Point Chart Balancing?

[sethschroeder]

I am newer to this part of the boards as we just recently put in our first offer on DVC. So while I have checked this area I haven't been around it as well.

I see a ton of comments around walking, studio shortages, and room availability fall/winter vs summer. My big question is why doesn't DVC do a better job of balancing the point requirements? I know there was a huge issue around lock-off premium and I am not talking about that but actually balancing the charts to booking patterns.

It seems to me that if things were accurately being balanced Pete's booking calendar would look fairly similar across all months at each give resort respectively. (BWV and SSR would look different but all of BWV and all of SSR would look similar when compared)

If as an example Dec 1-15 is preferred because of the Holidays but low point cost why not shift this to a higher point requirement and take the middle of summer and lower point requirement there when people don't book it up as quickly?

As for the point difference between Studio + 1BR I understand why everyone would hesitate making any changes here based on how people have purchased their contracts.

 

[disney junky]

DVC members are savvy at using their points in the best possible manner. I don't see point chart balancing in the same light as raising the cash price for stays in a particular resort because of the complicated ramifications across the point charts. I hate when they rebalance because I bought with a particular type of vacation use in mind. Though 16 years later, that type of vacation for our family no longer exists as our family has grown and expanded, I still have in my mind that particular vacation point need and chart in my head. I can recite it without looking.

 

[Sandisw]

DVC has a duty to ensure that the supply and demand are balanced. IMO, they have dropped the ball with the trends that are now occurring in the fall.

From my understanding, the seasons were set the way they were to match closer to park attendance, However, now with so much more happening at WDW in the fall, coupled with the lower point charts, things have changed for booking patterns of DVC members,

I don’t ever think there will be a way to completely change it so booking in fall will be easy. Let’s face it,,,you can’t see holiday decorations, go to Food and Wine or any of the other specialized events in June/July/August (although they have pushed F &W and MNSSHP into that time).

But, by adjusting things, what might happen is that people won’t be able to stretch points as far and thus availability could become a little better,

Of course, people who always go then and bought for then would be upset, but my feeling is why should summer be the high season? That is the time many DVC families have to go due to school schedules.

Maybe its time for DVC to cut down on seasons and make things a bit closer so there is not such a difference.

2021 charts should be put in a month or so. We shall see if things have changed at all

 

[DougEMG]

Next year I'll be changing my teaching schedule to be teaching from Jan-Aug and having Sept-Dec off. Wanted to do that to take advantage of the better weather and lower point charts in the fall. So most likely next year's point charts will change things up to mess up my plans

 

[Sandisw]

Next year I'll be changing my teaching schedule to be teaching from Jan-Aug and having Sept-Dec off. Wanted to do that to take advantage of the better weather and lower point charts in the fall. So most likely next year's point charts will change things up to mess up my plans

That happened to me once for the DVC Merry Mixer. The only year I was finally going to be able to go, was the year it was eliminated!

I guess will know in a month or so how good..or bad..your luck is!

 

[D-Trick]

Given that all but a few of the DVC resorts are additions to an existing hotel; I would imagine this creates year round high occupancy as a whole, meaning a steady # of people staying whether it's a hotel room, villa, etc.

Summer = school's out: high demand for non-DVC stays in cash rooms / lower DVC demand due to high point charts
Fall/Winter = kids back in school: so way less demand for cash rooms / high DVC demand due to low point charts

 

[Sandisw]

Given that all but a few of the DVC resorts are additions to an existing hotel; I would imagine this creates year round high occupancy as a whole, meaning a steady # of people staying whether it's a hotel room, villa, etc.

Summer = school's out: high demand for non-DVC stays in cash rooms / lower DVC demand due to high point charts
Fall/Winter = kids back in school: so way less demand for cash rooms / high DVC demand due to low point charts

True, but what happens on the cash side isn’t a factor in the DVC points charts and balancing.

I think when DVC was created, they developed seasons to match attendance. But now, it’s out of whack and the DVC point charts should match DVC travel patterns. At least that’s what I believe!

