differences over the years with DVC--changes?

[DVC Grammy]

I don't think we were wearing rose colored glasses. I would totally agree that Disney as a whole has some problems, customer service being one of them. I continue to write and complain where I see issue. I simply believe that for the way I vacation, DVC has been a good deal and so far WDW is still delivering the quality for my dollar.

ITA, eliza61,
DVC has given us at least what we expected from owning it, and sometimes, much more.
There hasn't been a trip that we've taken in which there hasn't been at least one dose of , even if it's a small dose.

 

[abbysmema]

I am still a very happy DVC owner. Although we only own since 2004 we have had many very special vacations over these last few years. I don't think I could ever go back to a staying in a hotel room again, not even a deluxe. My family is growing now that my DH and I have become grandparents and we are able to offer everyone spacious accommodations where the family can always stay together. DVC makes this affordable for us to do. Our rooms have always been clean and the staff has always been responsive to our needs. Whenever my DGD has walked into the community room she has been greeted by staff who remember her from previous visits and she always feels right at home. WDW is still my family's favorite vacation destination and SSR is our favorite home away from home. I have no intention of selling any of my contracts (they will be for my children and grandchildren to use) and so far none of the recent changes have affected the way I use my ownership. Marie

 

[crisi]

All in all, I agree with you completely. While I see the customer service and cleanliness of the parks waning from what it was 25 years ago, I also see it as still being much better than lots of other choices out there.

And 25 years is a lot of perspective! That's part of it..... if you remember a Magic Kingdom were rude guest behavior wasn't tolerated, or where you almost never saw a burned out lightbulb or a wall in need of painting and where the trash seemed to magically disappear (did anyone litter?) - the Disney of today is far less perfect. But its still pretty darn clean and pretty darn well maintained.

It doesn't seem to change too much year over year. Sometimes there is a change that makes a really significant impact in the quality of the vacation, but usually, its a small change. More crowds each year. Standardized menus. Getting rid of the colored towels. More cast members - which means fewer and fewer fresh faced idealistic polite kids on the college program - and more CMs who are trying to raise a family in Central Florida on a Disney CM wage. (Remember when Kilamanjaro Safari's drivers were all from Africa? - it was a MUCH cooler experience with just that staffing difference).

DVC however, is for the long term - and those little changes do stack up over time. There have been some for the better - ERide nights being turned into free Extra Magic Hours. Resorts that are affordable to a wider cross section of people. More parks than 25 years ago - and some very nice attractions. Unfortunately, to me it seems like most of these changes have been grains of sand on the worse side of the scale.

 

[frogman]

I think the worst change has been the focus they have taken. For years the focus was on the current membership. Therefore the members did a very good job of selling DVC for Disney.

However recently I see a shift away from the current membership and more focus on sales and expansion.

I don't think the current $95 fee, the banking changes, the problems in housekeeping and maintenance reflect a management that is listening anymore to it's membership, I think they are listening to themselves.

As Jim, I can't at this time recommend DVC to anyone to purchase and we are to the point of considering selling some of ours, which 5 years ago, I would have sworn would never happen.

As is the norm, I agee with Sammie's observations.

With a possible/probable economic downturn around the corner, perhaps Disney and WDW will start to re-value thier current DVC Owners as sales of DVC and vacations decline.

However, unlike post September 11th, foreign travel, and more importantly foreign markets are doing well, make DVC very attractive to those guests. So we may see a bigger DVC focus on European sales, and even more neglect of 'US'.

But, I'm hoping for the return of DVC's 'respect' for its US owners over the next few years....

JMHO.

 

[Studios94]

I have been a DVC member since 2001 (home resort VWL). I am very happy with DVC. Yes, there have been changes but overall I'm even happier with DVC now than I was when I first joined. For example, DVC has added several wonderful new resort options (BCV, SSR, AKL, upcoming Hawaii resort) since I joined. The new DVC resorts have more luxurios finishes (e.g., granite countertops) than the older DVC resorts. I've never experienced cleanliness issues with our rooms. The main benefit is that I don't have to pay the ever-increasing cash room rates!

 

[RLCarmichael]

As someone who's been researching DVC and following this forum for the last couple of years and currently waiting on my first contract to pass ROFR... it's a bit discouraging to see some of the posters that I found the most helpful and informative over that time to be on the negative side in here and even selling off some contracts because of it.

