Ready to sell DVC, not happy with it

[reedycreek]

But wouldn't you have the same type of bus issues at any other Disney resort? No resort is immune from transportation problems, even the monorail resorts. The trains can certainly have problems to take them out of service. Boat service can have problems, too.

I have no empirical proof that DVC buses are worse than other resort buses. It is just an observation and probably stems from my current discontent with DVC.

 

[reedycreek]

Whether you should sell is a personal decision but it's a good time for you to re-evaluate your ownership. Good luck, let us know what you decide.

Thank you for the advice and analysis. I've always respected your candor on this board. I've written my concerns to DVC and will see how they reply.

 

[Minnie49]

Everyone has the right to an opinion. Those of us that bought in the last five years only had the high expectations that we were promised when we signed the contract (s). For the original price, we should expect that. The accommodations should be what we were promised. I pay much more than $700 due to our points for maintenance. We expect some wear and tear, naturally, but these are not the issues that are being discussed. Mold, broken air conditioners (two full days for us plus a damp rug), worn out rugs, are unacceptable, IMO, in any delux accomodations. We own another timesshare in a popular location, on the beach, with a gold rating but it was still less expensive than Disney. Also, the maintenance fees are lower. We receive a 20% discount on the restaurants at the resort because we are owners. Also, other benefits. We bought (three times) at Disney because we have always loved it and we outgrew a hotel room. I am still satisfied but I have seen some changes in five years that are not good. I have had friends that were buying into the DVC but once the "deals" started with the free nights, meals, etc., they felt the initial investment wasn't beneficial. With all these give aways, IMO, Disney's main source of revenue is us, the owners. I think they have built too many value resorts which, may I add, get the same benefits as everyone else including airport transportation. I do not understand that. There should be a small fee involved which would help their cash flow problem if staying at a value resort. Even other timeshares only provide that at the "delux" hotels. I do not think the solution is to sell unless that it what someone really wants to do anyway. It is up to us, the owners, to express our thoughts and Disney should listen if they are reasonable. We all know the rules about booking and that is fine. We agreed to them when we bought. But we were also sold on "delux" accomodations". Just because we have a good size house, we still keep it in great shape. What's more room if it is much need of repair. As I posted, we truly had only one "nightmare" experience. We are NOT complainers about minor things for sure.

One more sort of issue I have is everyone in the room has to buy the mealplan. We are going in July in a two bedroom. My husband and I would liked to have purchased it but our son and daughter-in-law have an infant so they feel they will need some downtime at the pool and hotel and only want to go to a few dinner shows. As a result, my husband and I cannot purchase the plan. That, IMO, does not make sense as the non DVD Members are getting the plan free later in August through September.

 

[Brian Noble]

I have NEVER waited 35 minutes for a bus at any resort or park DVC resort or not peak season or not.

I did twice at OKW this past February---both times were late afternoon returns to MK after a mid-day break. Both were miserably long waits. Prior to this trip, we'd always take the bus to MK, but drive most other places. Next trip, we'll be driving more---even to MK.

 

[Chuck S]

One more sort of issue I have is everyone in the room has to buy the mealplan. We are going in July in a two bedroom. My husband and I would liked to have purchased it but our son and daughter-in-law have an infant so they feel they will need some downtime at the pool and hotel and only want to go to a few dinner shows. As a result, my husband and I cannot purchase the plan. That, IMO, does not make sense as the non DVD Members are getting the plan free later in August through September.

The DDP is only available to DVCers through an agreement with WDW Travel, who actually controls the plan. It falls under their rules, which require that everyone in the room be on the plan. I really don;t see them making any exceptions for DVCers. Honestly, it isn't designed to be a money saver for the consumers, it is designed to compete with the pre-paid all-inclusive vacation package locations that are gaining in popularity in the travel industry. It is a convenience item with restrictions.

 

[CNPHILLY]

Thank you, I'll take this as a compliment...

Definitely meant as a compliment.

