Never been there so cant compare. I think I am being misunderstood it just feels that way to me when all the perks and the DVC resorts get things last. Along with reading all the bad stuff about TV's not working and bad housekeeping and no housekeeping. I knew this going in but an afterthought has made me reevaluate the true value. I am sure after years of having it paid off I may see a better value but even friends who we take are so surprised there is no housekeeping without a charge. People who have been to Disney before on the regular(not DVC side) I would expect loyal customers such as DVC owners to have more perks and be treated for their loyalty.
But where would the money for those perks, and room updates, and treats for our loyalty come from? Which division of the Disney company? And what business case would there be for spending those millions of dollars to update thousands of resort rooms, and continually give goodies to many thousands of members as a thank-you for spending money on DVC?
It wouldn't be DVD, Disney Vacation Development, the people who sold you your DVC contract. They're a real estate developer, they exist to sell timeshares, and that's it. They're out of the picture after you buy.
I don't know the name of the division that operates the DVC resorts, but it wouldn't be them, cause we members pay the operating costs of the resorts through our maintenance fees.
The point I'm trying to make is, timeshares are designed to be supported by their owners. We pay for any room updates. If you want nicer furnishings in the rooms, it's going to come out of your maintenance fees.
ETA: I forgot to explain why there's "no housekeeping without a charge". WE pay the cost of housekeeping. That's part of what your maintenance fees go for. We pay the wages of the housekeepers, and their benefits, and we pay for their cleaning supplies, and we pay to replace the vacuums when they wear out. If DVC resorts had full daily housekeeping like the other resorts, our maintenance fees would increase greatly. Many members don't even want daily housekeeping. I don't need it and I don't want someone coming into my room to make my bed while I'm trying to take a nap.
So, the fair thing to do is to give a basic level of housekeeping to everyone, and then those who want additional days of housekeeping can pay for it themselves. That sounds like a good deal for me, because the per-night cost of a room on DVC points, even paying out of pocket for extra housekeeping, is still WAY the heck lower than a cash reservation for the same room.
I think perhaps you're misunderstanding the way DVC (and timeshares) work. You're thinking of it like a loyalty program, where you pre-pay for stays at a nice hotel and then the hotel company rewards you by giving you perks and things. That's not what DVC is at all. It's a shared-ownership thing. To really understand DVC, you need to think like an owner, not like a hotel guest.
Bill