Don't sweat it. Yeah, we're not as happy about some changes but I can tell you that the most important thing with ANY timeshare is LOCATION. Disney has the location.

Buy it because it makes sense for you. Sell it when it doesn't.

Other timeshares sell on ebay for PENNIES on the dollar. (I have bought several weeks for ONE dollar.) You won't find DVC points at that kind of price!

 

[disney54us]

We purchased DVC (OKW) on our 2nd trip in 97. OKW was almost sold out and Sales were starting at the BW. At the time, both trips had been 'magical' and we were ready to take the plunge. I would have to say the first time we had less then a magical trip was in late November of 01. Tourism was down due to the tragedy of 9/11 and with that many CM's were laid off or full time help were working part time hrs. This was my DM's 2nd trip with us and my DD's first. Not that my DD did not enjoy himself but he didn't get how I would go on and on about how everything was so perfect at OKW. DM told him that her prior trip was perfect and not to judge this particular trip.
We went on as a family to have many wonderful trips, but through the years you can see a difference in attention to detail or should I say lack of attention. Some may say, these little things are no big deal and individually they may not be. As a whole they add up, it was all the little details that made Disney and DVC so special.

Check in was a breeze and you really did feel like you were being Welcomed Home. The CM's knew how to handle everything and could answer just about anything. They reviewed all the 'special happenings' that were going on during your stay. I have to say it's been a few trips since that's been done at check-in.
Rooms, were ready on time, if not before. They were in perfect condition.
Food at Olivia's always great, CM's happy, friendly and seemed to love their job! Ask for a recipe, and they went to the back and printed it out (still waiting to be emailed a recipe I asked for 2 years ago).
I remember when we bought, one thing that I thought would be great to do was order Thanksgiving Dinner and have it delivered to have at 'home'. We were told about that when we were touring OKW. We never have spent Thanksgiving there yet, but I don't think they do that anymore. Thanksgiving regulars would know.

This is not to say there are not great CM's working the front desk, or Olivia's or mousekeeping, or MS or in Disney, please keep this in mind. This is a answer to has it changed and yes it has.

Am I selling my contracts? No, we are not. Did we add 3 more contracts, since the initial 2 in 97? Yes. I guess for some of us we have come to expect what I call "The Disney Way" and when we see some things being done or not done, it is disconcerting. When, we travel outside of Disney (very rare), I do compare things to how Disney does it. One overpriced long weekend at a Chocolate factory with lodges and a park ( I think all can figure out where), was horrible and my DN was with us and considers me a Disney Nut. That trip showed her the difference of the "The Disney Way" to others for the same amount of cost. So, yes Disney still is great .
Does it mean you can never luck out and get a reservation at the last minute or a few months out? Yes, it still happens, for every reply about that or the great CM's or how clean the rooms are, they are all true. What some of us are saying is that this was always the norm all the time. We came to expect nothing less.
Things change, not always for the better as I feel some of the changes that have happened with DVC. There are many CM's who are DVC owners and will also agree this isn't the DVC we all bought and loved. The price of DVC has not gone down so I don't expect the service to.
Buying into DVC will still enable you to have the vacations you enjoy. Since you have been reading the boards you are aware of what the most common complaints are, with that knowledge you can make and intelligent choice. With the complaints you have read, I think you can see the same people are still here discussing up coming vacations and bringing back great trip reports etc. So, I think you received honest answers, we still love Disney and DVC, but many love the old one better

 

[UConnJack]

I'm sure I will get slammed for these gross generalizations, but.....

No offense to anyone, it seems to me the old timers (not in age, but in membership) that have been DVC members from the beginning (OKW and maybe you can count some early BWV) are the members who seem to be the most disgruntled with the new DVC changes. Not that I can blame them, what they had really was special, so much so that expecting the club to remain that exclusive, intimate, and member-centric really was unrealistic. Things that are too good to be true are just that. DVC and Disney are a business, and once DVC was a success, it was bound to change.