 

[Minnie49]

I realize what you are saying, Chuck, but the villas are the only accomodations with two bedrooms which ,IMO, makes it unique from the Disney other hotels. I guess I was thinking outloud! I understand the room key thing. I could have booked two studions but we enjoy our vacation all in the same accomodations plus have the dishwasher for the baby's things although the points are steep. Well worth it, as long as mold doesn't come with the room. That we have not seen yet and hope not to!

 

[culli]

Wow I have been following the thread since it started. It is about 90 deg here in WI which is about 100 deg cooler than this thread.

I see both sides and it doesn't seem that bad until something actually happens to you and is hard to understand how this could happen..."why didn't you do this or that or I would have done this" type stuff. Hey the unbelievable actually happens, I just had to deal with Chase bank this last week on something so stupid...won't get into but if I described it many would be thinking "why didn't you......etc".

Yes DVC is pricey and there are nicer TS units out there, but they are not on WDW property. If you value staying on WDW grounds probably a good $$$ deal if not it is probably a huge waste of money. Now go to the tug forums and see all the complaints from Wyndham and Marriott owners on stuff. Same type of problems with all timeshares not just DVC. Talk about annoying go to a Wyndham and feel like you can't answer your phone or door because they keep trying to give you an "owner" update....aka trying to sell you more points, or won't give you your parking pass until you talk to the "sales"guy. They are NOWHERE as nice or honest as DVC guides. Or try to figure out guest fees, transaction fees, how their banking system works, there is NO WAITLISTS period, guest certificates.....just to name a few.

As far as some of the complaints that are targeted at DVC - these really are a Disney issue as this happens at all resorts on WDW grounds not just DVC. The BWV and BCV transportation is not just for DVC but for the non DVC rooms too. I had poor bus service at POR and BWV - I always hear people at Dolphin/Swan complaining about bus service. I notice WDW in general has dropped a few notches in the last 10 years and every year a little worse. However, look around this is happening everywhere not just Disney. I feel overall Disney is still much better customer service than most anything else. I think this is reflection of the work force in general. Also Disney is not Walt anymore it is a huge corporate entity with stockholders it has to please and if they don't make profits heads roll just like any other large corporation.

I'm really sick of the whining about the free DDP......IT IS NOT FREE!!!!!!!! They are discounting the rooms and are using the DDP as smoke and mirrors. Hey DVC members can get it too, bank or rent your points and pay cash. Take advantage of low prices in this economy.

Back to the OP.......hey everyone has the way they feel and no right or wrong. You are the only one that knows how you feel and what happened. Do what you need to do you don't have to justify to anyone!!!

 

[LisaS]

I have no empirical proof that DVC buses are worse than other resort buses. It is just an observation and probably stems from my current discontent with DVC.

In the case of BWV, BCV, VWL and AKV, the DVC buses and resort buses are one and the same. If DVC members are experiencing long waits, the resort guests are too.

We have had great and terrible bus experiences in the recent past. One trip (BWV/BWI), every time we approached the bus stop, the bus we wanted was just pulling into the stop or arrived within a few minutes. On the next trip (VWL/WL), bus service was spotty. We were headed to Epcot for dinner one evening and by the time the bus arrived at the stop, some people had been waiting an hour! There were enough passengers to fill 1-1/2 buses and fortunately they did send two of them.

On our most recent stay at BWV in early May our room was clean and in great shape. The CMs were helpful and pleasant. I guess we've been lucky because we have never had a bad experience there with room cleanliness or rude CMs. I hope that trend continues!

To the OP: If you are unhappy, whatever the reason, then you should sell. It sounds like this has been brewing for some time. Unfortunately it's a buyer's market right now so you won't get as much for your contracts as you would have a year ago but at least they still have some value and you will be out from under the annual dues. Good luck with your decision.

 

[reedycreek]

Ok, to change the topic just a tad...does anyone think that resale prices will increase at anytime? My thinking is that the prices at the older DVC resorts will continue to depreciate as the newer resorts open. Like I said earlier, I am ready to take a $5000 loss on my investment as I used it for about 5 years many times and WAS satisfied. I'd rather get the remainder of my money back to invest in the stock market or pay for our wedding.

But back to my point, will sale prices ever go back up?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Yes DVC is pricey and there are nicer TS units out there...

