Sorry no rooms here

[Fire Phoenix]

Hello everyone,
This is my first thread....... And my first Post. So here we go!!!!!
My wife and I have been renting points for the past few years. And we will continue to to do that because come on, we're newly weds. I've noticed this last time that even at more than 6 months out it was almost impossible to get a resort we wanted. I started reading and noticed that its been difficult for even members to get a villa when and where they want. To the point that Disney is wanting to buckle down on renting of points.
A thought crossed my mind earlier today. Why wouldn't Disney allow DVC members to get regular rooms with their points? It seems like it would mitigate some of these issues and to possibly add in a more accessible level of membership. I mean as a new young family its doesn't make since to go into debt on getting 150 points.
What are yall's thoughts? Am I just thinking like a crazy man? Or has anyone thought about this as well?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We can do that and have been allowed to for years and years. Because it's a "trade" they can require as many points as they wish and its more than DVC resorts. Plus a $95 fee too book and for any changes.

The DVC resorts are sold to be booked 100% so theoretically everyone should be able to use their points. People are starting to book earlier so they can get the exact room they want at the time they want.

 

[bumbershoot]

I've noticed this last time that even at more than 6 months out it was almost impossible to get a resort we wanted.

As a renter you’re subject to what the owner will do for you. For my own self I will stay up late and get up early and check at all times on a whim, to piece together my yearly stay during Princess time. I will risk it until the very end, for myself, even if it means 1 day where I want to be then 1 day elsewhere then 2 days back where I want to be. (I haven’t had to do that yet as my last minute luck keeps holding).

No renter wants that sort of stay.
No renter wants to pay an owner enough to make what we’ll do for ourselves worth it.

At 6 months I have nothing for Princess (other than my home resort of course). It’s at 3 months that things start getting interesting. But no renter is going to hang out in hope for that long.

I started reading and noticed that its been difficult for even members to get a villa when and where they want. To the point that Disney is wanting to buckle down on renting of points.

Just bc you read it here doesn’t mean there’s cracking down on normal renting.

Why wouldn't Disney allow DVC members to get regular rooms with their points?

They do.
It’s an atrocious use of points plus a fee.

 

[zavandor]

To give you an idea, one night at the CBR in September, costs 21 points (plus $95 booking fee), the same night a studio preferred view at BWV costs 15 points. I'm sure CBR is a lovely resort, but it is certainly not worth 50% more than BWV.
Booking regular rooms is a perk for direct contracts only, but when they took it away from resale purchasers (the first time they did a restriction) not many felt they lost much, if anything at all.

 

[Chuck S]

Just to clarify for the OP, the $95 trade fee isn't per night, it is per reservation....so a member could, if they wanted, book a week at a non-DVC resort but pay the $95 once, in addition to the high point cost. That said, I am happy the option is there. You never know what life will throw at you. That said, I hope I never have to use the option, but it is there, just in case.

 

[bwvBound]

Expanding on point to the above: Yes, only "qualified points" can be used to book regular rooms. That is, only point purchased directly from Disney Sales, or grandfathered from before the restriction was put in place (2006??), can be used to book regular rooms.

Thus, booking a regular room involves expensive point purchase (or grandfathered points) + high point values + $95 exchange fee.

Edited to add: Oops, sorry. I see this point was already mentioned above.

 

[disneynutz]

Disney is greedy and they don't give anything away. They tag extra fees to trade and will snatch un-booked DVC inventory 60 days prior to check in for cash guests, (they don't have to pay a transfer fee).

Bill

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Disney love it when DVC members, who bought direct points or are grandfathered in, use their points to book Disney hotel rooms. The exchange rate 100% favors Disney, and it gives them the ability to rent additional DVC units for cash.

It is a terrible deal for DVC members.

