Why do you own DVC if you hate Disney?

[sleepydog25]

The reality is that there are two Disney's that we experience as Disney timeshare owners.

So when executives eliminate the Sunset Boulevard CMs because it's more cost effective to not have them, I will lament this business decision. When Disney leans so heavily on the college program that most CMs are overworked, poorly paid college kids who will in turn be sometimes bitter, and by nature of being transient, fail to feel committed to playing the role, I will bemoan the failure of training in customer service. And when the board of the management company at Disney's timeshare decides that increasing the lockoff premium - defying what every member knows to be true - that 1BRs are readily available, I will write letters and have conversations with them about how this has the markings of a pure money grab.

Disney is not a big evil corporation. That's an oversimplification of a complex system. But to believe that every decision made is to serve the interest of the guest is equally oversimplifying The Walt Disney Company, Inc. To suggest that they're trying to do everything at a reasonable cost is naive. Their job is to see how far they can push the line until we decide we don't want to play. They tried it with the Star Wars DVC event at Epcot. I don't see how anyone can look at that and possibly suggest that this was a decision to deliver good entertainment at a reasonable cost. The membership voted with their wallets and the event was canned.

Like most relationships in life, my relationship with Disney is a nuanced one. And the same way I love the country that gave my penniless, immigrant family real opportunities to climb the socio-economic ladder - where I'll pay my taxes, vote, and be vocal about policies I feel are against the core of what makes America great; I'll pay my dues, I'll attend the dog and pony in December, and I'll voice when I feel there are policies being implemented that are detrimental to the magic.

And you can bet I'll turn here to this community to vent.

Honestly, I could have highlighted this entire post as it's one of the best written encapsulations of how I, too, feel about Disney. Sometimes I applaud Disney, though most times anymore it's when a CM has gone out of his or her way to make a special moment for a guest. When I see or read a story about a CM who quieted a special needs child or who patiently accompanies a woman with high anxiety on an enclosed ride, how can I not be touched and tear up? Conversely, I get highly annoyed when a new event is introduced and obviously it's a money-grab, or they make a decision to increase their corporate bottom line by removing things that helped make them special to begin. Here's an, admittedly, fairly inconsequential example. When Roaring Fork was reopened after being refurbished, they had removed their made-to-order Mickey waffles that came with a few fruit sauces and toppings of your choice. Yes, you can get them still, but they're made and kept heated until served and the "bananas Foster" sauce is a sugary goop with virtually no bananas. Why? It's cheaper. You don't have to pay an extra employee just to make waffles, and you can add cheap sugar and flavoring as a substitute for an actual sauce. Some might call that a petty beef, but for me it's indicative of their mindset for all financial decisions. Disney draws a line in the sand to see if there will be anyone with enough temerity to step over that imaginary line. If not--and that's often the case--then they proceed to the next calculated move. Again, this doesn't make Disney evil--greedy perhaps but that's a whole other argument--but it violates the standards I've set for them, the standards I originally believed they tried to uphold.

I applaud Disney the company when appropriate, too. The new gondola system may not work out, and I understand the ire of some, but it could wind up being quite the cachet for certain resorts, and it should help relieve the overcrowding on buses and boats to a degree. It's in keeping with their actually attempting to set the standard (rather than their of late simply meeting standards) vis-a-vis other parks. Smart idea, at least for now. However, when they denigrate their quality of experience by overcharging, overcrowding, and reducing quality (food comes to mind!), then I must voice my concerns. It's the human way.

 

[Goofy DVC]

When you are a long term member of DVC, 26 years for us, you realize that it develops like any other relationship. The closer you become the more you see the other parties faults. Because a liking, respect, and trust develops during that process, you accept certain faults, tolerate other faults, and expect specific problems/issues to be corrected. Why, because it is the BEST INTEREST OF THE RELATIONSHIP. Sometimes we need to fix problems that the other side identifies for the betterment of both sides.
Now, here comes the tough realization. Through this long relationship Disney sees our faults as members as well. I think they accept some of them, tolerate others but expect change and understanding as well.
None of this happens without honest communication.
Oh to be married, I mean a long term DVC member.

