Saturday Night Rant (and Friday too)

[ExRIGuy]

I am beginning to believe that Disney artifically inflates Saturday night points rates, not because demand from us DVC'ers is high, but so they can keep us away to rent to cash paying non-DVC'ers. Seriously, just looking at a Sat night at HH this summer made me cringe, and when I call for ressies all other nights are booked -- except for Sat nights and some Friday's. So I waitlisted, but I truly believe we are getting deterred from staying in our own homes on Sat nights so Disney can get a ton of cash for them.

 

[Beach Bunny]

I would love to be able to just stay at the Boardwalk

 

[eyeheartgoofy]

I am planning for our next trip and debating on whether or not to use points for Fri and Sat nights - 1 bedroom will be 150 points for sun-thur, but 120 points for Fri and Sat. Kind of tight when you don't have too many points. BUT, I did know this when I bought, so I'm not really ticked about it - just mildly annoyed. Originally, I was planning on avoiding the weekends, but I've discovered that I don't like to move.

 

[Granny]

I think the best advice is to look at the point charts as weekly requirements. And if you like, you can then think "how nice that they have lower points for the week nights vs the weekend nights"!

It's all perspective...and certainly nothing to get steamed about. It's not like they changed the charts after we joined!

 

[Amy5000]

I think the best advice is to look at the point charts as weekly requirements.

Granny: What good and zen advice. I'm a newbie and was just starting to get really frustrated as I studied the points charts and started to realize the damage that weekends do to our points. But reading your post made me so much more calm...

until I started to think...if I want to do a weekend get away, I'm screwed b/c I've paid the high points without the benefit of the low points....
Or If I want to add a second weekend onto my stay...

(uh, oh, blood pressure rising, better start deep breathing...)

 

[dwelty]

IIt's all perspective...and certainly nothing to get steamed about. It's not like they changed the charts after we joined!

Granny makes a good point. The points were the same as when you bought.
Why complain now? If you think Disney is gouging you on weekend points, why did you buy in the first place?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Just like other Grannies, Granny is very wise. We do the same, but we add up all the points for the entire stay and average it out by night. Not nearly so bad that way. Besides, we bought our points to stay in our DVC resorts, not to move over to Values or pull extra cash out of our pockets for cash nights.

Just one reason not to invite anyone else to go with you requiring larger accomodations.

 

[ExRIGuy]

I disagree with the "you knew going in" line. True. But, with that said, you don't mind humongous weekend point rates that deter us from using the resorts so Disney can grab $900 a night for them? Do you think this money is honestly used to offset our costs? I think it's a bit of a slap in the face. Not "angry" mind you, just frustrated. The points charts should reflect OUR demand habits, no?

 

[keishashadow]

It's probably the only reason we still stay in a Deluxe for 2 nights or go offsite to Loews/Universal for a few days.

I've added Saturdays on to a four night weekstay; then moved on somewhere else for 3 nights...get to experience the best of both worlds; we're used to moving.

 

[Starr W.]

I disagree with the "you knew going in" line. True. But, with that said, you don't mind humongous weekend point rates that deter us from using the resorts so Disney can grab $900 a night for them? Do you think this money is honestly used to offset our costs? I think it's a bit of a slap in the face. Not "angry" mind you, just frustrated. The points charts should reflect OUR demand habits, no?

The only weekend points I really choke on are at HH, At WDW I have no problem using Fri-Sat points, but usually limit it to 1 of those days per trip. I am not a mover, I like to unpack and stay put.

 

[rwcmath]

When I saw HHI's point system, I figured that maybe golfers didn't mind paying those prices, since I'm not a golfer, you wouldn't see us on weekends.

I've "bought into" the idea that locals, the Floridians, would just book weekends in WDW if the weekend rates were more in line with weekdays. That does make sense to me. Some of the other point timeshares have a premium price for Sundays as well, I'm glad we don't have that.

rwc

 

[CarolMN]

...(snip)....until I started to think...if I want to do a weekend get away, I'm screwed b/c I've paid the high points without the benefit of the low points....
Or If I want to add a second weekend onto my stay.......

If the weekends were the same as weekdays, the weekdays would have to be higher. Remember the total # of points to rent out the resort for a year can't increase or decrease. Decrease something, then increase something else.

Also, don't you think that everyone would try to do as you are wanting to do re weekend getaway trips or tagging another weekend onto your stay?

Without the differential, demand for weekend days would far exceed availability - everyone who stays a week can't use up two weekends, there just aren't enough of them! It wouldn't surprise me to see NO WEEKEND days available to book at 7 months - even at the larger DVC resorts.

I think DVC has done a good job "handicapping" the inventory (evening out the emand between weekdays and weekends).

ExRIGuy - Disney isn't making "a ton of cash" by renting out the weekends. The lion's share of nights available to the general public for cash come from DVC members who use their points outside the DVC resorts.

Renting out weekend days for cash benefits members who want to use their points for something in the Disney Collection (including cruises) or the Adventurer's or Concerige Collections.

It's much easier to rent Friday and Saturday nights to the general public (they prefer weekends, too, LOL) and DVC has to get cash to pay for the non-DVC options.

