No more segmented vacations for ddp

[murphy t]

Not that it matters a whole lot but the quoted passage above is exactly why I have to disagree with your interpretation of the events. If DVC had the ability to at least accommodate those who currently have reservations segmented, I believe they would have done so.

Disney Vacation Club has nothing to gain or lose from how its members use the dining plans. It's not their profit center. They simply manage the transactions. And yet they are the ones taking the PR hit for this policy change--dealing with all of the angry member phone calls.

If it was within their power to allow pre-9/6 reservations to segment, they absolutely would have done so.

But it wasn't their decision and those who forced the change (sadly) don't care about a few hundred DVC members being upset and don't have to take the
angry phone calls.








I also don't think the overly complicated reservations were the main reason for the change. While a hassle, those were few and far between.

The real issue is people paying $75 for one night of Deluxe Dining and structuring their plans to eat $100-125 worth of food. What Disney really wants (and expects) is that people will pay $525 for 7 nights of deluxe dining and eat about $450 - 550 worth of food.

Sorry I guess I didn't make my self clear in my post. I said "they (who ever they are)" because I don't know who made the decision, but I agree it was most likely not DVC, and I don't fault them. DVC is just the messenger. I also agree that those that forced the change don't care about those affected.
And again just my 2 cents for what it's worth, I feel "they (who ever they are)" should honor what was told to those with pre-9/6 reservations in regards to segmenting the dining plans.
No doubt it was a financial challenge most likely brought to the attention of who ever forced the change by the problems the segmented plan caused.
Murphy


what was told to those with pre-9/6 reservations.

 

[Dean]

I would still use the word loophole in this discussion as a likelihood. My thought is that DVC generated their own loophole by playing with the reservations and I still sincerely doubt they had the blessing of the department in charge of the DP.

 

[hakepb]

Not that it matters a whole lot but the quoted passage above is exactly why I have to disagree with your interpretation of the events. If DVC had the ability to at least accommodate those who currently have reservations segmented, I believe they would have done so.

Disney Vacation Club has nothing to gain or lose from how its members use the dining plans. It's not their profit center. They simply manage the transactions. And yet they are the ones taking the PR hit for this policy change--dealing with all of the angry member phone calls.

If it was within their power to allow pre-9/6 reservations to segment, they absolutely would have done so.

But it wasn't their decision and those who forced the change (sadly) don't care about a few hundred DVC members being upset and don't have to take the angry phone calls.

I also don't think the overly complicated reservations were the main reason for the change. While a hassle, those were few and far between.

The real issue is people paying $75 for one night of Deluxe Dining and structuring their plans to eat $100-125 worth of food. What Disney really wants (and expects) is that people will pay $525 for 7 nights of deluxe dining and eat about $450 - 550 worth of food.

That sounds about right, I remember when Disney first introduced the DDP (when it included tip and appetizer), they advertised "save 40% on Disney dining." Not sure why they're scared of that figure now.

 

[DisneyaholicRaquel]

Well, this just made up my mind for me....NO MORE DP FOR US!

 

[Tiger926]

That sounds about right, I remember when Disney first introduced the DDP (when it included tip and appetizer), they advertised "save 40% on Disney dining." Not sure why they're scared of that figure now.

I, and many others new that Disney was using the trick of deep discounts in order to get them in the door and get hooked. Once people liked the product, you raise it to the appropriate levels. It has been tweaked many times since, and is the highest it's ever been, with advertisements showing save up to 20%.

For 2012, it's the highest it's ever been, with the addition of the mugs for DP, and a removal of a snack somewhere too, so not sure what the savings will be 10 or 15%, if that?

We all said it was too good to be true with the original DP, and it was! Especially when we saw the addition of tips...that did it for me. I knew it wouldn't be long before a change was coming.

They used that first DP as a marketing tool, just like they use Free Dining now, IMHO.

Tiger

 

[Brian Noble]

They used that first DP as a marketing tool

I have a slightly different take. It *was* a marketing tool, but more as a holistic package. Remember that DDP was introduced the same year as MYW and ME. These three initiatives, together, are sometimes referred to as "Destination Disney", and they all worked hand-in-hand to solve a problem of Mickey's. That problem? People coming to Orlando, primarily for Disney, would stubbornly spend a day or two of their vacation doing non-Disney things. Mickey hates that.

With MYW, why spend a day at Sea World for $75pp when for $2-$5pp, you can just spend that day at Disney instead? With ME, why pay money for a rental car (which you can use to get off property) when transfers are free? With DDP, Disney is offering you a carrot to get you to commit to having all of your meals at Disney, so even if you *did* rent a car, there is an active disincentive to go anywhere else because you've already paid for a meal that you can only eat within The Bubble.

