We have our yearly vacation money dedicated to Disney and they know we are staying on property they don't have to offer free dining or discount tickets to keep us there.

We will both likely be flamed for our views but I would love to get an annual pass discount for my parents, who always come with us, so that I would not have to pay the same price for their 8 day pass as I pay for our annual pass.

Thanks for bringing up the topic

Judy

 

[Buckeye Fan]

I completely understand. I had that fleeting thought for a moment, but then I considered this:

At home (also a real estate purchase), local builders run specials all of the time ($50K in free options with a new build, 3.25% interest rate for qualified buyers, etc.). I don't think twice about those things, and they don't bother me one bit. In fact, if I chose to, I could go purchase another house (well...I couldn't afford it, but you know what I mean!!! ).

So...same thing with DVC. We can take advantage of any special that they offer. I went out this year and priced a 7 night in a 1-BR at OKW or SSR with the 4/3 deal. Well, as a PP said, after I priced it, it wasn't such a good deal. I opted to use my points (instead of banking them) for our reservations and purchased APs.

FWIW, I think it's kind of hard to separate that we bought a Disney real estate interest. To be honest, though, I'm REALLY looking forward to having these conversations 10 years from now when we're all sitting around saying, "WOW! I'm sure glad that I bought in when the price per point was $XX! Can you imagine paying the current rack rates???" I'm sure the original OKW owners feel that way now!

 

[princessvacg]

I know we all read the rules and bought into DVC knowing that they would probably never be offered extras, but I think that they could offer deals once in a while. They offer regular visitors free dining and Florida residents ticket discounts but DVC gets very little.

I know the reason for this and I understand, they have our money already, they know we are going to come why offer more incentives. We have our yearly vacation money dedicated to Disney and they know we are staying on property they don't have to offer free dining or discount tickets to keep us there.

We will both likely be flamed for our views but I would love to get an annual pass discount for my parents, who always come with us, so that I would not have to pay the same price for their 8 day pass as I pay for our annual pass.

Thanks for bringing up the topic

Judy

I do not see anything wrong for wanting more perks!! I so agree!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I...To be honest, though, I'm REALLY looking forward to having these conversations 10 years from now when we're all sitting around saying, "WOW! I'm sure glad that I bought in when the price per point was $XX! Can you imagine paying the current rack rates???" I'm sure the original OKW owners feel that way now!

You have that right. We bought our original OKW points for about $50 a point and we are paying the same dues as anyone buying OKW points directly from Disney now at $100+ a point.

 

[Lynne M]

I do not see anything wrong for wanting more perks!! I so agree!

No, there's nothing wrong with wanting more perks. Expecting more, I think, is a futile exercise. Especially when it comes to perks that cost Disney a lot, like AP discounts for additional guests, or free dining.

Businesses give discounts for a reason, and it's not just to be nice. The expectation is that the discount will entice people to spend more money than they normally would have, thus allowing the business to make back the discount and still make a profit.

That's an important point - businesses give discounts to MAKE more money, not give it away.

When Disney gives offers free dining to cash guests, the idea is that it will entice people to come to WDW who would not have visited without that discount. They then force people to pay rack rate for their resort, and buy tickets. So, now they've got a guest paying full price for a resort room that would have sat empty. Also, people who aren't paying for dining may well spend some of that money on souvenirs, tours, etc.

If they offer free dining to a DVC guest, where do they make back the cost of the food? We're not giving them money for our resort stay, and many of us have APs, so we're not buying additional tickets. We probably don't buy a ton of souvenirs, since we go so often. And most importantly, they know we'd come anyway - we have to, we've pre-paid for our lodging. There's no need to bait us with free food to get us to book a reservation.

