Showing my naivety-room availability DVC vs Cash

[mswhittaker]

We’ve only owned since 2017, so maybe this is me being new. But is it a “thing” that when searching for a studio on the DVC site they will show none available but you can go over to the regular Disney site and book the same room for cash? I needed to extend my stay a night due to a flight change, and when I looked for that night on the DVC tool, it showed zero available studios at any resort. Went over to the regular booking site and saw that Poly had open deluxe studios I could book with cash. I called and used our AP discount (out of points and don’t want to borrow from next year). Do they only allow so many DVC rentals on a particular night? I suppose so based on what I experienced, but I didn’t expect that. I would have thought DVC members would get priority on DVC rooms. Again, I’m probably just too much of a newbie to the DVC membership.

 

[stewart715]

Disney owns a portion of inventory of all DVC rooms. The rooms that are available for cash on disneyworld.com were never available for DVC members to reserve with points. We have our inventory and they have theirs. Members own 90-95% of the rooms and Disney owns the rest that they pay dues on etc.

 

[mswhittaker]

Disney owns a portion of inventory of all DVC rooms. The rooms that are available for cash on disneyworld.com were never available for DVC members to reserve with points. We have our inventory and they have theirs. Members own 90-95% of the rooms and Disney owns the rest that they pay dues on etc.

Ah, that explains it then. Thanks.

 

[CarolMN]

The lion's share of the cash inventory for the sold out DVC resorts comes from DVC members who used their points to take a cruise or stay at another Disney resort hotel (not DVC). DVC has to turn those choices into cash to pay for the member's choice and does so by making the equivalent number of nights available to the general public for cash. In essence, those "cash" rooms were already reserved by Members and then traded for something else.

It's a common question and poorly understood by many. Thanks for asking.

 

[EdnaMarieMode]

At some point, my understanding is that DVC "sells" available short term inventory to Disney to rent for cash ("breakage" is the term I see used). I'm not sure how far out this happens (it may vary based on a number of factors for all I know). It seems that you're close enough to your trip that this has already happened. (Note- this may not actually occur, but I have been told by MS recently that that was the case when we tried to add a day to our stay at SSR on points).

In addition, when members trade in points (for example, to cruise on DCL) the points are "sold" to Disney, who gives cash to DCL. That means Disney now "owns" that room on DVC points, and then has to rent it for cash (meaning it's not available to book for points).

Someone may be able to explain this much better than I can but the TLDR version is that the rooms that are available on cash but not on points were likely available at one time on points but those points were sold to Disney, who must now charge cash to get their money back.

 

[crvetter]

At some point, my understanding is that DVC "sells" available short term inventory to Disney to rent for cash ("breakage" is the term I see used). I'm not sure how far out this happens (it may vary based on a number of factors for all I know). It seems that you're close enough to your trip that this has already happened. (Note- this may not actually occur, but I have been told by MS recently that that was the case when we tried to add a day to our stay at SSR on points).

Currently it is 60 days. I believe they could change it to be anywhere between 30-90 days, if I recall correctly.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Disney also own points in their own right, and can "book" units at 11 months and rent them for cash.

 

[crvetter]

Disney also own points in their own right, and can "book" units at 11 months and rent them for cash.

Yeah for those interested it is 2% minimum usually higher because of ROFR and foreclosures.

 

[chalee94]

The "breakage" rooms can sometimes be pulled back into points inventory. But the rooms booked on pts, whether owned by Disney or managed by Disney to pay for cruises or ABD, can only be booked for cash.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Basically: Every DVC unit is "booked on points."

Whose points, and if they then rent the "reservation" or not, is up to the controller of the points.

 

[crvetter]

Basically: Every DVC unit is "booked on points."

Whose points, and if they then rent the "reservation" or not, is up to the controller of the points.

Except breakage would be the only case when points aren't used but otherwise I agree. Mostly I haven't seen anything that was odd on the cash side of Disney for DVC properties.