Polynesian DVC Disappointment

[disneynutz]

They didn't have to, all they had to do was raise the dues over a few years so everyone was the same or even do a special assessment.

My understanding is that it's a 50 year subsidy on the original contracts.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We don't know if the dues subsidy was part of a plea deal or if they didn't want to buy back the contracts for reasons that we don't know about.

Bill

They did offer to buy back contracts and some people did that. And they didn't have to reimburse for having used points from them. What I imagine they couldn't do was force people to sell back.

 

[disneynutz]

They did offer to buy back contracts and some people did that. And they didn't have to reimburse for having used points from them. What I imagine they couldn't do was force people to sell back.

True but offer some free passes and a free Disney dining plan if they sell and my bet is not many would hold out.

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

True but offer some free passes and a free Disney dining plan if they sell and my bet is not many would hold out.

Bill

Could be. But that might not work well for people who bought Aulani just because they wanted to go there and that never go to WDW. That's probably a rare breed but I bet there are a few.

 

[Dean]

My understanding is that it's a 50 year subsidy on the original contracts.

Bill

That's my understanding also. My point was there was no requirement for them to do this since the members are required to pay for the cost of the resort no matter what it is.

 

[wdrl]

IMO this is to their detriment. IMO if they were more proactive and up front, their lives and ours would be far better off. For the views, just offer a disclaimer up front in the POS and otherwise including on the reservation pages, problem solved, less complaints, no more rewarding squeaky wheels. Simply a different label, something like preferred view, would have been far better. As smart as they are and as much info as they have on some of these issues, you sometimes just wonder what were they thinking. Sometimes it seems they just hide their heads in the sand and hope that predictable issues/complaints don't occur. I can think of several refurbishment move situations and the valet parking implementation in addition to this area, that could have easily been avoided or minimized by simply doing "damage control" up front and then being consistent in the aftermath. When you take a group that tends to be entitled (and DVC members are definitely that), you can't be indecisive when you make changes or have predictable issues.

Actually, DVD has been proactive on describing the view categories at Aulani. The Aulani point chart has this disclaimer about the views:

Standard View includes either a view of the conference center, parking lot or parking garage from the room or balcony. Island Gardens View includes at least a partial view of the mountains, spa or landscaping from the room or balcony. Poolside Gardens View includes at least a partial view of the pool, courtyards, water features, or landscaping from the room or balcony. Ocean View includes at least a partial view of the ocean from the room or balcony. ​

The Aulani POS is even more specific about qualifying the different view categories.

Do these proactive steps prevent members from complaining about the views at Aulani? Or stop some members from demanding compensation if the views don't match their expectations? Not at all. I remember someone posting that he was disappointed that he couldn't see the ocean from his room but had to step out on the balcony to see it. Yet, that is exactly what DVC said could happen with some villas.

 

[Dean]

Actually, DVD has been proactive on describing the view categories at Aulani. The Aulani point chart has this disclaimer about the views:

Standard View includes either a view of the conference center, parking lot or parking garage from the room or balcony. Island Gardens View includes at least a partial view of the mountains, spa or landscaping from the room or balcony. Poolside Gardens View includes at least a partial view of the pool, courtyards, water features, or landscaping from the room or balcony. Ocean View includes at least a partial view of the ocean from the room or balcony. ​

The Aulani POS is even more specific about qualifying the different view categories.

Do these proactive steps prevent members from complaining about the views at Aulani? Or stop some members from demanding compensation if the views don't match their expectations? Not at all. I remember someone posting that he was disappointed that he couldn't see the ocean from his room but had to step out on the balcony to see it. Yet, that is exactly what DVC said could happen with some villas.

And that's good, now they just have to grow a backbone and be consistent

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I began to wonder if the requests not being guaranteed applied only to us because Disney apparently decided they could not move anyone else to accommodate our request.

I wouldn't expect that they would move someone else to accommodate your request.

I suppose the issue is that to some guests the view is VERY important. And there are just not enough rooms with the preferred view to go around. Which is why they will not guarantee requests. Maybe suggesting a separate booking category to DVC is the way to go. There won't be a whole lot of rooms in that category, but that's happened before.

