Promos not for DVC & AP?

[WDWfeelslikehome]

I have a question, and I'm wondering if anyone here has also run into the same issue. I have 2009 vacations booked already with my points, and I am an AP. SHould I get 3 nights of "free stay" with no points deducted for my vacations, and still get the $200-$500 DIsney Dollar Gift card being offered in the new promo? Or am I penalized for being a DVC'er and AP, so I get nothing out of it. I know I get to be in WDW and wouldn't trade that away, but if someone calls and books today and gets lots of perks, why as Disney's covetted DVC and AP'ers could we be left out on any deal?

 

[DebbieB]

Since you are already getting a discount by using DVC points (spread out over the years of membership), this offer is not available for points stays.

There is an existing thread complaining about it:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2006308

 

[Muushka]

I used to feel bad that Disney didn't offer us anything. But then I started taking advantage of the deals (free dining mostly) and don't feel so bad. I save some points in the deal too!

 

[hakepb]

You need to think about the discounts rationally. It bugs me when some people think they are getting a great deal when 'casue a store has something 30% off when that store's price was 30% higher than wal-mart to begin with..

What is your lifetime opportunity cost per point? How many of those points would you use for a DVC studio vs the daily cost of this "discounted package".
Then, divide your DVC discounted AP price by how many days you will use your AP this year. Then add in your potential DVC or TiW dining discounts to compare to this deal.
I would think that you would find youself already saving that amount of money. Yes, you can save money staying at values, but that has always been the case vs. DVC.

 

[Melani]

Yes, and before we made our first offer we took in consideration the the occasional 40% deals, and found that DVC was still the better bargain if you go x2/year and can't take short notice trips.

And that was comparing it to Value rooms!

 

[WDWfeelslikehome]

I know DVC and AP are great deals overall, and that's why I did each of them. Sometimes I just get flustered when I feel that I worked hard to plan things out ahead of time, then these last minute deals appear for the possible non-disney fanatic. Although in the end these deals may bring people "into the light" as they see the magic of Disney. Sorry if I turned anyone's day , relax and enjoy your future visits to the Mouse.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I own both DVC and AP, but have been known to stay at POP in order to take advantage of a great offer. I was thrilled when Disney started letting us book the dining plan if we wanted, and giving us a nice discount on the AP. They really don't feel that they need to offer us room discounts...we already have our rooms, so to speak. Now, if the buy 4, get 3 free is inviting, then go ahead and book it. But, I have to tell you. I booked a bounceback, with free dining for three of us next Sept. I just cancelled it because it
works out better for me to go in mid-August and stay on points at BW vs free dining at POP. And, I get to stay longer.

 

[LisaS]

One of the reasons we became DVC owners is because I got tired of waiting for a good deal (AP room rate) before we could schedule a trip. It made me crazy wondering if we should go ahead and book cheap flights and then hope we could get a discounted room for those dates or wait for the discount and then hope I could still get good flights at cheap prices. Purchasing DVC gave us a discounted room rate for years to come and allows me to book the room 11 months out and (until recently!) grab cheap flights as soon as SWA announced their schedule. That's worth a lot in my opinion.

As for the 7 for 4 deal, Disney can't really do that with DVC resorts booked on points. The number of points in circulation must not exceed the number of rooms available to be booked with those points. If you could stay 7 nights but pay only for 4 nights, they would end up with way more points left over in members' accounts than there are rooms to be booked on points. Members would end up with points expiring before they could be used due to availability problems.

We do benefit in other ways from these kinds of promotions. If it helps Disney fill rooms in a tough economy and prevents them from having to close the parks early or cut staff or maybe close some restaurants to cut costs, that benefits us as well. And there is nothing preventing members from taking advantage of that deal and saving their points for a future trip.

 

[HGD24]

We own DVC, but if there's a great promo going on that we'd like to use, we skip using our points that year and pay cash to stay using the promo. We have tons of family and friends who love Disney so we never have a problem finding someone to use our points.

ie: In early 2007 we stayed at AKL (before they began to develop DVC there) for a little over 40% off rack rate. We always wanted to stay there and this was our chance. So, we banked our 2007 DVC points and this year, we stayed in a 2-bedroom for a week, family stayed in a 1-bedroom for a week and friends stayed in a studio for 9 nights.

If you like the idea of a promo that's being offered - go for it. Save your points for next year, let family or friends use them or rent them out. Either way - have a great trip!

 

[crisi]

One of the reasons we became DVC owners is because I got tired of waiting for a good deal (AP room rate) before we could schedule a trip.

Regular Disney goers can probably be divided into two categories - those that hate waiting for a deal (and lumped in, those that just pay the AAA rate or whatever), go regardless of what deal is or isn't offered.

The second is those the LOVE getting the deal. They are willing to postpone a trip if there isn't a deal, or go at a moments notice when there is a deal.

The second type doesn't make very good DVC owners. They may, averaged over time, save as much or more with DVC, they might get better vacations out of it, they might get more trips - but they'll always resent not getting the deal, and booking the trip in the same way every year will not give them the emotional kick that booking the deal does.

 

[PrincessV]

Regular Disney goers can probably be divided into two categories - those that hate waiting for a deal (and lumped in, those that just pay the AAA rate or whatever), go regardless of what deal is or isn't offered.

I'll add a third: those who do both. Admittedly, I live nearby, which makes my system work very well, but I have to think there are those who do this from longer distances as well. I generally use DVC as my long-range, multiple day planning tool. Next year, for instance, my DVC points will cover a week in Aug. and a few nights in Dec. But I also take advantage of AP/AAA/FL resident/general public discounts for last-minute and/or short stays, such as this past weekend when I decided on a Thurs. to visit overnight Sat.

