Another new paid upgrade for Eligible Members

[AnnaS]

Can I ask why? DVC points can be easily rented at a rate significantly higher than the value for using them to purchase an annual pass. This is true even if you use a third party broker that does all the work for you such as David’s or DVC Rental Store.

I recently rented two confirmed reservations through a broker (due to my husband's illness and passing). I have another confirmed reservation for rent with the broker for next year and might rent out another one. I don't want to be in the habit of renting out my points. But yes, better return $. In 24 years of ownership, I only rented out a few points once before many years ago. My son could not make trip last minute.

We used to take two trips a year - close to two weeks each. Usually split stay with Disney Vero. I don't see myself using all my points moving forward - so I will definitely be renting out a few points/confirmed reservation. My two sons have small contracts. They do not take yearly trips and when they do, they use some of my points. I don't want to make any decisions yet. I can reserve a 1BDR for me - but I feel like it's a waste of points this way too. Maybe once in a while.

Until I take my first "solo" trip - I don't know how many nights I can handle being "solo". I can still rent out a a few points and use up some points to renew my AP. I just renewed in October. I figured I can renew again next year using some points.

My next trip is April with my two sons and families - the next one I have booked could be a "solo". I booked 7 nights. I don't think more than 7 is ideal being solo. Maybe I can squeeze in a third trip. Time will tell.

 

[noreenkate]

Until I take my first "solo" trip - I don't know how many nights I can handle being "solo". I can still rent out a a few points and use up some points to renew my AP. I just renewed in October. I figured I can renew again next year using some points.

My next trip is April with my two sons and families - the next one I have booked could be a "solo". I booked 7 nights. I don't think more than 7 is ideal being solo. Maybe I can squeeze in a third trip. Time will tell.

I took my first solo trip a few years ago - I loved it. Now I kinda look forward to them, don't get me wrong I love my family but I find it way more relaxing not having to meet everyones expectations for a trip. It was so hot I spent nearly every afternoon in the lazy river at typhoon lagoon…
Would love to solo at DLR next - I have been twice to VGC now and both times it felt really rushed with my families work schedules.

@AnnaS -again hugs do whats best for you & yours

 

[AnnaS]

I took my first solo trip a few years ago - I loved it. Now I kinda look forward to them, don't get me wrong I love my family but I find it way more relaxing not having to meet everyones expectations for a trip. It was so hot I spent nearly every afternoon in the lazy river at typhoon lagoon…
Would love to solo at DLR next - I have been twice to VGC now and both times it felt really rushed with my families work schedules.

@AnnaS -again hugs do whats best for you & yours

How long was your solo trip?

In October I went back with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. I met them there/they drove. I flew by myself for the first time. Boy, did it hit me when I boarded the plane. I could not stop crying on the plane for half the flight. Tears were just rolling down. I did spend quite a bit of my time solo since my daughter was in the room in the afternoon for my grandson's naps and they turned in early in the evening. They also did not stay by the pool long with the baby. But in my head - I knew they were there. You are having conversation here and there - if that makes sense.

 

[noreenkate]

How long was your solo trip?

In October I went back with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. I met them there/they drove. I flew by myself for the first time. Boy, did it hit me when I boarded the plane. I could not stop crying on the plane for half the flight. Tears were just rolling down. I did spend quite a bit of my time solo since my daughter was in the room in the afternoon for my grandson's naps and they turned in early in the evening. They also did not stay by the pool long with the baby. But in my head - I knew they were there. You are having conversation here and there - if that makes sense.