 

[Slakk]

For timeshares, categories with view type labels are more location than specific views. IIRC, the ocean front Marriott's where I've seen the legal paperwork offer a disclaimer that view from an individual unit cannot be guaranteed due to vegetation and the like. Marriott's view categories are Ocean Front, Ocean Side and Ocean View in that order from highest to lowest (there are others as well). In all cases I know of, OS was more expensive than OV but in some cases they are the same cost when using points.

I own two Oceanside MVCI properties. They are both a better location then the Oceanview. Ocean Front have to be facing the Ocean directly where Ocean sid has a more sideways view. But that is why I love Marriott - I know what my view is going to be every time!

 

[Slakk]

Marriott is very consistent and they do put forth effort in this area. Their core list is Owners at that resort using their weeks there, Marriott exchangers even at a resort they own at (including trust/points owners), cash then other exchangers. Multiple units or weeks trumps singles and you get the view type reserved with extremely limited exceptions like the resort is wide open. A couple of resorts ad a wrinkles or 2 including giving owners at that resort some additional priority if staying other than on the weeks they own. Some have some additional little quirks. Grande Ocean alternates higher vs lower floor for owners which normally translates to 3rd floor off year and 4th or 5th floor on other yeas. I'd say Bluegreen and Wyndham put more effort than DVC by far as well but are more variable than Marriott.

This is why we now vacation almost exclusively with Marriott - I no longer worry about getting the worst (The garbage cans at VWL- TWICE, the room above the restaurant on the Boardwalk, the Savannah View that has no Savannah, the Parking lot BLT view that I paid for theme park) I either have had the worst luck in the world or as I feel DVC prioritizes backwards, they try to cater to the new owners or prospective owners first THEN the longer term owners get the leftovers or the worst because we drank the KoolAid.

At one point I had 500-600 points, I am down to 150 and only because they are paid off and cost me almost nothing. For the last 5 years I have used them to go to the National DOG SHOW that has been in Florida. We no longer have annual passes, we rarely go to the parks. The level of care for DVC member in the last 10-15 years goes down as the costs go up.

Marriott works much harder to keep their members happy. I do worry about their new change to a points based system, I worry that they will also begin a downward spiral. Their point costs are outrageous for a brand new owner. For us the perks being taken away and the horrid room assignments pretty much ended our DVC experience.

 

[Dean]

I own two Oceanside MVCI properties. They are both a better location then the Oceanview. Ocean Front have to be facing the Ocean directly where Ocean sid has a more sideways view. But that is why I love Marriott - I know what my view is going to be every time!

There is still some variability with Marriott but less so, esp if using weeks owned rather than exchanged. I've seen complaints about views and assignments with Marriott as well. However, Marriott tends to approach it as I've said here I think should be done. Put effort in up front but if you've done that, professionally stick to your guns after that though there is likely to be some variability there as well.

Marriott works much harder to keep their members happy. I do worry about their new change to a points based system, I worry that they will also begin a downward spiral. Their point costs are outrageous for a brand new owner. For us the perks being taken away and the horrid room assignments pretty much ended our DVC experience.

Marriott is not the only company that works to fulfill requests in my experience. The other area I see other companies do far better than DVC is for minor issues/villa inventory. With DVC if you call for something you'll get it in 1-2 hrs if you're lucky, with Marriott or Bluegreen, I'll likely have the item in 15 minutes and a have had a phone call to check to see if it was OK within 30 min. They're also far more likely to have the inventory present that's supposed to be there. I don't think a single villa I've been in with DVC has had everything for at least the last 10 yrs. The shame is that where DVC falls down is all in discretionary areas including maintenance, housekeeping, advanced planning including assignments and attention to detail. If you go on Marriott's website, there will be a pop up on the resort page if there is construction or similar with dates and if you have a reservation there, you'll likely get an email about it months in advance.

