So many resorts, so many members now...

[Disney1fan2002]

When my DH and I purchased back in 2002, we were paying for a Disney trip with the 3 kids yearly. My youngest was going to be 3 in 2003, hence he would become a 5th guest. Going forward, we were looking at having to rent 2 rooms every time we went to WDW, because the rooms only slept 4. (this was pre-family suites). When we sat down with the salesperson, he of course told us we were the family DVC was built for.We went yearly or even sometimes twice a year. We buy in at today's cost and we get years of vacations while the regular resort room prices go up and up. He was correct. My husband did the math and flipped it every way he could to see if there would be a way for us to enjoy WDW as frequently as we were going, and buying DVC was in fact money saver.

Little did we know waaaay back then, that Disney would just keep building DVC resorts. The amount of members we are competing with for rooms is ridiculous. You can no longer decide on a spur of the moment trip and find any rooms outside of SSR. It is so frustrating that if you want to stay at a resort beside your home, you have to walk a reservation at 7 months. This never happened before. I'm annoyed right now, because I want to stay somewhere other than OKW in June. My use year is June, so I am going to be limited with how early I can "walk" (only 3 days, since I want to arrive Jun 4th).

Any other early owners frustrated with how hard it is to get reservations these days?

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Yes there are many more members competing for the same rooms. It does make things much more difficult but so far I have been pretty lucky. I hope that trend stays. I do have to say that for our upcoming trip in Jan I did have to walk the reservation. It took a lot of time on my part but in the end it was worth it. I didn't want to take the chance on not getting what I wanted. One of those rooms being a standard view studio at the BW which can be very hard to get. I wish it was easier but I guess as others have said in other threads nothing stays the same.

Wising you pixie dust in getting what you want.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

After I posted above I really started to think about this. With the addition of RR and the next new DVC Reflections coming on line that will add a lot of new members, great for Disney. The problem is that with the last restriction placed on DVC resales people buy in after that change can only book at the original 14 but the new members at the new DVCs can book at all DVCs. IMHO this will definitely have a negative impact on the original 14 DVCs and cause more frustrations especially to those who have been members for many years.

 

[bwvBound]

@Disney1fan2002 , Is your concern targeted primarily on Studio units and/or least-cost views or are you also feeling pressure on the larger units and higher-cost views?

 

[lovin'fl]

We are also a fam of 5. We took 1st trip to WDW in 2003, staying off site. Then went back in 2005 and stayed at POR and got the DP. It was magical. And, by the way, you could sleep 5 at POR and some deluxe resorts too. They had trundle that pulled out from under bed. It was...um...cozy. That prompted us to buy DVC for the 1BR villas so us adults could close the door between us and the kids. Bonus was the in room W/D. And jetted tub.

We also started with an OKW contract but soon learned where we like to be and how it's best to own where you want to be. So we added HHI and BWV and even a small CCV. Recently sold the OKW. Pretty happy with what we have. I mean, it is tough to get standard view studios at BWV even at 11 months (just now tried for next Sept and 10 mins after 8am the 20th was gone and yesterday the 19th was gone). We prefer 1BR anyway. So it's not a big issue...for us.

Overall, though, I do agree that it's gotten too big. They keep bringing more and more bodies in but still the same 4 parks. They need more. They just think we'll be happy to do 2 FP a day and then putz around our resorts and eat, drink and shop. Orlando aint all that special for me to be happy just chillin at some basic resort (unless it's AKV as that's not 'basic').

 

[Chuck S]

I think what has contributed to studios being harder to get isn't the number of resorts being built, it is small points contracts. WHen DVC first started, the minimum contract was 230, and then you could add-on more contracts with a 25 point minimum.

Here's a simple example...say there are 10 studios, each taking 30 points per night. and there are 10 members, each with 300 points looking for those studios...that pretty much adds up to equal each member gets 10 nights. Now say there are 30 members with 100 points each, there will be 30 members, looking for those same 10 studios for 3 nights, there is bound to be conflicts because more members looking for few studios for specific dates.

 

[Ben E N]

Little did we know waaaay back then, that Disney would just keep building DVC resorts.

