NO MORE free valet parking for DVC members.

[Chuck S]

I think some are talking "perks", and some are talking "changes". Kind of the same but, not really. To me a perk would be 3 FP's a day on DVC stays for example. Pre-paid valet would be not be a perk IMO. I think some of us prefer a more inclusive (pre-paid) membership and are willing to pay for it-not an entitlement. Some have pointed out we should expect to stare at 4 walls and nothing more-well that explains the importance of a good view anyway.

By the way, if perks were static, wouldn't we all have no charge AP's? I thought those were included in the beginning.

APs were not included at the beginning, they were free Length of Stay passes for 1/2 the stated capacity of the room. If you stayed in studio or 1 bed, you received 2 passes for the length of stay, a 2 bedroom received 4 passes and GV 6 passes.

It was a purchase incentive, not a "perk" as detailed in our POS, with a contracted and stated end date (12/31/1999) for the incentive. This pass was funded by DVC Marketing, not dues.

As far as paying for the valet and other services via dues, remember that DVC is limited in the amount that dues can increase, thus if valet was free/being funded by means other than dues, and that funding ended and would need to now be funded by dues, the amount could with increases in other normal and needed increases in operating expenses, have put them over that limit.

Even though you may not mind increasing your dues to pay for the service, other owners may not feel such an increase is justified. As Dean has said, valet really is one of the services that lends itself well to a pay as you play structure vs a dues budget item.

Plus, it would potentially throw the dues for those resorts completely out of whack with the dues of the resorts that do not offer the service. remember that OKW and SSR have never offered valet, yet the owners of those resorts could use the free service at your resort. If the service became dues based, the owners of that resort would be paying for a service used by members at other resorts, whether they were staying at that resort or not.

There would be no legal way to include the valet service in the OKW or SSR dues, unless those resorts also added valet services, as dues are legally based upon the operating expenses of each resort, not a combined total of all the resorts.

The other option would be to restrict the valet service to those staying at those respective resorts, only. So owners at those resorts would not be entitled to the free valet unless they are staying there. And I think a lot of owners used the service when staying elsewhere, including offsite.

Now, there is a good option, I think. They could sell some sort of "annual pass" for valet services...though the pricing could be prohibitive.

 

[DebbieB]

By the way, if perks were static, wouldn't we all have no charge AP's? I thought those were included in the beginning.

That was a marketing promotion when OKW opened. It was not free AP's. It was a length of stay pass for half of the occupancy of room room based on the nights of stay (studio, 1 bedroom = 2, 2 bedroom = 4, GV = 6). The marketing promotion was clear from the start that it ended 12/31/99.

Oops...Chuck beat me to it!

 

[Brian Noble]

They could sell some sort of "annual pass" for valet services...

They do, after a fashion---the Tables in Wonderland card. You need a dining receipt, though.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

There are also a lot of people that don't seem to have read their POS and purchase agreements, and feel "entitled" to things not described in the documents. While DVC certainly sells because of an emotional factor, it is at its core a purchase of a interest in a limited lease timeshare, nothing more.

I have never understood the complaints about the point re-allocation. It was on the boards before we bought; we saw it in the POS as we bought. It was absolutely no surprise to me.

I read and understood what the re-allocation meant going in. Disney did exactly what they said they would do. No problem. Yes, it had been a long time since they had re-allocated but it was within DVCs rights to do so.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

See, and I figure Free internet is there IN PLACE of free valet. We paid for internet up until a couple years ago. Either way...the few bucks I'd spend on either one isn't going to make or break a Disney trip for me.

With the smart phone technology( Iphones, Blackberries) in place now, many might not even care about free internet.

 

[MELSMICE]

With the smart phone technology( Iphones, Blackberries) in place now, many might not even care about free internet.

I can check e-mail right from my regular cell phone, so I seriously don't have a need for Internet. Plus, my DH has the Verizon card for his computer & we can get Internet through that. For us, doesn't matter if there is free Internet or not.

 

[dianeschlicht]

With the smart phone technology( Iphones, Blackberries) in place now, many might not even care about free internet.

For email, that might be true, but I like having my laptop AND my BlackBerry!

 

[crisi]

I guess you've noticed how there are a few people here who will defend nearly every change that DVC makes as totally justifiable. It's like that on almost every message board that there is.

Its fascinating, because the people who defend DVC in these threads are a lot of the same people who will tell other people not to buy. I know that Dean and Tim and I have all been dinged in the "should I buy" threads as being "too negative." I think Chuck has too.

But the thrust of what we say, those of us who "defend everything DVC does" is the same from thread to thread. Buy DVC for what you are contracted to get. Understand that it is a timeshare, not a luxury hotel. Understand that you are about to become a captured customer. Make sure it makes sense as a program for the way you travel and your financial situation. And our "defense" of Disney tends to be in reaction to people who didn't understand these points going in. Who expect Disney to run as something other than a business whose job it is to legally maximize return for their shareholders.

 

[Chuck S]

I can check e-mail right from my regular cell phone, so I seriously don't have a need for Internet. Plus, my DH has the Verizon card for his computer & we can get Internet through that. For us, doesn't matter if there is free Internet or not.

And for many of us, there are applications that we have to run, that won't work on a hand held device. Just before the internet service was free, do remember how many complaints there were here that "even Motel 6" has free internet?

 

[Deb & Bill]

They do, after a fashion---the Tables in Wonderland card. You need a dining receipt, though.

That free valet parking is only good for three hours if I recall correctly. Not overnight.

 

[Brian Noble]

That free valet parking is only good for three hours if I recall correctly.