In short, DDP was part of a strategy to choke off the flow of Disney guests to non-Disney attractions. And, by all accounts it has worked well. But, it's not necessarily intended to lock people in to future buying patterns---a good chunk of WDW guest traffic (especially the package/cash booking types) are infrequent or once-in-(my-kids)-lifetime visitors. It's easy to forget that here on the DVC board where people have committed to frequent trips for decades, but most people don't do that! Even the DIS generally is not very representative of the "average" guest.

Another feature of the dining plan---I think it has always been viewed internally as an upsell disguised as a discount program. Most casual WDW visitors, left to their own devices, probably do not come close to one table service meal each day. The original dining plan got them to do so, and in most cases those guests probably spent more money in total. But, it does seem that they got the mix rather wrong in terms of cost of the plan vs. reimbursement to the restaurants. They've fixed that over the past few years and gotten the plan costs to be closer to cash.

 

[csmommy]

Take this info however you wish.

DVC called me because I had emailed them that I was unhappy they had done away with this. Our August segmented vacation went off without a hitch & we wanted to do it again this May. I had a very calm conversation & this was the info I received:

• At the time, only 100 reservations had segmented & paid for their dining plans, so they felt it was the best time to suspend segmenting as it did not impact a lot of clients.
• They suspended segmenting because of ALL the extra work behind the scenes it took to make it happen. The amount of time it took the fix dropped reservations & DVC point issues we did not see caused them more work then was worth it.
• They also suspended it because too many people had problems while on vacation. He said my August experience was an exception not a rule.
• They are working on ways to make segmenting work within the computer system so they can re-introduce it. However, he did not commit to it being re-introduced.
• If you book 2 different resorts, you are able to have 2 different dining plans.
• If you book 2 different room types at the SAME resort, you can have 2 different dining plans.
• The "loophole", according to him was NOT an issue. Apparently there was a lot of behind of scenes fixing that needed to be done & it was causing the back office more work then anticipated.
  • For those who were told by a CM they could wait to pay & segment later - DVC will not honor that because at the end of the day it was the clients choice to wait.

Hope someone finds this info useful.

 

[scout68]

We are headed down in Nov. and had planned on segmenting our trip. Of course we are a bit disappointed but it's nothing that we can't overcome, that being said I couldn't figure out why I was still frustrated at the whole situation. Then it hit me after reading the previous post about the returned phone call from the dvc EXPLAINING the reason for the suspension of segmenting.

That's right I shouted explaining. Simply explain the change to your clients and avoid all the nonsense. I am far from an IT tech (can't even quote a post properly) but I can't imagine it takes more time or money putting together a mass email opposed to fielding hundreds of phone calls from confused and angry members.

Thanks.

 

[Chuck S]

We are headed down in Nov. and had planned on segmenting our trip. Of course we are a bit disappointed but it's nothing that we can't overcome, that being said I couldn't figure out why I was still frustrated at the whole situation. Then it hit me after reading the previous post about the returned phone call from the dvc EXPLAINING the reason for the suspension of segmenting.

That's right I shouted explaining. Simply explain the change to your clients and avoid all the nonsense. I am far from an IT tech (can't even quote a post properly) but I can't imagine it takes more time or money putting together a mass email opposed to fielding hundreds of phone calls from confused and angry members.

Thanks.

A mass email to all DVC owners with their email on file wouldn't cost much, BUT the vast majority of owners never knew segmenting was possible in the first place. It would be even more confusing for them to receive an email explaining the reason behind the change. They would likely be receiving hundreds more calls and emails from members asking questions about it.

 

[DHar]

Take this info however you wish.

DVC called me because I had emailed them that I was unhappy they had done away with this. Our August segmented vacation went off without a hitch & we wanted to do it again this May. I had a very calm conversation & this was the info I received:

• At the time, only 100 reservations had segmented & paid for their dining plans, so they felt it was the best time to suspend segmenting as it did not impact a lot of clients.
• They suspended segmenting because of ALL the extra work behind the scenes it took to make it happen. The amount of time it took the fix dropped reservations & DVC point issues we did not see caused them more work then was worth it.
• They also suspended it because too many people had problems while on vacation. He said my August experience was an exception not a rule.
• They are working on ways to make segmenting work within the computer system so they can re-introduce it. However, he did not commit to it being re-introduced.
• If you book 2 different resorts, you are able to have 2 different dining plans.
• If you book 2 different room types at the SAME resort, you can have 2 different dining plans.
• The "loophole", according to him was NOT an issue. Apparently there was a lot of behind of scenes fixing that needed to be done & it was causing the back office more work then anticipated.
  • For those who were told by a CM they could wait to pay & segment later - DVC will not honor that because at the end of the day it was the clients choice to wait.