This quote is strange to me. By 2002, Disney had already opened 6 DVC resorts, with 3 being on property, and I'm pretty sure that plans to build Saratoga Springs were clear by then, and that ground had already been broken.
Expecting anything, especially a giant corporation, to remain the exact same as it was is always going to leave you feeling frustrated.
I agree that the parks are getting more and more crowded. The solution of cutting back hours, increasing "extra hours" paid ticket events, and rising prices overall is just not going to cut it in the long run. I expect a 5th gate to be announced within the next 10 years in order to compete with Universal.

And another piece. Had things not changed since you bought in, you would have only had the choice of BRV, OKW, and BWV to select from. Getting into the newer resorts may be difficult, but it would not be possible at all if they hadn't been built, and paid for by new members.

 

[Geomom]

We've been owners since 2008. We own resale at OKW, and then added on resale points at BWV in 2014. I have never walked a reservation. Most of our trips have been booked right at the 7 mth mark, except for a couple of the BWV stays in the summer/fall. We mainly do studios 1-2 times a year and a 2 bedroom every other year when we travel with friends/family. As you can see from my signature, we've been able to stay at multiple resorts by booking right at 7 mths. The only time I've had an issue was our Thanksgiving 2018 trip in a 2 bedroom--I tried to book BWV at 8 mths, but it was all booked up (would normally have booked Thanksgiving at 11 mths out, but my oldest was applying to colleges at the time and we didn't know what her break schedule would be). Ended up at SSR as that was the only thing available at 7 mths, and my waitlists never came through. We have had a couple waitlists come through in the past--got BWV over Columbus day weekend one year that way! Maybe it's the time of year we tend to normally go...but we've managed to stay outside of our home resort just about every time--February, April, August, October...no problems at 7 mths (right at 8AM online)...it's just Thanksgiving that needed the 11 mth booking for us.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Every new resort is more units. Every new point sold is associated to a unit. They are not expanding illegally.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

This quote is strange to me. By 2002, Disney had already opened 6 DVC resorts, with 3 being on property, and I'm pretty sure that plans to build Saratoga Springs were clear by then, and that ground had already been broken.
Expecting anything, especially a giant corporation, to remain the exact same as it was is always going to leave you feeling frustrated.
I agree that the parks are getting more and more crowded. The solution of cutting back hours, increasing "extra hours" paid ticket events, and rising prices overall is just not going to cut it in the long run. I expect a 5th gate to be announced within the next 10 years in order to compete with Universal.

I'm hoping it would be much sooner then 10 yrs, it will take several yrs to build = maybe 15+yrs before that 5th gate would open.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Every new resort is more units. Every new point sold is associated to a unit. They are not expanding illegally.

Nobody said they were. My point is that new resale buyers can only book at the original 14 but buyers of the new DVC resorts can book at all. IMHO this will cause much more demand on the original 14 possibly making it harder to book.

 

[Chuck S]

Nobody said they were. My point is that new resale buyers can only book at the original 14 but buyers of the new DVC resorts can book at all. IMHO this will cause much more demand on the original 14 possibly making it harder to book.

For the moment, possibly...but in the future, as the new DVC Owners begin to sell their interest, the competition will be greatly diminished, as those people purchasing those resorts resale can only use the points at their home resort.

 

[bwvBound]

I think what has contributed to studios being harder to get isn't the number of resorts being built, it is small points contracts. WHen DVC first started, the minimum contract was 230, and then you could add-on more contracts with a 25 point minimum.

I'm thinking it is the small point contracts [PLUS] imbalanced configuration of unit types. I feel the Poly Bungalows created a imbalance in the system.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

For the moment, possibly...but in the future, as the new DVC Owners begin to sell their interest, the competition will be greatly diminished, as those people purchasing those resorts resale can only use the points at their home resort.

I see your point but how many will actually sell, that is the unknown. In the meantime you will have more people possible vying for the same number of rooms. Increase in number of members (due to sale of new DVC resorts), no increase in number of rooms (for original 14).

 

[Marionnette]

I'm thinking it is the small point contracts [PLUS] imbalanced configuration of unit types. I feel the Poly Bungalows created a imbalance in the system.

I truly believe that the imbalance began with SSR. I'm not saying that it isn't a beautiful resort but how many posts have we seen where people purchase there to use it for SAPs? That many SSR owners looking to stay elsewhere (and to a degree, OKW owners) stresses the system at 7 months.

