I’ve changed my mind on DVC (for awhile)

[Sandisw]

You think it was cool to cancel 5 days before check in and not give us all notice, for 1 thing?

Actually, the resorts were closed until further notice, starting April 1st.

So really, by default, everyone’s trip was technically canceled until an open date was announced...regardless if was officially done or not

I know others disagree, but not sure why it was a big deal to have DVC do it....it’s not like because it was there it meant it was happening...given they said the resorts were closed.

 

[zakdavid]

I've only been a DVC member for a year and I had reservations that got canceled due to closures, and points get stuck in my use year past my banking deadline etc... Honestly I know what I bought into and I don't think DVC could have done anything differently. I wish they better communicated but policy wise I feel like we were treated fairly and I am looking forward to my trip this summer and hundreds more when things are back to normal.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We have been renting points for the past 15 years. From either this website, or my brother. This was the year my wife and I where going to pull the trigger and buy. However, after seeing how Disney has treated their DVC members, we have changed our minds. You guys are being treated like second class citizens. It’s like they know they have you, so now they can do what they want. We had a May trip booked, moved it to July, and now we are just going to wait until next year. But I no longer am Interested in buying into a “club” we’re members are treated worse then non-members.

It's nice to learn before a purchase the things about ownership that are and are not acceptable to you.

 

[Judique]

We have been renting points for the past 15 years. From either this website, or my brother. This was the year my wife and I where going to pull the trigger and buy. However, after seeing how Disney has treated their DVC members, we have changed our minds. You guys are being treated like second class citizens. It’s like they know they have you, so now they can do what they want. We had a May trip booked, moved it to July, and now we are just going to wait until next year. But I no longer am Interested in buying into a “club” we’re members are treated worse then non-members.

As @KAT4DISNEY said it's nice to know before you step in what is acceptable to you.

I don't feel like a 2nd class citizen or as I've been treated that way. I purchased in 2000 and I get my value every year from DVC, even this year.

I purchased to make going to Disney more affordable for me. When I was going before DVC, the hotel rooms alone for my family were $4 to $5000 per trip. I easily made up the difference in the first 5 years (doing this now is not possible).

Now, I can do quite a few trips per year and not spend that much in just dues.

I don't hold Disney responsible for the Pandemic and I also feel as I'm in it with them and as an 'owner' share the burden this has placed on all of us. It's not all Disney's responsibility to make me or others 'whole', no more than if I owned any other property whose yearly value was affected by this tragedy.

This event has shown the risks undertaken when you own something - whether it be a timeshare or a business that has suffered from lack of customers. The buck usually stops here.

If you are not ready for the risk and it looks like you haven't been for the last 15 years, it is best to step away. This statement is not meant in a bad way - it took me three years to decide to accept the risk of buying DVC. Fortunately up til now, there was no pandemic and my job was stable and my health enabled me to continue enjoying DVC all these years. In other words, the risk became smaller the longer I owned, but along the way, I've seen and read of people who also took the risk but suffered job loss, divorce and other events that forced them to not be able to keep their DVC. Even then, in some cases they were able to 'give back' their points - try that with another timeshare.

It's all about expectations. I bought a room. Anything else is extra.

 

[lovin'fl]

Actually, the resorts were closed until further notice, starting April 1st.

So really, by default, everyone’s trip was technically canceled until an open date was announced...regardless if was officially done or not

I know others disagree, but not sure why it was a big deal to have DVC do it....it’s not like because it was there it meant it was happening...given they said the resorts were closed.

Well if they were closed then when would they still allow us DVC to book. I moved our June WDW to June 10-13 at HHI like 3 weeks ago. Even after they announced regular WDW resorts, CRO, would not allow booking until July 1. So why still allow DVC? Since other FL and HHI timeshares were open and beaches open I assumed HHI and Vero DVC would open sooner than WDW. Which they are. But not soon enough for my trip which I did go ahead and cancel myself 2 weeks ago today. And booked another timeshare via cash. Now still waiting for borrowed points to be put back to original UY. Tomorrow is day 15. Waiting so I can list them for sale.

 

[lovin'fl]

I bought a room. Anything else is extra.

But thats the thing. We couldn't even get said room for like 3 months. Other timeshares NEVER closed. They kept us from the room we bought.

