Outrageous Bungalow Points: A Different Perspective

[gmi3804]

There's lots of outrage over the high point requirements for the PVB Bungalows going on, so I thought I'd offer up a different viewpoint.

I agree the point requirements are outrageous compared to other DVC 2BRs (and even Grand Villas!), but there exists a market of super high-end WDW travelers who thinks nothing of reserving multiple rooms or suites at different WDW properties, and can drop $100,000 and more on a week's vacation for the extended family. They're the ones who get to stay in the Castle Suite, which is booked solid by these people months in advance. I don't even know how much a night there costs. They're the ones hiring the VIP Tour Guides. They're the ones who don't want to deal with the crowds, want "the best" accommodations in The World and are traveling with their kids and the kids' nannies. Hair-splitting about sleeping 8 vs. 12 in the Bungalow (how dare they!) is not a concern for these people: just get a second bungalow for the kids! The fact that they're only dedicating a small number of Bungalows to DVC inventory implies that Disney is banking on these high-end travelers reserving them for cash.

Clearly the target market for these accommodations is not the OKW 2BR guest who wants to spend just a few more points to stay at a WDW classic. I think the real winner here is the Studio guest who loves the Poly and is tired of trying to justify its soaring daily tariffs. For 22 points per night, either as an owner or a renter, you can stay at the Poly for (relative) cheap, at least compared to the regular daily rates. And maybe, just maybe, this will be good advertising for DVC, who will most likely pitch their product heavily to those uninitiated.

 

[bwang123]

There's lots of outrage over the high point requirements for the PVB Bungalows going on, so I thought I'd offer up a different viewpoint.

I agree the point requirements are outrageous compared to other DVC 2BRs (and even Grand Villas!), but there exists a market of super high-end WDW travelers who thinks nothing of reserving multiple rooms or suites at different WDW properties, and can drop $100,000 and more on a week's vacation for the extended family. They're the ones who get to stay in the Castle Suite, which is booked solid by these people months in advance. I don't even know how much a night there costs. They're the ones hiring the VIP Tour Guides. They're the ones who don't want to deal with the crowds, want "the best" accommodations in The World and are traveling with their kids and the kids' nannies. Hair-splitting about sleeping 8 vs. 12 in the Bungalow (how dare they!) is not a concern for these people: just get a second bungalow for the kids! The fact that they're only dedicating a small number of Bungalows to DVC inventory implies that Disney is banking on these high-end travelers reserving them for cash.

Clearly the target market for these accommodations is not the OKW 2BR guest who wants to spend just a few more points to stay at a WDW classic. I think the real winner here is the Studio guest who loves the Poly and is tired of trying to justify its soaring daily tariffs. For 22 points per night, either as an owner or a renter, you can stay at the Poly for (relative) cheap, at least compared to the regular daily rates. And maybe, just maybe, this will be good advertising for DVC, who will most likely pitch their product heavily to those uninitiated.

pretty sure you can't book the castle suite with cash.

 

[gmi3804]

pretty sure you can't book the castle suite with cash.

Have you tried?

You most certainly can. But not by calling the Automatrons at Central Reservations.

This is a side of WDW that most people don't ever see.

But this was not the point of my OP.

 

[LauraLea]

I cannot see those who can afford to drop that kind of money to make a 50 year commitment to do so. Yes, I see them booking them on cash, but not becoming members and making a long term commitment. There are much nicer timeshares out there that if I had the money I would consider instead of bungalows over murky Seven Seas Lagoon.

Laura

 

[LisaS]

I cannot see those who can afford to drop that kind of money to make a 50 year commitment to do so. Yes, I see them booking them on cash, but not becoming members and making a long term commitment. There are much nicer timeshares out there that if I had the money I would consider instead of bungalows over murky Seven Seas Lagoon.

Laura

I agree. If I had that kind of money I wouldn't be interested in purchasing points to stay in one of those bungalows. I would want something more exclusive and more luxurious.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I agree. If I had that kind of money I wouldn't be interested in purchasing points to stay in one of those bungalows. I would want something more exclusive and more luxurious.

Yep. With my own butler. Maybe my own cook too.

 

[drusba]

What you are suggesting is that Disney is now gearing its timeshare product to the uber-rich. Because of location on the lake, they may find some buyers but it makes little sense to me from a marketing view and I doubt Disney even thought of it that way. The DVC timeshares have too many issues that would not entice the rich, such as: no daily cleaning service; no special resort services (like the newspaper at your door in the morning), too long of periods between refurbishments; furnishings that are not expensive, having to sleep on pull-out couches and Murphy beds, no club level service (the Poly Declarations do not designate such for the bungalows), no free valet parking, no ability to trade out to other uber-rich locations, extreme booking competition at 7 months out, long phone waits with MS, no VIP park rights. The DVC timeshares have, to put it bluntly, always been geared toward schmos like me who can afford a Disney vacation annually as long as costs do not get out of hand and luxury is not expected.

