why should i still be a dvc owner

[jbh275]

I still really enjoy DVC. It's a great product. Been a member with VGC since 2010. I do worry about flooding the market with too many units/resorts.

 

[Brian Noble]

The reason to be a DVC owner is to commit to frequent stays at a DVC resort, and in return getting a discount on those stays vs. renting from Disney directly. The reason to stop being a DVC owner is that you no longer want that deal---primarily because you want to go less often than DVC requires (IMO, at least once every two years or so), and maybe not at all.

None of the other stuff really matters---except to the extent that you (do not) want to continue vacationing with Disney.

 

[Pinnochio]

In January of 2019 i bought two Gold AP Passes for me & my wife....$1,100 total....Took three trips that year totaling 36 days.....Fast forward two years till today....a four day p.hopper pass that expires in 7 days will now cost me $1,176.....wow!

I don't think i'm alone in saying that for at least this year, 3 trips to WDW will not be happening....

I wonder if Disney understands their business decision in eliminating Gold or any AP's....I'm sure that many dollars spent in the parks will be lost due to people taking less trips.....

As an example, we like to have a signature dining meal each night we are there....For us that comes to about $200 a night...multiply that by 36 nights ($7,200) and you get the point

just my two cents....

 

[TinkB278]

In January of 2019 i bought two Gold AP Passes for me & my wife....$1,100 total....Took three trips that year totaling 36 days.....Fast forward two years till today....a four day p.hopper pass that expires in 7 days will now cost me $1,176.....wow!

I don't think i'm alone in saying that for at least this year, 3 trips to WDW will not be happening....

I wonder if Disney understands their business decision in eliminating Gold or any AP's....I'm sure that many dollars spent in the parks will be lost due to people taking less trips.....

As an example, we like to have a signature dining meal each night we are there....For us that comes to about $200 a night...multiply that by 36 nights ($7,200) and you get the point

just my two cents....

I feel the same way. I was planning three trips between this May and next May but if the AP is not available starting with the first trip in May, I’m going to cancel and take one single week long trip in September in a higher point category room. I don’t feel like spending thousands of dollars multiple times.
This is why I think they should consider opening up AP sales to DVC members at least.

 

[Chuck S]

Except the perks are NOT offered or controlled by DVC, as such. The Dining Plan wasn't even available to DVC Reservations when it was first introduced. It was only a component of cash room packages. The AP perk is not controlled by DVC, but by Disney Parks, and NO ONE is currently able to buy new WDW APs, unless you had one during the closure. If staying onsite, and receiving the same perks as available to all other onsite guests isn't for you, even much cheaper than paying cash, then I would agree, it is time to take a break and either rent to see how that works out for you, or sell, Remember, though, if you do stay offsite and drive, there will be parking fees unless you have an AP, and until the pandemic the parks may close periodically to offsite guests.

DVC no more controls perks offered to it by Disney Parks than Comcast Cable controls cable customer perks for Universal Studios theme parks, even though they are under the same corporate umbrella.

 

[Sandisw]

In January of 2019 i bought two Gold AP Passes for me & my wife....$1,100 total....Took three trips that year totaling 36 days.....Fast forward two years till today....a four day p.hopper pass that expires in 7 days will now cost me $1,176.....wow!

I don't think i'm alone in saying that for at least this year, 3 trips to WDW will not be happening....

I wonder if Disney understands their business decision in eliminating Gold or any AP's....I'm sure that many dollars spent in the parks will be lost due to people taking less trips.....

As an example, we like to have a signature dining meal each night we are there....For us that comes to about $200 a night...multiply that by 36 nights ($7,200) and you get the point

just my two cents....

I think they do and I venture if they could sell them and support them given the limited capacity, they would be selling them already.

They have received...and still receive...complaints from AP holders who can not book more than 3 park days at once without a reservation.

They really can not sell the same product and I guess don’t feel they can offer to certain and not others, It would be great if they could sell to DVC as a select group for sure..

I will add that now park hopping is back, and they can gather info on how that is working, it is a good step in getting sales to resume.

 

[Pinnochio]

I like TinkB278's idea....at least sell them to DVC owners....Brand loyalty....take care of the people taking care of you....a lot of companies do this...Disney, for all their good, does not....

 

[CarolMN]

Just a thought, but I don't think Disney will begin selling APs again until they can eliminate park capacity caps and get back to "normal".

Not selling APs is helping to reduce demand which they need to do because they have to limit capacity - and also to avoid having to refund upset guests who have paid park admission, but cannot get a park reservation due to the allowed park capacity.

 

[TinkB278]

Would selling APs to DVC members only be a huge deal capacity-wise? Most of us are traveling and are only coming for a week here or there.

I just can’t see it being an issue of Disney can’t only sell to certain people because that is exactly what they are doing right now with APs, only allowing certain people to get them.

 

[Chuck S]

Would selling APs to DVC members only be a huge deal capacity-wise? Most of us are traveling and are only coming for a week here or there.

I just can’t see it being an issue of Disney can’t only sell to certain people because that is exactly what they are doing right now with APs, only allowing certain people to get them.

Imagine the outcry from locals if DVC Members could purchase new APs, whether they had one before or not, and locals were not allowed to do so. The local TV news would eat them alive.

 

[TinkB278]

Imagine the outcry from locals if DVC Members could purchase new APs, whether they had one before or not, and locals were not allowed to do so. The local TV news would eat them alive.

