OKW Going Up to $180 PP

[hhisc16]

As an existing owner who was looking for a small add on at RIV I agree and understand buyers. The 150 point minimum makes an initial buy in over $30,000. That is a real tough pill for people to swallow and probably pushes people to smaller resale contracts.

That is why we bought resale. We own 75 points now.
Disney requires 150 point minimum buy in, which is a lot of money to most families.
We would have bought direct if Disney allowed less to buy in.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

That is why we bought resale. We own 75 points now.
Disney requires 150 point minimum buy in, which is a lot of money to most families.
We would have bought direct if Disney allowed less to buy in.

I know this isn't the right form for this but I strongly feel as a member that nobody should be buying in at less than 150 points it creates a huge hassle and headache for DVC to keep track of all the members and you practically can't stay anywhere with less than 150 points

 

[fumanchu2488]

I know this isn't the right form for this but I strongly feel as a member that nobody should be buying in at less than 150 points it creates a huge hassle and headache for DVC to keep track of all the members and you practically can't stay anywhere with less than 150 points

I think this is incorrect. And even compounded now with how much a Disney trip costs.

I have 100 points. When I bought our goal was 1 week every other year in a studio. Which is the perfect amount of points for us. We wanted to buy 50 more to bump up to a 1 BR for the same trip every other year with a few points to keep banking.

We are a young family so we are taking our time with this decision because of how quickly things are changing with Disney and pricing and the perks of staying on property keep going down. I think 100 or 150 points is perfect for the every other year traveler who wants to go on other family vacations. It might be harder on Disney for smaller contracts but definitely not harder for an owner.

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

We are a young family so we are taking our time with this decision because of how quickly things are changing with Disney and pricing and the perks of staying on property keep going down. I think 100 or 150 points is perfect for the every other year traveler who wants to go on other family vacations. It might be harder on Disney for smaller contracts but definitely not harder for an owner.

I think they want people to buy enough points to ONLY go to Disney. Monopolize the travel dollars!

 

[KimMcGowan]

I know this isn't the right form for this but I strongly feel as a member that nobody should be buying in at less than 150 points it creates a huge hassle and headache for DVC to keep track of all the members and you practically can't stay anywhere with less than 150 points

Why would you believe that it is a hassle for Disney to keep track of members, regardless of their number of points? A simple spreadsheet program can do this is seconds. My 100 point contract fits our travel style perfectly. I think Disney made the exact wrong move increasing the minimum buy-in. I, and many others, might not have ever bought at the higher number.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

The sales for RIV were pretty strong before COVID. Now, the entire sales of DVC has slumped in terms of totals for all resorts and that for sure has to do with COVID. We do not know what the goals are for RIV but I am pretty sure that the targets they once had changed when the pandemic hit and Reflections went by the wayside.

As I mentioned before, I think we need to see a few more months of sales and the % of total to know whether its the resort. The fact that they continued the August incentives, with no "bonus" like they have been tends to indicate that are happy enough with its sales that they didn't need to "add more".

And, the base price of $201 is not being paid, except by those adding on under 100 points. New buyers are paying less due to incentives. But, now that both SSR/OKW are closer in price to RIV, it will be interesting to see what occurs. New buyers were still choosing RIV over those two by a large percentage. I still believe those that went with SSR/OKW were doing so because of price alone.

September sales should be out pretty soon, and we will see what happened for total DVC!

OTOH, could raising the pricing on OKW and SSR now give Disney a reason to raise the price on RIV? Possibly in preparation for the new VGF2 pricing?

 

[Lorana]

If you want to see a great, well themed, well done 'European type resort' go to Portofino over at universal. Spend a good hour or three wandering the place, looking at all the pools, getting lost in the hallways, finding the gardens, and sipping coffee on the Plaza, and see what someone can REALLY do with a European type theme. I think Disney has FAILED with Riviera.

Caveat is that I do own at Riviera - we added on last year so we’d have an Epcot/HS area resort during the great incentives and when we added our GW at CCV, so we got a great price. And while I haven’t stayed at RIV yet - first stay is in February - I’ve wandered along the grounds and done a tour.

But I agree with this. I like Riviera as a beautiful little resort, but it really was missing that “something” that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. And you nailed it. I’ve stayed at Portofino Bay, too, and it’s a beautiful resort that really captures that charm. And that’s something we like about our home resorts of CCV/BRV/AKV - lots of nooks and crannies to explore, even in a smaller resort like the Wilderness Lodge

 

[poofyo101]

The sales for RIV were pretty strong before COVID. Now, the entire sales of DVC has slumped in terms of totals for all resorts and that for sure has to do with COVID. We do not know what the goals are for RIV but I am pretty sure that the targets they once had changed when the pandemic hit and Reflections went by the wayside.

As I mentioned before, I think we need to see a few more months of sales and the % of total to know whether its the resort. The fact that they continued the August incentives, with no "bonus" like they have been tends to indicate that are happy enough with its sales that they didn't need to "add more".

And, the base price of $201 is not being paid, except by those adding on under 100 points. New buyers are paying less due to incentives. But, now that both SSR/OKW are closer in price to RIV, it will be interesting to see what occurs. New buyers were still choosing RIV over those two by a large percentage. I still believe those that went with SSR/OKW were doing so because of price alone.

September sales should be out pretty soon, and we will see what happened for total DVC!

I don't think thats right. I don't think sales have slumped for DVC during covid once it opened back up. IT should be selling faster. Could be wrong

 

[Sandisw]

I don't think thats right. I don't think sales have slumped for DVC during covid once it opened back up. IT should be selling faster. Could be wrong

They have. Total points sold every month are indeed much lower than before last year and the closure.

