Perk Pirate!

[Sammie]

The Spa changes occurred due to complaints from guests actually paying and using the spa.

As Deb stated, it just got way out of hand when it was open to everyone using the gym or pool or just wandering in.

When a guest pays hundreds of dollars for Spa services they don't want lots adults and children, going up and down the stairs, in the hot tub, in the sauna and in the dressing room. It simply over crowded the facility.

I was glad of the change.

 

[DebbieB]

The 7 day limit at the booking window protects members with less points. Without the restriction, members with a large amount of points could book weeks in advance and then cancel the earlier days. For example, they want November 10-15. They could call on December 1 and book November 1 to 15 and then later cancel November 1 to 9. So they jumped ahead of people waiting until December 10. They could still "walk" starting December 1 but it makes it more difficult.

 

[rotlex]

OK, thanks to all who replied to my question\concern on the 7 day max booking thing. I understand it, I guess, but it really makes zero sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, from the one post, you CAN book more than 7 days as long as it is not right at 11, or 7 months, which I guess is acceptable.

Sorry to jump into this thread with such a large question or concern on that, but it is a little disheartening to learn there is yet another "issue" I have to resolve in my mind before buying into DVC. Not to "rant", but my wife and I have been looking into buying for nearly 5 years now. This time, with the cost of resales being very reasonable, I pretty much have the check in hand, ready to buy. What makes me keep hesitating however, are things like this.

I guess I look at it this way. I'm giving Disney a LOT of money up front, and over the years. I would think this would make them treat me like royalty, yet it seems, between booking windows, housekeeping, pulled "perks", etc etc., I will be treated far worse than I am as a yearly visitor staying at a normal resort. Heck, for the past 5 years, we have either gotten free dining, 40% off a room, or some other huge discount. I'm afraid that once they "get my money for the long term", I'll just be pushed aside and have nothing to look forward to but ever increasing maintenance costs.

I hate this. I WANT to give Disney my money, but they kind of keep making me pull my hand back. Time to think more........

 

[Chuck S]

OK, thanks to all who replied to my question\concern on the 7 day max booking thing. I understand it, I guess, but it really makes zero sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, from the one post, you CAN book more than 7 days as long as it is not right at 11, or 7 months, which I guess is acceptable.

Sorry to jump into this thread with such a large question or concern on that, but it is a little disheartening to learn there is yet another "issue" I have to resolve in my mind before buying into DVC. Not to "rant", but my wife and I have been looking into buying for nearly 5 years now. This time, with the cost of resales being very reasonable, I pretty much have the check in hand, ready to buy. What makes me keep hesitating however, are things like this.

I guess I look at it this way. I'm giving Disney a LOT of money up front, and over the years. I would think this would make them treat me like royalty, yet it seems, between booking windows, housekeeping, pulled "perks", etc etc., I will be treated far worse than I am as a yearly visitor staying at a normal resort. Heck, for the past 5 years, we have either gotten free dining, 40% off a room, or some other huge discount. I'm afraid that once they "get my money for the long term", I'll just be pushed aside and have nothing to look forward to but ever increasing maintenance costs.

I hate this. I WANT to give Disney my money, but they kind of keep making me pull my hand back. Time to think more........

If you want to be treated like royalty DVC, nor any timeshare, is likely a wise choice for you.

Timeshares are simply a way to save money in the long run over standard hotels, but all expenses of the resorts have to be paid by owners through dues and maintenance fees. If dues paid for full housekeeping daily, free dining, and other promotions similar to cash reservations, there would be no savings. Nothing is really free, someone has to pay for it. In the case of a timeshare, it is the owners that pay for it.

Owning DVC enititles you to book a room at your home resort, depending upon availability. Nothing more, nothing less. Perks, true perks, are offered by businesses to increase their bottom line and encourage members to use that business. They change. They ebb and flow with the economy.

 

[rotlex]

If you want to be treated like royalty DVC, nor any timeshare, is likely a wise choice for you.

Timeshares are simply a way to save money in the long run over standard hotels, but all expenses of the resorts have to be paid by owners through dues and maintenance fees. If dues paid for full housekeeping daily, free dining, and other promotions similar to cash reservations, there would be no savings. Nothing is really free, someone has to pay for it. In the case of a timeshare, it is the owners that pay for it.