 

[jerseyduke]

First of all, they declared 10 of the 20. That is 50 percent. That is about PAR for the course.

Second, as I have said in other posts, YOU DO NOT BUY the villas!

You buy into the PVB as a whole. While they are targeting people with more money, yes, it does not matter. Because you do not buy "bungalow points" or "studio points", you just buy points.

Those bungalows put 1 million more points up for sale! DVD, DVC make money by selling points. That's it. If the only people who ever book those are people with resale SSR points, they do not care. They sold the million points at 160 each, or more. Heck, they dont care if they stay empty as long as the points sell.

And maybe, just maybe a some people will buy in, small contracts, with the romantic notion of a weekend in one every third year.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

Do you really think the super high end traveler, dropping $100,000 on vacation is buying DVC???? Just don't see it.

Yes, they may stay here on a cash basis--agreed. But I don't see them joining the masses and buying DVC!

 

[drusba]

Jerseyduke, yours is an excellent point. The bungalows just allow DVD to sell a lot more points to people who can only afford studios with the result that studio demand may ultimately exceed supply while the demand for the bungalows remains very low. To DVD, it makes the profit it wants and it matters not to it whether anyone ever stays in the bungalows.

 

[McCrae]

There's lots of outrage over the high point requirements for the PVB Bungalows going on, so I thought I'd offer up a different viewpoint.

I agree the point requirements are outrageous compared to other DVC 2BRs (and even Grand Villas!), but there exists a market of super high-end WDW travelers who thinks nothing of reserving multiple rooms or suites at different WDW properties, and can drop $100,000 and more on a week's vacation for the extended family. They're the ones who get to stay in the Castle Suite, which is booked solid by these people months in advance. I don't even know how much a night there costs. They're the ones hiring the VIP Tour Guides. They're the ones who don't want to deal with the crowds, want "the best" accommodations in The World and are traveling with their kids and the kids' nannies. Hair-splitting about sleeping 8 vs. 12 in the Bungalow (how dare they!) is not a concern for these people: just get a second bungalow for the kids! The fact that they're only dedicating a small number of Bungalows to DVC inventory implies that Disney is banking on these high-end travelers reserving them for cash.

Clearly the target market for these accommodations is not the OKW 2BR guest who wants to spend just a few more points to stay at a WDW classic. I think the real winner here is the Studio guest who loves the Poly and is tired of trying to justify its soaring daily tariffs. For 22 points per night, either as an owner or a renter, you can stay at the Poly for (relative) cheap, at least compared to the regular daily rates. And maybe, just maybe, this will be good advertising for DVC, who will most likely pitch their product heavily to those uninitiated.

If the bungalows had the amenities to go with the price tag I think you could have a point... They don't however. Having only 2 beds will kill it for a lot of people. I see the potential users of the bungalows as short term staying guests celebrating a one off event.

The premium resort at Disney remains VGF or VGC, I don't see the Poly in this bracket.

Poly DVC seems to be targeting couples rather than the average family. The lack of 1br's will also restrict the appeal.

 

[jerseyduke]

Jerseyduke, yours is an excellent point. The bungalows just allow DVD to sell a lot more points to people who can only afford studios with the result that studio demand may ultimately exceed supply while the demand for the bungalows remains very low. To DVD, it makes the profit it wants and it matters not to it whether anyone ever stays in the bungalows.

That is a good way to state what I was trying to get at!

 

[gmi3804]

I didn't mean to imply that this kind of traveler would be purchasing DVC. They'll be renting these for cash from Disney.

And, with few exceptions, these bungalows are going to be the must-have accommodation for those who must have "the best" ON PROPERTY, and make no mistake, Poly is one of the iconic classic WDW resorts, along with CR. Never mind that you can get much better service and better appointed accommodations at the nearby Four Seasons. This is for the people who want to stay onsite in the best and don't care what it costs. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney doesn't dedicate any more of these units, in order to save them for those paying cash. This is not the kind of ultra-luxurious vacation that these travelers are going to expect; they're doing it for the kids.

 

[DizBub]

First of all, they declared 10 of the 20. That is 50 percent. That is about PAR for the course.

Second, as I have said in other posts, YOU DO NOT BUY the villas!

You buy into the PVB as a whole. While they are targeting people with more money, yes, it does not matter. Because you do not buy "bungalow points" or "studio points", you just buy points.

Those bungalows put 1 million more points up for sale!

Strongly agree. If they are just going to rent them to the uber-wealthy why didn't they just build them for the hotel side of the operation?

What I have an issue with is the fact that the bungalows are all under the umbrella of DVC. Just because they only declared 10 right now doesn't mean they won't declare the rest eventually. MFs are already high and that does not bode well for the future.

They built the bungalows to "sell" to the uninformed, knowing that most people don't have the ability to buy enough points to ever be able to stay in one.

