No availability to DVC members at my home resort

[Lisa F]

That's a great theory about why BWV is so hard to get into nowadays except with the 11 month window... I hope you're right that it's all of the MB buybacks, because then things should calm down a little bit.

I'm going to throw my own theory into the mix as well... When we were holding a 10 night reservation in a 2br standard for this past january, we decided to add a studio onto it about 6 months out. We had to go on the waiting list and we took nights as they became available, but at some point I decided to try to make a backup cash reservation through CRO.

I requested a standard view so we wouldn't have to move, and I was VERY surprised to hear that for cash reservations they no longer have a separate price schedule based on view... it was the same price for any studio in the place.

So, Disney has all of these points that they have bought back from the large rush of people to buy BWV before the price increase, and then before it sells out. Since standard view rooms and preferred view rooms rent at the same price, perhaps Disney is doing what we all want to do... getting a better value for their points by using standard rooms! Maybe standard views won't be quite so impossible to book unless you call day by day once Disney recoups on all of the MB points they are holding.

I love theorizing about what makes Disney tick. If there IS someone monitoring these boards, I bet whoever they are gets a huge chuckle out of it all.

Lisa

"You employ stone, wood, and concrete, and with these materials you build house and palaces. That is construction. Ingenuity is at work. But suddenly, you touch my heart, you do me good. I am happy and I say 'This is beautiful.' That is architecture. Art enters in."
-Le Corbusier

[This message was edited by Lisa F on 02-18-01 at 09:31 AM.]

 

[Nickymouse]

Could someone explain MB to me. I think it stands for Magical Beginnings, which is a program that I don't know too much about. I'm guessing that new buyers were allowed to trade back their 1st year of points in lieu of payment. Did this program happen last fall? I'm just trying to figure out how it affects this fall. If you did MB last Nov., do they sell the available rooms 1 year from when you made the trade?

 

[Synonymous]

I hope that no one considering joining DVC reads this discussion and decides not to do it. The problem described by this member is pretty unusual. Most people report having no trouble getting the reservations they want. You just have to plan ahead. If you don't get what you want at first, many people report having success with the waiting list.

DVC doesn't guarantee you anything. It's like anything else- if you want a specific location at a popular time, you have to plan ahead. The smug friends of this member are, undoubtedly, paying through the nose (and various other orifices) for this room. The member should get on the waiting list, book a back-up room at OKW or WLV, and calculate what the same room is costing him. When he shows THAT figure to his friends, they won't be so smug anymore.

To

 

[ckr]

Perhaps, we members are planners and budget out our points far in advance of cash paying WDW visitors.

Illustration: There are 100 rooms for points ressie and 10 rooms for cash ressies. At 10 months out, all the points rooms are booked (with not a penny out of pocket) by the ever-planning (and got no money left after paying for DVC...) points paying members. At the same time (10 months out), only 5 of the cash rooms are booked by WDW fans willing to put down a hefty deposit on some very expensive rooms. This could give the impression that there were more rooms for cash than for points, when the truth is that there were fewer rooms LEFTOVER for points (actually none) than for cash.

Just a theory... (But I think the MB one also is part of the scenario....)

 

[Mickey Moose]

Synonymous, thanks for the reassuring words. DW and I are thinking of joining. This thread is giving me the hebee jeebies!!

 

[JAH]

Has anyone considered that when DVC lowered the minimum contract to 150 points that the actual # of members for boardwalk/WLV as compared to the # of rooms might be skewed.
If many more OKW owners bought the minimum then 230 or above each member has a higher % of the total.
By effectively enabling more members , if they all decided to vacation at the same time there would be a big problem.( Granted if every OKW member wanted to go the same time it would be impossible also.) But I do feel that the 150 minimum is too low and has considerably affected this problem.

 

[Synonymous]

Mickey Moose- I think you'll find that people here, who are intimately familiar with DVC, can be very critical of small things. If you ask any of us, I think we'd be almost unanimous in saying we are happy we joined.

Good luck- if you join you won't regret it.

Tom

 

[Richyams]

Watch out JAH, I agree with you completely, but every time I say that, I am accused of elitism.

I agree, the small packages force many of the owners of those packages to use only the lowest point times, to use only studios and to avoid weekends like the plague. I believe Disney did us all a diservice in the avarice to sell more points.

