Somebody 'splain this to me....

[ibouncetoo]

***new question in post #11***


I'm renting DVC from a close friend for a stay in early December for a two bedroom ANY RESORT, and we are (well, she is) wait listed by member services as there are NONE AVAILABLE at this time.

Now, when I go on line at the WDW site...I could book RIGHT NOW a two bedroom at Beach Club Villas or Old Key West for my dates.

So my question is....as DVC owners...doesn't this annoy you? Shouldn't owners get priority?

Does this mean DVC actually only 'owns' a percentage of the rooms at these resorts? I guess that would explain it. Anybody know what that percentage is?

 

[dianeschlicht]

They are two different inventories. The points inventory that was used to 'exchange" into the Disney collection, are now not in the DVC inventory, because those points were already used. They were used by CRO, so the inventory you see on the CRO site is no longer DVC inventory.

 

[cobbler]

Plus Disney retains a small percentage of the resort that is usually available to CRO for cash bookings. This is a part of the resort we do NOT own and therefore have no claim to how it is used.

 

[Mtnman44]

Without allowing them to sell that inventory for cash, we wouldn't be able to trade out of DVC for other places and such.

 

[Fonzy13]

I guess you think it should be annoying because it takes up space at the resort. If that is indeed your thoughts, you must really think we'd be annoyed by people renting space there.

 

[CraftyMouse]

I guess you think it should be annoying because it takes up space at the resort. If that is indeed your thoughts, you must really think we'd be annoyed by people renting space there.

That seems like a harsh reply.

My take was that she thought members would be annoyed because you could book a room for cash but there was no availibility for points reservations. Since you own points there it would be frustrating to not get a reservation when cash-paying guests could get one.

 

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

As I understand it, Disney -- while one big happy family, I'm sure -- is made up of many smaller companies under the corporate umbrella. DVC and WDW aren't the same entity. WDW (or some part of the company) owns a certain percentage of timeshares in each DVC property, which they use for cash reservations made through CRO. In a sense, these are rooms that have already been booked by a DVC member -> WDW. I guess I can't hold it against them that they have more points than I do. Their investment makes my point purchase and annual dues more affordable.

In addition to these rooms, every time a DVC member exchanges their membership points out of Disney (to Interval International, for example), the rooms that member owns are also rented for cash to pay for the exchange. I certainly won't complain about the mechanics that make it possible for me to exchange out of Disney (even though we haven't chosen to do it yet).

So while it may seem strange that you can't get a points booking for a period when a cash reservation is available, it all makes sense to the accountants.

 

[JimMIA]

So my question is....as DVC owners...doesn't this annoy you?

No, not at all. We understand the system...and one of the things we understand about the system is how terribly difficult it is to get any ressie for early December six months out. It's not impossible to get something, but it is a real challenge to get what you want.

Shouldn't owners get priority?

We do. We get an 11-month priority, which is precisely why you're having such difficulty at six months.

Does this mean DVC actually only 'owns' a percentage of the rooms at these resorts? I guess that would explain it. Anybody know what that percentage is?

Yes, that's exactly what it means. I think the percentage is about 4% and it varies a little from resort to resort. As above posters alluded to, whenever we use our points to "trade out" of DVC, that availability also goes into the CRO inventory. And finally, at 60 days out (I think), all of the unreserved inventory becomes available to CRO. Any revenue from those rentals is called "breakage revenue" and goes into the resort's financial statement to offset some of our dues.

Upset? Naw, not at all. Good luck with your waitlist and have a great trip!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'll second what Jim said. And advise you to get something else for cash during your time frame in case your wait list doesn't come through. If the wait list comes through, you can always cancel the cash reservation.

 

[ibouncetoo]

My take was that she thought members would be annoyed because you could book a room for cash but there was no availibility for points reservations. Since you own points there it would be frustrating to not get a reservation when cash-paying guests could get one.

Yep, that's what I ment.

.Yes, that's exactly what it means. I think the percentage is about 4% and it varies a little from resort to resort. As above posters alluded to, whenever we use our points to "trade out" of DVC, that availability also goes into the CRO inventory. !

Wow, I wouldn't have thought as low as 4%. though. And the fact that when you 'trade out' the inventory goes to CRO instead of staying in the DVD 'pool' explains why my friend was having so much trouble 'trading in' through I.I.

I'll second what Jim said. And advise you to get something else for cash during your time frame in case your wait list doesn't come through. If the wait list comes through, you can always cancel the cash reservation.

I'm covered there.

I was just surprised when my friend wanted to book her DVC points (regardless of who was using them) that she was waitlisted (even at her home resort) when there were availabilities on line. I knew you guys could explain it!

 

[ibouncetoo]

Hey...I have another question for the experts:

If the wait list doesn't come through by the time we reach her 'banking deadline' for these points (late September I think), what happens if she continues to wait for the confirmation, and then it's November and no confimation comes through? Does she loose the option of banking those points if she gets the 'no room at the inn' message after her banking window? And does it make a difference if we wait for DVC to tell us 'no go' or if she/we give up and pull the request like 45 days before the arrival date?

Thanks in advance for the lessons!

 

[Deb & Bill]

If these are current year points, she could bank them by the 100% banking deadline. Then if the waitlist does come through, she could borrow from next year to make the reservation. She would have to use the banked points by the end of next UY.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Hey...I have another question for the experts:

If the wait list doesn't come through by the time we reach her 'banking deadline' for these points (late September I think), what happens if she continues to wait for the confirmation, and then it's November and no confimation comes through? Does she loose the option of banking those points if she gets the 'no room at the inn' message after her banking window? And does it make a difference if we wait for DVC to tell us 'no go' or if she/we give up and pull the request like 45 days before the arrival date?

Thanks in advance for the lessons!

If she misses the deadline, yes she would lose the points. Yes, you can pull the waitlist request off at any time.

 

[ibouncetoo]

I'll be sure she knows about banking her points then re-borrowing them. She travels to WDW so much, I don't think she's ever had to bank points before!


So what happens tomorrow, when a bunch of DVC owners switch existing reservations over to AKV? Will those released reservations/resorts be given to wait listed DVC owners? You'd think, huh? Isn't that what wait listing is all about?

Thanks folks.


.

 

[Caskbill]

I'll be sure she knows about banking her points then re-borrowing them. She travels to WDW so much, I don't think she's ever had to bank points before!


So what happens tomorrow, when a bunch of DVC owners switch existing reservations over to AKV? Will those released reservations/resorts be given to wait listed DVC owners? You'd think, huh? Isn't that what wait listing is all about?

Thanks folks.


.

Yep, anyone who had a DVC reservation somewhere else, and gets an AKV reservation to replace it, their original DVC reservations are released back into member inventory. They would then go to the persons on the wait list.

Finally, just to clarify 'trade outs'. If a DVC member uses points outside of DVC, such as taking a Disney Cruise, they 'use' their points for the cruise. But the cruise line can't use DVC points. Instead, DVC takes the number of points used by the member for the cruise, and 'reserves' regular DVC accommodations using those points, just as if the member had made a DVC reservation themselves. That reservation then is given to CRO who rents it out for cash. The cash received then goes to DCL to pay for the member's cruise.

That's why you'll see inventory available for cash. They can't just open the reservation up to someone else to get it using points as they need to 'convert the points' into cash to pay for the cruise.

Hope this helps.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Thanks, Bill for putting it into better words!