Owning DVC enititles you to book a room at your home resort, depending upon availability. Nothing more, nothing less. Perks, true perks, are offered by businesses to increase their bottom line and encourage members to use that business. They change. They ebb and flow with the economy.

OK, I didn't mean like royalty per se, just as good a regular guest who is coming to stay maybe once every 5 years.

You are paying a lot for DVC, and I don't think that at least getting some perks along the way, like being able to book as many days trip as I want, or getting at least a few days a week housekeeping is asking for a lot. What IS with the housekeeping anyway? I mean, I can pay $59 per night at a local LaQuinta in, or $90 at POP, and at least have the room cleaned daily.

Disney sells this as the best kept Disney secret, something special, own a piece of the magic, welcome home, etc. etc. I'm just worried that once I spend a small fortune for it, they are going to simply forget about me, or worse, take more things away that I "thought" were some of the reasons I was buying to begin with.

Who knows, maybe I should really just keep going year by year, staying at the standard resorts, and getting deal after deal. I hate thinking that way, and really do believe DVC would offer me some benefits in the long run.

Eh, again, sorry for rambling, but I'm a bit frustrated with myself for constantly coming back to the thought of buying in, and then finding more reasons not too.

 

[gonzalj1]

Rotlex,

The only reason you should buy DVC is to stay at the resort you purchase. That is the only thing guaranteed in the contract. Everythign else is a 'perk' and subject to change and revocation.

As for being treated differently from regular resort guests I disagree. I feel every bit of the magic when I'm there. I like not having a maid in the room every day. No worrying about my stuff (yes, I've had things stolen at Disney from my room)

 

[Chuck S]

Rotlex,

Housekeeping costs money, and honestly, the vast majority of DVCers like not having it daily. You can leave items out without worrying whether a housekeeper will bother them, you don't "have" to be out of the room during the day so housekeeping can do their work. Many timeshares offer NO housekeeping at all. By comparison to many DVC is generous with their housekeeping.

Timeshares, in a way, are very much like owning a vacation home. Most people don't change sheets and towels daily at home, nor do they get daily services at their vacation homes or timeshares.

At its core, DVC IS just a timeshare. Better than the majority, not as good as some, but pretty high on the timeshare scale.

It really sounds like timeshares, in general, are just not a good fit for your vacation expectations.

 

[twinklebug]

Eh, again, sorry for rambling, but I'm a bit frustrated with myself for constantly coming back to the thought of buying in, and then finding more reasons not too.

DVC is a big purchase decision to most of us, Plunking down about $20K is worth investigating as much as buying your next car would be. Take your time and listen to your feelings, not just the pros/cons columns you have on down in a spreadsheet. If it doesn't feel right, chances are it isn't for right now.

For me DVC was a perfect fit and there were no cons other than POR and the Ft W. Cabins not being on the DVC list.

 

[CarolAnnC]

Well you can have your DVC villa cleaned daily, but you will pay the going rates shown on the DVC Member Website. As Chuck S said, there is no free lunch. Somebody has to pay for services..

We purchased our DVC in place of a second (vacation) home. So, if you consider a vacation home purchase does not "include" a maid, neither does a timeshare. But, you can purchase daily cleaning, extra towels, etc. on a pay as you go fee schedule.

Consider with up to 3 bedrooms in a DVC villa, a cleaning job is nothing like cleaning the local Motel 6 room. It is like cleaning a small house sometimes...

 

[Lynne M]

OK, I didn't mean like royalty per se, just as good a regular guest who is coming to stay maybe once every 5 years.

You are paying a lot for DVC, and I don't think that at least getting some perks along the way, like being able to book as many days trip as I want, or getting at least a few days a week housekeeping is asking for a lot. What IS with the housekeeping anyway? I mean, I can pay $59 per night at a local LaQuinta in, or $90 at POP, and at least have the room cleaned daily.

Disney sells this as the best kept Disney secret, something special, own a piece of the magic, welcome home, etc. etc. I'm just worried that once I spend a small fortune for it, they are going to simply forget about me, or worse, take more things away that I "thought" were some of the reasons I was buying to begin with.

