OKW, or other dvc property (for resort board)

[mkymouse4ever]

Noticed that you can really get a nice studio or 1 br at OKW for a reasonable price, and they are sometimes in with the codes, or ap rates: NOW my question,

Anyone find yourself out of place if your not DVC at OKW or other properties? I know OKW is the oldest, and has the longest following so wondering if the same people usually are there at the same time, like regular neighbors etc.. and your the " new" outsider. Just don't want to be the ones pointed at the pool etc...

I realize at BW & BC they are mixed in with the resorts thus elimenating this problem but at OKW they are not.

Also we stayed at the BWV when they first opened and found them to be doing a bit of a hard sell, leaving flyers and phone messages with the "come on down" for your free tours etc... over and over again are they still doing this on the dvc properties?

Thanks MKY

 

[ncligs]

We have been members for 4 years(DVC) and go to down at least 2x a year.Just enjoy yourselves. We have never asked anybody at the pool or the resort if they are members or not.
Nobody can tell who is a DVC member or staying on cash ressies.
You will not be out of place there and you will have a great time, especially if you are in a 1BR or larger.If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

 

[mkymouse4ever]

thank you, you've been most helpful!

 

[ncligs]

Your welcome.

 

[vbfamily]

We have found that they really don't do the "hard sell" kind thing anymore, at least at Vero Beach.

Stayed there on cash a few times. The first time it was that way, cards under the door all the time, phone calls, etc.

Last 2 times, it wasn't.

I think you will probably experience the same thing at WDW.

They don't really have to hard sell anymore, most people who want to buy will initiate a tour on their own-at least this is what we saw last time we were at WDW.

Plus, OKW isn't available for new sales to people who want to join DVC so I doubt you would even hear anything from DVC unless you happened to catch the TV Channel on your tv.

Have fun.

 

[kda]

I don't think there's any reason for you to feel out of place or to think you'll stand out in the crowd. I certainly don't have any idea who's a member, who's renting and who's paying cash --- although there is this (unconfirmed) theory that surfaces periodically that members take better care of the property and are more thoughtful of others.

It's not like most DVC members know each other! i suppose it's possible that some groups of people commonly vacation at the same time, but since there's no guarantee of which room any of us will get, I think it's unlikely that the same group is always staying in the same area. There's always people visiting for the first time and asking questions and looking lost --- actually, they're probably looking awe-struck --- so I'd never assume they didn't know their way around because they're a paying guest.

Don't know about advertising --- I don't think that I've ever heard anyone say that the actual tour was a hard sell in any manner.

OKW is lovely and peaceful, and incredibly roomy. If you've enjoyed other DVC properties, you're in for another treat.

 

[Samsma]

We stayed at OKW for a week in July 2001. I never felt out of place at all. In fact, the only time we were around anyone, they gave my DD 2 a balloon, as they were leaving and she admired it. The pools were mostly empty, our bus stop had maybe 10 people at most. Kind of empty and quiet. I would suggest trying to get a building close to the main building. We were a long way from any pool, I never even swam because of this. We HAD to take a bus from our building to main building. Probably about a mile, or maybe it just seemed that way with two little kids!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We usually get phone messages from the front desk to let us know about the upcoming members' meeting at Community Hall and I wasn't sure if they called everyone or just the DVC members. And all the resorts leave DVC info in the room. Plus there is always my husband's favorite - the DVC TV channel.

 

[TDC Nala]

We don't have DVC tattooed on our foreheads!

Go and enjoy it! I don't think they'll bug you about joining DVC. If you decide you're interested, there will be a representative there to talk to, but I don't think they do the approaching.

 

[PamOKW]

There is no exclusive club feel. It's a resort and there really isn't any way to know who's a member and who's not. Sometimes on the boards you see groups of friends that have formed via the Internet and their membership. In reality, this is a very, very small group and wouldn't be noticeable to a casual visitor. Disney may or may not leave a voice mail and there will probably be a flyer with all the other printed WDW material but that should be it in terms of "selling". There is no longer a sales office at OKW so there's no worry about salespeople stalking guests. They never did do anything like that. It's always "soft sell".

 

[Disney Doll]

The other guests of the resort have no way of telling whether or not you're a DVC member unless you get into a conversation with someone and tell them. Even then, it is still a resort and not our own private little haven, so I have no problem with non-DVCers staying there. I don't think you'll find a "clique-ish" feeling there at all...I never have.

As far as the sell, I have never seen any CM approach anyone at a DVC resort and try to do a "sell". When we sought out the DVC kiosk, and started talking to the CM, even then, there was no hard sell. They made arrangements for us to go to the presentation. There was no hard sell at the presentation either. Basically, our guide said to us "Disney wants people to be happy. If you don't think this is the right thing for you, then we don't want to sell it to you, because then you won't be happy." And I have to tell you, after we got home, and thought about it, we decided to buy. Our guide called us a few days after we got home and offered to answer any questions. Then he told us he would not call again, as he didn't want to be a bother, so if we had questions or decided we wanted to buy, we should call him. And he didn't call again!!!!!! Once we decided we wanted to buy, we called him and he was most helpful and totally not pushy.

 

[mikesmom]

On the other hand, if you stay in a 1 BDRM you may go looking for the salesman yourself. Many MANY of us started out by staying at a DVC pn cash and got hooked in approximately 3 minutes. They are soooo much nicer than a regular hotel room.