WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast #61 - April 6, 2008 The WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast Discuss WDW Radio Show Disney Podcast #61 - April 6, 2008 in the The WDW Radio Show forums; While I noticed some of the same points in the DVC "innacuracies" I did just sort of brush it off, the one thing he said that really made me say ...

[bigbrian-nc.com]

While I noticed some of the same points in the DVC "innacuracies" I did just sort of brush it off, the one thing he said that really made me say "well that's not accurate" was when he said something about Disney Having 99 holes of golf, I was a little surprised Lou didn't give him the update on that, but assumed he just didn't correct him on it because he didn't want to interupt, and perhaps forgot about it later. I actually LIKE the cast interviews, though I'll admit this wasn't exactly a favorite out of the ones he's done,at least having been podcast on Lous show perhaps someone at Disney will hear this and some of the innacuracies may be addressed and some additional training can be provided to folks in the same and similar positions as Michael.

As Always THANK YOU for all the time you put into the podcast each week!

[mritty]

Originally Posted by bigbrian-nc.com

the one thing he said that really made me say "well that's not accurate" was when he said something about Disney Having 99 holes of golf

I didn't realize that was inaccurate. I thought there were 5 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole golf course. Is that not true?

[gtkdbob]

I’m a first-time poster, long-time listener (since the beginning of MouseTunes), and a DVC member since 2000. I’m very happy with my DVC membership and have even added on points twice since I became a member. However, I felt similar to mritty listening to the podcast. The annual dues are the biggest cost of membership and currently range from $4 to $6 per point per year, depending on the resort. In addition to the upfront buy-in of $16,000, a basic 160-point membership will also cost $640 to $960 in dues per year and this will increase every year.

I think two other things were also glossed over: 1) using your points to stay at non-DVC reports on property and 2) the choice of home resort. Using points to stay at the non-DVC, on-property resorts is a terrible value for your points, it requires 4 to 5 times the points required to stay at comparable DVC resorts. The choice of home resort will affect your annual dues and how easy it will be to get a reservation. You can make a reservation 12 months in advance at your home resort and 7 months in advance at any other DVC resort. It is typically very hard to get a studio at Beach Club and Wildnerness Lodge if you’re not a member, 1 bedrooms are easier. You have to call each day at exactly the 7-month time point and you usually wind up wait-listed. That being said, I have been able to stay at all of the DVC resorts over the years, I just don’t always get my first choice.

If you are the commando-style traveler and typically stay at the value resorts, I don’t think DVC is the most economical choice. If you like to stay at the home away from home resorts and would like a larger room (especially the 1 bedrooms), then the DVC can save you money over the 45 years of membership, but you will need more than 160 points for a 1-week stay in a 1 bedroom. I have not found DVC to be a high-pressure sales pitch like other timeshares, so don’t hesitate to stop in and ask questions and get info. The only downside is it takes time away from the parks.

[bigbrian-nc.com]

Originally Posted by mritty

I didn't realize that was inaccurate. I thought there were 5 18-hole golf courses and one 9-hole golf course. Is that not true?

At least one of the courses in the Eagle Pines/Osprey Ridge grouping closed for the building of the Four seasons resort, I don't recall which as I'm not a big golf fan myself. I alos forget weather that is going to be an on property resort ran by the Four Seasons (much like the Swan and Dolphin are) or if that area is going to be de-annexed, like some of the other rumored developments are supposed to be.

[cayce]

Related to this thread, and perhaps adding another point of view to the discussion...

One of the reasons I like WDW Radio is that it's not robotic in the way Disney can be. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney, but, as evidenced by the YOMD and the DVC guests, I felt like I was listening to robotic salespeople or even politicians.

I appreciate the respectfulness and professionalism of both WDW Radio and Disney, but I like that the radio show exists outside the Disney universe and can share with us at least some objectivity.

I, too, thought the DVC segment sounded like a commercial, and there were moments I could sense the DVC guest was glossing over the finer details. That said, I did not feel this was Lou's fault -- he was just attempting to interview a salesman. Perhaps an interview with a seasoned DVC member would be an appropriate follow-up?

[kretzcr]

I would have loved to see Lou ask a couple questions:

Does Disney have the right to (or have they already) increased maint fees over time?
Does Disney have the right to change the value of "points," ie, make something cost more points than it did when you bought the package?

If these are true then the salesman on the show was straight out lying if he said about vacationing in the future at today's prices.

