Major Policy Change in DVC/DCL Trade Policy UPDATE ON POST #193

[eva]

This is terrible! We were planning to purchase more points on our Med cruise next week so that we could do a couple of cruises and take the whole family to WDW next spring. Guess we don't need to add on now. We have enough points for the WDW stay. As a matter of fact, if we can't use our points to cruise we may just look into selling a contract or two. We have 800 points and there is no way we could use them all at WDW. So if trades are starting to go away, we will be looking at other things to spend our vacation money on.

 

[tvguy]

This folks is why folks like Consumer Reports warn against time shares, changes you have no say in.

 

[Inkmahm]

We have one booked next month also. MS had no explanation at all to offer. Just that they were only given the information today, the day this was implemented.

Given that every DVC presentation I attend touts the fact that DCL is the number one trade out for DVC members, I cannot fathom why they have taken this action. With the new ships coming out soon, this just makes no sense to me at all.

Perhaps they will rethink this down the road. In the meantime, it will greatly impact myself and many others. Also, it will put a huge number of points for rent out there now, with more competition for everyone seeking to do so.

Unless they change that too....geez what next!?!

Exactly! This really does stink and doesn't seem to make much sense at all as a new policy. I can't believe DCL is so booked up that they can afford not to accept any new reservations by DVC members for more than a year.

You are correct that members who still want to cruise will book cash and try to rent/transfer points to pay for it. While that has always been my recommendation, I didn't mean that EVERYone should have to do it if they want to cruise!!! Yikes. Lots of points should be available now on the rent trade board. That will help people who want to rent but not so much those who are tryng to rent out their points.

What really is unfair is changing the rule with no notice. I would be really irritated if I were you and I tried to change my dates only to be told that I can't. I think the rule about those points turning into reservation points should be waived for those of you who have reservations that can't be changed to different dates. It really isn't fair to change the rules in the middle of your reservation.

I still think this makes no sense at all and if this is what DCL is doing with DVC, it is crazy.

 

[Sammie]

Yeah MG, but his Mom and Dad are both wrong!

 

[csharpwv]

The PERK Pirate Strikes Again!

When we bought into DVC that was one of the BIG things that our Guide really sold to us. We cruised last year on points, and are using a voucher from our BLT purchase to cruise this December.

I know I wouldn't want to be the DVC Guides working the cruises for the next year! It won't be pretty!

I can't imagine DVC doing this! It must mean that the points that are being traded for DCL my members are not being 'traded out' to RCI - or Interval - and that they are not having enough cash bookings to cover the points that are being traded out - so I can imagine that it leaves a considerable amount of Inventory on DVC's hand that members don't have the points for - and RCI and Interval traders don't want.

From our experience, just about any time you call DVC you can 'get in' somewhere without regard to the time of year, as long as you are a little flexible.

Also I have notice the re-sale point prices are dropping - so there are a lot of members that are anxious to get contracts off their hands, and that ROFR is becoming a crap-shoot.

Successful businesses look for MORE ways to make their customers happy, not removing options that make customers happy currently.

This is very puzzling - I hope DVC has a justified reason for doing this.

DVC you got some 'splaining to do!!!!!!!

 

[tjkraz]

And probably not on the member website either is it, another wonderful example of how DVC does business now.

Well, CarolAnnC said that "DCL has blocked DVC members from booking cruises..." so I don't really see why DVC is to blame.

Nevertheless, sounds more like a computer glitch than a policy change to me.

DCL gets cash-equivalent compensation from DVC in return for cruises booked on points. I don't see any reason for DCL to simply block DVC members from cruising. Business isn't that good right now. Plus annual negotiations between DVC and DCL would almost certainly require cabins to be made available. DVC certainly does market the cruising option and I can't believe one Disney entity would be allowed to leave another hanging in such a manner.

 

[Disfamoffour]

Not to be a thorn in the side but I just spoke to MS and was told there is no new "rule" for using DVC points for a cruise. She was actually willing to book a cruise for me. Her explanation is that there is a number of rooms set aside for purchase via points and the rest are for purchase via cash. If all of the rooms set aside for points are booked then there is no availability. She said there is no "blackout" and members can still use DCL as long as rooms are available for points.

 

[JimMIA]

Wow. Has me wondering about all the people who purchased and/or added on and opted for the cruise incentive instead of the $ off

Those purchasers should not be affected, because those are not points cruises as far as the DVC owner is concerned. DVC owes them a cruise regardless of how DVC pays DCL.

If any of those people have difficulty getting their cruises - which were a part of the purchase agreement - they should go directly to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Timeshare Division, because that would clearly be a deceptive trade practice and DVC would get slammed by the State of Florida.

 

[Inkmahm]

OMG OMG!!!! This is exactly my case!!! I booked a Med cruise for June '11 on cash and planning on switching it by Dec (have to wait for my Dec UY coz i need to borrow points). This is crazzzyyy!!! Is it even possible to make a rule and implement it right away, without giving a notice of change will occur? This is not fair!!!! Now i dont know what to tell my DH, since we are counting on using points for the cruise so we can save money since airfare to Barcelona will be expensive for 3 people....