If DVC members booked all the weekends, DVC would have to get the cash from weekdays. DVC may not be able to rent the same number of weekdays as easily as it can the weekends so rooms would go empty. That would icrease the number of nights it would take to recover the cash DVC needs to pay for members' non-DVC choices. Eventually, the points to do something besdies a DVC resort would increase beyond what most would be willing to pay, effectively eliminating many of our choices.


Bottom Line: You can't just look at the points for weekends in isolation - they're part of the Grand Scheme of DVC. JMHO. YMMV.

 

[DisneyHumbug]

The high points required for Fri and Sat sometimes are helpful. For instance, I want to plan a trip and I'm well within 11 months, even 7 months. Chances are, I can snag a Fri and Sat night.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I look at it this way - we usually drive to WDW on Saturday and don't arrive until 4:00 or so. I would hate to use points for that day anyway, since we wouldn't be at the resort that long. Plus it gives us a chance to experience a moderate for one night before moving in for the week at our home. So it doesn't really bother me that the points are higher for Saturday nights.

 

[dis-happy]

I think that CarolMN's post hits the nail on the head.

One other facet of this equation: Disney gets more money from the DVCers as well. Oftentimes people will spend cash (as opposed to points) to stay at a value or mod on weekends, or book a DVC room with the member discount. I've always been impressed with Disney's ability to get people to part with their money!!!

 

[kimberh]

Here is what has been happening to me. When we take the married children we need a two bedroom. We usually check in on Thursday out on Monday. I am dying with the point total. This is happening on every vacation with the family. The DGC have school, everyone else has to work, so no one can take much time off of work. When we come by ourself, we can book the Sun -Fri check out. Works great. On the two bedroom trips, the cash price has not been available for member discount or not available at all. The points for one night in a two bedroom for Fri or Sat night can be 5 nights in a Studio for certain seasons. It is unreal. For those that will come on and say that I knew this, no I did not! I bought a resale... found all this out after the fact. I do wish they were not so high either. I do try to look at the whole picture as Granny said, I love my DVC, just wish the weekend points were lower.

 

[Amy5000]

CarolMN: Of course your post made perfect sense and it pointed out many of the realities that I like to ignore...like wouldn't everyone like to snag an extra weekend. Ok...I'm back to my zen view of DVC...

Amy

 

[dianeschlicht]

Carol and Granny are absolutely correct. Now as for how to plan...Since we live quite a distance from WDW, we usually take a ;couple of 10 day plus trips a year. By arriving on a Sunday and staying through the next weekend and leaving the following Tuesday or Wednesday, we get a 10-11 night trip with just one weekend's worth of points. Sometimes we conserve even more by having guests with us in a 2 bedroom lock off the first 5 nights, then switching down to the 1 bedroom portion of the lock-off after our guests leave. That means we are in the cheaper point digs for Friday and Saturday night. When we come without guests, we sometimes arrive on a Saturday, spend that night in a studio, and then switch to a 1 bedroom on Sunday and stay there for a week.

When we first purchased 10 years ago, we did exactly what Granny proposed...We looked at it as a week at a time.

 

[tjkraz]

Forgive me if someone else pointed this out but I think there's a flaw in the logic that it helps Disney to have the high weekend points.

AFAIK, there are three ways that a DVC room can be available for cash:

1. DVC member 25% discount. The rate is only offered when the resort is not projected to be at full capacity, which probably happens a fair amount of time on the weekends. However, the net profit from the transaction is shown as a credit toward the resort dues for the next year. It's under the category of "Breakage Income."

2. Unbooked DVC rooms 60 days prior to check-in are made available to CRO. Again, profit goes as a credit to member dues.

In both of these scenarios, Disney will earn some sort of service fee (probably more in the case of #2 since CRO is involved), but they don't stand to gain a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Most of the benefit goes back to the DVC members since their dues are reduced accordingly.

3. The final way Disney gains access to DVC rooms is when a member uses points to trade out of DVC. DVC uses the member's points to set aside DVC resort rooms for cash guests. In this case, it's costing DVC just as much to set aside a room for a Friday / Saturday night as it does a DVC member.

In other words, if a BCV member uses 160 points for a cruise, DVC can then use those 160 points to set aside BCV room(s) for cash guests. But they are subject to the same weighted point tables. That 160 points could allow them to take out of inventory a 2B in Magic Season for 4 weekday nights or just 2 weekend nights (that's only 150 pts actually.)

Under any of these scenarios, I really don't see any great benefit to Disney for the weighted weekend points. And, if the weekends were less, the weekdays would be more. Since I'm content using my points for Sun - Thurs, I'll selfishly say that I'm pretty happy with things the way they are.

 

[Plutofan]

I believe that having higher weekend points was very thought out by Disney. If all the nights were the same Disney would probably have a lot of single nights that would be hard to sell for cash. By increasing the point requirement for weekends there is a higher chance that two days together would not be booked on points. Disney/DVC would have a much easier time to sell two popular nights together at a discount than just a lot of mixed dates. I would believe that Friday and Saturday nights are probably in higher demand than other nights at non DVC resorts.