The middle aged members (again, in membership, not age), myself included (BWV 2000), don't really seem to have the same garden of Eden view of DVC that the old-timers do. They seem to recognize the bad changes, but overall see DVC as improving with expansion. They were sold on DVC often because of the potential for and knowledge of growth, and seem to be more tolerant of those growing pains. They never had the free annual passes, or the same extremely intimate family atmosphere between members and CMs alike that OKW had in the fist several years. What they were sold was a little more realistic than the utopia of early OKW.

The newbies, of course, are obviously just tickled pink that they are part of this club at all (why else would they be happy with SSR ). But seriously, seeing the remaining enthusiasm by newbies shows that DVC is still better than most other timeshares, and offers a lot that others don't. Even with the ramp up of (admittedly aggressive) marketing, it is still less in-your-face than most others. Plus DVC still holds it value like no other, which is a testament to something.

Not that I don't agree that many of these changes have been for the worse, they have, but some of them have been necessary due to the size of the program, and some may be considered positive by some and not to others. I for example like the banking deadline change, hated the X% by this date, Y% by that date mess. The one transfer rule change I despise, however, I can't blame DVC entirely for that, as the people who have learned to abuse the system (as all systems can) have forced that hand to some degree. My biggest compliant, which pertains to the transfer rule too, is that DVC's changes have often been knee-jerk, plugging holes rather than fixing the dam. When something’s this big and with a life of its own, this unfortunately happens and is not just isolated to DVC.

Disney is so big now that they seem to be losing sight of the details and minutia compared to what they once were. While it’s a valid complaint, I don't think the boat is sinking. Maybe I do have rose-colored glasses, but I think it all cyclic and will again see a stretch of time where the good changes outnumber the bad.

 

[tomandrobin]

We have been members for two years, so I guess we are the "new kids" that moved in down the street. I have read about the past perks and such things that the original members recieved. Yes alot of them have gone away, but new perks ans such have been implemented. Disney changes, tweaks everything, including DVC. It seems that the more successful something becomes, Disney will seize the oppurtunity to make more money off of it. Look at the Dining Plan, the free photo at MNSSHP & MVMCP, pin trading, etc. I think that DVC is moving in the right direction overall. They are adding new resorts in California and Hawaii. Have those two items been on the DVC wish list for years?

I read complaints about the quality of the CM's and cleaning staff. Disney is having a hard time fullfilling its employment needs the past couple of years. Plus, resort occupancy has been steadly climbing since the low of post 911.
but these are the same issues most large companies have been having around the country, its just not a Disney thing.

We own other timeshares and know what a difference Disney treats its members, compared to most other timeshares. DVC currently has 8 resorts with 2 more under development and a third rumored. That will bring DVC up to 11 resorts in a few years. As long as DVC is a cash cow to Disney, then they will continue to add resorts.

 

[DVC Grammy]

...................................... DVC currently has 8 resorts with 2 more under development and a third rumored. That will bring DVC up to 11 resorts in a few years. As long as DVC is a cash cow to Disney, then they will continue to add resorts.

This same growth that some blame for the (negative) changes they have perceived in DVC (definitely NOT directed at you, tomandrobin ) is one of the reasons we still enjoy it so much. We have owned since the 90's, and having more DVC locations makes it even better for us.

With careful planning, we can make each of our WDW trips have a completely different vacation feel to it and yet still be in the same "world" (although lately, DH has been in a BW "frame of mind".....................but I'll bet that he changes his tune this January when he's at AKV Concierge! ).

The flexibility and variety of DVC makes it still one of the best decisions we have made.

 

[tomandrobin]

With careful planning, we can make each of our WDW trips have a completely different vacation feel to it and yet still be in the same "world" (although lately, DH has been in a BW "frame of mind".....................but I'll bet that he changes his tune this January when he's at AKV Concierge! ).

The flexibility and variety of DVC makes it still one of the best decisions we have made.

I forgot to mention the concierge level at AKV. That too is an upgrade that has been added due to the growth of DVC. When CRV is made official, that too will fullfill another long time DVC wish list item.

Every trip we have taken to Disney is similar, but none of them have ever been the same. Its amazing to us all of the possibilities that exist just going to WDW.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

I forgot to mention the concierge level at AKV. That too is an upgrade that has been added due to the growth of DVC. When CRV is made official, that too will fullfill another long time DVC wish list item.

Every trip we have taken to Disney is similar, but none of them have ever been the same. Its amazing to us all of the possibilities that exist just going to WDW.

