What exactly are our rights as VGC owners?

[LilyJC]

I guess I am just curious as to what VGC owners want?

As a VGC owner who lives ridiculously close to DLR, I would appreciate an inkling of information as to timeline/plans. I realize restrictions from the state play a huge part in this, but again, communication about options for our points depending on opening timelines would be oh so helpful.

Also, as a SoCal resident, using our points elsewhere currently is just not an option for our family. Being on a plane for at least 5 hours to get to any of the other DVC resorts isn’t feasible for my husband in healthcare. Yes, our personal choice, but to say, “oh just use them at another resort,” doesn’t work for everyone.

I know there are plenty of other local VGC owners, as well as CA residents, who would happily welcome a change of scenery at VGC. Disney has done a great job of reopening Downtown Disney and starting November, Buena Vista St. in DCA will be opening for shopping/dining! At this point I feel safer in DtD than other stores, church, and family gatherings! The CMs do a fantastic job enforcing the mask policies. I couldn’t care less about the pool opening as we have one at home I’ve used more this year than ever before. Plus it’s finally getting cold here, so pool time won’t be appealing for many Californians.

All of that rant to say, I just want information!! I’ve been fortunate this year as my next VGC stay isn’t until Valentine’s Day weekend as a getaway with my husband. But now with the state guidelines released this week, I’m wondering if I should cancel and lose the 8 points that expire at the end of February and bank the rest of my March UY points... I have until the end of the month to decide Thankfully all of my WDW resort points have been bankable or a smallish amount expire at the end of July 2021... Please just give us a tiny bit of information, Disney!!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, as a SoCal resident, using our points elsewhere currently is just not an option for our family. Being on a plane for at least 5 hours to get to any of the other DVC resorts isn’t feasible for my husband in healthcare. Yes, our personal choice, but to say, “oh just use them at another resort,” doesn’t work for everyone.

As we've seen with international owners who cannot travel to any DVC location at all, your feasibility is unlikely to be a factor in an extension. DVC is under no obligation to provide additional consideration around what amounts to personal circumstance, and if they do with VGC it gets messy for all the points they haven't provided this consideration to as they have to operate for the good of the aggregate membership, rather than individuals.

 

[LilyJC]

As we've seen with international owners who cannot travel to any DVC location at all, your feasibility is unlikely to be a factor in an extension. DVC is under no obligation to provide additional consideration around what amounts to personal circumstance, and if they do with VGC it gets messy for all the points they haven't provided this consideration to as they have to operate for the good of the aggregate membership, rather than individuals.

As I made clear in my post, I would just like information. East coast resort owners were given information early on, and even Aulani now has an opening date. I’m not looking for an exception to be made for myself personally because we aren’t currently willing to get on a plane for a 5+ hour flight.

 

[Sandisw]

As I made clear in my post, I would just like information. East coast resort owners were given information early on, and even Aulani now has an opening date. I’m not looking for an exception to be made for myself personally because we aren’t currently willing to get on a plane for a 5+ hour flight.

To be fair, east coast owners were given info about 3 weeks in advance of opening for the most part, on the extensions and late banking.

They did give some info mid April for a few UYs, but at that time much of the information lead many to believe a June 1st opening.

I agree that it would be great for them to say something, but honestly, I don’t think they could other than we simply don’t know,

Even Aulani owners were only giving info once an opening date was announced, and then only an extra 3 months for banked 2018...since those were extended until November 30th already...and Feb 2019 until the end of February 2021.

IMO, I would bank the points if using them elsewhere or depositing in RCI is not an option.

I do hope that they figure it out soon foe VGC owners so they can plan. At least with the exceptions given to Aulani owners, there seems to be a pretty good bet that some level of extension will occur.

 

[CP3uhoh]

To be fair, east coast owners were given info about 3 weeks in advance of opening for the most part, on the extensions and late banking.

They did give some info mid April for a few UYs, but at that time much of the information lead many to believe a June 1st opening.

I agree that it would be great for them to say something, but honestly, I don’t think they could other than we simply don’t know,

Even Aulani owners were only giving info once an opening date was announced, and then only an extra 3 months for banked 2018...since those were extended until November 30th already...and Feb 2019 until the end of February 2021.