 

[D-Trick]

I think when DVC was created, they developed seasons to match attendance. But now, it’s out of whack and the DVC point charts should match DVC travel patterns. At least that’s what I believe!

High DVC demand during the lower regular attendance seasons is exactly what WDW wants.

 

[Sandisw]

High DVC demand during the lower regular attendance seasons is exactly what WDW wants.

Sure, and to a certain extent, I agree. But not when it is creates the imbalance it is creating for home resort bookings. I believe that DVC is supposed to ensure, to a degree, that the point chart is balanced to match. It is why things Were adjusted in 2010 lower weekends and raise weekdays because the point differences were leaving weekends empty too much of the year,

Now, do I think they will adjust them? Probably not..should they..yes..especially given the walking of reservations which is so easy to do now.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

That happened to me once for the DVC Merry Mixer. The only year I was finally going to be able to go, was the year it was eliminated!

I guess will know in a month or so how good..or bad..your luck is!

You know how I made sure it didn't snow in MA? I bought my kids sleds for Christmas.

 

[AaronEuth]

The DVC adventure seasons are times in which Disneyworld as a whole is considered to be slower. Even if the fall is no longer extremely slow, the cash hotels are certainly not at capacity. We know this as they continue to push the best discounts during that time period to increase their bookings.

From Disney's point of view, they already have trouble renting all the cash reservations during the fall; so they want to make sure that there is as little DVC room breakage as possible that they would have to try to rent for cash. So they need DVC to operate at 100% capacity during those slow times. It also has a side affect of guaranteeing DVC guests on site to spend money during the slow quarter.

During the summer, which is high demand at Disney World, the opposite is true. They want to have access to the DVC rooms as breakage, to increase the room supply which allows them to rent out more rooms for cash.

 

[Sandisw]

The DVC adventure seasons are times in which Disneyworld as a whole is considered to be slower. Even if the fall is no longer extremely slow, the cash hotels are certainly not at capacity. We know this as they continue to push the best discounts during that time period to increase their bookings.

From Disney's point of view, they already have trouble renting all the cash reservations during the fall; so they want to make sure that there is as little DVC room breakage as possible that they would have to try to rent for cash. So they need DVC to operate at 100% capacity during those slow times. It also has a side affect of guaranteeing DVC guests on site to spend money during the slow quarter.

During the summer, which is high demand at Disney World, the opposite is true. They want to have access to the DVC rooms as breakage, to increase the room supply which allows them to rent out more rooms for cash.

However, DVC point bookings should not be based on the cash side but rather to represent bookings to even out demand as much as possible.

DVC is supposed to react to adjusting the point charts to account for patterns for members, not to satisfy WDW as a whole.

Adjusting the points now, knowing what they know, IMO, is doing what they are supposed to do to ensure it more closely represents DVC booking patterns,

DVC inventory is meant to be at close to 100% occupancy year round and when rooms from October to January, especially studios, are booked up solid everywhere around 11 months, things are out of whack.

A change in seasons or an adjustment is needed. I do not think that if it happens that the occupancy rate would fall. Thiings will still get booked but instead of being completely gone at 11 months, it might take till 8 or 9 to see no availability.

I personally see no impact on breakage.

 

[Madame]

The DVC adventure seasons are times in which Disneyworld as a whole is considered to be slower. Even if the fall is no longer extremely slow, the cash hotels are certainly not at capacity. We know this as they continue to push the best discounts during that time period to increase their bookings.

From Disney's point of view, they already have trouble renting all the cash reservations during the fall; so they want to make sure that there is as little DVC room breakage as possible that they would have to try to rent for cash. So they need DVC to operate at 100% capacity during those slow times. It also has a side affect of guaranteeing DVC guests on site to spend money during the slow quarter.

During the summer, which is high demand at Disney World, the opposite is true. They want to have access to the DVC rooms as breakage, to increase the room supply which allows them to rent out more rooms for cash.

It violates DVCMC’s fiduciary duty to manipulate DVC point charts to benefit WDW rather than the membership.