 

[Sandisw]

I love Disney and my DVC. It truly is my happy place and I will go there as often as I can get there. I am perfectly okay with Disney making a profit and charging what they charge. I do think, as a company, they do amazing things for guests and their employees...could be biased as my DD 26 is an employee with Disney Theater in NYC.

I think those that are frustrated (and it is okay to feel that) are because it has become an expensive endeavor to venture to Disney, even with DVC. Ticket costs (unless you can take advantage of the DVC AP) have gone up enough that with a family, you could be around $2K in every year just for tickets for one trip (more depending on size of family).

What I do think is that they have, over the past few years, at least tried to add more Member Magic events and promotions that were not there when I first joined in 2009. The dining and shopping discounts are also nice which again, when I joined, you only got through the AP or by having TIW (with the exception of a lunch here or there).

 

[bobbiwoz]

If it wasn't for the pragmatists around here and other boards, the 2020 Point Charts would have gone through with no problem............ just saying.

I am waiting for those 2021 point charts with bated breath.

 

[DISDiversion]

As a new person to the forum, I appreciate all of the opinions (both pixiedust and pragmatic) as I think it helps me plan a more successful visit. I love Disney - it has brought me so much joy over the years, in a way that nothing else has. But I also have family members who are not as smitten, and seeing the potential shortcomings helps me plan for a trip that more successfully meets their needs. I'm very grateful for all of you you take time to provide information and opinions to help everyone!

Bing Showei's post on this thread is why I joined the board today - I love his insight and comments !

 

[jodifla]

I think we all have high standards for Disney. Their whole brand is built around high quality entertainment and world-class customer service, so when it's perceived they fall short of that, it's like a real punch to the gut, especially when you have invested so much time and money in that corporation. But as other said, it's like a relationship. And as Dear Abby (or was it Ann Landers) once said (paraphrasing), "Are you better off with them, or without them?"

 

[sethschroeder]

If Disney is such a terrible organization, why don't you vote with your money and sell and purchase into a different

Completely wrong. The biggest vote is to use the DVC for only free services and never buy anything from Disney.

Selling your DVC actually allows others more likely be taken in by Disney spending a ton of money.

That being said why do you care if someone thinks Disney has terrible decisions yet still enjoys the vacation they experience?

I think many thing Disney does with WDW is like a poorly run local resort and amusement park. Doesn't mean the trip as a whole is not a good experience.

People don't need to be blinded to still want to end up at Disney.

 

[Minniesgal]

I'm not a Disney "hater", but I have become less of a Disney "lover". We have been DVC members for over 20 years and I have seen huge changes. It has become perfectly clear to me that Disney is not that into us old-time DVCers anymore. They would rather have the "once in a lifetime" guest with open wallets than stingy old me. There is a constant flow of them ... filling the resorts at rack rate, eating on the DDP and shopping until they drop. Last trip, other than food, my purchases were 2 pins over 8 days.

I'm not saying that DVC hasn't been good to me. It has. There is no way I would bring myself to pay for a WDW trip without DVC. I pay $1900 a year in dues and that gets me 8 days in October (3 days BLT + 5 days BWV) plus 12 days in January (5 days AKV-Concierge + 7 days BWV) with a few points left over. My average cost is about $87 per night for the 273 points I used. I can't stay in the All Stars for that amount. However, I think I'm done for a while after this next October trip. The escalating cost of passes (well above inflation), the shameless upsells, and the ridiculous food pricing make even a "cheap" stay in a DVC resort expensive. I budget about $125 per day just for food and we *rarely* eat at TS restaurants.

I have come to a place in my life that I am soured at the constant money grabs and I would rather spend my money somewhere else. But, I'm not ready to sell quite yet. My DD is 20 and may want to use the points in the near future. I can also rent out points to cover my dues and also make enough money for a very nice vacation somewhere else. I am aware that my BWV points will start to lose their in the next 10 years with an expiration date of 2042 but until then I think I will let it ride and plan on fewer trips.

This.