IMO, I would bank the points if using them elsewhere or depositing in RCI is not an option.

I do hope that they figure it out soon foe VGC owners so they can plan. At least with the exceptions given to Aulani owners, there seems to be a pretty good bet that some level of extension will occur.

Isn’t the easiest answer just to extend by the number of months they remain closed? Plus, even if you’re willing to go to Florida to use them, it’s a lot of value destruction unless you’re using at GFV. Highest values points out there. Depositing to RCI....

 

[Sandisw]

Isn’t the easiest answer just to extend by the number of months they remain closed? Plus, even if you’re willing to go to Florida to use them, it’s a lot of value destruction unless you’re using at GFV. Highest values points out there. Depositing to RCI....

It’s still a timeshare that trades into the system with other open resorts, so no, it’s really not easy to just say extend the points.

It doesn’t work that way. Legally, they don’t need to do anything in terms of extensions, but given how unprecedented this is, they have been fair. The extension of 2018 points seems to be DVC/DVD owned points and not an actual owners points.

Regardless of the value, the contract gives remedies for loss of use of the resort, and what they are doing right now...allowing VGC points to be used elsewhere even though those rooms are not available meaning there are more points to rooms ratio..is one such remedy.

As mentioned, it really isn’t going to matter what the final outcome is because some VGC owners are going to be upset with the decision.

 

[Hjs33]

Since they are opening Downtown Disney and Buena Vista Street, I would imagine they might announce that they would open VGF for staycation type stays. Maybe even open up some of the cash rooms that they are not using to eat up a lot of the accumulated points from 7-8 months of being closed.

I would also image that if they don’t make an announcement soon, that they will probably make one at the DVC condo meeting in about 6 weeks.

 

[buffalobasingal]

Since Disney announced that they are reopening VGC Villas on Dec. 6, I called and asked what the policy will be for banked points. The CM said as of now they are only extending these to one month past the end of our Use Year. I haven’t seen anything in writing or any official communication on this. Has anyone else received an email or heard something similar? If that is the case, we aren’t planning to use these points before then. Do you think anyone would be interested in renting a stay at VGC even if the parks are closed?

 

[starry_solo]

Since Disney announced that they are reopening VGC Villas on Dec. 6, I called and asked what the policy will be for banked points. The CM said as of now they are only extending these to one month past the end of our Use Year. I haven’t seen anything in writing or any official communication on this. Has anyone else received an email or heard something similar? If that is the case, we aren’t planning to use these points before then. Do you think anyone would be interested in renting a stay at VGC even if the parks are closed?

Yes, I think CA locals would be interested in a staycation! Or you can use them to book reservations at WDW resorts?

 

[Sandisw]

Since Disney announced that they are reopening VGC Villas on Dec. 6, I called and asked what the policy will be for banked points. The CM said as of now they are only extending these to one month past the end of our Use Year. I haven’t seen anything in writing or any official communication on this. Has anyone else received an email or heard something similar? If that is the case, we aren’t planning to use these points before then. Do you think anyone would be interested in renting a stay at VGC even if the parks are closed?

There has been nothing posted or shared that an extension beyond November 30th for banked 2018 points is happening, except for AUL.

What is your UY? The info you got regarding one extra month may Be new.

 

[buffalobasingal]

There has been nothing posted or shared that an extension beyond November 30th for banked 2018 points is happening, except for AUL.

What is your UY? The info you got regarding one extra month may Be new.

My use year is January, so the CM said the one month extension would allow me to use the banked points until February 2021. I was hoping they would extend it out 4 months past reopening like they did at Aulani since I have a reservation for March during Spring Break that would probably be easy to rent out.

 

[Sandisw]

My use year is January, so the CM said the one month extension would allow me to use the banked points until February 2021. I was hoping they would extend it out 4 months past reopening like they did at Aulani since I have a reservation for March during Spring Break that would probably be easy to rent out.

There is no January UY, so I am confused a bit,

But, for AUL owners, it was an additional 3 months, not 4, for banked 2018 points which originally expired November 30th, but were given until end of Feb, 2021.