The Marriott points system is a different direction though one that's been above great for us personally but I was positioned to take advantage of it and make the most of the changes. It essentially is a new timeshare system not that unlike RCI weeks exchange and RCI points exchange.

 

[nkosiek]

The shame is that where DVC falls down is all in discretionary areas including maintenance, housekeeping, advanced planning including assignments and attention to detail. If you go on Marriott's website, there will be a pop up on the resort page if there is construction or similar with dates and if you have a reservation there, you'll likely get an email about it months in advance.

I think this is what you mean right here (just came in to my email an hour ago):
December 2015
Dear XXXXX Family,

Welcome Home!

We are delighted you have chosen to stay with us at Disney's BoardWalk Villas and look forward to your arrival.

In preparation for your upcoming visit, we are pleased to share that we are currently in the process of renovating rooms at Disney's BoardWalk Villas for your future enjoyment. Upon your arrival, you will notice work in progress including routine exterior maintenance and painting. While we work our magic, you may experience construction noise. However, to minimize any impact to your stay, work with the highest potential for noise will be limited to the hours of 9:00am to 5:00pm.

While this work is taking place, please know we are making every effort to ensure your comfort and enjoyment of all we have to offer. We apologize for any inconvenience this work may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding.

Should you need assistance with your reservation or have general questions, please contact Disney Vacation Club® Member Services at 800-800-9800 or 407-566-3800 between the hours of 9:00am to 7:30pm (ET) Monday through Friday or 9:00am to 5:30pm (ET) Saturday and Sunday. One of our Vacation Advisors will be happy to assist you.

Thank you for being a valuable member of Disney Vacation Club. We eagerly await your arrival and wish you a truly magical stay!

Sincerely,
Kimberly M. Marinaccio
General Manager of Disney's Boardwalk Villas

Now I knew about it from here and know that it might be really damn loud but had this been clear back when I booked it, I may have tried to go elsewhere (will have a napping 15 month old). That said, they've known about this for awhile and this email or a note about the construction should've been sent out with the booking confirmation or right around then. You see Disney do so many things right and they screw up things like this. It's mind-boggling.

 

[Lakegirl]

Disney and other resorts tend to over state their views. While staying in a room at WL, CM's asked if they could enter our room, they went to the balcony, took some notes and started to leave. I asked what they were doing and they said that they were going to change our view category to a lake view. I said that you can't see the lake from inside the room, they said that you can from the balcony if you turn sideways.

Bill

OMG when was this??

 

[supersnoop]

OMG when was this??

There are no views categories at VWL, so this must have been on the hotel side.

 

[disneynutz]

There are no views categories at VWL, so this must have been on the hotel side.

Correct WL, not VWL.

 

[ppony]

This is a long thread (too long for me to read) and I'm just going to respond to the OP. I concur w/ others that that complaint about it being lake/lagoon (honestly, semantics) view should be reclassified. We could see that one coming years ago. All that could be done is let them do their money/points grab and finally, once enough people complain, re-classify those rooms.

On the other hand, please, don't complain about not getting your requests. It's so far from as simple as some people think. Just someone vacating one of those rooms in the time you were there so you'd be able to move isn't really taking everything into account. Those bookings are also tied to others and when they are coming and for how long they are staying. It's a giant game of Tetris. It's not just 2 rooms you are talking about, yours and theirs, it's people before and after you and them. Scheduling is a nightmare I wouldn't want! When putting in requests, I always put the one I want the very most first, and then anything else after that. If they can, they WILL try to honor that first request, and if the stars align to allow for additional ones, I know they will. It's disappointing, sure, but try to move on.

 

[zavandor]

I think it's more about WHEN a category reallocation will happen rather then IF it will happen. In the past, every time a view caused a lot of complaints it was changed. Even if the SVP has changed, I think DVC doesn't really want to face complaints for 50 years over something they can easily change. And I suspect that they like to have special categories that are difficult to book, so people will want to buy at a specific resort to get them. The only difficult category they reallocated was the Treehouse Villas, but I suspect its because SSR is so big that it wouldn't make a difference in any case.