Please, please, please reassure me....

[Tigger031266]

No worries.... I woudl bet anything that you look back at this as one of the best decisions of your life.

 

[DisDaydreamer]

(I have stayed at all of the DVC's except Vero and never had a bad expereince.

My God woman... You have not stayed at Vero Beach? Please... I can't stand knowing a DVC member hasen't experienced VB... Please... try it. If you don't love it I will give all my points for a year.





See disclaimer below....












I will not give Carol my points because she is an experienced DVC member and should have already experienced VB.

 

[tjkraz]

...and then I saw threads about issues with mousekeeping, then read some threads about problems with wear & tear, then read some threads about not getting dates that you want, then got myself all worked up and questioning our decision.

Well, I have to say that I think there is some substance to every single thing that you mentioned. The DVC rooms, IMO, are NOT as well maintained as cash rooms. If Disney sees that rooms at the Contemporary or Poly are showing their age, they are free to spend the money to spruce things up. DVC rooms are on more rigid schedules. I don't think that any of the resorts are scheduled for major refurbs until midway thru their useful life. Things like rolling out new sofabeds and mattresses are done over a period of years to minimize the budget impact. Disney has been putting flat panel TVs in renovated rooms for over 2 years now but no mention of when they might be coming to DVC resorts.

Most rooms only get housekeeping about once per week, and even then there's a rush to get rooms released for incoming guests. DVC resorts operate near 100% occupancy, meaning some resorts have to turn around hundreds of rooms between 11am and 4pm. That sort of pressure will occasionally lead to less-than-perfect room conditions. If housekeeping does a mediocre job in the one cleaning per week, that's when small problems start to grow into bigger ones (like bathroom mold in Flordia humidity.) Minor maintenance issues (light bulbs, small hardware malfunctions, appliance malfunctions) go undiscovered or unreported.

And availability is a far cry from what you will find at the cash resorts. We're six months away from Christmas and December reservations are nearly impossible to come by.

But, as you'll see from the replies here, most of us agree these are all just the "little things" you refer to in your original post. Nicks and scrapes in furniture are usually overlooked and excused. A cash guest paying $400+ per night for a deluxe room would probably be very critical of such things, whereas DVC members tend to be more forgiving.

Maintenance and housekeeping issues are usually resolved with a simple phone call. Most people will point out that by reporting that burnt-out lightbulb, leaky faucet or missing cookie sheet, you're not only helping yourself but the guest who will stay in the room next. Disney isn't going to add your name to a PITA list just because you report a problem to maintenance.

And as far as availability goes...well, you'll just have to learn how to work the system. Book your Home resort 11 months out (whenever possible) and then try to move elsewhere at 7 months. And keep realistic expectations. Chances are very high you will not get a BWV Standard View room during the Food and Wine Fest, nor will you get a OKW Grand Villa over Christmas.

I think it would take a pretty strong pair of rose-colored glasses to think that DVC rooms are just as well maintained as their cash counterparts, but you're not going to get Motel 6 quality either. Unless you consistenly view rooms with the eye of a hotel critic, chances are any things you discover will be immediately dismissed as you begin to enjoy another Disney vacation.

 

[BroganMc]

I am feeling much better!

Has anyone out there ever gotten tired of going to Disney? Does the magic seem to diminsh over the years that you have owned DVC?

I think you end up doing different things the more time you spend in the World. I know after the 15th time riding a ride or seeing the parades, I get a little tired of it. But then I find myself chatting with CMs more about the behind the scenes stuff, or just noticing all the details in the decor.

I get Annual Passes and go for two weeks at a time. That allows me to just wander into a park for a leisurely meal, stroll or catch a show. The DVCs are all done very well so you can go back, chill in your room, on your balcony, at the pool mid-day or just stroll around and enjoy the landscaping.

I'm at the stage now where I enjoy being at the resorts more than the parks. (Much less people during the day.) And even though I own three other Marriott timeshares, I find I enjoy Disney's a little bit more. Mostly because there's so much to see just outside my door. The resort that comes closest at Marriott is Williamsburg... set in a golfing community with paved walking/biking paths through the woods.

Take CarolA's advice and just relax. Your DVC does come with a few kinks because it is so popular. Stay flexible, be nice to the CMs and lookout for tips & tricks from the veterans here. And even though little things might get the membership up in arms, remember Disney does want to make us happy. 99.99% of the time they succeed. We just get online to debate that 0.01% because it's more interesting.

 

[jpolak]

Remember............1/7th of Snow White's friends was Grumpy; it's probably the same proportion on the Dis-boards.

Think of all the 6/7th's that are Happy (yes, I know that some are Sleepy, Dopey, Bashful............yada, yada, yada..............)

