Yesterday, DVC members received an email letting them know of the new options added for point exchanges. We’ll get to the meat of that in a minute.
While most of these options sound exciting, the fact still remains they are not a great value for points. You can see an example of that here where we compared the Galaxy Edge Point Charts to that of its cash pricing. However, how you choose to use your points is entirely up to you.
The real issue at hand here is that this wasn’t the email I was hoping it would be when I opened it. I was hoping we would get word on when some of the current technical issues would be solved.
For example, Disney and DVC have not been able to send booking confirmations to guests since at least December 30th. We don’t know when this will get fixed. Additionally, frequent website outages have made it nearly impossible for many members to book. Add to this the cluster that is the new digital member card which has left many members of the DVC Fan Facebook Group and DISboards scrambling to help each other figure out how to fix these glitches themselves. Multiple members have reported speaking with cast members at DVC Member Services who have also seemed frustrated with the many technical issues affecting their operations this past week. Please remember to be kind to these cast members as they are experiencing the same problems. So as I opened that email today, I was hoping for a little bit of light at the end of this dark tunnel of technological failures only to be met with more options for poor value point exchanges (most of which are only available for direct points).
Here is what the email explains:
| Dear Members, We are thrilled to kick off this New Year with news that may put an extra spring in your step as you begin dreaming of your family’s next vacations. As you may have heard, Disney Vacation Club is enhancing and elevating your portfolio of exchange options, including welcoming Interval International as our new exchange provider. Interval International exchanges are officially available, giving Members access, not only to thousands of resorts in the U.S., Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and more, but also to a portfolio of high-quality properties specially curated with Members in mind, including resorts from such trusted brands as Marriott, Sheraton, Hyatt and Westin, just to name a few. In addition, for eligible Members we expanded the portfolio with National Geographic Expeditions and Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experiences among the exchanges now available, and we look forward to welcoming the Shanghai Disney Resort later this year. And, to make your vacation planning simpler than ever, we are now presenting your vacation options in two easy-to-navigate collections: a reorganized Disney Collection and an updated World Collection. Within the updated Disney Collection, you’ll find both “Disney Stays” and “Disney Experiences.” Disney Stays include not only our 15 uniquely themed Disney Vacation Club Resorts, but for eligible Members, also traditional Disney Resort hotel exchange options in the heart of the magic and beyond. Disney Experiences go beyond Resort hotels to include such exchange options as Disney Cruise Line voyages, Adventures by Disney guided trips, National Geographic Expeditions and those epic, 2-night Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experiences aboard the Halcyon Starcruiser. Interval International options, meanwhile, are part of the new updated World Collection, which for eligible Members also includes your favorite Concierge Collection properties across the globe. Whether your next vacation returns you to your Home Resort or sends you on new adventures across the globe (or galaxy), all of us at Disney Vacation Club thank you for being part of our magical community, and we look forward to making memories with you for decades to come. Happy travels, Your Disney Vacation Club Family |
Let us know what you think about these new opportunities to use your Disney Vacation Club points! Are you excited by the new opportunities or like us and just wish the website would work properly so we could book a stay as usual?
Additional technical issue: Currently, the “Booking Window Calculator” is off by one day. For instance, if I enter today (1/6) that I want to plan a vacation for 8/7, the calculator indicates that I am within the non-home resort booking window. That is incorrect. I cannot book at a non-home resort until tomorrow (1/7). The system will not allow me to book outside my home resort today, nor can a CM. This was a bit frustrating because I thought I could book a reservation based on that calculator; I waited on the phone with MS for an hour to make a booking, only to learn that the calculator was inaccurate.
I have had five booking confirmations e-mailed automatically to me in the last three days.
We are 20+ year DVC members and have never regretted being a member… until Chapek took over. We feel abandoned and taken advantage of because it’s obvious this new management team is desperate to replace the magic with in your face greed. Our perks have been watered down. Annual passes are absurdly priced for those of us who are highly invested. Something has to change or we’ll just come to WDW , use our points for only the resort stay , and visit non Disney parks and attractions.
I had same problem booking Hawaii for 2022. I was only able to book one day at a time. CM said that shouldn’t happen but she couldn’t book it either. Can’t even remember how many times the site went down during the days I was trying to book. Every time I got back on no rooms were available for the date I wanted. Never had these issues. I would sell my contracts if this was the norm.
Personally, I think getting rid of physical DVC membership cards was a HUGE mistake. There are so many people, especially older, who don’t have smart phones. Not to mention those who are international members who don’t have cell service over here. The WiFi does not always work like you’d hope at Disney, and they are simply adding unnecessary burden to a large swath of their members. It wasn’t broken- why do they feel the need to fix it? Having a physical membership card also gives me a little fuzzy feeling. I don’t feel the same by staring at a screen. Plus, does this mean i have to make sure my phone doesn’t run out of juice during my day at Disney? My blue card can’t “die” mid afternoon.
I was on the DVC website yesterday, and it still says “after December 31st, you’ll be able to access your new membership card, until then, you can access your temporary card here.” They seem to be struggling to keep their own websites from becoming outdated.
On a side note, I finally got 2 confirmation emails this morning that I’ve been waiting for since Dec 28th.
I’m starting to wonder when booking a DVC trip, park admission, dining reservations, etc. will be experienced without technical problems. There are frequent times when a desktop version has problems while the mobile version does and vice versa. I’ve become baffled during recent years of just how poor the IT staff or infrastructure with Disney must be. Sad that my expectation when logging in is that things won’t work. There was a day that the experience as a guest went smoothly, but those days appear far in the rear view mirror.