Always ask yourself, why would Disney offer a package like this? How do they make money?

Lou, I would have loved to see you ask the tough questions here and play Devil's advocate with this guy. If you were worried about offending Disney, don't do the interview. All of none.

Keep up with your normal pieces of insider invterviews and travel tips, and try to stay away from these conflicts of interest. I'll keep listening though, nobody is perfect.

[DaveH]

I am new to these pocasts. I do not see a conflict if interest. My complaint was the guy was QA. If it was a salesman I would have reacted differently. Lou was trying to help listeners. He did nothing wrong. As I said before if Disney CM talks I take it with a large grain of salt. I liked the whole show. My beef is the the CM not Lou. We have found you can talk to 2 CM's about something and get 2 different answers. The fact of the CM exaggerating 7 month and trade outs is nothing new. The great or good guides who I have one give that speech and then tell the problems too. As was stated earlier most handle that in the first 15 minutes or so. I have had more misleading info from supervisors than anyone else. So my new vent is over.

[disneysister]

I'm glad Lou spoke up. DVC is a very unique way to vacation and as was said, may not be for everyone. Those of us who are members "get it" and do not feel that the way it was explained was only to further their sales. Believe me, DVC sells itself to people who take the time to understand and not look for the "evil" in it. Just last night on 20/20 they were talking about other points based vacation clubs that apparently have been trying to copy Disney's. But they were really out to get the consumer. Mr. Collier explained it as you would hear from any guide. If it isn't your interest, and you are not a member, then please don't criticize..especially Lou. I love when Lou has the real Disney people on. It is the only way we can meet them vicariously. THANKS LOU!!

As far as increasing maintenance fees: I have belonged since 2002. My fees have gone up very slightly some years and in other years have gone DOWN. They never rise or fall more than a few cents/ point.

The points needed to stay at the resorts have NEVER changed. The number of points I need to stay in a 2 BR at VWL have NEVER changed. I find with all of the discounts and the price to stay in a particular type of room ..I do end up saving and I do find that I prepaid for my long years ahead (and my children's) of vacationing around the world. I love my DVC!

[Pluto'sPal]

Keep up the good work Lou! I like having different "styles" of shows. Sometimes interviews, sometimes the DSI, etc. I don't want the show to turn into the "Disney bashing" that other shows sometimes do. If you don't like an episode, than just don't listen to the rest of that episode and wait for next week. I'm sure you'll like the next one Lou creates for us. There is no way to make everyone happy...unless we all win free vacations to Disney! HAHAHA

[mritty]

Originally Posted by disneysister

I'm glad Lou spoke up. DVC is a very unique way to vacation and as was said, may not be for everyone.

"As was said"? If you listen to the podcast, the DVC rep very specifically said it's for EVERYONE.

Mr. Collier explained it as you would hear from any guide.

Really? That's good to know. If that's true, that pretty much affirms I will NEVER go to one of those kiosks. The man FLAT OUT LIED on more than one occasion. If that's typical of DVC reps, they are by far the worst cast members ever. I sincerely hope you're wrong, and that Mr. Collier is very atypical of the rest of the DVC reps.

If it isn't your interest, and you are not a member, then please don't criticize

On the contrary. Those who were interested should be the MOST upset and be the ones criticizing most vehemently. People like me who weren't interested to begin with have no reason to be upset other than the generic "I don't like being lied to."

..especially Lou.

I really don't think anyone is. I'm certainly not. I'm criticizing the DVC rep for lying to make his program look significantly better than it is. I believe Lou more or less had the wool pulled over his eyes. As he's said, he's not a member, and so didn't necessarily know that he was being lied to.

[8lovesmickey]

I have to say I really enjoyed the info about the animals' food at DAK... I am always amazed at the scope of the Disney operations, and this was just another reminder of what goes into all the things we see as visitors.

As far as the DVC goes, I am not a member and have been one of those hesitant to stop into the kiosks for fear of a sales attack! I thought this part of the podcast was a lot like an infomercial -- it was convincing as I was listening but left me with lots of questions. I also have to agree with an earlier poster who said that it sounded like everything was included in the vacation. While I figured I would have to pay for food & travel, I got the impression from the interview that my park tickets would be included with my stay. Something was mentioned about how the DVC travel planners could hook me up with a dining plan and I'd be all set; nothing was mentioned about needing to buy theme park tickets.