I don't recall any such limitation in the fine print, but I don't have my fine print with me at the moment. Perhaps you're thinking of the self-parking time limit for dining? That said, I suppose you could construe "for the purposes of dining at the resort" to eliminate overnight parking. In any event, I also expect the valets to be a bit more careful about checking for these receipts, and I wouldn't be surprised to see that entitlement terminated for TIWs sold after the first of the year.

 

[disneynutz]

Its fascinating, because the people who defend DVC in these threads are a lot of the same people who will tell other people not to buy. I know that Dean and Tim and I have all been dinged in the "should I buy" threads as being "too negative." I think Chuck has too.

But the thrust of what we say, those of us who "defend everything DVC does" is the same from thread to thread. Buy DVC for what you are contracted to get. Understand that it is a timeshare, not a luxury hotel. Understand that you are about to become a captured customer. Make sure it makes sense as a program for the way you travel and your financial situation. And our "defense" of Disney tends to be in reaction to people who didn't understand these points going in. Who expect Disney to run as something other than a business whose job it is to legally maximize return for their shareholders.

There is only one thing that I can say about your post.




Bill

 

[Beth]

A really stupid question ....I apologize in advance....

My DH and I go over to WDW quite often for only one night.

If we check in on a Saturday and valet, then check out the next morning and retrieve our car - are we paying $14 or $28?

...I'm assuming $28 - and that would really stink....

Could someone please confirm?

TIA...
~ Beth

 

[hakepb]

I can check e-mail right from my regular cell phone, so I seriously don't have a need for Internet. Plus, my DH has the Verizon card for his computer & we can get Internet through that. For us, doesn't matter if there is free Internet or not.

..for a long enough stay it might, those Verizon cards have bandwidth limits. My SIL has one for home because there is no DSL or Cable availability. After 3 weeks of standard browsing they are usually at their cap, and they already turned off automatic updates and save those for free wi-fi areas...

And I've read, if you really want a huuuuge Verizon bill, watch a night of Internet video streaming..

 

[MELSMICE]

..for a long enough stay it might, those Verizon cards have bandwidth limits. My SIL has one for home because there is no DSL or Cable availability. After 3 weeks of standard browsing they are usually at their cap, and they already turned off automatic updates and save those for free wi-fi areas...

And I've read, if you really want a huuuuge Verizon bill, watch a night of Internet video streaming..

He pays a flat fee every month. We don't have a problem using it, although it is slow & sometimes kicks you off so you have to sign back on.

Shows though how different perks mean something different to different guests. I would prefer the valet park perk & others would prefer the Internet perk.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

There are also a lot of people that don't seem to have read their POS and purchase agreements, and feel "entitled" to things not described in the documents. While DVC certainly sells because of an emotional factor, it is at its core a purchase of a interest in a limited lease timeshare, nothing more.

Certain rights are guaranteed in those contracts, perks are not. Perks have been changing, cycling between more and less, since my purchase in 1992. I would expect that to continue. I also expect Disney/DVC to fulfill their legal obligations under the purchase documents...those obligations basically are to maintain the resorts, allow me to book based upon availability, adjust point charts if deemed necessary to balance demand, and maintain the rooms with furnishings of similar functions and quality as what was represented at time of purchase, allowing for scheduled upgrades with improving and less costly technology. Those are things to which we are entitled under our contracts. The glassware mentioned by BWV Dreamin is such a furnishing.

Perks on the other hand are not entitlements, they are temporary discounts and "freebies" that may be granted without notification for an unspecified time period.

The AP discount, which I use, could disappear tomorrow. I know that, so I enjoy it while it is available. When it disappears, I'll miss it, but that is the way it is with perks. It has no direct bearing on my ownership.

Other perks that could disappear...dining discounts, new attraction previews, discounted golf/mini-golf/water park/DQ admissions and many more.

If you have purchased DVC based upon perks, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.

Having 4 theme parks in your backyard isn't guaranteed in the POS either, but I would bet if Disney closed the parks many POS worshipers would be up in arms.
Heck, I wonder if someday we are charged to self park at the DVC resorts?

Valet parking may be a stretch, but some perks are considered more guaranteed than others.

MG

 

[Brian Noble]

If Disney resorts to closing parks, what's in or not in the POS isn't going to be anyone's first concern. Any situation in which the parks become unprofitable are pretty grim---$400 oil making flying prohibitively expensive, etc.

 

[Chuck S]

Having 4 theme parks in your backyard isn't guaranteed in the POS either, but I would bet if Disney closed the parks many POS worshipers would be up in arms.
Heck, I wonder if someday we are charged to self park at the DVC resorts?

Valet parking may be a stretch, but some perks are considered more guaranteed than others.

MG

We actually were made well aware at our first sales tour that the parks are not guaranteed, and could be closed. In fact, I think it was in our product understanding checklist that DVC/Disney made no guarantees of continued theme park operations.

However, the resort self parkig areas are likely maintained by DVC dues. I would think that in order for them to charge for resort parking, that the maintenance of the parking areas would need to become the responsibility of another operating company and not DVC.

 

[crisi]

If Disney resorts to closing parks, what's in or not in the POS isn't going to be anyone's first concern. Any situation in which the parks become unprofitable are pretty grim---$400 oil making flying prohibitively expensive, etc.

I suspect I'll have sold my DVC long before Disney gives up on the parks. But if Disney does give up on the parks before closing DVC, my guess is the default rate on dues would be so high that the resorts would be unsustainable very quickly.

 

[jade1]

Even though you may not mind increasing your dues to pay for the service, other owners may not feel such an increase is justified.

My point is there is a lot of folks saying "entitlements" and "free", and that's not the case for some of us-we are willing to pay for these things. Not saying which is the best way to approach it, just that some of us have different views. Hopefully other opinions are accepted on the here-please let us know if not.