Regardless of the attacks, Disney did do us all a diservice by continually lowering the minimum buy in.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[Figaro30]

I don't like this idea. I just joined DVC and already my one complaint is that they shouldn't allow paying customers into the DVC resorts. It's just not fair. They should only be for DVC members. I was able to get my OKW 11 months reservation in November...but I wanted to try to switch to BWVs at my 7 month mark. Now it seems like I won't be able to do that. However If I was a person who wished to pay cash I would be able to get a room. What was the point again to buying into DVC????? If somebody knows this answer do me a favor and let ME IN ON IT??

'81 - Cont.
'88 - Disneyland
'89 - Maingate East
'91 - CBR
'94 - CBR
'95 - CBR
'98 - BC
'00 - WL
'01 - OKW

 

[Lesley]

From the post above:
"I just joined DVC and already my one complaint is that they shouldn't allow paying customers into the DVC resorts. It's just not fair. They should only be for DVC members."

Well, I hate to say this but the fact that a certain percentage of rooms is held aside for cash reservations is pretty clearly stated in the paperwork....that should be read *before* joining DVC. It's perfectly fair considering that you signed papers agreeing to the terms of the contract and the general set up of DVC.

The situation brought up at the beginning of this thread seems to be one that would be very rare, considering how often I've heard those who aren't DVC members complain that there is no cash availability at DVC resorts, especially BWV.

I also would not doubt the MB theory. I know 81 of my points were out there to be used by this March. Considering the flurry of BWV purchases that seemed to happen as soon as it became clear the resort was getting very close to selling out, there could be many MB points out there being changed into cash availability.

I have yet to make my first DVC ressies, but I must say I'm not in the least bit worried. I joined DVC knowing that it would be most advantageous to make my ressies at the 11 month mark and that is what I plan to do. I bought where I will be happy staying. If I decide I'd like to give another DVC property a try I will attempt to use the 7 month window and if doesn't work out...well, I will still have BWV.


Lesley


1979 Contemporary
1992 Off-site
1994 Carribean Beach
1999 Fort Wilderness and Coronado Springs
2000 Polynesian and Old Key West
2002 Boardwalk Villas

 

[PamOKW]

Figaro I know it's maddening to hear someone can make a cash reservation when there are no rooms available for points. But, you have to remember that, beyond the rooms from the 4% DVC maintains, the rooms were made available by DVC owners trading their points either in exchanges or through Magical Beginnings. Theoretically, if the DVC member wasn't off somewhere else they would have been occupying the room and it wouldn't be available anyway.

 

[HorizonsFan]

Rich,

I am not accusing you of elitism but would you please provide evidence that the 150 pt. owners are avoiding more weekends than other owners?
We (just me and the wife) always stay in a studio and if the trip is long enough we will stay over the weekend. 150 pts. works great for us but would not for a family of 5 who must stay in a 2 bedroom. Even if that family had 300 pts., they still may feel the need to be conservative because their points may not go as far as my 150!
Number in party, choice of season and choice of accomodation have just as much bearing on a member's conservation of points as the number of points that the member owns.
Please stop making unproven generalizations.

Dave

 

[brittsmamabwv]

We bought 210 pts at BWV last year. It is only me, DH and DD who is not quite yet 3 yrs old, and our immediately family will not be exapanding. When we discusssed buying into DVC, we figured most of our vacations would be spent in studios, INCLUDING WEEKENDS to give us more vacation availability. I will say, we signed preliminary paperwork in April and was able to book a one bdrm at our home for first full week of September. Originally I could not get a standard view and could only book a preferred view for 200 pts. I put name on waiting list for std. view and low and behold, about 5 weeks later rec'd a phone call saying i could have std. view. When we checked into BWV, we were upgraded to a beautiful preferred view at only 163 pts. Quite a nice surprise!!

When you wish upon a star...DVC will take you far...anything your heart desires....will come your way

 

[Figaro30]

I'm not stupid...I knew this before I signed my papers!!! I just didn't think it would interfer with my reservations. And as far as right now that's the way it looks to me.

Unless maybe you are planning on supplying me with a 1 bedroom and 1 studio at BWV for the nights of Nov 23 - Dec. 1...then hey...thanks a bunch.

