A forthright answer is that "As one of the most profitable divisions within The Walt Disney Company, we have only one objective: to create a marketable product that continues to generate the most profit possible without damaging the brand and affecting sales." But I'm not naive enough to expect that answer, of course.
So we’re in agreement that it’s unrealistic to expect that sort of reply.
The reason this particular member's expression of frustration with the decision making process resonated so much with the audience, and why it received the uproarious applause it did, was that a lot of members out there share that frustration; perhaps not the particular issue with pool shading, but the nature of the organizations decision making; bulk shampoo, conditioner, and body soap; an OKW redesign that seems to have killed the charm, character, and appeal of it's previous incarnation; or the active decision to continue selling small contracts at higher per point costs at small resorts that could not possibly accommodate the ratio of planned studio usage; are all motivated by one thing only: bottom line. Full stop.
That sounds charming but again, it’s impractical. Or perhaps unrealistic. We already listed a number venues available for members to share input. I don’t expect the process will ever be significantly more inclusive.
Specifically, the change regarding bath products was made higher in the food chain. The DVC executives in the room had no say in the decision, and could only try to “spin” the move in as favorable a light as possible.
The OKW refurb was one of the first where members were given the opportunity to stay in model rooms and provide feedback. In fact, the construction work was delayed about a year as Disney revised the design in response to this feedback. But I expect people will draw their own conclusions as to whether or not DVC strongarmed an unpopular refurb design.
Where this all becomes hard to digest is when they do the lip service of talking about how important we are as members, when the reality is we are only as important as our ability and willingness to proselytize about the virtues of DVC ownership. For almost two hours, they celebrated how great they've been as an organization (yes, collective bargaining is messy, but it's insulting to turn around and exult about how important it is to the organization to take care of it's most vulnerable employees), and how happy we've been as members. Couched in addressing our interests, were decisions being made serve the bottom line.
We could take every decision that DVC makes and spin it as a profit-driven move. Ticket discounts, member lounges, theme park events, wine tastings, website features...all are designed to ultimately improve DVC’s financial health. But every single one of them also provides tangible benefits to DVC members.
Member satisfaction and DVC financial health are not mutually exclusive.