 

[McCrae]

I didn't mean to imply that this kind of traveler would be purchasing DVC. They'll be renting these for cash from Disney.

And, with few exceptions, these bungalows are going to be the must-have accommodation for those who must have "the best" ON PROPERTY. Never mind that you can get much better service and better appointed accommodations at the nearby Four Seasons. This is for the people who want to stay onsite in the best and don't care what it costs. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney doesn't dedicate any more of these units, in order to save them for those paying cash. This is not the kind of ultra-luxurious vacation that these travelers are going to expect; they're doing it for the kids.

Do you really believe that the Poly is the best DVC property or is branded this way? It's a nice property, but I don't think the bungalows are a must have attraction. I think they are rather disappointing. It the lay out was better I would have considered buying points to stay at them.

 

[LisaS]

I didn't mean to imply that this kind of traveler would be purchasing DVC. They'll be renting these for cash from Disney.

And, with few exceptions, these bungalows are going to be the must-have accommodation for those who must have "the best" ON PROPERTY, and make no mistake, Poly is one of the iconic classic WDW resorts, along with CR. Never mind that you can get much better service and better appointed accommodations at the nearby Four Seasons. This is for the people who want to stay onsite in the best and don't care what it costs. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney doesn't dedicate any more of these units, in order to save them for those paying cash. This is not the kind of ultra-luxurious vacation that these travelers are going to expect; they're doing it for the kids.

I still disagree. Someone might try one once as a novelty but I think someone with that kind of money wants more luxurious accommodations. One of the problems with DVC rooms is that due to the couches being sofa beds, they are uncomfortable to sit on. So are the sleeper chairs. We tolerate this because we appreciate being on property in affordable accommodations but I wouldn't call it luxurious. The lack of storage in the newer resorts (smaller closets, putting the washer/dryer in the front closet rather than in its own space, replacing dressers with drop down beds) is making it more difficult to unpack and fully enjoy the space. I haven't stayed in a VGF 1BR yet but based on the photos, it looks a lot more luxurious to me than these bungalows.

To make the bungalows the best accommodations on property they would have to replace the sofa bed and drop down beds with a comfortable couch and dressers for storage, reducing the maximum occupancy to four. Better still, they should have made half of those bungalows adults only, maximum occupancy of two with one luxurious bedroom. They would need much higher quality sheets and towels. They would also have to replace the cold plunge pool with a hot tub.

 

[nkosiek]

What he's implying is what someone on another thread came outright and said, it appears as though Disney (whichever arm) is using DVD to do the hotel building right now and getting DVC members to foot the bill.

 

[gmi3804]

Do you really believe that the Poly is the best DVC property or is branded this way? It's a nice property, but I don't think the bungalows are a must have attraction. I think they are rather disappointing. It the lay out was better I would have considered buying points to stay at them.

Inasmuch as The Poly is one of the premiere WDW resorts, an iconic, historic place, there's some cache to staying there. The perception (based on its skyrocketing day rates) is that this is THE place to be, whether or not that's the case, and my opinion hardly matters. There's always been an air of exclusivity about The Poly, even more so than CR. So yeah, Disney is marketing the hell out of this perception, and many will be seduced by that. I'd venture to say that most people who buy DVC don't research it nearly as well as they should, as it's oftentimes an emotional "vanity" purchase. They layout and services hardly matter; they just have to be good "enough."

 

[CarolMN]

Jerseyduke, yours is an excellent point. The bungalows just allow DVD to sell a lot more points to people who can only afford studios with the result that studio demand may ultimately exceed supply while the demand for the bungalows remains very low. To DVD, it makes the profit it wants and it matters not to it whether anyone ever stays in the bungalows.

Of course, that situation could result in a reallocation, making the studios more expensive.

Instead, what if DVC sends the "unwanted" bungalows to DRC who rents them for cash? The proceeds then go to breakage and reduce POLY owners' dues. Or what if the proceeds are used to pay for the non-DVC options that DVC members choose instead of a DVC resort stay? (I know that most consider the non-DVC options not a good use of points, but nevertheless, a large number of points do get used for cruising).

Were I a Poly owner, it would bother me NOT ONE BIT to find the bungalows available to cash guests, In fact, if DVC chooses to send DRC bungalows to pay for non-Poly resort owners' choices, it would still be a win for the Poly owners and the membership as a whole (assuming the Poly studios available at 7 months get booked, and I think they will).

The Poly DVC studios will have very good transportation options - sure looks like they will be only a short walk to the TTC and the monorail to EPCOT. Believe there are also buses to AK & DHS that leave from there. I'm hoping to stay there for a few nights occasionally myself.

 

[jerseygal]

When we vacation as a family, we ALWAYS get a 2 BR!
Won't be happening at the POLY! Would never USE THE 2 BR POINT PER NIGHT reservation!
Hoping to stay DH and I in a studio one day!