Hope someone finds this info useful.

who is the "they"...is it dvc or disney????

 

[csmommy]

who is the "they"...is it dvc or disney????

Sorry - I did not ask. I assumed it was DVC because they were the ones dealing with all the extra work.

 

[DebbieB]

Take this info however you wish.

DVC called me because I had emailed them that I was unhappy they had done away with this. Our August segmented vacation went off without a hitch & we wanted to do it again this May. I had a very calm conversation & this was the info I received:

• At the time, only 100 reservations had segmented & paid for their dining plans, so they felt it was the best time to suspend segmenting as it did not impact a lot of clients.
• They suspended segmenting because of ALL the extra work behind the scenes it took to make it happen. The amount of time it took the fix dropped reservations & DVC point issues we did not see caused them more work then was worth it.
• They also suspended it because too many people had problems while on vacation. He said my August experience was an exception not a rule.
• They are working on ways to make segmenting work within the computer system so they can re-introduce it. However, he did not commit to it being re-introduced.
• If you book 2 different resorts, you are able to have 2 different dining plans.
• If you book 2 different room types at the SAME resort, you can have 2 different dining plans.
• The "loophole", according to him was NOT an issue. Apparently there was a lot of behind of scenes fixing that needed to be done & it was causing the back office more work then anticipated.
  • For those who were told by a CM they could wait to pay & segment later - DVC will not honor that because at the end of the day it was the clients choice to wait.

Hope someone finds this info useful.

I thought we were members, not clients.

 

[csmommy]

I thought we were members, not clients.

My word choice, not his.

 

[Tiger926]

Take this info however you wish.

DVC called me because I had emailed them that I was unhappy they had done away with this. Our August segmented vacation went off without a hitch & we wanted to do it again this May. I had a very calm conversation & this was the info I received:

• At the time, only 100 reservations had segmented & paid for their dining plans, so they felt it was the best time to suspend segmenting as it did not impact a lot of clients.
• They suspended segmenting because of ALL the extra work behind the scenes it took to make it happen. The amount of time it took the fix dropped reservations & DVC point issues we did not see caused them more work then was worth it.
• They also suspended it because too many people had problems while on vacation. He said my August experience was an exception not a rule.
• They are working on ways to make segmenting work within the computer system so they can re-introduce it. However, he did not commit to it being re-introduced.
• If you book 2 different resorts, you are able to have 2 different dining plans.
• If you book 2 different room types at the SAME resort, you can have 2 different dining plans.
• The "loophole", according to him was NOT an issue. Apparently there was a lot of behind of scenes fixing that needed to be done & it was causing the back office more work then anticipated.
  • For those who were told by a CM they could wait to pay & segment later - DVC will not honor that because at the end of the day it was the clients choice to wait.

Hope someone finds this info useful.

This is exactly what many of us thought - not enough usage at all to justify the serious maintenance in making this work.

Good to know that things are still the same for split stays.

Thanks for sharing!

We are headed down in Nov. and had planned on segmenting our trip. Of course we are a bit disappointed but it's nothing that we can't overcome, that being said I couldn't figure out why I was still frustrated at the whole situation. Then it hit me after reading the previous post about the returned phone call from the dvc EXPLAINING the reason for the suspension of segmenting.

That's right I shouted explaining. Simply explain the change to your clients and avoid all the nonsense. I am far from an IT tech (can't even quote a post properly) but I can't imagine it takes more time or money putting together a mass email opposed to fielding hundreds of phone calls from confused and angry members.

Thanks.

As Chuck already said, it would make no sense to inform members of a change, when most members had no idea it even existed.

Out of thousands upon thousands of members, only 100 at this time, have segmented reservations for future stays. That is such a minute amount in which to implement a problematic program such as segmenting.

Tiger

 

[DHar]

Take this info however you wish.

DVC called me because I had emailed them that I was unhappy they had done away with this. Our August segmented vacation went off without a hitch & we wanted to do it again this May. I had a very calm conversation & this was the info I received:

• At the time, only 100 reservations had segmented & paid for their dining plans, so they felt it was the best time to suspend segmenting as it did not impact a lot of clients.
• They suspended segmenting because of ALL the extra work behind the scenes it took to make it happen. The amount of time it took the fix dropped reservations & DVC point issues we did not see caused them more work then was worth it.
• They also suspended it because too many people had problems while on vacation. He said my August experience was an exception not a rule.
• They are working on ways to make segmenting work within the computer system so they can re-introduce it. However, he did not commit to it being re-introduced.
• If you book 2 different resorts, you are able to have 2 different dining plans.
• If you book 2 different room types at the SAME resort, you can have 2 different dining plans.
• The "loophole", according to him was NOT an issue. Apparently there was a lot of behind of scenes fixing that needed to be done & it was causing the back office more work then anticipated.
  • For those who were told by a CM they could wait to pay & segment later - DVC will not honor that because at the end of the day it was the clients choice to wait.

