NO MORE free valet parking for DVC members.

[TLSnell1981]

It was never "Walt's" Disney World, no matter what you may think. It was almost never built after he died. Roy continued the project, but remember that Roy also threatened to sue his brother on behalf of stockholders when Walt wanted WED Enterprises wanted to become a totally separate company from Walt Dsney Productions. Roy also made cuts and changes to Walt's original plans for the Florida project, based on finances.

It takes both vision AND financial security. And in todays investment markets, the financial aspects have become more important than any vision, unfortunately.

I should have said Walt's Disney. Things have changed so much and the bottom line appears to be the ONLY focus.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I didn't take it personally, and I think people who want to gripe about stuff should do so. Sometimes it gets things done. But after awhile it gets old. I would think if we have complaints there is a meeting coming up in a couple of months and it would be great if those that can attend the meeting do so.


As for the banana, well I just like to use the thing it makes me smile.

I kind of wonder if there shouldn't be sticky titled "Complaints".

Moe

Members don't really get much of a chance to speak up at the annual meeting. It's more of a listen to us talk about how great DVC is and will continue to be. Plus Deevy Cee will probably be there.

As for complaints, I like it when members find out stuff about changes and let the rest of the membership know. Otherwise how would we find out? Not from DVC unless they decide to put a small blurb in the Disney Files. Plus, I think it also educates possible new members, so they know that they are not really buying pixie dust and fairy tales.

 

[whitfamily]

Is there an e-mail address we can send our opinion on this matter?

 

[mopee3]

I think it's a lot better for the longer time members to let the newer members know it's not so rosy out there in DVC land. And if we don't let DVC know that we are upset about what they do from time to time, they'll start to do lots of things that will make us all quit. Then they'll have members going out of their way to not recommend purchasing DVC.

I understand the DVC you bought years ago is no longer or at least it's not the same for you all. In the last year we have helped 2 other couples/families join DVC. We have also visited the world with three other families using our points. For them and us it is still a bargain. The couple that just joined wanted to visit WDW in Feb 2010 and it would cost them $11-14,000, I told them to rent points, buy points from someone else, but no they had no problem buying from Disney. The point is a lot of people still find DVC a bargain and will join. The parks haven't lost their magic, the dining plan is still a good deal, and they love to leave the frozen north in winter.

Moe

 

[Chuck S]

I should have said Walt's Disney. Things have changed so much and the bottom line appears to be the ONLY focus.

Walt's Disney wasn't what most people want to believe it was, any more than "the good old days" were always "good."

 

[Deb & Bill]

Walt's Disney wasn't what most people want to believe it was, any more than "the good old days" were always "good."

Come on, Chuck, haven't you ridden on Carousel of Progress lately? Or has that been shut down, too?

 

[puntagordabob]

So where are the pros?

Not a fan of the Top of the World Lounge?

I love the Top of the World Lounge! Question is though, will it be removed from us afer BLT is sold out?!?!?!!? Chances are that it indeed may! How CRAPTACLULAR would that be.....

So while Disney continues to offer deals to the general public - I continue to pay full price AND lose perks and quality. And I shouldn't be upset about this?

Disney set "The Bar" as far as expectations are concerned.... so this poster's statement is valid.

Not really, No one will be there because the free parking lot will already be full

The member website is just about worthless and some if their posted info is a year out of date. Everybody at Disney knows this and they choose to do nothing about it.

Yes, that is annoying too... Update the DVCMEMBER site!

For all you complainers and moaners there is an easy answer. Sell your points and let someone who loves DVC and Disney use them. Then you can get that free stuff you sooooo think you are due.

I hope that was typed in humor, otherwise IMHO that rings with some unpleasant connotations. Let's remember that everyone is entitled to an opinion...whether you agree or disagree is irrelevant so long as you are respectful.

For the record I am considered handicapped so this "perk" removal does not effect me personally.... BUT I agree that this perk should NOT have been removed, and that the "suddenly its Gone tomorrow" approach by members services was POOR POOR POOR!!!! As DVC members we deserve better treatment which in this case would have at least been like a month or two notice.

Legally we bought "just" a timeshare, but Disney packaged DVC as much more of a "family relationship" between us and The Mouse... this is what partly keeps us all coming "back home" to Disney.... so while legally Disney can do what they wish, they do have a danger of destroying the "family" which can and will result in them losing many of our dollars....