Not to go off on a tangent, but that depends...
If you are talking about high quality furnishings and marble bathrooms, than yes there are nicer places out there.
If you're like me and want meticulous theming and attention to detail, than there is nothing really close to DVC.

MG

 

[SuzanneSLO]

I guess I have been lucky. We bought in 2005 and have taken 5 wonderful trips to BWV (with a couple nights at AKV CL). If I needed to sell now, even if I only netted $50 (or less) per point for my BWV points, I would still have enjoyed a good deal on my lodging.

I am a firm believer that if something you are doing no longer works for you, then it is time to change. For us, the alternatives, such as not visiting WDW, staying offsite or paying cash for on-site rooms, are all still much less attractive to me than staying at BWV using my DVC points.

Best of luck to the OP in making her decision -- Suzanne

 

[Minnie49]

Wow I have been following the thread since it started. It is about 90 deg here in WI which is about 100 deg cooler than this thread.

I see both sides and it doesn't seem that bad until something actually happens to you and is hard to understand how this could happen..."why didn't you do this or that or I would have done this" type stuff. Hey the unbelievable actually happens, I just had to deal with Chase bank this last week on something so stupid...won't get into but if I described it many would be thinking "why didn't you......etc".

Yes DVC is pricey and there are nicer TS units out there, but they are not on WDW property. If you value staying on WDW grounds probably a good $$$ deal if not it is probably a huge waste of money. Now go to the tug forums and see all the complaints from Wyndham and Marriott owners on stuff. Same type of problems with all timeshares not just DVC. Talk about annoying go to a Wyndham and feel like you can't answer your phone or door because they keep trying to give you an "owner" update....aka trying to sell you more points, or won't give you your parking pass until you talk to the "sales"guy. They are NOWHERE as nice or honest as DVC guides. Or try to figure out guest fees, transaction fees, how their banking system works, there is NO WAITLISTS period, guest certificates.....just to name a few.

As far as some of the complaints that are targeted at DVC - these really are a Disney issue as this happens at all resorts on WDW grounds not just DVC. The BWV and BCV transportation is not just for DVC but for the non DVC rooms too. I had poor bus service at POR and BWV - I always hear people at Dolphin/Swan complaining about bus service. I notice WDW in general has dropped a few notches in the last 10 years and every year a little worse. However, look around this is happening everywhere not just Disney. I feel overall Disney is still much better customer service than most anything else. I think this is reflection of the work force in general. Also Disney is not Walt anymore it is a huge corporate entity with stockholders it has to please and if they don't make profits heads roll just like any other large corporation.

I'm really sick of the whining about the free DDP......IT IS NOT FREE!!!!!!!! They are discounting the rooms and are using the DDP as smoke and mirrors. Hey DVC members can get it too, bank or rent your points and pay cash. Take advantage of low prices in this economy.

Back to the OP.......hey everyone has the way they feel and no right or wrong. You are the only one that knows how you feel and what happened. Do what you need to do you don't have to justify to anyone!!!

I don't see whining as discussing issues. Isn't that what this board is for. As for the dining plan, I'll "whine" as you call it, as it was my thoughts. I know individuals that work for member services and own DVC memberships that have thoughts on it also. I for one never mentioned the word "free". I mentioned a better deal on it certain times of year which I think is reasonable. I just "mentioned" it without really expecting to be labeled as one of the "whiners". Personally, I would rather have a "wine" than "whine". As for other timeshares, yes there are problems, but in my experiences some of those mentioned in this thread are not some of them. Even on trip advisor the word "mold" has been mentioned in referring to some of the DVC's. Why in the last year or so? Our maintenance is paid well in advance. That is not something that requires money to correct. Is this caused by air conditioning problems? If so good cleaning, takes care of that! For a grandchild with asthma, I would find that complete unacceptable in ANY delux hotel at any resort anywhere!. As for "renting" our points and paying Disney for a room just for the mealplan - how absurd is that! Then it would be time for someone to sell and at a loss, may I add. I have heard from a friend that owns at OKW (for years) that for them it will always be a deal for what they paid and having received free passes for a while after purchase. They can stay like everyone else at all resorts using the 7 month rule. I think that is great. The rates people are paying now for ownership is a different story so I can also understand expecting at least decent accomodations and maybe more than just "passable" which they are if Disney keeps them in decent shape. They are beautiful units and should be kept up. Our other timeshare, gives us a list of what is in the room at check in. We have to check everything that is there and if something is not let them know immediately. They replace it immediately and if something is gone after checkout - the renters get charged for it. That does not count for breakage. Fair to us and prevents the "sticky finger type" that end up costing the owners money in the long run.