'81 - Cont.
'88 - Disneyland
'89 - Maingate East
'91 - CBR
'94 - CBR
'95 - CBR
'98 - BC
'00 - WL
'01 - OKW

 

[Richyams]

Weekends do have the lowest occupancy.

Other then GVs at OKW and BWV, studios do go the fastest.

In recent years, and the 150 point buy in is recent, the lowest point periods have also been filled the fastest.

Of course its not a hard and fast rule, and general point conservation has some to do, but while I can't prove that the small packages are the cause, in my very humble opinion, they are the direct cause.

Also, in my humble opinion, Disney has done us all a diservice by allowing their desire to sell points, their avarice, to allow them to lower the minimum to 150.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[jennybobenny]

Well, Figaro, after reading this entire thread I'd have to say your chances of switching over to BWV for those dates are slim and none. And Slim just left town.
At least you still have your OKW reservations.

<font face="Class Garmnd BT"><font color="ff69b4"><big>Jennybºoº benny</big></font>
<font color="9400d3">~~DVC Member~~
Onsite: Poly '76, Contemp '98, BWV '99, CBR '00, BWV '00, CBR '01
Offsite: '74 '80 '82 '88
Next trip: BWV~June '01, ASM/BWV~Nov '01</font>
<a href="http://people.ne.mediaone.net/jsmith12/jillian&kylecharacterpage.html">Jillian & Kyle's Disney Character Website</a></font>

 

[PamOKW]

Figaro -- We haven't reached the 7 month mark yet so no one really knows what the story will be. It's good that you have a back up. Don't worry, call at the 7 month mark and don't hesitate to get on a wait list.

If you remember, come back here and tell us how it all turned out. Hopefully, it'll be a success story!

 

[Figaro30]

you got that right jennybobenny...LOL

I'll certainly keep trying...it's just frustrating to think that I'll never end up any place else except OKW. I really hope that doesn't happen.

'81 - Cont.
'88 - Disneyland
'89 - Maingate East
'91 - CBR
'94 - CBR
'95 - CBR
'98 - BC
'00 - WL
'01 - OKW

 

[TnRobin]

Figaro,

I would definitely try again at the 7 month mark. Just as you have made "back up" ressies, members at BWV could have done the same in hopes to get OKW or VWL. (Guilty of booking BWV at 11 mo only to change at 7 mo to OKW)

Disney Vacation Club Board Co-Moderator
DVC and Cruise Chat Hostess
Cruise Board List Mistress

<font size=4 color=blue font face="Comic Sans MS">Robin

 

[LauraS]

I don't think it has anything at all to do with being elite either. It makes perfect sense that the majority of people with 150 pt. contracts are going to do their best to stretch their points as far as they can. If they decide that they can't stretch them enough, then they'll buy an add-on I suppose. However, I'm betting that there are lots of 150 point contracts out there. Since most (all?) of those 150 point contracts were sold at BWV, well it certainly helps explain why the low point months are going so quickly. So quickly that by the 9 month window the resort is full.

It seems as though Disney has found that the magic buy-in number is around $10,500 or so. What was the original amount you had to buy at OKW way back when? Around 210 points right? The original price per point was around $50 right. That's $10,500. Now it's 150 buy-in at $72 a point. That's $10,800. The only problem is that for that $10,800 you're getting over 40% less points *and* Disney has raised the points per night ratio.

So while that 210 original contract at OKW was great and sold by Disney as the perfect amount to start with, well now they're saying the same thing about that 150 points and it's not really true. With the 150 point contract you have to be more point conscious with respect to when you visit and what type of accommodation you choose. Way more point conscious than the person who bought that 210 at OKW. Not only because you have less points, but if you choose your home resort it's going to cost you more points per night.

Disney wanted to keep raising the price per point and then they hit resistance because the original buy-in was too much for lots of people, and so they lowered the buy-in number without really thinking about the consequences to the rest of us. This is what is happening at BWV. It's manageable provided you use your 11 month window to book those low point periods, but I think it's tough to deny that the situation at BWV hasn't gotten considerably tighter over the past year. More members with less points is most certainly a factor.

Let's just hope that they don't lower the 150 point contract any lower because it'll make matters even worse at any new resort. Things are pretty tough right now at BWV with respect to booking a last minute trip. And if they lower the initial buy-in point number and raise the points per night even higher than VWL, it'll be a nightmarish situation.

Laura