For example, out in the real world given the choice between a $1.00 bottle of water and a $3.00 bottle of water (same size, same quality, same brand even!) which would you as a conscious comsumer pick? Most of you would be wise and pick the $1.00.... BUT at WDW we usually buy the $3.00 item and think little of it...in our case it is because we WANT to support Disney when we can even if a cheaper alternative is there. Ruin that relationship and see which bottle you will buy....

IMHO the Valet perk has been a nice gesture...an a lot of the people I see parking are older folks or folks with a herd of little ones... giving DVC members a little break (free that is) at their resorts is a good thing....worth far more than the couple bucks Disney may lose per parked car. Disney needs to PROTECT its Family....and that in most cases are people like you and me...

Just my 1/2 penny's worth....some of you may flame me into the ground if you wish, but my opinion will remain as such! Those of you that know me and my love for Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room and wanting the Disneyland show to come to WDW (love me or hate me!) know that I only post what I believe in my heart to be right...

 

[Deb & Bill]

I understand the DVC you bought years ago is no longer or at least it's not the same for you all. In the last year we have helped 2 other couples/families join DVC. We have also visited the world with three other families using our points. For them and us it is still a bargain. The couple that just joined wanted to visit WDW in Feb 2010 and it would cost them $11-14,000, I told them to rent points, buy points from someone else, but no they had no problem buying from Disney. The point is a lot of people still find DVC a bargain and will join. The parks haven't lost their magic, the dining plan is still a good deal, and they love to leave the frozen north in winter.

Moe

Not a problem with you believing in Disney Magic. Just some of us have seen through it and think others should be aware of it, too.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

And it isn't necessarily a "Disney" problem. If they were the only company being driven by investment market forces, then I'd agree it is a problem unique to Disney, but it isn't.

Remember that Eisner received a "no confidence" type vote NOT because he "lost the magic and pixie dust", regardless of what the avarage person was led to believe, but because the investment houses and fund managers wanted a better P&L statement. As long as profit is the deemed the sole force of investment value, it will not change for any company.

Some companies actually have guts and stand up against their shareholders and fight for their employees and customers. Its rare, but it does happen. As for a hostile takeover, if you always retain a controlling interest, its hard for that to happen.

 

[Chuck S]

For the record I am considered handicapped so this "perk" removal does not effect me personally.... BUT I agree that this perk should NOT have been removed, and that the "suddenly its Gone tomorrow" approach by members services was POOR POOR POOR!!!! As DVC members we deserve better treatment which in this case would have at least been like a month or two notice.
....
IMHO the Valet perk has been a nice gesture...an a lot of the people I see parking are older folks or folks with a herd of little ones... giving DVC members a little break (free that is) at their resorts is a good thing....worth far more than the couple bucks Disney may lose per parked car. Disney needs to PROTECT its Family....and that in most cases are people like you and me...

Disney isn't losing any $ on the free perk. Valet services are contracted out. The company that supplies the valets, on the other hand, can lose a bundle, given the increases in operating expenses, including a higher mandatory hourly wage. Would you support DVC dues giving a substantial subsidy to the contractor to continue the free parking?

Would you want to run a company that is expected to give 50% to 60% (or more) of their product away?

 

[TLSnell1981]

Walt's Disney wasn't what most people want to believe it was, any more than "the good old days" were always "good."

So, why the dramatic changes? I have another idea, but that's for another thread.

 

[Chuck S]

Some companies actually have guts and stand up against their shareholders and fight for their employees and customers. Its rare, but it does happen. As for a hostile takeover, if you always retain a controlling interest, its hard for that to happen.

The cost of fighting the hostile takeover could be their demise, too. Controlling interest doesn't always help. It has happened to more than a few companies.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Yes, I am paying full DVC price for a room. I am charged the same even if Disney is offering free dining, etc. and in fact my dues increase each year. So while the general population continues to pay less right now to go to Disney than in years past, I am paying the same number of points AND higher dues.

But you knew this when you made your purchase. You are locking in your vacation as a fixed price, and Disney is locking you in as a return guest.

Those 4/3 and free dining promotions are to get people to come on property who wouldn't otherwise come during an economic downturn. The is no reason for DVC to offer a similar deal to someone who has committed to spending 150 points (or whatever) per year for lodging at WDW for 50 years.