You may be a newbie, but you get it....

 

[dvc-NE]

However recently I see a shift away from the current membership and more focus on sales and expansion.

I can see that. DVC & DCL are the two top money makers for Disney. Hence the sales push and the expansion.

 

[Debbie H]

I'm sure I will get slammed for these gross generalizations, but.....

No offense to anyone, it seems to me the old timers (not in age, but in membership) that have been DVC members from the beginning (OKW and maybe you can count some early BWV) are the members who seem to be the most disgruntled with the new DVC changes. Not that I can blame them, what they had really was special, so much so that expecting the club to remain that exclusive, intimate, and member-centric really was unrealistic. Things that are too good to be true are just that. DVC and Disney are a business, and once DVC was a success, it was bound to change.

No slamming.....We old timers were told that things would be a certain way. We were told it was going to be special. We were told that "it would be the only one on property". So we bought. It was wonderful for years. Then it changed and it changed drastically. Will we sell? Probably not. Still like going down there but will start trading out more and stay away from being there as much and hope it will get better. There were a few Summers I was there with the kids for the entire Summer and was only home 1 weekend. It really was special back then.

 

[disney54us]

No slamming.....We old timers were told that things would be a certain way. We were told it was going to be special. We were told that "it would be the only one on property". So we bought. It was wonderful for years. Then it changed and it changed drastically. Will we sell? Probably not. Still like going down there but will start trading out more and stay away from being there as much and hope it will get better. There were a few Summers I was there with the kids for the entire Summer and was only home 1 weekend. It really was special back then.

Wow, when we joined in '97' I heard there were some who could spend a couple of months at a time. I just realized that I said 'joined' not bought, I think that might be a difference too. Back then, we felt like we were joining something and did not refer to DVC as we bought into. Even though we did.

 

[groverdog]

I still love my DVC as much as I did the first day if not more. We just finished an add-on for more BW points and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for CRV so we can get more
We are taking my elderly parents to SSR in December; they need a break due to family issues and I'm so thrilled we can provide this vacation for them.
The changes that have happened over the years just don't dull the magic for us. I'm so thankful that we have been fortunate enough to have this, I know thousands of families would give almost anything to be in our shoes.

 

[disney54us]

I'm sure I will get slammed for these gross generalizations, but.....

I may not agree with everything you said, but I did not feel you were trying to say other views were wrong. You were stating yours without being combative. Thanks for that!

 

[ldo]

Well, thanks for all the info and "telling it like it is." After reading all of these, and having gone to WDW since it opened as a kids, I love it more now with my kids than when I was a kid! DVC (even as a cash paying guest) had the "magic" for us this summer--we're buying and will see you all next summer! Elaine

 

[Chuck S]

There have been changes since we purchased OKW in 1992.

I wouldn't call myself "disgruntled" about them. I understand that as numbers grow, the little "perks" simply can't be given to every member. Some little perks were discontinued because of logistics, some were changed because laws/security has changed. I miss some of the little perks, but it just isn't possible to offer them anymore.

For instance, in the first couple of years, we were able to call OKW before we arrived and check-in over the phone, giving them our credit card number, and simply stopping at an express desk to get our welcome packet and pre-prepared room keys. Can you imagine trying to do that at a fully sold out resort the size of OKW today? Let alone the newer federal privacy acts regarding credit card numbers. Remember when we DIDN'T receive privacy policy mailing from all your banks, doctor and credit card issuers every single year?

We used to often get small gifts from marketing when we arrived, like photo albums, key chains, etc. The cost today to supply those for all the members arriving at all the DVC resorts would certainly be prohibitive now.

They used to put packages delivered from the parks directly in our rooms. Now we have to sign for them, and have our receipt stamped, when we retrieve them from the resort gift shops. I'll bet they had a lot of folks claim they never received their packages.

There have been changes, not only on the part of resort operations, but in the mindset of the traveling public. Unfortunately, some changes are simply necessary because a few bad apples think It's all about ME!!! regardless of how it affects resort operations or other peoples vacations.

 

[tomandrobin]

I agree 100% with what you are saying Chuck. Its not so much DVC changing by choice, but as of condition of responding to current times. Some because of growth, some because of laws and regulations