I will get flamed or ridiculed for this, but here goes anyway...

[robinb]

Don't feel too bad. I forgot all about it until about 10:00 Eastern and was in the queue for more than 30 minutes (starting 3500 people back) while watching two of the dates (mine included) sell out. Sigh. I'm going to try again when they go on sale in a couple of days to the general DVC population.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I think if the dates are known, you should be able to sign up when you make the room reservation.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Thank you all for your replies; they were all very polite and well reasoned. Many points of view to consider and all have merit. I simply stand by my original assertion that a true lottery system would be most equitable. (Being required to get on the computer by 9 a.m. is not a lottery; it's a "performance" competition that requires being online at precisely the right time in a very narrow window to have a chance.) Going back to the firefly example, the process was straightforward and simple: 1. Here's the lottery registration window: "Date to date." 2. All registrations go into an auto generator/selector (whatever they call it) and winners will be drawn on x date. 3. Once lottery "winners" have been randomly drawn, you will be notified either way. That is just plain and simple an equitable system. Losing in a true game of chance is a lot easier to swallow than not having the ability to sit at your computer at precisely the right moment--and for an extended period of time. Just saying... but hey, I'm getting old anyway, I'll probably be too tired at that time of night, anyway . Cheers all!

That is how they did it for Christmas week back in the day - you registered if interested and a lottery was run - the points would be taken. This way does seem slanted towards the unemployed, retired or flexibly employed.

 

[keishashadow]

They do already have a lottery in place— it just starts at 9am. We had two windows open and got wildly different numbers, definitely randomly distributed. I think it is a pretty fair system as is, just not a nice system

OP - don’t laugh, I’ve seen people do it. go down to your resort’s lobby a bit earlier than the stated wristband pick up time. You may find there are those who won’t be using all of their tix that they requested and didn’t cancel.

I don't want a charge but I think it is silly that if you cancel the tickets don't go back into the system. They should just do it like dining reservations but make it like 3-4 days out you have to cancel or you get charged the $10 no show fee. Then put the cancelled reservations back in the system to book

I’m all in for either a small charge PP (if it’s an issue that it becomes a ‘money maker’ disney could easily donate the funds to charity) Or a no show fee

Maybe if they’d institute the same policy for Soarin, I’d finally snag a spot

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Reality is that the DVC membership is just too large for these events especially since it allows guests to be brought. Or there actually needs to be more of them if member satisfaction is to be considered at all. I continue to wonder how long these will continue although know that as long as they can be used as a profitable incentive for direct sales they will be done. And that's probably the best way to look at them. A marketing tool that is open to members even though they already own. If it works out and you get in then it's a bonus. If it became a lottery then I could see various other complaints. Larger point direct buyers vs minimum point buyers vs old resale buyers and so on. And that gets back to the part that the membership really is too large for these or they need to do more restrictions such as for owners staying on points or for a certain number of nights etc.

There are many things that are inequitable though with DVC and Disney and the booking of things. Not everyone lives on the east coast but that is the time zone that drives almost everything.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Before my time im DVC, but didn’t they run some sort of lottery for holidays...? ???

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

They want DVC members to bring in non-members. They are trying to sell a "vacation club." As far as it not being fair, I look at it like trying to get concert tickets. In order to get to see Jimmy Buffett at the beach, I have to jump on my computer the second the window opens, or I get shut out. Same thing here applies.

 

[robinb]

Before my time im DVC, but didn’t they run some sort of lottery for holidays...? ???

Yes. We owned at OKW and we were able to get BWV for NYE through the lottery. We bought 200 points at BWV so we could continue to stay there over NYE once they stopped the lottery.

 

[DougEMG]

I like the idea of a lottery for everyone that wants a ticket. Did they do that for x-mas reservations in the early days?

Being on the west coast it is annoying to have to get up so early to book events like this and make room reservations when the online system opens, but I guess that is better than being stuck in a work meeting or something and not being able to access a computer.

 

[cw62803]

Unfortunately, as the number of DVC members increases, it will continue to get more and more difficult to get tickets to Moonlight Magic events. I know someone who logged in well before 9 A.M. and was in the 7000s in line. She did not get the tickets. I think the date they open for DVC members without reservations is 6/12. I hope both you and the lady I know get tickets then.

 

[jerseyduke]

Perhaps a waitlist system. I know I have been in situations where I was not sure exactly how many I would need, so I got the max i would need, then have released them once I knew. But what happens to the ones I released?

This is a good case for the new resale restrictions. hopefully the number of resale contracts being sold every month exceeds the number of new contracts, that way the number of eligible members goes down, because as the PP said, if it continues to go up, it will get worse.

 

[katandmouse]

This is a good case for the new resale restrictions. hopefully the number of resale contracts being sold every month exceeds the number of new contracts, that way the number of eligible members goes down, because as the PP said, if it continues to go up, it will get worse.