I get it. Me losing 46 points and then having a whole bunch to use by an inconvenient time that will likely not work for us nor will we be able to book due to the over demand. That is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. My family is healthy and has job security and we, knock wood, were pretty fortunately unscathed by this pandemic. Losing 46 points and then like $700 on a HAL cruise (cancelled March 30 and still not refunded)...we will take that over what some folks are losing in this. Their businesses and their loved ones. We got the better deal so I cannot complain.

But as I mentioned in my 1st post....it isn't just this pandemic situation that soured me on DVC but all the stupid things piling up on recent years. Just isn't the same product we bought back in 2006. The mouse has found ways to take take take and never really give more for the more he takes. Rooms are more and more boring and done cheaply and not cleaned well. All the restrictions they keep adding. Dues hiking. That crazy point chart scam they tried to get away with. The whole MDE/MB/FP+ crap and pre planning and getting way less. Gosh, we were even convinced because we were DVC and go often that we were okay with just doing 2 or 3 rides a day....cause we'd be back soon. Recently DH did a cost per ride....for fam of 4...and it is ridiculous. Like $163 for the 90 seconds on 7DMT or even worse, IASW. Not worth $163. Now if we do AP price and divide by days used it will be less than $163 per ride but still probably crazy. Would you even fork over $60 for a family of 4 to ride some of the crappy rides we have to select (thanks to the tiers)? Look at Epcot...we always select LwtL since there isn't much else after choosing tier 1....that ride ain't worth $5 a person let alone $30 or $40 a person.

Anyway....then the dirty rooms and MB never working properly. And all the other snafus that occur regularly...never a smooth trip. Just tired of the whole shebang.

Edit to add...also the IT sucks, MDE is always wonky and messed up. Folks are always having trouble making AdRs and FPs on their windows...even after waking up early to do it and then 'error'. And DVC MS people....how many times do we get someone who tells us the wrong thing. I once had a lady mess me up big time with wrong info...saying I could not bank transferred points which were June UY and we wanted to go in June after DDs graduated HS and we moved. But instead ended up booking end of May and memorial weekend which cost us more in airfare and was more crowded and also a bit too close to graduation and our move...was very frazzled.

 

[Sandisw]

Well if they were closed then when would they still allow us DVC to book. I moved our June WDW to June 10-13 at HHI like 3 weeks ago. Even after they announced regular WDW resorts, CRO, would not allow booking until July 1. So why still allow DVC? Since other FL and HHI timeshares were open and beaches open I assumed HHI and Vero DVC would open sooner than WDW. Which they are. But not soon enough for my trip which I did go ahead and cancel myself 2 weeks ago today. And booked another timeshare via cash. Now still waiting for borrowed points to be put back to original UY. Tomorrow is day 15. Waiting so I can list them for sale.

IMO, because it could open before then and then they would have locked owners out from a time that ends up being back in service,

I am sure there are owners right now who are probably glad that DVC didn’t take the 3 week approach that Disney did because they would have seen their current VB and HH gone during an open time and who knows if they would have gotten them back,

IMO, owners had the ability to cancel farther out and if they waited for DVC to do it seems to be because they would still go.

Im sorry you are waiting on points and it was frustrating but they were clear it would not be more than 7 days and from what I read, the ones that were less than that was because the 7 days was a weekend and they were not processing them,

 

[Judique]

But thats the thing. We couldn't even get said room for like 3 months. Other timeshares NEVER closed. They kept us from the room we bought.

I get it. Me losing 46 points and then having a whole bunch to use by an inconvenient time that will likely not work for us nor will we be able to book due to the over demand. That is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. My family is healthy and has job security and we, knock wood, were pretty fortunately unscathed by this pandemic. Losing 46 points and then like $700 on a HAL cruise (cancelled March 30 and still not refunded)...we will take that over what some folks are losing in this. Their businesses and their loved ones. We got the better deal so I cannot complain.