DW was very nervous about purchasing DVC. We actually started the process once through Disney and cancelled it. Which at the time was the right decision. Now that we have done it she says how glad she is we did it, and how it's the best thing we ever did. Just remember DVC is a luxury not a neccessity. There is no way we would have done it if it would have negatively impacted our quality of life for the 50 weeks or so a year we are not at Disney. So if the financial piece is not an issue, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

 

[jimmytammy]

We purchased in late '01 without seeing VWL. Then I started reading some neg. threads about the place. Now this was before our 1st trip. So Im thinking, what have we done?

But after several vets here laid my fears to rest...and that 1st trip home, well that did the trick, and we havent looked back since.

DVC for us provides a relaxing vacation that helps us feel at home. We love hanging around the resorts, where before we felt the need to go, go, go!!

DVC has been the best tonic our family has had

 

[jarestel]

In all likelihood, most of your DVC vacations will be great and the problems you encounter will be minimal to none. That's not to say, however, that there are not problems because certainly sometimes there are, just as there would be at any hotel or timeshare. Dismissing the reports of members who have had "bad trips" as the ramblings of people who are never satisfied is one way of dealing with the issue (the ostrich way), but there are more productive ways of using the information, IMO.

Whenever I read a report from a member who has had problems, I ask myself 3 questions:
1. Is this an issue I personally would find objectionable? What is important to one member may be trivial to another. (Room locations, views, walking distances, transportation times)
2. If it is a situation I would find objectionable, how did the member deal with the problem. (Handle it themselves, report it to the staff, or simply ignore it)
3. If the problem was reported to the resort staff, what was the resolution? (handled to member's satisfaction, not resolved, required multiple call-backs for resolution)

Though every situation is different, I find it a valuable aid for problem solving when I can read about the issues other members have experienced and in the process gain a bit of understanding about how DVC handles these incidents. If I ever find myself in a similar boat, I'm able to use the collective experiences of the DIS board DVC members in order to make a decision on how best to resolve my issue.

So though nobody likes or wants problems while on vacation, there may come a time when you need to deal with one. Having read through those "negative" threads may just come in handy one day.

Good luck and congratulations on your purchase!

 

[RxforDisney]

Whenever I read a report from a member who has had problems, I ask myself 3 questions:
1. Is this an issue I personally would find objectionable? What is important to one member may be trivial to another. (Room locations, views, walking distances, transportation times)
2. If it is a situation I would find objectionable, how did the member deal with the problem. (Handle it themselves, report it to the staff, or simply ignore it)
3. If the problem was reported to the resort staff, what was the resolution? (handled to member's satisfaction, not resolved, required multiple call-backs for resolution)

Though every situation is different, I find it a valuable aid for problem solving when I can read about the issues other members have experienced and in the process gain a bit of understanding about how DVC handles these incidents. If I ever find myself in a similar boat, I'm able to use the collective experiences of the DIS board DVC members in order to make a decision on how best to resolve my issue.

AWSOME PHILOSOPHY! This applies not only to the DIS boards, but to all of the negative things you hear in day to day life.

 

[jamesphilipdean]

Ahh, a fellow geek, eh? I have a spreadsheet laid out with points calculations to year 2014. I find myself thinking about this stuff every day. Sure wish I could earn a dollar on it.

I don't know what I'm doing next year; never mind 7 years from now.

 

[CarolA]

Well, I have to say that I think there is some substance to every single thing that you mentioned. The DVC rooms, IMO, are NOT as well maintained as cash rooms. .

Are you sure?

So far ALL of my DVC rooms have had power! I once checked into a room at CSR that did not have power. When I HIKED back to the front desk to complain (the phones didn't work either) the manager said "can't you live with it tonight?" Um, NO it is summer in Florida. I need A/C, I need lights.

So IMHO until I get the same problem and "response" from DVC I am not sure the maintenance at DVC is worse.

 

[Boardwalker]

I am feeling much better!

Has anyone out there ever gotten tired of going to Disney? Does the magic seem to diminsh over the years that you have owned DVC? I know that is a very strange question. I have been 17 times to WDW and cant imagine getting sick of it but you never know. I also work in an industry that connects me to Disney every day so I worry that I will get Mouse burnout. Ever had that happen? Maybe I just need to buy even more points.....

Member for 9 years and still haven't traded out.... every time I go I find something new.
I love my loooong hallways and have never had a mousekeeping problem, so be assured that what you read isn't everyone's reality.
But...make no mistake, you are in big trouble... you have already been 17 times, read the DIS and are already showing symptoms of add-on-itis.
Welcome home and God help you. You may need a referal to the Disneyholics board even before your first trip "home"...

 

[global_mom]

Thanks Boardwalker! You are certainly correct in that we have caught "the bug" and addonitis seems to have already hit. I guess that I got so nervous about the whole thing b/c we bought 3 contracts in the past month and then I read negative stuff. I got so worried about the large amount of money that we had put into DVC but now I know that it will all be OK.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to reassure me and DH. I cant wait for our first trip home (Oct.14-21 at AKV) or our 2nd trip home (Dec. 31-Jan.4 at SSR) or our third (Jan. 4 - Jan. 8 at BCV) and so on and so on.....

Yea for DVC!!!!