The problem has been exacerbated by the Poly bungalows, CCV cabins, low-point contracts obtained on the resale market (guilty of that one, here) and DVC lowering their buy-in points requirements for direct buyers.

And whether we want to acknowledge it or not, the increased popularity of renting is another mitigating factor. In 2002, renting was not such a popular option. Owners probably let a lot of points go into breakage. Now it is so easy to contact an agency to match you with a renter. Your points don’t go to waste and another villa is taken out of inventory. This is especially true for studios at the high-demand resorts. Someone didn’t get to book a VGF std view studio next summer because I rented it out. Someone didn’t get a std view 2BR at BWV during a race weekend because I rented it out to my daughter and her friends.

We can’t fight it but we can learn to work with it. As always, the advice to buy where you don’t mind staying is not to be ignored. As time goes on, I think we are going to see a lot of owners who bought SSR lamenting their choice if they purchased there solely to sleep around.

 

[Chuck S]

We can’t fight it but we can learn to work with it. As always, the advice to buy where you don’t mind staying is not to be ignored. As time goes on, I think we are going to see a lot of owners who bought SSR lamenting their choice if they purchased there solely to sleep around.

And probably not just SSR, but Vero as well. I think the whole concept of buy here, stay elsewhere is not in the best interest of the purchaser or other owners, it is a drag on the system as a whole...and yes, I know DVC was marketed that way, unlike OKW. Early purchasers, like us in 1992, were never promised new resorts, or a right to trade into them, OKW was the only DVC resort at the time...with Newport Beach announced in 1994, and Vero quietly rumored and opened in 1995. I think DVC thought Vero would be a different type of draw, and members would by both...OKW for the park vacations and Vero for the beach vacations, and expected fairly minimal trading between the two, except for the Holidays (remember the Lottery system). So far, I have stayed at OKW for every trip, except for one stay in a Poly studio. That is not to say I don't want to try BLT sometime, but I do love my OKW. Boardwalk and Beach Club just aren't that appealing to me...and mostly for those owners, OKW doesn't appeal to them.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Very good advice to buy where you want to stay. We bought in at BW and we still love it there with the majority of our stays being there. We have tried BC, BLT, GFV as DVCs, I thought BLT and GFV were both very nice, my DH isn't a fan of either. He only wants to stay at BWV so the 11 month booking window has worked very well for us. I think with proper planning we can continue to work within the system.

 

[robinb]

DVC has never been a good option for people who can't plan 6+ months in advance. It's an even worse option now when so many people are competing for resorts like Beach Club, Boardwalk, the Polynesian, etc over the mega resorts of OKW, AKV & SSR.

 

[Spartan86]

As time goes on, I think we are going to see a lot of owners who bought SSR lamenting their choice if they purchased there solely to sleep around.

What do you see as the main catalyst of that? Renting? I think we would need to see far more folks using their 11 month priority than we do now.

 

[crisi]

I think it is true, and I think that its really the BCV, VWL owners who have probably lost out the most. The original OKW owners bought to stay at OKW. The BWV owners that followed probably bought mostly for BWV. VWL owners and BCV owners were really the first ones being sold on the idea of booking several resorts. At that point, OKW was the odd one - bigger, not in a theme park area, but with some attributes that made it attractive - low points, big rooms. Neither VB or HHI were really big enough to skew reservations - it was still not guaranteed to get a reservation where you wanted, but it was a lot easier.

SSR was the tipping point. It was huge. It didn't have anything to draw owners of the original Deluxe attached resorts over it it - unlike OKW. Points weren't that much cheaper and the rooms weren't bigger or nicer. And they were sold completely on being able to book .

Since then, Disney - and the market as a whole - has done several things to make it harder to switch. Five in a studio and low point buy in requirements have made studios even more difficult to book. Perks at 50, then 75, meant a lot of small contracts were bought for those studios. More resorts - BW doesn't get any bigger, but more members who want to stay there means more competition. Online booking makes it easy to do things like walk reservations or make tentative plans - when booking meant a twenty minute investment on hold, you didn't tend to make "just in case" plans. Rental brokers who make not using your points so much easier - and are willing to give you more for your in demand resort if you rent when the window is open. And us, who will tell people "buy where you want to stay" and "book early" - people with better information are making better decisions - but those decisions make it harder for people to switch.