For banked 2019 Feb UY, those were only extended one month until the end of Feb 2021.

So, if your points were to expire end of January, and now they expire end of Feb, it sounds like maybe VGC is being given the same terms as AUL.

 

[buffalobasingal]

There is no January UY, so I am confused a bit,

But, for AUL owners, it was an additional 3 months, not 4, for banked 2018 points which originally expired November 30th, but were given until end of Feb, 2021.

For banked 2019 Feb UY, those were only extended one month until the end of Feb 2021.

So, if your points were to expire end of January, and now they expire end of Feb, it sounds like maybe VGC is being given the same terms as AUL.

Sorry, I meant that the points expire January 31, 2021. So, you're right that I have a February use year. Sounds like our best bet is to try to rent these points out and if not then transfer them to RCI. Thank you!

 

[buffalobasingal]

I called this morning to double check on the one-month extension and they told me it was only on impacted reservations. But, my points were already returned to my account and so my reservation is not impacted anymore so they are no longer eligible for the 1-month extension. The communication coming from Disney on this is inconsistent. I live out of state and with COVID-19 cases going up the likelihood of travel restrictions going up is increasing, so using these points ourselves by the end of January is unlikely. Also, the rental companies told me that they have too many points to rent out right now, so it is unlikely we can get these rented and if they are it will be at a big discount.

As an owner at VGC, I would like an equivalent policy on banked points expiration to be offered to Grand Californian owners that was offered to Aulani owners. Aulani opened on November 1, 2020 and points were extended until February 28, 2021 which is a 4 month window. Since VGC is re-opening on December 6, 2020 the equivalent would give VGC owners until at least March 31, 2020 to use our banked points. This is what I would like to see happen for VGC owners.

This article on DVC Fan is what I am referencing for the banked points extension offered to Aulani owners by Disney:

https://dvcfan.com/2020/10/06/aulani-owners-receive-banked-points-extension/

“To provide greater flexibility for Members with an ownership interest at Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii, we’ve modified our temporary policies regarding expiring Vacation Points for those with a reservation impacted by the Resort’s closure. If you have previously banked Points that are still eligible for use, they will automatically be extended through Feb 28, 2021, and will be available online for use through the Member Online Booking tool once your Use Year has ended. This includes previously banked April, June, August, September, October, or December 2018 or February 2019 Aulani Use Year points. All other types of Points will follow their normal expiration process."

As we previously reported, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, has announced that they will begin a phased reopening of their resort on Sunday – November 1st, 2020.

 

[Sandisw]

I called this morning to double check on the one-month extension and they told me it was only on impacted reservations. But, my points were already returned to my account and so my reservation is not impacted anymore so they are no longer eligible for the 1-month extension. The communication coming from Disney on this is inconsistent. I live out of state and with COVID-19 cases going up the likelihood of travel restrictions going up is increasing, so using these points ourselves by the end of January is unlikely. Also, the rental companies told me that they have too many points to rent out right now, so it is unlikely we can get these rented and if they are it will be at a big discount.

As an owner at VGC, I would like an equivalent policy on banked points expiration to be offered to Grand Californian owners that was offered to Aulani owners. Aulani opened on November 1, 2020 and points were extended until February 28, 2021 which is a 4 month window. Since VGC is re-opening on December 6, 2020 the equivalent would give VGC owners until at least March 31, 2020 to use our banked points. This is what I would like to see happen for VGC owners.

This article on DVC Fan is what I am referencing for the banked points extension offered to Aulani owners by Disney:

https://dvcfan.com/2020/10/06/aulani-owners-receive-banked-points-extension/

“To provide greater flexibility for Members with an ownership interest at Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii, we’ve modified our temporary policies regarding expiring Vacation Points for those with a reservation impacted by the Resort’s closure. If you have previously banked Points that are still eligible for use, they will automatically be extended through Feb 28, 2021, and will be available online for use through the Member Online Booking tool once your Use Year has ended. This includes previously banked April, June, August, September, October, or December 2018 or February 2019 Aulani Use Year points. All other types of Points will follow their normal expiration process."

As we previously reported, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, has announced that they will begin a phased reopening of their resort on Sunday – November 1st, 2020.