My first technically solo trip to Disney was an “event” - it was 4 days for DestinationD- They kept us busy from 7am- 11pm. It definitely gave me the confidence I needed to travel on my own.
It was 3 months later I booked an exchange - so full 7 nights…i kept no touring plan or schedule just woke up and did what I felt like doing…including a hokey scavenger hunt around SSR and one to find all the 50th statues, something my family would have never done lol-

Resort Storybook Box Hunts — Next Page With Meg

Storybook Boxes offer a unique adventure where you’ll explore your selected location by completing physical activities, looking for clues, and solving riddles. Once your hunt is complete, you’ll use the answers from your gathered clues to unlock the combination to your completion prize! Each hunt in

nextpagewithmeg.com

 

[AnnaS]

My first technically solo trip to Disney was an “event” - it was 4 days for DestinationD- They kept us busy from 7am- 11pm. It definitely gave me the confidence I needed to travel on my own.
It was 3 months later I booked an exchange - so full 7 nights…i kept no touring plan or schedule just woke up and did what I felt like doing…including a hokey scavenger hunt around SSR and one to find all the 50th statues, something my family would have never done lol-

Resort Storybook Box Hunts — Next Page With Meg

Storybook Boxes offer a unique adventure where you’ll explore your selected location by completing physical activities, looking for clues, and solving riddles. Once your hunt is complete, you’ll use the answers from your gathered clues to unlock the combination to your completion prize! Each hunt in

nextpagewithmeg.com

Interesting!!! Thank you!

 

[nomoretslt]

@AnnaS so sorry to hear of your loss. I‘ve been out of the loop for a while. My DH and I make at least 3 trips a year now that we can drive (about 8 hours). I know there will come a day when me or him will be alone. But it sounds like you have good plans in place…I’ve not done a solo trip but Mom/daughter trips and they are so special. I keep telling myself that I really need to make a detailed ledger in case I’m the first to go. he has no idea how to make a reservation. Our daughter is on all of our deeds, son is on one small contract. Daughter kind of gets it, but it’s complicated with 3 resorts, multiple contracts on each resort but mostly the same use year. I totally understand how you’d rather easily use your points with the new “upgrade”.
we are on the fence. We never wait for the Epcot lounge. We are morning people, so we do Remy and Soarin then go to lounge. But I do think the MK lounge will be a different story. Sad to see the shooting gallery removed….we love that thing. We have A/P since we go so often, but daughter could make use of the ticket deal. Her DH is not on our contracts but they share an address so it could work.
The news out of the annual meeting (we were on property and were signed up to go but they made parking too difficult so decided not to attend) is that they are going to crack down on big box renters and those that have purchased huge amounts of points with the intent of renting out to non-owners. They stated they understand how owners sometimes just can’t use their points and rent occasionally (like yourself). They are supposedly creating a unit to to stop people/companies that grab up all the desirable studios and the desirable resorts and then immediately market them as “confirmed reservations”.
@noreenkate …. I remember a while back we were discussing discount VGT Disney cruises. We snagged a good one for September On the Fantasy. We still love the ship and the crew and the rooms (split baths are a game changer) but we were disappointed with dinner. Service was great but food was just not as great as we remembered. Granted it was five years since our last, but it was kind of tasteless. Rumors were that the better chefs are now on the newer ships. Don’t know how true that is….and can’t afford those prices anyway.

 

[noreenkate]

@AnnaS
The news out of the annual meeting (we were on property and were signed up to go but they made parking too difficult so decided not to attend) is that they are going to crack down on big box renters and those that have purchased huge amounts of points with the intent of renting out to non-owners. They stated they understand how owners sometimes just can’t use their points and rent occasionally (like yourself). They are supposedly creating a unit to to stop people/companies that grab up all the desirable studios and the desirable resorts and then immediately market them as “confirmed reservations”.

I gotta say that is huge information, and pretty hard to find as most of the biggest forums and DVC information is sponsored by the “big box rental companies.” - part of the reason i like tug information is rarely filtered

I gotta admit I was away in Atlanta for a screening of Mufasa and missed the info- incase anyone else is intrigued.

Disney Vacation Club Makes Strong Statements against Commercial Renting, Walking During Condo Meeting | DVCNews.com - The essential Disney Vacation Club resource!