Unless Disney increases capacity or expands the number of MM nights, restricting future members won’t help the current problem. There already exists a supply-demand imbalance. And if the number of resale contracts ever does exceed the number of direct contracts sold each month, the restriction will create an even bigger problem with booking availability because that supply-demand problem is only going to become worse at the L14 resorts and eventually RIV too. I just think it’s a “cut off your nose to spite your face,” “be careful what you wish for,” etc other cliches situation.

IMO I like the idea of a waitlist or lottery for these events, or have more of them.

ETA: But if we’re just talking about the restriction that only direct points qualify for perks and member events, then yes that could help. It’s just the new booking restriction that could become dangerous IMO.

 

[jerseyduke]

Unless Disney increases capacity or expands the number of MM nights, restricting future members won’t help the current problem. There already exists a supply-demand imbalance. And if the number of resale contracts ever does exceed the number of direct contracts sold each month, the restriction will create an even bigger problem with booking availability because that supply-demand problem is only going to become worse at the L14 resorts and eventually RIV too. I just think it’s a “cut off your nose to spite your face,” “be careful what you wish for,” etc other cliches situation.

IMO I like the idea of a wait list or lottery for these events, or have more of them.

ETA: But if we’re just talking about the restriction that only direct points qualify for perks and member events, then yes that could help. It’s just the new booking restriction that could become dangerous IMO.

I must be missing some salient points.
1. How will increasing the number of MM events help? If, for example, there is 5000 DVC rooms, averaging 4 people per at any given time, there are 20,000 DVCers on property, and there always will be. you can make a MM event at AK for example once a week, every week of the year, they competition for the openings will be the same.

I do not see how increasing the number of events will help at all. You would have to take it further and limit a member to 1 a year or something like that.

Increase capacity of them, and it wont be special because the lines wont be short.

2. How will the issue be hurt if resale contracts outnumber direct sale contracts? Every resale contract is that is sold is one that can not attend MM. (demand goes down)
Exaggerating the numbers for clarity, if 10,000 contracts get sold on the resale market next month, and 1000 get sold direct, then there are 9,000 less contracts that can even book MM. How is that bad?
Of course there seems to be about 1,200 direct contracts sold a month, I do not think there is anywhere the number of resale contracts changing hands that month.

What am I missing?

All that being said, a wait list would be great. and maybe a penalty for unused ones like dining reservations. I think a lot go unused, but then again, maybe disney knows about how many do, and adjusts how many they give out accordingly and we just dont know it.

However, this is merely a marketing tool, and they are not going to do all this.

 

[katandmouse]

I must be missing some salient points.
1. How will increasing the number of MM events help? If, for example, there is 5000 DVC rooms, averaging 4 people per at any given time, there are 20,000 DVCers on property, and there always will be. you can make a MM event at AK for example once a week, every week of the year, they competition for the openings will be the same.

I do not see how increasing the number of events will help at all. You would have to take it further and limit a member to 1 a year or something like that.

Increase capacity of them, and it wont be special because the lines wont be short.

2. How will the issue be hurt if resale contracts outnumber direct sale contracts? Every resale contract is that is sold is one that can not attend MM. (demand goes down)
Exaggerating the numbers for clarity, if 10,000 contracts get sold on the resale market next month, and 1000 get sold direct, then there are 9,000 less contracts that can even book MM. How is that bad?
Of course there seems to be about 1,200 direct contracts sold a month, I do not think there is anywhere the number of resale contracts changing hands that month.

What am I missing?

All that being said, a wait list would be great. and maybe a penalty for unused ones like dining reservations. I think a lot go unused, but then again, maybe disney knows about how many do, and adjusts how many they give out accordingly and we just dont know it.

However, this is merely a marketing tool, and they are not going to do all this.

I was trying to point out the difference between the restrictions. The new resale restriction that limits booking outside the L14 or RIV doesn’t have any impact here but could have an unintended negative consequence for booking those resorts (using exactly your scenario - if that many resale points are restricted, then that reduces availability but overall increases members and demand). The resale restriction that does affect these special events requires members to own at least 75 direct points to qualify. I don’t know how many members own at least 75 direct points vs owning less than that or all resale. I imagine it would take many more resale-only members to make it easier to get tickets for MM, enough that it would have that negative consequence above, and personally IMO I wouldn’t want that trade-off. YMMV.

If there are more events - even though the competition for each individual event would be the same, it would give members overall more chances to get tickets, and maybe there would be less scrambling to make trips during those event times since they wouldn’t be as few and far between. Limiting members to a # of events or tickets per year would help too.

I agree with you about the waitlist and a penalty like for dining reservations. If it were just the resale restriction about qualifying for perks I agree that could help too, but I just wouldn’t want that at the expense of making room reservations more difficult/competitive, which is what I think would happen.

And I agree in the end it is all just marketing.