So I know I'm probably being greedy, but it seems to me that park tickets would be a good perk for DVC members that wouldn't exactly put Disney in the poor house. For what they're making off the maintenance fees, they could surely provide "length of stay" tickets or annual passes for those who stay longer than a couple of weeks a year.

Anyhow. sounds like you had a great trip, Lou, as usual! Thanks for the always enjoyable podcast

[DaveH]

Originally Posted by 8lovesmickey

As far as the DVC goes, I am not a member and have been one of those hesitant to stop into the kiosks for fear of a sales attack! I thought this part of the podcast was a lot like an infomercial -- it was convincing as I was listening but left me with lots of questions. I also have to agree with an earlier poster who said that it sounded like everything was included in the vacation. While I figured I would have to pay for food & travel, I got the impression from the interview that my park tickets would be included with my stay. Something was mentioned about how the DVC travel planners could hook me up with a dining plan and I'd be all set; nothing was mentioned about needing to buy theme park tickets.

So I know I'm probably being greedy, but it seems to me that park tickets would be a good perk for DVC members that wouldn't exactly put Disney in the poor house. For what they're making off the maintenance fees, they could surely provide "length of stay" tickets or annual passes for those who stay longer than a couple of weeks a year.

Anyhow. sounds like you had a great trip, Lou, as usual! Thanks for the always enjoyable podcast

When I joined in 2001 the only perk was a discount on the length of stay ticket. Now we get $100 off of an annual pass. When DVC first started they had some kind of free pass I don't know the details. Those were paid for by the developer. The maintenance fees are controlled by law on what they cover. Disney does not make any profit from them. Those fees are for upkeep and insurance and such. Salaries for the staff and such. If a roof needs repairs it comes from our fees. There are ways where out some in each year for these things. In the contracts there is a set limit on how much a fee can increase in any year by percentage. I have not seen or heard of any near that. This is a quick and not all the details I have listed. Member services will set up and get you tickets and such if you want. They will do airfare and such. The newest perk we are looking forward to is free internet to members on points at DVC resorts. The cost of this will be paid from our maintenance fees. We don't have mouse-keeping everyday. If we did our maintenance fees would be higher. You can ask and pay separately for mouse-keeping also. The maintenance fees also cover the cost of bus service also.

[goin2okw]

Originally Posted by kretzcr

I would have loved to see Lou ask a couple questions:

Does Disney have the right to (or have they already) increased maint fees over time?
Does Disney have the right to change the value of "points," ie, make something cost more points than it did when you bought the package?

I've been a DVC member since 1992, so can add a few things to the comments that have been made.

Maintenance fees have increased somewhat, but then I've added points too so hard for me to figure exactly.

Yes, when we first joined, through Jan 1, 2000, we got free passes - they gave 1/2 the capacity of the villa - so 2 for a Studio or 1BR, 4 for a 2BR and 6 for a Grand Villa. It was an enticement in the very early days of DVC, and was only for OKW stays. As they added other DVC resorts, there were no passes. Others have mentioned the Annual Pass discount, which is a good deal if you come down more than once a year.

The deal with the points at the resorts is that Disney CAN reallocate the points but the total number of points at any resort cannot change over the year. So for example, if they increase the points for a holiday week, they have to reduce the number of points elsewhere in the year. Same thing for weekdays vs weekend. In reality, in the last 16 years, points have changed very little. The dollars they are charging per point at the new resorts has certainly gone up significantly, however, but if you consider inflation, its probably not as much as it appears.

I must admit that like many others I was talking back to the podcast during that interview. Perhaps the CM was overly enthusiastic, but try to get a reservation at the last minute, and if you're successful you're extremely lucky. He should have mentioned the maintenance fees - no excuses there.

All things considered, we've been very happy with DVC, its flexibility is unlike any other timeshare we've looked into and best of all, I always know I'm going back to Disney World!

So Lou, King of Disney Trivia, here's one for you - How many mountains were in the First DVC logo?

[JGrau]

Does anyone know anything about renting DVC points from DVC members, or how that system works?

[kretzcr]

Well, if the points for stays are fixed and can not be changed by Disney, it doesn't sound like a rip-off. Wether its a good deal or not...i dunno.

For you guys who are members, does Disney give you free or cheap stuff for listening to their sales pitches like other timeshare companies. Like a cheap stay at resort or tickets or something. I love to take advantage of those things, of course, I can never sign anything because I go in there with two broken arms .