Members voiced their opinions regarding two unpopular practices during the December 2024 Condominium Association meetings, and the Board of Directors offered s

dvcnews.com

 

[Dean]

@AnnaS so sorry to hear of your loss. I‘ve been out of the loop for a while. My DH and I make at least 3 trips a year now that we can drive (about 8 hours). I know there will come a day when me or him will be alone. But it sounds like you have good plans in place…I’ve not done a solo trip but Mom/daughter trips and they are so special. I keep telling myself that I really need to make a detailed ledger in case I’m the first to go. he has no idea how to make a reservation. Our daughter is on all of our deeds, son is on one small contract. Daughter kind of gets it, but it’s complicated with 3 resorts, multiple contracts on each resort but mostly the same use year. I totally understand how you’d rather easily use your points with the new “upgrade”.
we are on the fence. We never wait for the Epcot lounge. We are morning people, so we do Remy and Soarin then go to lounge. But I do think the MK lounge will be a different story. Sad to see the shooting gallery removed….we love that thing. We have A/P since we go so often, but daughter could make use of the ticket deal. Her DH is not on our contracts but they share an address so it could work.
The news out of the annual meeting (we were on property and were signed up to go but they made parking too difficult so decided not to attend) is that they are going to crack down on big box renters and those that have purchased huge amounts of points with the intent of renting out to non-owners. They stated they understand how owners sometimes just can’t use their points and rent occasionally (like yourself). They are supposedly creating a unit to to stop people/companies that grab up all the desirable studios and the desirable resorts and then immediately market them as “confirmed reservations”.
@noreenkate …. I remember a while back we were discussing discount VGT Disney cruises. We snagged a good one for September On the Fantasy. We still love the ship and the crew and the rooms (split baths are a game changer) but we were disappointed with dinner. Service was great but food was just not as great as we remembered. Granted it was five years since our last, but it was kind of tasteless. Rumors were that the better chefs are now on the newer ships. Don’t know how true that is….and can’t afford those prices anyway.

I gotta say that is huge information, and pretty hard to find as most of the biggest forums and DVC information is sponsored by the “big box rental companies.” - part of the reason i like tug information is rarely filtered

I gotta admit I was away in Atlanta for a screening of Mufasa and missed the info- incase anyone else is intrigued.

Disney Vacation Club Makes Strong Statements against Commercial Renting, Walking During Condo Meeting | DVCNews.com - The essential Disney Vacation Club resource!

Members voiced their opinions regarding two unpopular practices during the December 2024 Condominium Association meetings, and the Board of Directors offered s

dvcnews.com

Regarding cracking down on renters, we'll see if they are able or willing to do much. They have made those statements before and have somewhat successfully limited those who bought a dramatic number of points mainly for rentals. Their end point was to send out letters to those who were renting a lot to say that after 20 rentals they'd look at it more closely. I know that some of the biggest offenders did downsize or sell off their points. I haven't seen much info to suggest they've actually followed through on their threats but I doubt it would be common knowledge either way. Since the brokers aren't actually renting but facilitating, that's a more difficult situation since DVC members have the contractually right to rent. DVC's interest in limiting is more self serving than anything else though they'll say it's for fairness of availability.

 

[bnoble]

Until I take my first "solo" trip - I don't know how many nights I can handle being "solo".

I've done many solo trips--each about a week, give or take. They have ranged from joyful to bittersweet, but that has tended to depend on my own state of mind at the time. Probably the very best one was during a time that was otherwise difficult, celebrating my 50th birthday and first year of sobriety. The toughest was probably this last year, again for a variety of personal reasons.

Go, enjoy, and understand that no two trips are ever the same. So this is not precedent-setting.

 

[noreenkate]

Regarding cracking down on renters, we'll see if they are able or willing to do much. They have made those statements before and have somewhat successfully limited those who bought a dramatic number of points mainly for rentals. Their end point was to send out letters to those who were renting a lot to say that after 20 rentals they'd look at it more closely. I know that some of the biggest offenders did downsize or sell off their points. I haven't seen much info to suggest they've actually followed through on their threats but I doubt it would be common knowledge either way. Since the brokers aren't actually renting but facilitating, that's a more difficult situation since DVC members have the contractually right to rent. DVC's interest in limiting is more self serving than anything else though they'll say it's for fairness of availability.