 

[bluslag]

Thanks so much to everyone for their comments. I pretty much agree with everyone. We were at WDW in March and we had 10 in our party altogether. We bought the TIW for the first time and I really appreciate that it can be used for up to 10 people. I know this is not a DVC perk but a AP perk but it really came in handy. Also we did not know that it was good for 1 year and a month. We can use it for 2 vacations. These are the little things that really help. We are not trying to get something for nothing but just a little help. It is big for us to keep our DVC in times like this. I guess the perk I would like best is being able to get a discount for the people that are in your party to get into the parks. Regardless we knew what we were getting going in and we love it. Hopefully we will be able to keep it for a long time.

 

[princessvacg]

No, there's nothing wrong with wanting more perks. Expecting more, I think, is a futile exercise. Especially when it comes to perks that cost Disney a lot, like AP discounts for additional guests, or free dining.

Businesses give discounts for a reason, and it's not just to be nice. The expectation is that the discount will entice people to spend more money than they normally would have, thus allowing the business to make back the discount and still make a profit.

That's an important point - businesses give discounts to MAKE more money, not give it away.

When Disney gives offers free dining to cash guests, the idea is that it will entice people to come to WDW who would not have visited without that discount. They then force people to pay rack rate for their resort, and buy tickets. So, now they've got a guest paying full price for a resort room that would have sat empty. Also, people who aren't paying for dining may well spend some of that money on souvenirs, tours, etc.

If they offer free dining to a DVC guest, where do they make back the cost of the food? We're not giving them money for our resort stay, and many of us have APs, so we're not buying additional tickets. We probably don't buy a ton of souvenirs, since we go so often. And most importantly, they know we'd come anyway - we have to, we've pre-paid for our lodging. There's no need to bait us with free food to get us to book a reservation.

I did not say I wanted free dining.. the only coment I made was it nothing wrong with more perks. That was it! I understand how business works. Also, there are quite a few DVC members who do not have AP's.

 

[SharonS]

I have been a DVC member since 1999, and yes, I think they should offer us more perks. Today, in addition to generating more revenue through new customers, many companies also have some type of loyalty program in place.....spend so much...receive a discount or cash good for future trip.

Disney should value the loyalty and continued patronage of their DVC members, because, as some have mentioned, they already have our money. However, they do not necessarily have all our disposable income. DVC members could opt to use their points through trades, or could come and opt to purchase all/most of their groceries and not spend money in Disney resorts, or on souvenirs. While I don't expect Disney to give us 'free dining', they could up their discounts...say make it good at all restaurants, including fast food. They could also offer a discount on merchandise, good in all the parks.

Many theme parks who sell annual passes provide these types of discounts for their 'loyal' passholders. For example, Hersheypark offers 15% discount on all food and merchandise to their annual passholders. Guess what...this benefits both Hershey and the passholders. People spend money they may not have otherwise. I think Disney could do something comparable.

 

[jco_direwolf]

For example, Hersheypark offers 15% discount on all food and merchandise to their annual passholders.

AP holders have access to discounted rooms durning the "low season". We also get 10% off at WoD (merchandise) and 10%-15 off at some food service (and access to 20% off all table service, but there is an additional cost to this.)

I know I've said this before normally in the context of buying into DVC. You can't count on the perks to change the economics of it. When you consider you are getting deluxe accommodations for basically $6/pt (~$4 MF + ~$2 buy-in.) So SSR, 13 points for a studio per night == $78 or I can pay $325/night (I just looked up the rack rate.)

If you are paying $325/night I can afford to give you ~$40/night credit. At ~$78/night, that is 1/2 what your are in effect paying! Add to it, I don't think it's up to Disney to take the Hit on something like Dining Plan, I think it would be DVD that would take the hit, which means everyone who pays there MF are paying. Although I bet our association could negotiate a good price.

johno

 

[tjkraz]

It would be nice to have more perks but we don't have any leverage to ask for/demand it so....

I do think that SOME of the perks have gotten better in recent years. It wasn't all that long ago that we didn't get new attraction previews (Disney still builds new attractions, right? ) or discounts on things like the Halloween and Christmas after-hours parties. We've only had access to Disney's discount dining plans for a couple of years. Free Internet. DME. AP discount.

