YourEveryDayAdam
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2009
- Messages
- 711
I am convinced that 98% of Disney's DVC decisions are based upon what's good for sales. The more I talk to ASA's, Guides, DVD Managers, and Jim Lewis, the more that I am convinced.
My hen house post was more related to the fact that we trust them to decide what our money should be spent on, good or bad.
Valet service isn't important, but a new pool at Saratoga is. No Quick Service at Kidani, but new artwork at Saratoga is.
Any idea what their criteria is for making these decisions?
Bill
Valet service was NEVER paid for out of member dues or by DVC/Disney in any way at any time. This was a service that was GIVEN to us by the 3rd party independent valet company completely free of charge. That 3rd party company made the decision (not Disney) to do away with the unpaid perk that they were giving us. They likely asked DVC if they were willing to pay for it out of dues, DVC declined and acted in the best interest of ALL members by having the valet parking be paid for by the people who use it (through valet fees) and not by all DVC members. Had DVC decided to continue "free" valet service, our annual dues would have gone up an appropriate amount to pay for that. I am glad they made the decision and didn't force me to pay for valet parking service that I wouldn't use.
DVC can't take annual dues from one resort to pay for improvements at another resort. Any money I pay for my BLT dues is ONLY going towards the upkeep and operation of the BLT resort. This is why the per-point annual dues at the different resorts are different. Disney Vacation Development might decide to invest some of their own money, outside of annual dues, to improve a particular resort (like SSR) in an effort to make the resort more attractive to potential buyers, but that would be DVD's decision. It might seem unfair to members of older resort, but also imagine that if DVC sales stop, there will be no more new resorts... and things like being able to use your SSR points at THV, BLT, AKV, GCV, and Aulani wouldn't be possible. For every new member they add to the system, it puts them one baby step closer to building a new resort that expands the value of my membership and gives me more places to travel and stay at. Plus, you as a DVC member have the opportunity to enjoy any new pools and amenities that DVD might decide to add to resorts it's selling by making a reservation there.
If they decide to put a quick-service food location at Kidani, it wouldn't be paid for by members, because it wouldn't be member-owned property. That would be paid for by Disney.
I expect Disney makes decisions about DVC that act in the best interest of Disney first and then it's members, but I still believe they take both Disney and DVC members in to account on all the decisions and weigh the desires of both groups. They aren't out to screw us. in fact I honestly believe that they want members to be happy. A large portion of new DVC sales is referrals from existing members. If the members aren't happy, then DVC will get a reputation and that will hurt sales. It can also cause a large number of members to attempt to sell their existing memberships which will cause a large drop in prices on the resale market and make it difficult for DVC to charge full price.
I also believe that Disney spends money in a way that makes some member's happy. I make a distinction here. I say some members and not all members. Not every member will be happy with money being spent on certain things. For example, I don't particularly care about kid's playgrounds or water play areas because I have no kids. But a large portion of members like those. I do care about Magic Express, because I don't like having to pay to rent a car, but some members drive to disney or rent a car or taxi at the air port and they probably don't like money being spent on Magic Express. I believe that DVC spends dues money at the resorts to make, what they judge, to make the most member's happy. Different things make different members happy.
Finally, even as Disney has done away with perks, they have also instituted new ones. Annual Pass discounts, free internet access, etc.