I just feel like DVC members have more to lose from not being allowed APs though. We are committed to staying at their resorts (outside the option of renting out or banking points). I understand it would seem unfair to locals but I don’t think most DVC members would be in the park as frequently as locals generally, thus not contributing to capacity issues the way locals might.

Hey, if you are a local and want an AP, consider DVC LOL!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We bought DVC because we love the parks and wanted to stay close to them. Even without the perks we are still close to the parks and in the Disney bubble, even if we do t use their transportation. So we are satisfied.

 

[Brian Noble]

In January of 2019 i bought two Gold AP Passes for me & my wife....$1,100 total....Took three trips that year totaling 36 days.....Fast forward two years till today....a four day p.hopper pass that expires in 7 days will now cost me $1,176.....wow!
[...]
I wonder if Disney understands their business decision in eliminating Gold or any AP's

They understand it very very well.

The parks are as full as they can be due to COVID capacity limits as are the restaurants. They can have people who paid a bit less than $31 to be in the park that day (1100 for 36 total park days) or someone who paid $147 (1176 for two 4-day tickets).

I'm pretty sure you don't need to have an MBA from Harvard to decide which of those two you'd rather have.

 

[Sandisw]

I just feel like DVC members have more to lose from not being allowed APs though. We are committed to staying at their resorts (outside the option of renting out or banking points). I understand it would seem unfair to locals but I don’t think most DVC members would be in the park as frequently as locals generally, thus not contributing to capacity issues the way locals might.

Hey, if you are a local and want an AP, consider DVC LOL!

From most of what I read, though, the local AP holders are the ones who support the parks much more than your average DVC owner who is not.

So, I don’t see them offering it to DVC owners only, Plus, the AP division isn’t part of DVC anyway so in terms of that division, we are a very small and insignificant group. There are plenty of repeat cash guests who are AP holders who visit as much as DVC owners do.

Think about how you would feel if you were allowed to buy one, and then couldn’t get in when you were visiting because they now limited AP holders, even with reservations to the AP ticket bucket instead of resort guest?

Honestly, it stinks for anyone who finds value in the AP and I’m sure Disney would much prefer being able to sell them than not.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

As others have said, it's really a question about if you enjoy going to Disney. The thing about all the perks going away is that life is cyclical. New perks will eventually come. They always do and will as things turn around.

The only question is are you going to wait out the storm? And the only real way to answer that is to think about where you want to be in 5 years. If you are still going to want to be visiting Disney in 5 years and want the convenience of staying on park property, then you should keep your DVC.

If you believe that your park visiting days are near an end and you would rather take trips to Europe, or perhaps stay local to your home town, then sell.

But if you think you will want to be back when the perks return, it will be expensive to sell now and buy back in 5 years.

 

[tgropp]

The Disney experience left when Bob Iger arrived

 

[artesian]

I can't imagine ever selling my DVC. Bought in 2003 and has been great for us and the fam. I will say that trip we did three weeks ago has given me some pause to ponder. With the fam of 4 spending 2k on 4 days of passes it's becoming cost prohibitive without AP's for us. I'm not complaining the perk is gone for now but the reality for us is I can see resort only stays in the future. We were planning another trip later this year but will forgo unless some variant of AP's back in the mix. I'll be forced in 2022 to decide to rent out or do a resort trip.

 

[kniquy]

LOOK WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO US

We bought in for the discounted room. That is really all that you are required to get when you buy into DVC. The perks are just that - Perks that come and go. There will be perks that will return in the future, but in the current climate they really can't financially justify parties, they still offer discounts, and really the dining plan has not been a savings for many, many years.

Make your own discounts - buy better priced tickets from a 3rd party, buy discount disney gift cards to make your own dining plan. You make what you want of your WDW vacations so if you are burnt out and not finding any enjoyment then certainly renting out your points for a few years is a good way to see if you would rather live without WDW trips or not. A better route then deciding to sell and then regretting it.

 

[gharter]

The reason you purchase DVC is to prepay future vacations. Once you pass the breakeven point, your vacation only costs the yearly dues.
If you purchased because of the perks, you were buying a mirage as they can and have been removed at any time.
We have been very happy with DVC (even with the Co-Vid issues - you can't blame Disney for that). While it sucked having points expire before we could use them, its no different than paying a mortgage.

 

[Judique]

I'm in it for the long haul. I own enough points to be comfortable but not enough to jeopardize other vacations.

If all your eggs are in one vacation basket and that is DVC, perhaps you should consider some reorganization.

DVC has been great for my family for 20 plus years. I'm not about to jump ship over this pandemic.

If the situation we are experiencing at present is having a very negative impact and distressing you, consider the option of selling. You at least can get something back for the money you threw at this luxury. I've read here since 2003, and people buy and sell for many reasons. This may be the best decision for you at the moment.

Meanwhile, if buying DVC right now, ticks all the boxes for you, personally, maybe it's your time to buy. For me, buying now would be out of the question because it has become more and more a 'dream' luxury purchase. I, personally wouldn't be able to justify it.

I would have to juggle the offsite options. And, that is not a bad thing. There are great deals offsite with larger living spaces and amenities in beautiful and safe communities. And, you can take advantage of all the 'other' options available in the greater Orlando area, not just Disney. Disney has kept a captive audience for a long time, because the product was exemplary.

Now that the product is 'less' than what some of us expect, maybe it's time to diversify and see the area with some new eyes. I've been doing that for quite a few years, while still enjoying the high points that Disney offered. You can have it all.