Put your points on the rent/trade board quickly to rent them out and get cash to pay for your cruise. You will use less points that way to pay for your cruise than if you had switched your cash reservation to DVC points. Rent out enough points to cover your airfare, too. You may actually be able to get the cruises AND the airfare for the same number of points you were going to spend on just the cruises!

edit: My suggestion stays the same even if this turns out to be bad information aout a policy change from DCL. Figure out how many points you'd need to rent out at $9 or $10 per point to cover the cost of the cruises in cash and the airfare. Compare that number of points to the point cost for the cruises. You should come out ahead with the renting.

 

[WhalerFan]

Since we didn't have any plans of going on DCL this does not impact us directly. But it does raise concern about what other bonehead decisions they might make in the future.

I wonder how quickly they will update their sales presentation?

 

[Sammie]

is there a chance, Carol Ann, you got a CM that has no idea what they are talking about. If so that is horrible too that someone could be that misinformed.

 

[JimMIA]

Not to be a thorn in the side but I just spoke to MS and was told there is no new "rule" for using DVC points for a cruise. She was actually willing to book a cruise for me. Her explanation is that there is a number of rooms set aside for purchase via points and the rest are for purchase via cash. If all of the rooms set aside for points are booked then there is no availability. She said there is no "blackout" and members can still use DCL as long as rooms are available for points.

It would not surprise any of us to learn that one part of MS didn't know what the others were doing.

Carol got that info from a line MS person and immediately asked to speak with a supervisor. It was the MS supervisor who told her no cruises until at least Sept 2011.

It could be a glitch...but I'd be tempted to go more by Carol's info until there is some official statement one way or the other.

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

I am totally NOT happy with them AT ALL!

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Those purchasers should not be affected, because those are not points cruises as far as the DVC owner is concerned. DVC owes them a cruise regardless of how DVC pays DCL.

If any of those people have difficulty getting their cruises - which were a part of the purchase agreement - they should go directly to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Timeshare Division, because that would clearly be a deceptive trade practice and DVC would get slammed by the State of Florida.

Guess I should think more before I type Was just one of the things that popped into my mind but Jim you are absolutely right.

 

[Sammie]

Ok the explanation I got was the option is still available to book cruises, but the inventory has been greatly reduced due to high demand.

So in theory the option to book is still available there is just might not be any openings to book.

That due to high demand the inventory has been reduced that is given to DVC at a reduced rate.

 

[cquick]

this is terrible! The main reason we even own DVC is to use on the cruises! I guess I'll have to sell. I am not a happy camper!

 

[Sammie]

Well, CarolAnnC said that "DCL has blocked DVC members from booking cruises..." so I don't really see why DVC is to blame.

Nevertheless, sounds more like a computer glitch than a policy change to me.

DCL gets cash-equivalent compensation from DVC in return for cruises booked on points. I don't see any reason for DCL to simply block DVC members from cruising. Business isn't that good right now. Plus annual negotiations between DVC and DCL would almost certainly require cabins to be made available. DVC certainly does market the cruising option and I can't believe one Disney entity would be allowed to leave another hanging in such a manner.

Because if they have actually done this, as they did with the valet situation, I have no problem with changes, that they can not control, but their lack of professionalism in notifying the membership.

This find out about it, when you try to use it, is getting old.

Hopefully you are right and there is just some bad mixup with info or a computer situation.

 

[eva]

OK, just got off the phone with MS. The policy has not changed at all. The problem is the policy itself. DVC has only been allotted only so many cabins for booking on each cruise. This has always been true in the past. A cruise could have availabilty, but if the DVC allottment was gone you couldn't book with points. This has always been the case. We have had it happen a couple times to us in the past. The major problem here is that ALL DVC allotted cabins up to October of 2011 are now completely booked. Plus, I was told that there is very little available for the remainder of 2011. So if you are planning to book in the fall/winter of 2011, you better do it soon.

 

[dizkneedoll]

Should be a very interesting member meeting this December (or whenever it's scheduled this year ... if at all)

 

[Sir William]

OK, just got off the phone with MS. The policy has not changed at all. The problem is the policy itself. DVC has only been allotted only so many cabins for booking on each cruise. This has always been true in the past. A cruise could have availabilty, but if the DVC allottment was gone you couldn't book with points. This has always been the case. We have had it happen a couple times to us in the past. ....

This was my first experience with MS. I called a couple of months ago to book a cruise but was told the one I wanted was "not available" but that I might be able to get it if I went though DCL. When I contacted DCL they told me cabins were still available and that I could book one through MS. I finally figured out that DVC only had a limited number of cabins to use per cruise. The next time I called I had several cruise dates prioritized, but was lucky to get my first choice.