We far from hate disney but we do miss what it used to be. We have sold some of our membership. We stayed t VGC this year and frankly the customer service was awful. We don't do the parks much anymore so we were hanging on to it as a place to stay when going to Aulani but we decided no we would rather go somewhere else on the way to Aulani.

So far we are keeping our florida DVC and have plans to go but i'm at the stage of thinking once or twice more then maybe sell or maybe cruise more. I'm also looking at the concierge collection more.

For us the disney product is no longer what it was. It is still ok good even but it used to be excellent. Signature restaurants have gone downhill, customer service is poorer and mousekeeping is frankly awful. We will go back but I didn't used to care about the price for what we got now I resent paying their prices as the product isn't value for money.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

A few good examples of stuff that deserves the side eye:

• 2020 point chart release
• Every recent iteration of Reunion Station
• The July 4 TOTWL debacle inside 60 days
• Some of the apparent shenanigans the last few years with AKV Value inventory

These are all DVC specific, too.

 

[snappy]

Not to mention the effect on availability of building the point heavy bungalows at Poly, and if that wasn’t enough, the cabins at CC.

 

[Bing Showei]

Not to mention the effect on availability of building the point heavy bungalows at Poly, and if that wasn’t enough, the cabins at CC.

And then there are these proposed beauties for Reflections:

Source: https://dvcnews.com/index.php/resor...new-details-on-reflections-resort#prettyPhoto

 

[snappy]

And then there are these proposed beauties for Reflections:
View attachment 433601
Source: https://dvcnews.com/index.php/resor...new-details-on-reflections-resort#prettyPhoto

Lovely.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My son was dying to work for Disney, he got hired as a gardener and saw all his friends making more money and getting more positive communication from their bosses. Most of the time someone was rewarded with the job because of seniority, not because of the skills they had. That really frustrated him. Especially since he was teaching all the new hires how to plant things, how to maintain things and how to design a garden. He quit after two years and went to graduate school to get a Masters in Landscape Architecture. He has friends who are Imagineers who tell him he should reapply after he gets his master's degree to work with the Landscape Architects who work for Disney. He still likes to go to WDW, but he has seen behind the curtain and it disappoints him.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Lovely.

Only part of Reflections is supposed to be DVC. Part is cash. Hard to say up front if the over water will be points or cash. Recent precedent is points, of course.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think staying in one of those lakeside buildings is divine, and I look forward to Reflections.

 

[CarolynFH]

Only part of Reflections is supposed to be DVC. Part is cash. Hard to say up front if the over water will be points or cash. Recent precedent is points, of course.

Points to pay for construction & maintenance, then additional cash revenue from the ones not booked on points.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Points to pay for construction & maintenance, then additional cash revenue from the ones not booked on points.

Yep.

The cynic in me says that based on the proposed split (DVC/cash), all the over-water are DVC, and create massive imbalance for anyone who wants the studios. And there will be a Reflections equivalent of Tower Studios.

The DVC to be announced after Reflections will be an Asian-themed Capsule Hotel, with 400 capsule units, and 25 deluxe pagoda units that sleep 8 each and include turn-down service.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

As far as the Poly bungalows....
They took one of the prettiest coastline views of the Poly and completely wrecked it. Not just made the view less appealing, but completely wrecked it.

We won’t even talk about the Great Ceremonial House waterfall, or the putting green that replaced the lush area out back.

I just have no clue what they were thinking.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

A DISboards thread that EVERYONE here should review.
Really drives home the point.
Almost brings tears to my eyes...

https://www.disboards.com/threads/pictures-of-things-no-longer-seen-at-wdw.3382698/

 

[RescueRanger]

I am waiting for those 2021 point charts with bated breath.

I actually have an unpopular opinion on this. I hope they go back to their plans of raising the points especially on studios. I think they were legally in the right, and we just had a bunch of whiners throw a tantrum over it. I personally wish Disney would go back to a minimum buy in of at least 220 points. We have too many people buying small contracts with the intention of only staying in studios. I don’t believe that was ever the purpose of DVC. It really messes inventory up, especially in resorts that only have lock-offs. Sorry if this upsets people, but that is just my opinion.