Owning DVC is still better than eating broccoli

[BeachClub2014]

I love broccoli. Cheesy broccoli soup in a bread bowl, broccoli orecchiette, roasted broccoli with parm...

yum.

Another broccoli eater in the crowd!

I must be the only person here on the DIS that cannot abide broccoli. LOL

 

[BeachClub2014]

Honestly, I am a go with the flow and look for the positives in everything because in the end I can only control me. Worrying or even getting angry about what Disney has done or changed just isn't for me, because in the end, we find a way to make it work.

I am very much the same. There are things that I may wish were different or better about DVC, but in the big scheme of things, it is still a pretty darned good program.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

As someone who is very accustomed to Worldmark... one of the best things about DVC as a timeshare is that they are not aggressive about sales. I actually enjoy visiting the DVC offices/kiosks and chatting with the reps. Sure they would love to sell you points but there is zero pressure. When I check in at Worldmark they are so aggressive that it I dread checking in and it gets my blood pressure up just having to deal with them. Owners updates with them cornering you - it's just a very different thing. And reselling your DVC contract (though one shouldn't think of it as a financial investment) you often make money as opposed to many timeshares where you get pennies on the dollar.
Now brussels sprouts... maybe I'll grow to love them. Broccoli I would actually request .

 

[Brian Noble]

it was very difficult to get a room for more than one night at a popular time.

Just out of curiosity, what type of room were you looking for, and at what time(s) of year?

It certainly seems like the Tower and Standard studios are tight so far.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I love looking forward to my next vacation for 11 months. I love switching resorts at 7 months, and then many times after that. I love trying out all the different resorts (we will have stayed at every WDW resort by April 2023 except for Saratoga, which I’m “saving” for when we get priced out of APs and spend more time at Disney Springs). There’s something to love about every resort, whether it’s the theming, pool, food, proximity to parks, or awesome CMs. Sometimes I think planning is more fun than the actual vacation for me…

I love being able to scale my accommodations depending on who I’m traveling with. We have changed from staying in 1 bedrooms only to staying in mainly studios to make points stretch, and will try 2 bedrooms for the first time next year.

I don’t like walking reservations. I can do it, and having 500 points and staying in studios allows me to do it easily, but I don’t like it.

I don’t like resale restrictions and the different classes of membership that DVC created.

I don’t like that some members still run into borrowing glitches and DVC doesn’t proactively fix it.

I like broccoli.

 

[corpcomp]

I do enjoy the planning but the execution is hit or miss depending upon the park. Its way more crowded than I ever remember. If I get on 4-5 rides at MK I consider myself lucky. I enjoy the rooms, jacuzzis and going to the pool every day but less so in the parks. Sad.

I just tried the new Boardwalk Deli - had a Rubin. I would not recommend it - very fatty and the sauerkraut was tasteless.

And getting up at 7 to make reservations for rides - total fail. But Chapek said it all recently. Profit over growth.

 

[limace]

I thought it was a rather clever, and timely, response to my question.

Oh it would’ve been great if they weren’t going away! Here’s another thing you like that you can’t have any more.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

I love broccoli! Raw or cooked.

But I also love how I can stay at Beach Club one year and visit the Grand Californian the next. I never would have stayed there without DVC.

I love that we can take our family and friends on a trip that stuns them.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

If steaming broccoli eliminates its awful taste, then I am supportive.

I think one of the benefits of DVC at WDW is the close proximity to the parks, generally speaking. It's gotta count for something that I can walk out of Beach Club and be at the Rose & Crown Pub having a pint in about 10-minutes.

Or you can have a pint on your balcony, or from the pool bar.

 

[DVChris]

View attachment 696439

Love broccoli. Brussels sprouts on the other hand…

Have you tried adding bacon to Brussels sprouts? It’s a favorite in our house.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Have you tried adding bacon to Brussels sprouts? It’s a favorite in our house.

No, I just cook the bacon and eat it. It takes the whole extra "wrapping it around something that tastes terrible" step out of the process and leaves the part that actually tastes good...

 

[Maistre Gracey]

No, I just cook the bacon and eat it. It takes the whole extra "wrapping it around something that tastes terrible" step out of the process and leaves the part that actually tastes good...

A bit off topic, so I could get in trouble, but….

When I lived in CT there was a restaurant that served shrimp stuffed with mozzarella, then wrapped in bacon. It was called “poppy john shrimp”.
It was orgasmic.
No Brussel sprouts or broccoli involved.

Sorry for the drift, but it just reminded me and had to share.

 

[zavandor]

Broccoli is terrible, which obviously clouds your other perspectives

There are definitely aspects that many are unhappy about. My question remains: What do you still love, like, or at least still tolerate about DVC? There must be something or we would see far more contracts for sale.