Who knows, maybe I should really just keep going year by year, staying at the standard resorts, and getting deal after deal. I hate thinking that way, and really do believe DVC would offer me some benefits in the long run.

Eh, again, sorry for rambling, but I'm a bit frustrated with myself for constantly coming back to the thought of buying in, and then finding more reasons not too.

I think part of the reason you're having trouble with this is that you're thinking like a hotel guest, instead of a property owner.

Don't think of DVC as some big hotel company that's going to spend the next 40 years trying to get your business, or as some rewards program that's going to give you goodies because you spent a lot of money. It's neither.

It's not an exact comparison by any means, but think of DVD (the real estate developer that sells DVC ownerships) like the developer that builds a big condominium complex, and sells your condo to you. You buy into the complex. You're the owner. You pay maintenance fees for landscaping, upkeep, property taxes, maybe utilities, and other services that the condo association provides.

You wouldn't expect that real estate developer to give you lifetime discounts to local restaurants or stores, or give your free valet parking, right? Maybe local restaurants and stores might decide to give the residents of your complex a discount, to get your business. That's the way it works with DVC. Most discounts are NOT given by DVC. They're given by other Disney businesses, like theme parks or restaurants. They give discounts not because you gave money to Disney's real estate development company (they have no reason to care about that), but because they want you in their stores and parks and restaurants, spending your money.

As for the housekeeping....again, it goes back to being an owner instead of a guest. As owners, WE pay the bills for housekeeping. We each pay our share of total housekeeping costs for our home resort.

To keep OUR costs down, everyone gets a limited number of days of housekeeping. Those guests who want daily housekeeping can pay for the additional days out of pocket. Those of us who don't want daily housekeeping (and there are many of us) don't have to pay for a service we don't want. IMO, that's much fairer than the way hotels do it, where you're forced to pay for housekeeping for every day of your stay whether you want it or not.

As you do the math, figure out what the villas you'll be staying in would cost you per night through your DVC membership, compared to what you'd pay as a non-member. Even with cash discounts, I think you'll find that even if you pay for housekeeping services every day on your DVC stays, you're still paying far less than you would for a cash stay in a DVC villa.

 

[Sammie]

Rotlex, we have been going to Disney for over 28 years. We however only bought DVC when we got to the point we needed a two bedroom villa. I was not and are still not interested in DVC studios. A studio to me personally offers nothing over a Disney resort room.

Now, we don't need the two bedroom every trip and honestly I wish I had sold some of my points before the prices fell. I will probably start renting them and staying at the Yacht Club.

On our most recent trip we stayed at the Yacht Club and a DVC resort. It was a huge difference. The only advantage of the DVC stay was we needed a two bedroom for that section of the trip.

As Chuck said if you want to be treated like a cash guest staying deluxe, a timeshare is not the thing to purchase.

Lynne explained it very well too. Basically if you enjoy going on vacation and being treated like someone on vacation, then DVC is not for you.

If you would like to have a second home at Disney World, then it is.

 

[Dean]

OK, thanks to all who replied to my question\concern on the 7 day max booking thing. I understand it, I guess, but it really makes zero sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, from the one post, you CAN book more than 7 days as long as it is not right at 11, or 7 months, which I guess is acceptable.

Sorry to jump into this thread with such a large question or concern on that, but it is a little disheartening to learn there is yet another "issue" I have to resolve in my mind before buying into DVC. Not to "rant", but my wife and I have been looking into buying for nearly 5 years now. This time, with the cost of resales being very reasonable, I pretty much have the check in hand, ready to buy. What makes me keep hesitating however, are things like this.

I guess I look at it this way. I'm giving Disney a LOT of money up front, and over the years. I would think this would make them treat me like royalty, yet it seems, between booking windows, housekeeping, pulled "perks", etc etc., I will be treated far worse than I am as a yearly visitor staying at a normal resort. Heck, for the past 5 years, we have either gotten free dining, 40% off a room, or some other huge discount. I'm afraid that once they "get my money for the long term", I'll just be pushed aside and have nothing to look forward to but ever increasing maintenance costs.

I hate this. I WANT to give Disney my money, but they kind of keep making me pull my hand back. Time to think more........