 

[Mickey of the Villages]

" I mean as a new young family its doesn't make since to go into debt on getting 150 points." There's a lot to unpack there. I'm 48 and my wife and I are celebrating our 26th anniversary in 12 days. We have a 13 and 10 year old boys. During our years together we have gone into debt for lots of things. Some were useful like cars and student loans and many, many were not. If I could back in time and purchase a 150 point contract at OKW and use it over the 25 years of marriage before we bought into DVC I would. Debt is a useful tool if used wisely. If you decide this isn't a comfortable way to use debt I certainly understand. But I believe there are scenarios where going into debt does make sense.

 

[keishashadow]

" I mean as a new young family its doesn't make since to go into debt on getting 150 points." There's a lot to unpack there. I'm 48 and my wife and I are celebrating our 26th anniversary in 12 days. We have a 13 and 10 year old boys. During our years together we have gone into debt for lots of things. Some were useful like cars and student loans and many, many were not. If I could back in time and purchase a 150 point contract at OKW and use it over the 25 years of marriage before we bought into DVC I would. Debt is a useful tool if used wisely. If you decide this isn't a comfortable way to use debt I certainly understand. But I believe there are scenarios where going into debt does make sense.

Agree with you that debt is inevitable. However, we’ve always managed to save up the $ for our DVC purchases by cutting back elsewhere. Took us awhile to get going with DVC, and agree the buy in was much lower out of the gate, but happy enough with where we are now in our membership.

No wrong or right way to spend one’s discretionary income IMO. It’s a bit of a lost art but most people can trim the fat somewhere in the budget to slowly work on a DVC purchase fund. Unfortunately, it was a way better concept before DVC changed the fees for direct add ons, wherein now smaller purchases effectively cost more.

 

[Novakm]

Way back when DVC was new, I spoke with a guide. I was staying at Poly, and I asked how many points I would need, and what the MF would be to stay at Poly using points. The MF added up to significantly more than I was paying cash, so I concluded that DVC was a ripoff. I Never even asked how many points needed for DVC room.

He might have made a sale if he had told me that trading points for cash rooms was a very bad use of points.

 

[crisi]

Members don't have a problem booking rooms as long as they book well in advance at their home resort and aren't looking for things where the demand is higher than the supply (standard room studios at BWV during Food and Wine). DVC is sold to be at nearly 100% occupancy year round. Some rooms have high demand and will book right at eleven months. Other rooms may still be available for tonight (I can't get a room for Monday night, but I can get a room for Tuesday.)

 

[chepic]

" I mean as a new young family its doesn't make since to go into debt on getting 150 points." There's a lot to unpack there. I'm 48 and my wife and I are celebrating our 26th anniversary in 12 days. We have a 13 and 10 year old boys. During our years together we have gone into debt for lots of things. Some were useful like cars and student loans and many, many were not. If I could back in time and purchase a 150 point contract at OKW and use it over the 25 years of marriage before we bought into DVC I would. Debt is a useful tool if used wisely. If you decide this isn't a comfortable way to use debt I certainly understand. But I believe there are scenarios where going into debt does make sense.

I can't tell you how many of our friends told us we were crazy when we first bought OKW in 1997. We did not have kids at the time and had just bought our house. Another loan wasn't really something we "should have" done, but like you point out, there are all sorts of debts people do. Now, those same people tell us that they wished they had bought when we did especially since the price of points has gone up so much. If the time is right...you do it.

 

[tjkraz]

Disney is greedy and they don't give anything away. They tag extra fees to trade and will snatch un-booked DVC inventory 60 days prior to check in for cash guests, (they don't have to pay a transfer fee).

Bill

If members haven't booked a room 60 days prior to arrival, they aren't going to. Better to get something for the room rather than let it sit empty. Even with the breakage cap, members get hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in breakage revenue every year.

Disney love it when DVC members, who bought direct points or are grandfathered in, use their points to book Disney hotel rooms. The exchange rate 100% favors Disney, and it gives them the ability to rent additional DVC units for cash.

It is a terrible deal for DVC members.

Terrible for members...probably not great for Disney either. Thanks to the growth of both DVC ownership and point rentals, there isn't a lot of demand for two bedroom villas at $1000 per night. Many of the cash rooms go unbooked. Others are used for "free" upgrades to cash guests, yielding far less revenue than the book rates for those rooms.