In a statement released to Disney Vacation Club Members today via email, DVC Senior Vice President Terri Schultz outlined additional actions being taken as a result of the current COVID-19 property closures.
Here is the announcement in its entirety:
Dear Disney Vacation Club Member,
I hope you and your family are staying healthy and doing well during these trying times. The impacts of COVID-19 are testing us all in ways we never imagined, yet we continue to be inspired by stories of care and compassion in our local communities and around the world.
Our team at Disney Vacation Club is deeply appreciative of the patience and understanding shown by our Members – and the helpful feedback and kind thoughts shared with our Cast.
Looking ahead to better days, our team is committed to keeping you informed and providing flexibility in your membership given the unique circumstances of this crisis. Based on your feedback, we are taking additional actions beyond those we previously shared with you:
We know that some Members had reservations for Disney Vacation Club resort stays during the closure period using points that are set to expire. 2019 Use Year points for April and June that are set to expire in 2020 and that were used for these reservations will be extended for one year from the current expiration date. 2018 Use Year points for April and June that were banked into 2019 and used for these reservations will be extended for six months from their current expiration date. Please note this temporary policy only includes expiring points that were used to book a stay between March 12 and the end of the closure period and that involve a reservation cancelled after February 29. In addition, to better support Member availability, Disney Vacation Club will not extend the life of our expiring developer points.
In light of this and to help with resort availability in the coming year, beginning today Members who want to borrow points to complete a reservation will temporarily only be able to borrow up to 50 percent of their future Use Year points per contract, as permitted by your Home Rules and Regulations. Doing this will help manage inventory and accommodate more Members who want to schedule their vacations once the resorts reopen. Points already borrowed for a stay outside the closure period will be honored, even if they are above the 50 percent threshold. We will continue to monitor our inventory and re-evaluate, with the goal of returning to our standard policy as soon as it is appropriate to do so.
Finally, some Members have had questions about how the closure is affecting their association’s annual dues. While lower operating costs are anticipated for each condominium association because of the closures, there are many unknowns ahead as the resorts return to operation. Our commitment to Guest and Cast safety remains our top priority, and changes may be implemented to the way we operate, which may add some new costs. Given the unique circumstances of this situation, the proposal is to issue a credit to Members in mid-December as part of the distribution of Annual Dues Statements for 2021 if their association has an operating surplus (as opposed to rolling all surpluses into reserves).
These changes should provide helpful support to the entire membership as our team works toward making Disney magic for you and your loved ones just as soon as possible. We will continue to evaluate the situation, make changes to policies as they become necessary and keep you updated. More information on these policy changes can be found on our website, www.disneyvacationclub.com.
All of us at Disney Vacation Club are thinking of you and your families and can’t wait to welcome you home.
All the best,
Terri A. Schultz
Senior Vice President
Disney Vacation Club, Guided Adventures & Expeditions and Golden Oak
Stay tuned to DVC Fan, the DVC Fan Facebook Group, and The DIS for more information as it becomes available!
Source: Disney Vacation Club
I’m wondering what “In light of this and to help with resort availability in the coming year” really means. Is it for reservations within the next year (12 months) will only be able to borrow 50% or will the time frame be all of 2021?
I believe it is a wait and see game… It will depend on what inventory begins to look like. We may either see further borrowing restrictions or a relaxing of these later this year or early next year.
Why are we paying dues? If we can’t use the resorts.
Dues are part of the real estate ownership agreement. Despite the resorts being closed we as owners are still responsible for the properties. As announced, however, we may see a credit applied in 2021 due to lower than anticipated operating expenses.
I received the letter and feel stupid. Can someone please explain, are the only points being carried forward, points that would expire between April and June? Does that mean people whose stays scheduled for Mid March to the end of March, that were expiring, are out of luck?
Hey Grant – Would love to help explain… can you give me some specifics about your exact situation?
I think I have the same basic question as Grant! Here’s a ‘for-instance’…
– Use Year is October
– Assume a June reservation
– If I cancel the June reservation in early June, I will have passed my banking deadline – May 31. SO…
— Would the Oct 2019 points, normally expiring in Sep 2020, be ‘good’ for one more year (ie. through Sep 2021)?
— If the reservation was made with banked Oct 2018 points, would those be ‘good’ for 6 extra months (ie. through Mar 31)?
And, what if the reservation was in July… Does this policy not apply because the reservation is beyond the April-June period?
Points expire at the end of a use year (for example, April or June) if you don’t use them or bank them. If you had a reservation for the end of March when the resort was closed and you used points that were going to expire, then those points would be carried forward — you wouldn’t lose them even though they were past your banking date. If those points were from your current use year, then they would be carried forward 12 months. If you used points that were banked into your current use year, those would be carried forward 6 months.
It is. Interesting that on the website, in regards to the 50% borrowing restriction, that if you make a reservation going forward during this restriction borrowing more than 50% then your reservation will be cancelled automatically within 7 days. Sounds like the system might not restrict us so we will have to do our math carefully.
I wonder if they will sell one time points still. My issue is I would normally borrow 53 points for my June 2021 reservation from my 100 point contract. Since I can only borrow 50 under the policy, I’m going to need 3 more. I would gladly pay them for the 3 one-time points but I could see this practice being stopped just out of a desire to help with availability.
What does that mean for points that you borrowed and are currently on a waitlist?? I have a reservation in November and on a waitlist for one night.
If that waitlist comes through and puts you over the borrowing threshold of 50% it will be allowed.
Still confused, hopefully someone can set me straight. I have 85 points from 2018, Oct year use. Can I somehow bank them to use in 2012, schedule a trip using them for 2021. I have already banked all my 2019 points, so I hope they are safe and will try to make a trip in 2021. Unable to do any trip til May 2021 at the earliest, would rather make the trip for Nov 2021.
You would unfortunately need to use the banked 2018 points by the end of September. They do not yet apply to the newly released changes. If you believe it will be difficult to use them you could look at either renting them or moving them to RCI.
Sorry… likely not the answer you were looking for. 🙁
Thanks for the clarity. It is what I thought, but you never know if you don’t ask.
Thanks again