True, I don't take advantage of ticket or dining offers, but that's only because my AP is far more useful for where I live and we don't eat much. But I definitely use those room discounts in addition to points!

 

[CraftyMouse]

You are comparing apples to oranges.

You can take advantage of the new offer. Simply book a cash reservation through CRO instead of using your points. That is the only way for anyone to get the offer but it is open to anyone.

If you choose to use your points then you are not eligible for the promo. It's being used as a way to get guests to WDW and into WDW resort rooms. That isn't an issue for DVC so it doesn't apply to us. Besides, while the offer looks great it really isn't. It's, basically, 40% off of your room (something you are also eligible for, from time to time, with your AP) and a $10 savings on a MYW pass. MYW passes are front-loaded and, once you get to the 4-day point, each additional day is only a few dollars more. The savings for this promo sound much better than they are. I'll stick with my long-term DVC savings!

People need to start seeing what they do have, instead of what they don't. Look on the positive side and realize that you are still much better off with DVC than by going for the "latest and not-so-greatest" promotion.

 

[dis-happy]

Doesn't bother me any. Don't forget, you have your AP with the great DVC discount. In effect, it's buy an AP for 3 years, get one year free.

Reverse the argument: when the economy is good and Disney is raising rack room rates, should DVCers have to spend more points per night?

In the end, it benefits EVERYBODY for Disney to keep its rooms fairly full and parks in high occupancy. If not, they don't schedule as many employees and all of a sudden the lines for CS meals become longer, check-in counters are half staffed, and park hours become shorter, etc. etc. Compared to DLR, WDW is way better in this regard, and a huge part of that is the sheer number of guests.

 

[Dean]

I have a question, and I'm wondering if anyone here has also run into the same issue. I have 2009 vacations booked already with my points, and I am an AP. SHould I get 3 nights of "free stay" with no points deducted for my vacations, and still get the $200-$500 DIsney Dollar Gift card being offered in the new promo? Or am I penalized for being a DVC'er and AP, so I get nothing out of it. I know I get to be in WDW and wouldn't trade that away, but if someone calls and books today and gets lots of perks, why as Disney's covetted DVC and AP'ers could we be left out on any deal?

It's like having two coupons for a restaurant and expecting to be able to use both of them, unrealistic.

 

[CraftyMouse]

It's like having two coupons for a restaurant and expecting to be able to use both of them, unrealistic.

What an excellent analogy!

 

[adminjedi]

SHould I get 3 nights of "free stay"

I got the email, read it and said "YUK - Value Resort" and hit DELETE!!!!!

 

[5forDiz]

I have a question, and I'm wondering if anyone here has also run into the same issue. I have 2009 vacations booked already with my points, and I am an AP. SHould I get 3 nights of "free stay" with no points deducted for my vacations, and still get the $200-$500 DIsney Dollar Gift card being offered in the new promo? Or am I penalized for being a DVC'er and AP, so I get nothing out of it. I know I get to be in WDW and wouldn't trade that away, but if someone calls and books today and gets lots of perks, why as Disney's covetted DVC and AP'ers could we be left out on any deal?

If you are interested in the buy 4/get 3 nights free promo apparently AP Holders only need to purchase 1 day on Magic Your Way base ticket; see this link for good explanation of how it works for AP holders. And also there is good info here showing the savings on 4/3 deal for different resort levels and info on how adding No Expiration option to Magic Your Way ticket during this promo is calculated.

http://www.mousesavers.com/packages.html#apfreenights

And based upon availability all resort categories are eligible for 4/3 promo not just Value resorts.

 

[DeeCee735]

I know DVC and AP are great deals overall, and that's why I did each of them. Sometimes I just get flustered when I feel that I worked hard to plan things out ahead of time, then these last minute deals appear for the possible non-disney fanatic. Although in the end these deals may bring people "into the light" as they see the magic of Disney. Sorry if I turned anyone's day , relax and enjoy your future visits to the Mouse.

While the deals are sweet right now, this is a temporary thing, it'll go away when the economy and travel industry get better. DVC is basically forever, at least for us it is, because we'll be well into our 80's when it expires! Also, we are so used to the washer/dryer/jacquzzi tub, large spaces and full kitchen that a regular hotel room just doesn't cut it anymore, so as nice as the deals maybe, we'd go "wanting" without our villa! I know, I know we're SPOILED ROTTEN

 

[DeeCee735]

I know DVC and AP are great deals overall, and that's why I did each of them. Sometimes I just get flustered when I feel that I worked hard to plan things out ahead of time, then these last minute deals appear for the possible non-disney fanatic. Although in the end these deals may bring people "into the light" as they see the magic of Disney. Sorry if I turned anyone's day , relax and enjoy your future visits to the Mouse.

While the deals are sweet right now, this is a temporary thing, it'll go away when the economy and travel industry get better. DVC is basically forever, at least for us it is, because we'll be well into our 80's when it expires! Also, we are so used to the washer/dryer/jacquzzi tub, large spaces and full kitchen that a regular hotel room just doesn't cut it anymore, so as nice as the deals maybe, we'd go "wanting" without our villa! I know, I know we're SPOILED ROTTEN

 

[pamjb]

We are traveling to OKW in June, 2009, using our points. Friends expressed an interest in joining us, when this new package was announced.

A studio at OKW with 2 adults under the promo is $2044.24.

The same studio is 109 points for the same time period. Another friend would transfer points to me for $10 per point. 8 day hopper passes from undercovertourist.com are $289.95 each. So

$1090 + $579.90 = $1669.90.

So my friends save $374.34 by NOT doing the package.