I have no skin in the game- lol no enough points to rent…

i am wondering if we will see changes like guest certificate similar to Wyndham or MVC

 

[nomoretslt]

The December meetings were different this year. I think it had something to do with new Florida law….and I kind of remember reading there had to be more than 1 meeting per year. This time I could request to attend a meeting that was resort particular and then there was another day for a general meeting and meet and greet. From what I read, for the resort particular meetings during the question/ answer part, there were lots of unhappy owners complaining about the same thing…..big box renters (particularly confirmed reservations at hard to get resorts during prime time holidays) and large point owners whose whole purpose is to rent out lots of points to cover their dues and use the rest themselves. And walking reservations…..which becomes necessary due to aforementioned renters that somehow grab rooms at 8 am exactly. And at the general meeting…… same thing. I don’t do Facebook but I’m sure there are unhappy owners on Facebook that talk about how DVC is a bad product because you can’t get the rooms you want. DVC has LOTS of points to sell (Riviera, the Cabins and now the new Polynesian tower). This is bad press for them. I truly hope they follow through on their promises. They know exactly who is doing this. It’s easy for them to track things if they really want to.
That being said, I forgot to remind myself when reservations for non owners were open for the new tower….by the time I remembered there was nothing available for the room/night I wanted. I waitlisted but no biggie. just wanted to try it out before the start of my 8 day stay at one of my resorts.
we have 800 or so points…..and I’ve never had any left over to rent. But we stay in one bedrooms for most of our stays. The inside of the new tower looks lovely….the outside is a little hard on the eyes. And no signature dining.

 

[Dean]

The December meetings were different this year. I think it had something to do with new Florida law….and I kind of remember reading there had to be more than 1 meeting per year. This time I could request to attend a meeting that was resort particular and then there was another day for a general meeting and meet and greet. From what I read, for the resort particular meetings during the question/ answer part, there were lots of unhappy owners complaining about the same thing…..big box renters (particularly confirmed reservations at hard to get resorts during prime time holidays) and large point owners whose whole purpose is to rent out lots of points to cover their dues and use the rest themselves. And walking reservations…..which becomes necessary due to aforementioned renters that somehow grab rooms at 8 am exactly. And at the general meeting…… same thing. I don’t do Facebook but I’m sure there are unhappy owners on Facebook that talk about how DVC is a bad product because you can’t get the rooms you want. DVC has LOTS of points to sell (Riviera, the Cabins and now the new Polynesian tower). This is bad press for them. I truly hope they follow through on their promises. They know exactly who is doing this. It’s easy for them to track things if they really want to.
That being said, I forgot to remind myself when reservations for non owners were open for the new tower….by the time I remembered there was nothing available for the room/night I wanted. I waitlisted but no biggie. just wanted to try it out before the start of my 8 day stay at one of my resorts.
we have 800 or so points…..and I’ve never had any left over to rent. But we stay in one bedrooms for most of our stays. The inside of the new tower looks lovely….the outside is a little hard on the eyes. And no signature dining.

I believe their options to rent are limited. There are likely very few large renters at this time but there are a few brokers with the actual renter being those with far less points who rent occasionally. And if they do put a real effort to police this issue, it's very likely that the law of unintended consequences will be a major part of the solution and it'll hurt owners more than anything else and do little to affect the actual issue. Charging for non member occupancy or guest certificates will not affect this issue IMO. The major obstacle is that the POS specifically allows renting so anything they do will have to be above and beyond a reasonable volume which I believe the current guidelines are about as low as they can go. One thing they could do is limit the number of reservations in non owners names but even then a certain volume would have to be allowed.