Prior To the closure RIV was selling on average over 100k a month with other resorts still selling and adding to that total.

Now, I don’t think we have seen many, if any, months where the total is over 100K.

So direct sales have taken a big hit in the last year. IIRC active resorts are typically 70 to 80% of new sales….last month closer to 60%?

But it still more than doubled the other resorts and based on average contract size, it seemed that those going for the older resorts were add ons and not new buyers.

Again, I think we shall see how things fair in the next few months and what happens when VGF sales start again.

If the new increase of OKW to match SSR moves the percent of new sales higher to RIV, then it would indicate to me that price was a bigger factor than the resort itself.

I simply don’t agree one can ignore all the pieces and say RIV and it’s resale restrictions alone are the reason for tue sales numbers. You simply can’t take out the impact the pandemic has had on not only sales but other aspects of the economy.

 

[Bearval]

Unbelievable. On the other hand, I have told people, over and over, that DVC is a GREAT investment, IF you plan to go to DIsney very often. You use your DVC to stay at some great locations, and, after you use it for 5, 10, 20, or more years, you can probably sell it for what you initially paid for it, OR MORE, even considering inflation. That has been my experience.

When Disney raises their prices, for DVC (or other things too) it does make me mad. But then I realize they have just raised the bar on DVC and now my ownership is worth more.

DVC nor any timeshare is an investment. You would have done way better the past 5, 10, 15 , 20 years if you had invested the money in a mutual fund.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We've alway found DVC to be a great investment on fun and memories! This thread is interesting, though. Didn't realize Disney resale value of OKW is up to $180 per point. That's almost triple what we paid back when it first opened. Not that we're planning to sell, but the info is interesting.

 

[Sandisw]

We've alway found DVC to be a great investment on fun and memories! This thread is interesting, though. Didn't realize Disney resale value of OKW is up to $180 per point. That's almost triple what we paid back when it first opened. Not that we're planning to sell, but the info is interesting.

That is the direct price for OKW, not what people are paying resale.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

That is the direct price for OKW, not what people are paying resale.

I understand that. I should have used a term better than Disney resale - technically, it's reselling points, but at direct prices through Disney. It also sounds odd saying they're selling direct for resorts that have been sold out for decades! Semantics.

But clearly, if people are paying the prices, many just to get a 'blue card', it's not a surprise Disney is raising the prices..... again.

 

[Bearval]

I understand that. I should have used a term better than Disney resale - technically, it's reselling points, but at direct prices through Disney. It also sounds odd saying they're selling direct for resorts that have been sold out for decades! Semantics.

But clearly, if people are paying the prices, many just to get a 'blue card', it's not a surprise Disney is raising the prices..... again.

Disney just wants to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to overpay and to receive less.

 

[kenchilada]

I think they want people to buy enough points to ONLY go to Disney. Monopolize the travel dollars!

Good luck with that. With all the crazy price increases and Genie+ changes, our “annual 10-day Disney trip” has become our “annual Orlando vacation” instead. We’re doing a couple Disney days and the rest at other parks. DVC is just our home base. They’re losing BIG with me.

 

[Bearval]

Good luck with that. With all the crazy price increases and Genie+ changes, our “annual 10-day Disney trip” has become our “annual Orlando vacation” instead. We’re doing a couple Disney days and the rest at other parks. DVC is just our home base. They’re losing BIG with me.

We are staying at DVC in June and going to Universal in 2022.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Disney just wants to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to overpay and to receive less.

I'm not going to debate what's costing more and what's giving less. It's a very simple equation based on supply and demand. The prices have gone up because people see value in it and are willing to pay it. Doesn't matter if it's DVC or a new car or Broadway show tickets. Almost 30 years ago we debated paying what was a lot of money at the time for the Disney Vacation Club (later Old Key West). If points were $180 per instead of $60-something per, we would never have paid it then.

Some folks have bought, found they don't see the value in it and have sold. Others are out there willing to give it a try by buying and will pay. It wasn't that long ago the scales seemed to tip in favor of the buyers for a bit, and resale prices dropped (a pandemic helped with that). Now demand is back up and so are some of the prices.

 

[mamaofsix]

Do we know how much Disney is offering to pay for the OKW buy-backs? Is it higher than what one would get using the resale market?

 

[Where'sPiglet?]

Good luck with that. With all the crazy price increases and Genie+ changes, our “annual 10-day Disney trip” has become our “annual Orlando vacation” instead. We’re doing a couple Disney days and the rest at other parks. DVC is just our home base. They’re losing BIG with me.

Oh, I know! What they want and how they are trying to get it is not going well with their base group of guests, at least from what I can tell on these boards.

This summer, I ventured out to other Orlando-area theme parks for the first time. I loved Discovery Cove and Sea World. I also enjoyed Universal; I need to go back to ride the things I was unable to do due to time constraints.

Last summer, I tried out Vero Beach. I loved it, aside from the no-see-ums. Those things are heckin' viscous.

 

[CarolynFH]

Do we know how much Disney is offering to pay for the OKW buy-backs? Is it higher than what one would get using the resale market?

No, one of the first members to get the letter called and was told it would be $80-88 pp, which is below resale market currently. However, there's no ROFR process to go through and no commission to be paid to an agent, so that price might be attractive to someone who wants a quick and easy process to getting their $$. Especially someone who bought long ago at $50-60 pp and is more concerned with getting out of their membership rather than making a profit. BTW the Disney CM also pointed out to the member that they could get a higher price on the resale market, didn't try to pretend that $80-88 was a high offer at all.