But as I mentioned in my 1st post....it isn't just this pandemic situation that soured me on DVC but all the stupid things piling up on recent years. Just isn't the same product we bought back in 2006. The mouse has found ways to take take take and never really give more for the more he takes. Rooms are more and more boring and done cheaply and not cleaned well. All the restrictions they keep adding. Dues hiking. That crazy point chart scam they tried to get away with. The whole MDE/MB/FP+ crap and pre planning and getting way less. Gosh, we were even convinced because we were DVC and go often that we were okay with just doing 2 or 3 rides a day....cause we'd be back soon. Recently DH did a cost per ride....for fam of 4...and it is ridiculous. Like $163 for the 90 seconds on 7DMT or even worse, IASW. Not worth $163. Now if we do AP price and divide by days used it will be less than $163 per ride but still probably crazy. Would you even fork over $60 for a family of 4 to ride some of the crappy rides we have to select (thanks to the tiers)? Look at Epcot...we always select LwtL since there isn't much else after choosing tier 1....that ride ain't worth $5 a person let alone $30 or $40 a person.

Anyway....then the dirty rooms and MB never working properly. And all the other snafus that occur regularly...never a smooth trip. Just tired of the whole shebang.

Edit to add...also the IT sucks, MDE is always wonky and messed up. Folks are always having trouble making AdRs and FPs on their windows...even after waking up early to do it and then 'error'. And DVC MS people....how many times do we get someone who tells us the wrong thing. I once had a lady mess me up big time with wrong info...saying I could not bank transferred points which were June UY and we wanted to go in June after DDs graduated HS and we moved. But instead ended up booking end of May and memorial weekend which cost us more in airfare and was more crowded and also a bit too close to graduation and our move...was very frazzled.

I respect the way you feel.

I agree that not everything is exactly as it was when I bought in 2000.

But reading your post, a lot of what you describe is Disney and the parks. Not DVC.

I agree with the bland refurbishments. But, some of it I'm happy with. A little more whimsy would be more to my taste. Dirty rooms. I've been pretty lucky. I haven't seen the amount of dirt described on here. Not saying it's not happening. There was that one sofa with the very dirty arm. I called and it was cleaned, but - I should not have had to call.

I maintain an annual pass most of the time, so don't worry about how much a ride costs me. If I was paying by the ride I'd probably never ride anything.

Since I'm older I'm really paying for a pass to wander around in the parks, sit in a cool show once in awhile, have a meal in whatever restaurant will seat me - rarely make ADR's or fast passes. So what I'm expecting from Disney is significantly different from your family needs. Neither is wrong and both of us can choose with our feet.

There are definitely things that bother me in the overall picture. When I travel alone, I can almost count on being assigned a handicapped room. I've learned to check out the room because some of the accommodations are fine. Some aren't. So, most times that's where I sleep but if the room is the kind I truly dislike, I get myself moved. No apologies for that as I get those rooms way more than the average guest - when I travel solo. With family, never happens. Solo trips are 2-3 times per year.

I really dislike that when people have a problem and complain, instead of addressing problems that may impact all, they throw some fast passes at it. I'm not referring to stuff where someone should get compensation such as not getting their room in an acceptable time. Rooms should be ready by four and every hour after that is time I figure I paid for. After all, I also have a set time to vacate.

My other big peeve is parking.

So, I also have a small share of issues but so far I'll keep my points. I'm curious which resort you are going to sell? I keep wanting more Hilton Head points and have to hold myself back. I think the more invested we become, the more aggrieved we are at problems.

 

[jagson]

Refresh my memory. What perqs has DVC rescinded over the decades, and did they replace them with comparable ones In your opinion?

 

[Judique]

Refresh my memory. What perqs has DVC rescinded over the decades, and did they replace them with comparable ones In your opinion?

My memory needs refreshing also, but two of the newer perks that I really like are the Annual Pass discount and the Moonlight Madness evenings.

The Moonlight Madness was almost priceless to me when I took my sister in law with me in February. In her mid 70ties, she is still a lot of fun and loves all the rides. My brother/her husband no longer is interested so first time in a park in several years and for free plus dinner with very short lines was so much fun for her.
She rode flight of passage 3 times! Me, I've ridden it once and I'm done.

There are also the small dining discounts which come in handy once and a while - I just show my DVC card or my annual pass and if there's a discount we are good to go.

The perk of the lounge in Epcot is really nice. I go several times during my visits.

Top of the World lounge and fireworks viewing are enjoyable from time to time.