 

[culli]

Personally, I would rather have a "wine" than "whine". YES that does sound good, and now will have to decide to have some good micro brews or a nice bottle of wine
As for "renting" our points and paying Disney for a room just for the mealplan - how absurd is that! Then it would be time for someone to sell and at a loss, may I add. I have to disagree with this as the deals you see now are to combat the economy and get more people into the resorts and parks. Yes by all means sell your points and hit the boards to find the latest "code or deal" and make sure to enjoy going only when those deals are out there, what are you going to do when they don't have them? The DVC units are paid for to inlcude the MFs, what possible reason would they offer cheaper rates to DVC? Perks are not owed to us and have to admit I do love the AP discount and if it goes away I'm not going to feel like DVC is screwing me over. So if they off a discount on DDP I wouldn't use it as I prefer to use the kitchen and one of the reasons we bought DVC. So shouldn't Disney offers those of us a deal too? We could go on and on with this.....But the deals are to fill the parks and resorts in low season. If the economy turns around and resorts are full those prices are going to go up up up, but our pts are the same (except for MF). Your OKW friends are a perfect example, someone will probably being the same about you in 15 years when the Poly DVC goes in and they want $250 pt. .

As far as mold and those items, yes that is unacceptable and I can't say that DVC has a higher incident rate then other resorts. I traded into a few Marriotts for the next year and was reading reviews before I finalized - and every so often I ran into one that said room was dirty, not cleaned, sofa is worn out and had dirt all over it.

I'm not saying it doesn't happen but it happens everywhere. I have seen plenty of people post state that they didn't have any problems (to include me) plus disboards is a small corss section of DVC owners. I stayed at a newer Wyndham (they are still building more units) a few months ago and there was tears in the carpet and the bathtub was dirty, another unit I stayed at there the microwave didn't work or the phone. They were pretty slow to get it fixed and I did report the carpet issue. Pretty hard to miss so why didn't housekeeping report it and have it fixed??? Like I said we could go on and on but yes it is unfortunate but these are common problems at other resorts too.

The DVCs I stayed at were much nicer that port orleans and caribean beach and yes I understand they are moderate not deluxe. But I found many issues with rude CMs and dirty common areas that I have yet to notice at the DVCs which include SSR, BWV, VWL, and BCV.

 

[Dean]

Really? In what state, and where? I would be quite interested in renting a "...very upscale beach cottage" for $625 a week, assuming it is actually warm enough to use the beach.

If it is not in season, you cannot compare it to an "in season" resort stay. WDW is always "in season" in that there is no time of year where the main attraction is not usable.

Actually we're at HH right now and one of our units cost us about $350 at Marriott's Grande Ocean as an exchange. Could have had Surfwatch or Barony or even Marriott's MB property as well for any one of a number of weeks this summer. We own the other 2 and the costs for them are significantly higher, around $2000 a week if you include the yearly fees and up front costs. We've been staying at 2 and 3 BR units in Orlando for about $300-350 a week and our last 2 trips to HI (8 weeks total) cost us about $1500 total for the 4 weeks combined.

Ok, to change the topic just a tad...does anyone think that resale prices will increase at anytime? My thinking is that the prices at the older DVC resorts will continue to depreciate as the newer resorts open. Like I said earlier, I am ready to take a $5000 loss on my investment as I used it for about 5 years many times and WAS satisfied. I'd rather get the remainder of my money back to invest in the stock market or pay for our wedding.

But back to my point, will sale prices ever go back up?

I'm thinking we're at or near the top for most things. I also doubt we'll see any real appreciation for the newer properties and the older ones will start to slowly decline. It's likely the spread between BLT, AKV and the 2042 resorts will widen over time.