 

[nomoretslt]

Personally speaking, I think renting thru brokers should not be allowed. This is not the product we initially bought in to. Banking points that were not needed was appealing to us. How this morphed into this gigantic, out of control renting points to non owners really makes me upset. you know the old adage….don’t worry, it’s a rental. I have seen the decline of the condition of rooms since this has become commonplace. Owners at BWV since 1997, and for a very long time things were great. We had Fiestaware dishes, great cooking utensils, clean couches. Then little by little…things changed . Maybe DVC needs to do more to entice “buyback” or more lucrative incentives …. Maybe the new “upgrade” they are doing is a half-assed attempt. When I see 5 full grown adults entering into a Boardwalk Villas studio…what were they thinking making these into 5….vs a one bedroom for 4?

 

[ljmiii]

FYI back to the original topic, sometime in the past week DVC finally updated their systems to allow grandfathered resale blue card members to purchase Membership Magic Beyond online.

We're now expecting to visit WDW in December 2025 for a few days along with our March visit so I'm caving into giving the mouse yet more money just to be able to get into the lounges...in particular the new one at MK.

 

[Dean]

Personally speaking, I think renting thru brokers should not be allowed. This is not the product we initially bought in to. Banking points that were not needed was appealing to us. How this morphed into this gigantic, out of control renting points to non owners really makes me upset. you know the old adage….don’t worry, it’s a rental. I have seen the decline of the condition of rooms since this has become commonplace. Owners at BWV since 1997, and for a very long time things were great. We had Fiestaware dishes, great cooking utensils, clean couches. Then little by little…things changed . Maybe DVC needs to do more to entice “buyback” or more lucrative incentives …. Maybe the new “upgrade” they are doing is a half-assed attempt. When I see 5 full grown adults entering into a Boardwalk Villas studio…what were they thinking making these into 5….vs a one bedroom for 4?

It's a rental for each guest. I believe the only timeshare guests that MIGHT behave differently are those with a fixed unit. Otherwise it comes back to the integrity of the guest. Personally I strive to treat things that are not mine (hotel, timeshare, rental car) as good or better than my own personal items. I too think the brokers shouldn't be allowed but I'm not coming up with a good way to stop it that doesn't cause other significant issues. Additional harges for guests/renters simply won't have an impact unless it's a significant amount of money. As I referenced, the broker isn't actually the one renting with David's, TSS, etc but they are simply facilitating the rental. I suppose DVC could go after the brokers directly with legal action but if they thought that was a good choice I'm sure they would have done so by now.

 

[noreenkate]

It's a rental for each guest. I believe the only timeshare guests that MIGHT behave differently are those with a fixed unit. Otherwise it comes back to the integrity of the guest. Personally I strive to treat things that are not mine (hotel, timeshare, rental car) as good or better than my own personal items. I too think the brokers shouldn't be allowed but I'm not coming up with a good way to stop it that doesn't cause other significant issues. Additional harges for guests/renters simply won't have an impact unless it's a significant amount of money. As I referenced, the broker isn't actually the one renting with David's, TSS, etc but they are simply facilitating the rental. I suppose DVC could go after the brokers directly with legal action but if they thought that was a good choice I'm sure they would have done so by now.

Personally I am hoping they go with a set number of guest certificates or something similar per membership # like other “vacation clubs”
I think that would have some impact on the big companies but minimal impact on owners that occasionally rent/gift reservations ect…

@ljmiii -that’s good news I didn’t realize that “grandfathered” contracts weren’t initially able to purchase…
your right the possibility of a rental crackdown discussion probably deserves its own thread.

 

[dioxide45]

It's a rental for each guest. I believe the only timeshare guests that MIGHT behave differently are those with a fixed unit. Otherwise it comes back to the integrity of the guest. Personally I strive to treat things that are not mine (hotel, timeshare, rental car) as good or better than my own personal items. I too think the brokers shouldn't be allowed but I'm not coming up with a good way to stop it that doesn't cause other significant issues. Additional harges for guests/renters simply won't have an impact unless it's a significant amount of money. As I referenced, the broker isn't actually the one renting with David's, TSS, etc but they are simply facilitating the rental. I suppose DVC could go after the brokers directly with legal action but if they thought that was a good choice I'm sure they would have done so by now.