Yes, but just to clarify again that the extension for AUL owners was only 3 months since DVCM had extended all points to November 30th, 2021 already in the Spring.

I know it seems like a simple thing but I think in contacting DVCM, having correct information is important,

I am surprised they didn’t apply the same extension rules to VGC points affected by the closure as well, While they do not have to, it would have been a nice gesture to stay consistent.

 

[shaunacb]

I called this morning to double check on the one-month extension and they told me it was only on impacted reservations. But, my points were already returned to my account and so my reservation is not impacted anymore so they are no longer eligible for the 1-month extension. The communication coming from Disney on this is inconsistent. I live out of state and with COVID-19 cases going up the likelihood of travel restrictions going up is increasing, so using these points ourselves by the end of January is unlikely. Also, the rental companies told me that they have too many points to rent out right now, so it is unlikely we can get these rented and if they are it will be at a big discount.

As an owner at VGC, I would like an equivalent policy on banked points expiration to be offered to Grand Californian owners that was offered to Aulani owners. Aulani opened on November 1, 2020 and points were extended until February 28, 2021 which is a 4 month window. Since VGC is re-opening on December 6, 2020 the equivalent would give VGC owners until at least March 31, 2020 to use our banked points. This is what I would like to see happen for VGC owners.

This article on DVC Fan is what I am referencing for the banked points extension offered to Aulani owners by Disney:

https://dvcfan.com/2020/10/06/aulani-owners-receive-banked-points-extension/

“To provide greater flexibility for Members with an ownership interest at Aulani, Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii, we’ve modified our temporary policies regarding expiring Vacation Points for those with a reservation impacted by the Resort’s closure. If you have previously banked Points that are still eligible for use, they will automatically be extended through Feb 28, 2021, and will be available online for use through the Member Online Booking tool once your Use Year has ended. This includes previously banked April, June, August, September, October, or December 2018 or February 2019 Aulani Use Year points. All other types of Points will follow their normal expiration process."

As we previously reported, Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa, has announced that they will begin a phased reopening of their resort on Sunday – November 1st, 2020.

I’m in the same situation with points expiring Jan 31. Rather than stress about RCI or policies of extension (like you, my impacted reservation may not have counted due to changes I made), I rented them out on disboards in less than 4 days.

 

[buffalobasingal]

I’m in the same situation with points expiring Jan 31. Rather than stress about RCI or policies of extension (like you, my impacted reservation may not have counted due to changes I made), I rented them out on disboards in less than 4 days.

Thank you! I'm a new owner, so I have not rented out points before. I was looking to rent through a company instead of privately since it sounded like it offers more protection. But, if I'm going to possibly lose the points anyways, then I have nothing to lose if a renter backs out and doesn't pay. Is there any advice you can give to a "newbie" of things to watch out for to avoid a scam?

 

[shaunacb]

Other more seasoned renters can probably give some advice, but I would read the pinned posts at the top of the DVC rent/trade forum. Don't worry about being scammed... the people renting the points from you are the ones who need to watch out for scammers. As the owner, no one can scam you because they have already paid you at the time you made the booking. It is wise to use a contract, expect payment in full at the time of booking, and make sure that the person renting from you knows when the points expire. If the reservation had to be cancelled, they would have until the points expire to ask you to book something else available (or be refunded if you are able to rent the points out to someone else). That is how I have done it.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I was looking to rent through a company instead of privately since it sounded like it offers more protection.

Not this year. That argument didn't just get blown up, it got burned to ash, had MGD poured on it, and then ants drowned themselves in that beer. Ugly.

 

[buffalobasingal]

Other more seasoned renters can probably give some advice, but I would read the pinned posts at the top of the DVC rent/trade forum. Don't worry about being scammed... the people renting the points from you are the ones who need to watch out for scammers. As the owner, no one can scam you because they have already paid you at the time you made the booking. It is wise to use a contract, expect payment in full at the time of booking, and make sure that the person renting from you knows when the points expire. If the reservation had to be cancelled, they would have until the points expire to ask you to book something else available (or be refunded if you are able to rent the points out to someone else). That is how I have done it.

Thank you! That is all really good advice.