 

[jagson]

Good points

 

[beer dave]

I've only been a DVC member for a year and I had reservations that got canceled due to closures, and points get stuck in my use year past my banking deadline etc... Honestly I know what I bought into and I don't think DVC could have done anything differently. I wish they better communicated but policy wise I feel like we were treated fairly and I am looking forward to my trip this summer and hundreds more when things are back to normal.

Hey. FYI I had points in a cancelled reservation that were beyond my banking deadline-- I called member services and asked to have them banked, because they were points affected by the closure and should be extended for a year.... Their problem was that I cancelled the reservation during the closure before they did. With a little nudging, they banked them to next year. September use year, just had the points banked two days ago.

 

[zakdavid]

Hey. FYI I had points in a cancelled reservation that were beyond my banking deadline-- I called member services and asked to have them banked, because they were points affected by the closure and should be extended for a year.... Their problem was that I cancelled the reservation during the closure before they did. With a little nudging, they banked them to next year. September use year, just had the points banked two days ago.

Thanks! I'm also a september use year. My issue was they was were borrowed and it was for 4th of July and the resorts are now open. Wasn't a big deal though I just rebooked for later in July.

 

[SherylLC]

Hey. FYI I had points in a cancelled reservation that were beyond my banking deadline-- I called member services and asked to have them banked, because they were points affected by the closure and should be extended for a year.... Their problem was that I cancelled the reservation during the closure before they did. With a little nudging, they banked them to next year. September use year, just had the points banked two days ago.

Good to know! Thank you!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Refresh my memory. What perqs has DVC rescinded over the decades, and did they replace them with comparable ones In your opinion?

Free Valet parking. It happened overnight. DVC guests parked one night and the next morning were told they had been charged for valet parking. It was about the time valet parkers were no longer Disney employees, but were contracted employees.

 

[matheke]

Refresh my memory. What perqs has DVC rescinded over the decades, and did they replace them with comparable ones In your opinion?

In December they used to offer Merry Member Mixers. They were 3 or 4 parties exclusively for us DVC members. That was kind of replace by Moonlight Magic. With the exception of the first year they have never offered anything for those of us that vacation in December.

 

[Pooh12863]

We have been renting points for the past 15 years. From either this website, or my brother. This was the year my wife and I where going to pull the trigger and buy. However, after seeing how Disney has treated their DVC members, we have changed our minds. You guys are being treated like second class citizens. It’s like they know they have you, so now they can do what they want. We had a May trip booked, moved it to July, and now we are just going to wait until next year. But I no longer am Interested in buying into a “club” we’re members are treated worse then non-members.

DVC communication has sucked, but as an owner I think Disney has gone above and beyond what they were required to.

 

[AdamsMum]

Refresh my memory. What perqs has DVC rescinded over the decades, and did they replace them with comparable ones In your opinion?

Free valet parking replaced by free internet, which they then proceeded to give to everyone on property. I think they called it an enhancement to my membership.

 

[underdesea]

We bought DVC in 1995. I had worked for a timeshare exchange company out of college, so I knew what we were entering into. We have 157 points in holding that we will lose, because we have a September use year and I have no desire to visit with all of the restrictions and limitations in place this summer. It is what it is. The pandemic is unchartered territory. Stuff happens. In the overall scheme of things, it's unfortunate, but it isn't the first time we've lost money on travel plans due to unforeseen circumstances, and hopefully we'll survive so it won't be the last. Many years of travel have taught me that you can't control, well, anything. I have a theory that before you decide to spend your life with someone, you should travel with them, because it's a microcosm of how you both deal with life. There's no right or wrong; you just need to be on the same page with handling the inevitable disruptions and curveballs travel and life throw at you. I truly sympathize with everyone trying to salvage vacations right now.

 

[lovin'fl]

Free valet parking replaced by free internet, which they then proceeded to give to everyone on property. I think they called it an enhancement to my membership.

This kind of thing bugs me. Like everyone getting 3 FP at 60 days....even the partner hotels by DS like the Holiday Inn. And local AP holders. And cut EMH and make it now a paid thing. Where is the reward to being a resort guest and paying the hefty price to stay on site? I like how US rewards that and the deluxe like resorts get more free than their value like resorts. The more you spend the more perks you get. Disney does the Socialist way and tries to make it the same for all.