 

[Ka-chow!]

I'm thinking we're at or near the top for most things. I also doubt we'll see any real appreciation for the newer properties and the older ones will start to slowly decline. It's likely the spread between BLT, AKV and the 2042 resorts will widen over time.

Good thread. I have not bought into DVC for several concerns posted. If you have already paid DVC a large upfront cost, maintenance fees for this year and every year for the foreseeable future, where is Disney's financial incentive to give you the best customer service experience year after year in a DVC? It seems that DVC would put resources into their new DVC's they continue to put on the market rather than maintain/refurbish old DVC properties. The model appears to focus on getting new customers and rather than trying to please the current DVC'ers. If it works for people, great.

As a kind of an aside, I'm concerned that if they continue to build more and more DVC's and hotels, they will continue to shoehorn more and more people into the same 4 parks, as a 5th park seems unlikely to break ground within the next 15 years, if ever. I'll be curious how many new DVC's and hotels will be built by 2025-30 and how those crowd levels will be. (By that time, they'll probably add more and more special ticket events at the parks per day to thin the crowds down.) Seems like it will be a much less magical place to do a vacation. So given the uncertainty, many pass on DVC and just rent the points.

 

[Mississippian]

Don't you think that the Mousekeepers need to do a better job reporting room issues and not rely on the Guest who are supposed to be on vacation. The Mousekeepers use the phone to report the room ready, shouldn't they have called in the phone report, or isn't it important to them. Where is the supervision? Do they ever do room inspections?

We were at OKW and a drawer was missing from the kitchen and the dishwasher wouldn't drain. We reported it to maintenance. The next day two guys showed up and said that the drawer had been broken a couple of months ago and one of them said that he thought that he had seen it in one of the shops. They played with the dishwasher and got it to drain. Didn't the Mousekeeper notice that the dishwasher was full of water? We never saw the drawer and the dishwasher broke the next day.

Bingo!

So many of the things which are broken are OBVIOUSLY broken. There ought to be a checklist that the maids are required to go through. After all, the rooms get cleaned, on average, perhaps twice a week. It ought to be easy enough to find broken light fixtures and such.

 

[MaryPA]

We bought BWV in 2005 and are very happy with it. We bought where we wanted to stay. We are able to plan our trips so that we can book at the 11 month window. We bought DVC for the rooms - not really any perks, although we do like the discount AP's. For us DVC has worked out very well.

Is it possible that Disney {not just DVC} housekeeping and maintenance is not up to past standards?

This past May, we stayed BWV and two nights at Wilderness Lodge. No problems at BWV but we had a very nice room at WL, it was clean and neat but the a/c was very loud and the bathroom fan kept coming on throughout the night and it was very bothersome. Of course, I told them and it didn't get fixed while we were there. Not all the lightbulbs worked either.

My question is - could this be all of Disney and not just at the DVC's?

You have every right to your opinion and if you want to sell, you should. If I were you I would give it another trip before I would sell. Good Luck.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Bingo!

So many of the things which are broken are OBVIOUSLY broken. There ought to be a checklist that the maids are required to go through. After all, the rooms get cleaned, on average, perhaps twice a week. It ought to be easy enough to find broken light fixtures and such.

And when they find a big problem, charge the guest who was staying in that room. Guests who cause problems in the villas need to pay for the mess that they make and the damage they create.

Housekeepers need to report room stuffing as well.

And too bad if the troublemakers complain.

 

[drakethib]

I don't see how they'll be making any $$, though. Our local SF (Fiesta Texas) is offering six days for $50

And a season pass good at ALL SF parks for $70 ($60 if you purchase 4 or more).

We drove in from Beaumont (actually thought about you guys when we went by Seguin) last weekend Chuck and stayed at the Hyatt Hill Country resort.

I gotta say, it was the wife and I first time there and we were really impressed with Six Flags Fiesta.

We would go back in a second. Yeah, the six days for $50 is dirt cheap, guess they are needing some quick cash upfront. I bet a good many people buy this and only go once or twice at most as the cost of food and drinks hurt the pocket book.