You need to reconcile yourself to the fact that there are compromises with any timeshare, that the rules will change and those changes will always be against your interests and that you will not be treated on par with cash guests in many people's eyes.

 

[GEB@okw]

Another member came up with the great term "Perk Pirate" as a term for the thing's that DVC has taken away from us. I love it, it expresses it exactly. The thing I'm curious about is can everyone come up with a list of all the things that the DVC Perk Pirate has plundered from us?

I'll start,

1. free valet parking

Why complain? Enjoy the perks you have, or if it is so bad sell your membership.

 

[chalee94]

I think part of the reason you're having trouble with this is that you're thinking like a hotel guest, instead of a property owner.

great explanation.

some people want a hotel experience with all the pampering...that's fine. but that's not DVC and it's ok to stick with hotels if you value that.

 

[rotlex]

great explanation.

some people want a hotel experience with all the pampering...that's fine. but that's not DVC and it's ok to stick with hotels if you value that.

Wanted to add thanks to all who gave responses to my mid thread inquiry on this. Again, we have been considering DVC for years now, and very seriously for the past few months. I think the quoted statement above, in short statement, really sums up my issue though. When I'm on vacation, I WANT to be pampered. I want maid service, upgrades, the ability to book as much as I want when I want, and the ability to stay at a different place often. I'm on vacation, I don't want to feel like I'm "home" I guess.

I'll probably get the urge to research this more later, as I seem to keep coming back to, but I'm leaning more towards not buying now than ever me thinks.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I'll probably get the urge to research this more later, as I seem to keep coming back to, but I'm leaning more towards not buying now than ever me thinks.

And that's why you do the research. I'd find it hard to try to convince someone to buy DVC these days. The price per point is just too high.

 

[Dean]

Wanted to add thanks to all who gave responses to my mid thread inquiry on this. Again, we have been considering DVC for years now, and very seriously for the past few months. I think the quoted statement above, in short statement, really sums up my issue though. When I'm on vacation, I WANT to be pampered. I want maid service, upgrades, the ability to book as much as I want when I want, and the ability to stay at a different place often. I'm on vacation, I don't want to feel like I'm "home" I guess.

I'll probably get the urge to research this more later, as I seem to keep coming back to, but I'm leaning more towards not buying now than ever me thinks.

I also think it depends on what you think of as pampering. For me, having the kitchen and extra space that a timeshare provides, is important. I don't want daily maid service, I don't want people in my room when I'm not there. I plan ahead, which is also a must with timeshares. You can still get the deluxe and Spa experience with DVC, as well as other timeshares.

 

[tjkraz]

Discounts at the World of Disney store...

I don't recall members having a discount at World of Disney...at least not in the last 10 years. There was a PASSHOLDER discount at WoD but not DVC to my knowledge.

We did have Disney Store discount but when the stores were sold several years ago it was replaced with a DisneyStore.com discount.

Where will it go, no where, it's pretty obvious it was killed before it even had a chance to get started.

Oh that's never stopped anyone before. If you have something to add, I'd be curious to read.

So far not much here other than valet parking, golf club rentals, tweaks to pool hopping and discussion of some policy changes.

Were there other perks eliminated?

Did the policy change when the SSR spa went over to be a Niki Bryant Spa?

I believe Niki Bryan has always operated the SSR spa.

OK, thanks to all who replied to my question\concern on the 7 day max booking thing. I understand it, I guess, but it really makes zero sense to me. If I am understanding correctly, from the one post, you CAN book more than 7 days as long as it is not right at 11, or 7 months, which I guess is acceptable.

It's simply an effort to keep large point owners from having too great a priority in terms of booking.

Today (7/8/11) members can begin calling to reserve arrivals on June 7, 2012. If I owned 1500 points and there were no limits to the number of nights that can be reserved in a single call, I could book a Saratoga Springs Studio from 6/7/12 through 9/6/12. That's a trip of 90 nights. The latter weeks of that trip would not be accessible to those booking much shorter stays for several months to come. A member who wanted 9/1/12 to 9/6/12 couldn't book until October 1, 2011...almost 3 months from now.

As others illustrated quite well, there are still options available for booking a fairly traditional 8-14 day stay in just 1 or 2 calls.