What I love: being able to stay at fantastic resorts I would never pay cash for. Everything else in gravy. Perks are nice, especially all the discounts.
What I don't like: DVCMC management. They seem too often too willing to work against the members' interest to extract as much money as they can. Sometime in a legally questionable way.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

What do I like about dvc? That it’s about 15 minutes from Universal Studios!!

 

[BeachClub2014]

What do I like about dvc? That it’s about 15 minutes from Universal Studios!!

Nicely done. That'll count as half a positive thing about DVC.

But seriously, what do you like, love, or at least tolerate about DVC? If the images on your signature are correct, you own points at three different resorts, and so do we. So there must be something there for us, right?

 

[BeachClub2014]

I do enjoy the planning but the execution is hit or miss depending upon the park. Its way more crowded than I ever remember. If I get on 4-5 rides at MK I consider myself lucky. I enjoy the rooms, jacuzzis and going to the pool every day but less so in the parks. Sad.

I just tried the new Boardwalk Deli - had a Rubin. I would not recommend it - very fatty and the sauerkraut was tasteless.

And getting up at 7 to make reservations for rides - total fail. But Chapek said it all recently. Profit over growth.

That's really interesting, thanks for sharing. I haven't seen too many folks deriving enjoyment out of having to plan DVC stays in advance. I'm sure many see that as a necessary evil so good for you in seeing that as a positive!

Thanks, also, for sharing your review of your meal at the Boardwalk Deli. We are heading to WDW one week from today and will be giving the new deli a try, but will avoid the reuben.

 

[RoseGold]

I'm going in October and this will be first trip I have to do all the 7AM mess, and there's really stakes, because these guests aren't coming back. I am going to have to read a bunch and then strategize at 7AM every morning, ugh. I already have a PhD in Disney (got Space 220 and Harmony!), and this is still a lot, especially the completely unnecessary 7AM part. Why can't this be done at 9PM the previous day for your first choice?

The AP mess is also the looming dark cloud for my resale value, which I care about. I know I wouldn't have even sat through the pitch if APs weren't being sold. If there's not a resolution to the AP mess, I am going to sell a contract or maybe two. I'm not going to be left holding the bag as Disney devalues this product.

 

[AdamsMum]

I love my rooms and balconies, the expiry date (kids don't have to deal with it if they don't want to) and the resale value. I'm too far away to worry about APs but I feel the pain of others who bought when these were a major selling point.

My dislikes at the moment are about Disney parks and all of the changes there, but reality is that I bought to be close to the parks. So I'll decide what to do over the next couple of years.

 

[DduzDis]

What I love about DVC is that it has allowed us to take our DDs enough that WDW is one of their favorite places. They have been enough that we have to tell them to temper their discussions in front of friends because not everyone gets to go to WDW especially every year and sometimes multiple times. I love that I almost always have the next trip booked and ready to plan when the time comes. I grew up with a single mom who did an extremely good job of keeping my brother and me busy and entertained on very few resources. As a result, Disney was not in the cards until I was on my own. Fortunately my DW loves Disney too so we are able to share it with our girls and they may be benefitting from the missed time I am making up. They are 9 and 6 now and both have been going to WDW since before each of their respective 1st birthdays because of our ownership in DVC. I would also be remiss in the love part of this discussion if I didn't mention the excellent cast members we have had over the course of our DVC stays. They do certainly add to the positive vibe we get at whatever resort we are staying at that time.

What I don't love about DVC really has nothing to do with DVC and more about what is happening in the parks and with APs. I am fortunate to have APs right now, but if that were to go away our desire to go to WDW would drastically diminish. We do spend more time at the resorts as a result of many trips under our belts, but my family would be as happy at another destination for hotel living without the parks. We bought DVC at 3 resorts because we wanted to be close to the parks (for the walks to MK from BLT, the walk from BWV to EP and DHS and the various transportation methods to EP and MK from the Poly) and because we were able to buy APs. I loved the discount for APs when it existed and would certainly welcome it back, but it is not a maker/breaker. The ability to buy passes (at all) is a maker/breaker for us. I am in the camp that despises the nickel and diming and the reduction in the quality of the experience (even if Cheapek tells me I am more satisfied because of it). Park reservations, Genie+, paid ILL$, and the 6:55am alarm on vacation are horrid and have caused me to caution anyone who asks me about DVC and buying today if they are doing so for park access. We are not at a point of selling yet, be we are certainly at a point of not buying anymore until the parks experiences improve.

What I tolerate about DVC is the later check-ins and the lack of availability (sometimes). We have had decent luck with the room-ready times on most trips, but we have had several mishaps over the that time too. Also, we tend to plan well in advance and understand lack of availability in the very last minute trips. But it does seem like availability has been more lacking recently in general.

ETA - I eat broccoli for lunch everyday; steamed and sprinkled with Mrs. Dash seasoning.

 

[Minniesgal]

Wow. That is terrible. The first I have read of that. Is that what is happening now, or was it a weird, unfortunate, anomaly?

I suspect it was software glitches due to this new check out tab.