The ancillary things to a DVC membership (exchanges, perks, website functionality) all have their ebbs and flows. What you purchased has remained the same, and that's what DVC is supposed to be.

Yeah, I wish the perk stayed or the change had been announced for a future start date, but anyone who purchased DVC knew this could happen going in.

Dirk

 

[mopee3]

Not a problem with you believing in Disney Magic. Just some of us have seen through it and think others should be aware of it, too.

We/our family has visited the west coast of Washington for 50+ years because we own a small piece of beach there. You can still dig clams, fish for salmon, sturgeon, and walk on the beach. The magic for my wife who does none of those things left years ago. She like many women like to go somewhere she doesn't have to cook, clean, wash clothes, can set on their porch and eat chocolate cake… remember your post Deb, etc. This timeshare offers that and the ability to have fun at amusement parks. Will we grow tired of Disney? Maybe but for now!

Oh and by way I love valet service, we always rent a car, but when I found out the DDE card offered this service for even the non DVC resorts well....got to love that card. In fact will be using it in lets see, 9 days-13 hours-14 minutes and 30 no 29 no 28 oh you get the idea seconds.

Deb and the rest of you I feel your pain but the Golden Years are here and now and we need to enjoy them before I get any older.

moe

 

[BeachClub1292]

I would have never known about this if I didn't see it here . My parents and myself are BWV DVC members and My Sister is a SSR DVC member. This is a perk that is great to have at the Boardwalk. With the limited parking and how far away it is and I would say we use our rental cars every other day on average to go to eat of DTD to shop(easier then the bus). My questions are what are they going to do at the Boardwalk because there won't be enough free parking and I WON"T pay $12 to park just like many of you. Also if this is part of our dues(going to check into that) there should be a reduction in our dues but has anyone heard if there will be or what they are saying about that? I sent an e-mail pionting out how unhappy my family is lets all do this to let them know.

 

[DebbieB]

Yes, I am paying full DVC price for a room. I am charged the same even if Disney is offering free dining, etc. and in fact my dues increase each year. So while the general population continues to pay less right now to go to Disney than in years past, I am paying the same number of points AND higher dues.

I don't consider it full price when comparing. I paid $14,750 for my points in late 1999. 42 years = $351 per year. Plus dues of $1300 this year. So for $1,651 I am getting 6 nights in an AKV studio and 6 nights in a BWV 1 bedroom (bw view). So about $138 a night. Rack rate probably about $4,800 total, so about a 65% discount. You can't expect an additional discount when you are already getting a huge discount.

 

[lugnut33]

BWV should charge $14 for parking, but make it free for hotel and DVC guests (people visiting the Boardwalk could get validated parking once they spend $20 bucks). That would make sure nobody was parking there and going to the parks. They could do the same thing at DTD.

 

[going/again]

This is the modus operandi for any large company these days. McDonald's doesn't tell you they are reducing the number of pickles on your favorite hamburger. Kleenex doesn't announce that their packages are being reduced from 100 tissues to 90. BMW doesn't put a notice on their website indicating that the base price of a vehicle is going from $55,000 to $57,000.

I guess I can understand why there are higher expectations for DVC, but I think that expectation is unrealistic. They DID have Member Services reps begin communicating the change to callers yesterday. The website has been updated. And I suspect we'll get some sort of statement from DVC, too. That alone is more than 99% of companies would have done.

we dont own anything in mc d's kleenex or bmw we do own in dvc thats the differance

 

[Chuck S]

we dont own anything in mc d's kleenex or bmw we do own in dvc thats the differance

What, exactly, do you think we own? We each legally own a very small portion of a resort building, sitting upon land leased from another company. That gives us the right to book a room, based on Member Services rules, nothing more, nothing less.

Stockholders, on the other hand, do own a portion of the WDC, and they, legally, should expect a financial return on their actual investment.

 

[going/again]

Compare the actual price of your DVC stay to what the same room would cost with "free dining" or a buy 4 get 3 free plan. Your still coming out ahead. Free dining isn't all it's cracked up to be if you pay rack rate for a DVC room to get it.

why every time this comes up do we get someone say yeah but you have to pay full rack rate to get free dining, they are advertising for next year 42% OFF AND FREE DINING, and if this year was anything to go by possible free upgrades to dvc 1 bedrooms now back in the day went i went to school 42% was just shy of half. please if you are going to put this in your post make sure you do know the facts.