Probably not much if at all. If anything it'll slightly increase studios. It might decrease the total availability slightly. On the DVC side it's based on the number of point traded out, which I don't think has changed. It could change but likely not, it did decrease slightly a few years ago from 270 to 250 points for example.
So if I understand correctly, if someone purchased from Disney enough points to go once a year to a specific resort using a studio they will no longer have enough points. If so dvc just reduced the value of many of their members.
Or increased it depending on where one falls with the changes. This is one of the reasons I've consistently recommended people buy a cushion of points of 10-20% for most situations. This is the way the system is set up and the way the POS reads.
The POS says the "SHALL" rebalance if demand is too far off. They've done so a few times. Not a big deal, you just plan accordingly. While it may therefore not work for someone who wants to lock it down tight, the nature of the points in general with different seasons, LOS and resorts also creates the same uncertainty. If you're looking at smaller units (esp studios), lower seasons and cheaper resorts you clearly need a large cushion. If you're looking at Magic/Premier, large units and more expensive resorts likely not. Every single member either knew or should have known going in this was a possibility.
Look at SSR where most everything went up, I wonder if they moved an entire section between standard and preferred. In many cases they increased studios AND 1 BR somewhat decreasing 2 BR for the most part. Like bnoble, I too suspect part of the motivation is to push people to 2 BR though I'm not truly sure the motivation. Certainly more 2 BR means cheaper admin costs which also raises the question whether we'll see a minimum LOS at some point at least for reservations done early at 11 months. I also wonder if we'll see elimination of the 5 in a 1 BR not designed for 5 in the next year or 2, if the motivation were largely room stuffing, I suspect we will. I agree with you that it is the nature of the system and i've long said one should buy a cushion of points in most cases, usually 10-20%, sometimes more. Unfortunately there are many over the years that bought exactly what they "needed" at the time to get X for a specific season and that has always been a recipe for disaster unless it was the most expensive option to start with. Poly increasing studios and decreasing bungalows was a non brainer, esp if they were doing a reallocation anyway, but we'll see hand wringing there as well. The reaction to this change mirrors the reactions I saw with the back to back changes for the 2010/2011 points charts which also proved that the 20% per year POS restriction really gave no protection at all.
Whether you are being treated better or worse by the latest change depends on how and when you travel. DVC regularly shifts point requirements to try to equalize demand across season, day of the week, and room size.
It good news for a lot of people and bad news for all those people who bought at Poly to stay in a studio. But as I said, it shouldn't be 'news' to anyone. *Maybe* before Poly opened...but there were already a gazillion comments on the boards wondering why anyone would pay that much more to stay in a 2BR Bungalow over one of the spectacular 3BR Grand Villas. But once Poly opened and there were another gazillion comments about the 'Ghost Town on the Lagoon' the jig was up.
But, this would have been fine, because in most cases the 1BRs are the last of any resort/view category to book.
I agree, the core expectation for such a change would have been to raise studios and lower 1 BR slightly. Also to reduce the bungalow points at the Poly. Given the change, it does make me wonder the reasons behind it. Either the 2 BR were lower demand than we thought or they specifically wanted to drive people to 2BR. As I speculated, it could be to reduce costs with less phone calls and less total check ins or they felt the 2 BR were truly being underutilized.
I suspect this will shift a % of reservations to the 2 BR that were previously in a 1 BR or studio for 5 or 6 people.
Legally they didn't have to but IIRC they reallocated after sales started and before BLT opened. They gave owners the choice of canceling or doing odd sized add ons. While not required, it was the right thing to do in the situation.I'm always surprised by the claims that "DVC is the best timeshare company because they're not a timeshare company like every other timeshare company."
It was the first timeshare company I looked into because I'm as much a Disney freak as anybody but Don's not so we didn't buy there. In all my years of reading, though, since long before we bought anything, there have been periods where Disney did (legally) what they needed to do in order to protect the company regardless of how it impacted owners. These latest adjustments in the points charts are certainly not as egregious as what happened in the beginning days of BLT, when adjustments were made very soon after home resort points had started selling but occupancy hadn't begun. If I'm remembering correctly, that was the reason DVC lowered the minimum number of direct-purchase points, because without another purchase many new owners at BLT couldn't use their brand-new purchases to book what they had expected to be able to book when the resort subsequently opened!
I wonder if you bought after they made the change but before it opened. They didn't offer a windfall of extra points only the option to cancel or buy additional but if needed, under the 25 limit. I doubt this will move the needle sufficiently where DVC made sense for someone before but doesn't now but it has gotten more expensive as has Disney in general. Personally I don't get people being overly upset with DVCMC as it's clearly spelled out in the documents and everyone either knew or should have know it could happen eventually. IMO the only weird part is the increase in 1BR points but even that I think I can understand if the goal is to increase the number of lockoff's booked as 2 BR's.