I think the issue is that the brokers really aren't violating any of the rules. They aren't even the owner and the terms & conditions don't apply to them. Could they perhaps trespass the owners of these broker services from the parks? Maybe. That wouldn't necessarily stop them, just be more of an irritant. The brokers aren't breaking any trademark laws that I can see. They need to make sure they aren't using any Disney photos or other images on their websites to avoid any copyright issues. I'm not sure they have any legal recourse against brokers.

 

[bnoble]

Except that several of the largest brokers are also large-scale renters with buy-strip-flip business models, so there's that.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Except that several of the largest brokers are also large-scale renters with buy-strip-flip business models, so there's that.

Yeah, DVC Rental market is the biggest one of these.

 

[noreenkate]

I think the issue is that the brokers really aren't violating any of the rules. They aren't even the owner and the terms & conditions don't apply to them. Could they perhaps trespass the owners of these broker services from the parks? Maybe. That wouldn't necessarily stop them, just be more of an irritant. The brokers aren't breaking any trademark laws that I can see. They need to make sure they aren't using any Disney photos or other images on their websites to avoid any copyright issues. I'm not sure they have any legal recourse against brokers.

That and depending on which resort POS the verbiage is there for DVC to refuse reservations based on their determination of “commercial rental”

 

[Dean]

Personally I am hoping they go with a set number of guest certificates or something similar per membership # like other “vacation clubs”
I think that would have some impact on the big companies but minimal impact on owners that occasionally rent/gift reservations ect…

I don't think this would have any impact unless it were stringent enough to impact many who aren't renting as well. And to be that restrictive likely wouldn't withstand legal scrutiny since owners have a contractual right to rent except maybe for the last couple of resorts.

I think the issue is that the brokers really aren't violating any of the rules. They aren't even the owner and the terms & conditions don't apply to them. Could they perhaps trespass the owners of these broker services from the parks? Maybe. That wouldn't necessarily stop them, just be more of an irritant. The brokers aren't breaking any trademark laws that I can see. They need to make sure they aren't using any Disney photos or other images on their websites to avoid any copyright issues. I'm not sure they have any legal recourse against brokers.

Exactly.

Except that several of the largest brokers are also large-scale renters with buy-strip-flip business models, so there's that.

I suspect their doing so under the selling owners account, there are already rules in place that would apply otherwise.

That and depending on which resort POS the verbiage is there for DVC to refuse reservations based on their determination of “commercial rental”View attachment 103521View attachment 103522

As noted, they already have rules in place but they have limitations since the right to rent is contractual and the brokers are not actually the ones renting for the most part. The more I think about this the more I feel the only way to police this would be on legal action against the brokers and possibly eBay, redweeks, etc.

 

[noreenkate]

The more I think about this the more I feel the only way to police this would be on legal action against the brokers and possibly eBay, redweeks, etc.

That’s an interesting point

 

[dioxide45]

The more I think about this the more I feel the only way to police this would be on legal action against the brokers and possibly eBay, redweeks, etc.

But what kind of legal action could they take?

 

[Dean]

But what kind of legal action could they take?

Whether it'd be successful might be up for debate but would the brokers fight such action, I doubt they would. Short of that I think the only way to affect this issue for the legacy resorts would be to squeeze those making reservations for anyone not on the contract. Personally I doubt they'll do anything beyond what they already have set up and any discussion is just grandstanding.

 

[bnoble]

I suspect their doing so under the selling owners account, there are already rules in place that would apply otherwise.

Not according to the sleuths on DISboards, who have traced ownership to some of the principals of the business.

There are rules in place, but those clauses were recently added, and have not yet begun to be enforced. I suspect that will change.