Hope someone finds this info useful.

i wonder what the number was of clients that had segmented but didnt add the dining plan yet.....

 

[CarolMN]

This is exactly what many of us thought - not enough usage at all to justify the serious maintenance in making this work. ......(snip).....

Not buyin' it. Can't get much usage if no one knows about it. If they wanted usage, all they had to do was announce it to the membership instead of lettting it leak out over the internet boards. MS would have gotten more DP business than they could handle, esp for the Deluxe DP. DVC members love a bargain and doing Deluxe every other day of your stay is a very good value!


To be clear, I don't doubt that the computer system wasn't built to handle what they were trying to do, nor do I doubt there was a lot of extra work involved.

I just don't like the "no usage" justification as a reason for the abrupt halt. IMO, that is just spin.

 

[Tiger926]

Not buyin' it. Can't get much usage if no one knows about it. If they wanted usage, all they had to do was announce it to the membership instead of lettting it leak out over the internet boards. MS would have gotten more DP business than they could handle, esp for the Deluxe DP. DVC members love a bargain and doing Deluxe every other day of your stay is a very good value!


To be clear, I don't doubt that the computer system wasn't built to handle what they were trying to do, nor do I doubt there was a lot of extra work involved.

I just don't like the "no usage" justification as a reason for the abrupt halt. IMO, that is just spin.

Let me further explain...I didn't say I agreed with that answer, but it's what many of us thought.

I totally agree - if they wanted it to work, they would have figured out a way to make the software work properly, without messing up so many reservations, credits, etc. I also agree that if they wanted it available to all members as a major perk, then they would have advertised it to all.

I believe, like many others on here, that it was a loophole with the current software, and by loophole I don't mean anything bad or illegal, just came about, perhaps by accident, with the new software install. Perhaps they didn't think it through, didn't realize the software limitations, etc.? Or, maybe they were using it as a test pilot to future program enhancements?

Because not enough people used it, and really, no more members would use it as they didn't advertise it, nor train CMs properly in its implementation, it's not really that much of a PR issue to discontinue it at this time.

All that being said, I don't agree though that we should be able to do it though. Cash-paying guests have to buy tickets and length of stay DP, so I don't really think us DVC members should be any different, except the ticket part, as so many of us already purchase APs.

Tiger

 

[disneynutz]

Not buyin' it. Can't get much usage if no one knows about it. If they wanted usage, all they had to do was announce it to the membership instead of lettting it leak out over the internet boards. MS would have gotten more DP business than they could handle, esp for the Deluxe DP. DVC members love a bargain and doing Deluxe every other day of your stay is a very good value!


To be clear, I don't doubt that the computer system wasn't built to handle what they were trying to do, nor do I doubt there was a lot of extra work involved.

I just don't like the "no usage" justification as a reason for the abrupt halt. IMO, that is just spin.

Disney doesn't want value, they want perceived value and profit. The business model for DDP is built on length of stay with Guests paying more for their DDP than food that they would buy OOP.

DVC Members using the DDP every few days cost Disney money so segmenting was halted. If any type of segmenting plan made Disney money then they would modify the DDP rules for DVC Members.

There is more going on behind the stage with all of the recent DVC issues than we could ever imagine. All we can do is wait and see what's next.

Bill

 

[DHar]

All that being said, I don't agree though that we should be able to do it though. Cash-paying guests have to buy tickets and length of stay DP, so I don't really think us DVC members should be any different, except the ticket part, as so many of us already purchase APs.

Tiger

the way i understand it i can book a standard room thru disney reservations, not dvc, for 2 people for 3 nights and then make another reservation for 4 people for 6 nights to begin the day after the first reservation ends and i will get 2 seperate reservations and can do the dining plan for each reservation and only pay for the people on the reservation...fvc does not allow that

 

[Chuck S]

the way i understand it i can book a standard room thru disney reservations, not dvc, for 2 people for 3 nights and then make another reservation for 4 people for 6 nights to begin the day after the first reservation ends and i will get 2 seperate reservations and can do the dining plan for each reservation and only pay for the people on the reservation...fvc does not allow that

They will if you change resorts or room type. Think of it as a trade off for not having to buy park tickets as part of the package.