The perks are out there...just perhaps not in areas that will suit everyone.

 

[tkitty]

I can understand wanting some special perks. Everyone wants to feel 'special'!
You shouldn't get flamed for your thoughts or opinions. That's why I read these boards-to get different thoughts, ideas and of course to tap into the Disney knowledge on this board.

 

[wehavesix]

Perks are nice and we always ask if there is any discount for DVC or AP holders whenever we make any kind of purchase on Disney property. It doesn't hurt to ask, right?

But the main perks that I love best are the AP discount for DVC and the free Internet. Both of those things along with the fact that my family would likely NEVER stay in a deluxe Disney resort any other way are enough to keep me satisfied.

But absolutely, all perks are welcome and appreciated. For us, DVC is the best deal Disney offers.

 

[rmonty02]

More perks would always be more fun. I agree with ya!

 

[rigsby25]

I would like to see more perks too. Another thought, wouldn't DVC perks be a good incentive to buy in too?

 

[jco_direwolf]

Perks are nice and we always ask if there is any discount for DVC or AP holders whenever we make any kind of purchase on Disney property. It doesn't hurt to ask, right?

Don't forget Disney Visa (if you have one.)

I don't think it hurts to want more "perks" but I have to say to me these threads always sound winey. Why? because we get a ton of stuff. But just because we don't get the ones "civilians" get today people complain (remember the thread last year about guests booking value and getting moved over to SSR with free dining plan?)

To add to the discounts which others have listed there is discounts on DisneyQuest, Waterparks, and I think Cirq shows. Plus free valet parking. I have to say I was a big fan of the free internet when that started.

Also I think we still get the insane golf discount, my wife and her family bought into Disney mostly as a winter golf resort.

I've said this before too DVC has to work out for you based only it's own merits (Room and location.) If you need "perks" to put you over the top then DVC doesn't work for you (although a Deluxe resort for the price of a rack value is pretty good.) Because the ONLY thing that you are getting for you money is a room for some number of nights per year. And I really worry that DVC is being oversold right now (But in a lot of ways that is always an issue with Vacation Timeshares.)

johno

 

[WilsonFlyer]

All the free deals are a way to fill the rooms that would probably go empty if they didn't have the deals. Disney already has our money and if we leave the rooms empty and fail to use our points, they don't care. But if a lot of members bank into the next UY, there is going to be a lot of points to try to fit into the available villas.

Most of the time, if you do the math, those free deals aren't always so free.

I agree that the current deals aren't that great, really.

Philosophically, I do disagreee with what's bolded in the quote above. I believe that Disney factors in DVC'ers spending in the sale of the timeshare itself. Disney depends on this revenue stream as it is one of the few sure things that the bean counters can count on year-in and year-out to always maintain some similance of consistency.

Having said that, it's sort of hard to stand on the side of wanting to see more free elements for our ranks, as much as I would like to.

None of us is likely to throw away our points/bookings in an organized protest which would likely be about the only way a group like ours could make our point. Short of doing exactly this, I doubt we'll get much attention from Disney, especially given the amount of attention required to keep other groups traveling right now.

I think we could do a lot of things if we would organize outside the DVD sponsored condominium association. I doubt anyone is going to take the initiative to organize us this way. Short of that happening, I fear that all these wants and wishes many of us seem to have are just board-talk and nothing more.

I do believe if we had a united voice that we took to Disney in a professional and business-like manner that we would probably be astounded at how Disney would be willing to work with us. Notice I said Disney and not DVD/DVC. That was on purpose. DVD is who we have all our locked-in deals with. Disney has nothing guaranteed from our ranks and numbers... at all.

 

[mjlass11]

I completely agree that some extra perks would be nice. A lot of us who own DVC have enough points for 1 week a year. It would be nice if we could get a discount on park passes or on all dining. I'm not talking a lot but maybe 5-10%. It would be a nice gesture, but especially in this current economy I'm sure it won't happen.