Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>People are people everywhere, DVC and non-DVC.<< Except in Japan, where Disney guests are for the most part...polite to a degree not seen in the USA parks anymore.
Originally Posted By nbodyhome Well, they are mostly Japanese - who are probably polite to a point? If Disney had DVC in Japan, I'd expect that the Japanese owners (if there were any) would be as they are normally. I personally don't like painting any group with a broad brush. There are wealthy people who stay at value resorts, and not-wealthy who stay at the deluxe resorts. Some DVC'ers probably put their feet up on chairs/coffee tables. Maybe I've done that too. I don't even think about it, I don't notice a big difference between DVC'ers and non-DVC. Denise
Originally Posted By vbdad55 It's a hollow argument point - and over time I usually just ignore it. I guess DVC owners are responsible for the declining morals and behaviors across the country...we're the ones acting out at ballgames, museums, concerts etc. I heard it was DVC owners who started the issue in Jena. Phil Spector - yep DVC owner ( as was OJ before he had to turn it over to the Goldmans' ) George Bush -- yep he bought into Beach Club with Karl Rove and the Cheney's -- ( Hillary has her unit at Boardwalk) - Wherever you find a problem, it's usually DVC owners behind it. No matter that likely they likely on average treat their resort with more pride of ownership ( real or perceived so we don't get into that nonsense) - that most people staying in any accomodations there. And has been mentioned don't get the free dining plan - usually had DDE if anything. Don't get to go to the park for $1.25 / day like local AP's ( but we know all those families are of the highest echelon of society - just drive with a few down I4 ( or God help us all I95) one day - courteousy personified) - but if it makes it easy for someone to point to DVC families as the issue - we're big enough to take it. Stop in one day, we'll warm you local AP's up a nice Tombstone Pizza and make some mac & cheese - because you know that is all we wants when we're there. hey did ya hear...Britney Spears just bought into SS - yee haw !
Originally Posted By nbodyhome >>Stop in one day, we'll warm you local AP's up a nice Tombstone Pizza and make some mac & cheese - because you know that is all we wants when we're there.<< I see those Tombstone pizzas in the stores all the time at the BW. Yuck, yuck! The only thing I wish with DVC was that Disney made it more low key. Now it's 2 channels on the TV (at least), booths everywhere, including the WOL right now. It's just too much, IMHO. But the DVC units are overall nice (I like OKW best), and I cannot tell the difference between someone paying cash, renting points, or if they are part of DVC. Oh - it must be those people buying those icky Tombstone pizzas. Don't invite me for that!
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I am from Chicago - so pizza is something to be honored -- we don't do Domino's / Pizza Hut or any of the national chains ( not pizza ) - and surely Tombstone would not be on the menu -- but then i wouldn't want to disappoint those who do view DVC owners as the new lowest form of WDW attendee. a DVC booth - while I am not a huge fan of them being all over - at least is a sign of life at WoL. as for the TV stations -- we watch very little TV while there....we're on vacation and TV in general is pretty much a wasteland anyway - with precious few exceptions. Unless something critical happening in the world - also don't have much use for CNN either while there - so however many commercials they have for DVC - or the parks or whatever - eh
Originally Posted By Skellington88 I was at boma a few weeks ago and it was horrible...gross people doing gross things, bad service, the waiters complaining about not getting tiped because of the dinning plan, and the food didn't taste as good as I remembered it being.
Originally Posted By CMDad ^^^ Perhaps that is a plus for me. When my wife and I visit we aren't on the DDP, so perhaps we get better service since we will actually be tipping on a check. (Well, I do have the DDE, but even then I tip on the full amount, not the discounted amount.) <G>
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Someone's really teasing us with his EPCOT Center speak...>> If you think I'm a Spirited tease here you should ... uhm ... nevermind! <<What sir, do you know that hasn't been passed on to the peons out in the parks yet? I'm almost optimistic that this name change will happen. Is my hope not misplaced after all?>> No. It isn't misplaced. It isn't a done deal yet (and remember how Disney-Pixar` Studios became Disney's Hollywood Studios in a few days!) ... but there are an awful lot of important people who believe it should and needs to be done. Some as a statement as much as anything. I just see it happening at some point.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<Oh gee, a new water fountain for kids to play in.>> TDLFAN, this will be just a tad sized larger than a water fountain if it happens. I admit the logic I heard for this proposed addition is ... well, logical. It will serve three purposes (and take advantage of something being done in the DCA redo too!) Yeah, there's a hint in that.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<And of course you know for a fact that they were DVC'ers and not people staying at the AK on the typically hugely discounted nightly rates.>> No, I don't. But I believe a significant portion to be considering how many rooms (I'd say over half) are out of commission right now. <<If the AK had ever been able to fill their rooms at the rack rate they wouldn't have DVC'ed it, would they? Any time DVC was added to other resorts it was an ADDITION; they never repurposed existing space.>> Sadly, you're right about that Trippy. I can't figure out why this resort isn't the toughest to book ... yet alone why I can get a room for $129 a night the week before Christmas in 2006. I guess this is why they haven't announced the DVC Tower that isn't being built at the Contemporary now ... because if they did, they'd never sell DVC at DAK Lodge any better than Saratoga .. because everyone wants to be near either MK or Epcot ... and 10-20 minutes away by bus just isn't good enough. <<You’ll just never get over having been turned down for that DVC loan, will you? ;-)>> I never applied. I'll just continue to rent out DVC units on a nightly basis when they suit my needs. I love everyone I've stayed at, including Saratoga and especially Hilton Head. But buying pre-paid vacations just doesn't make a lot of sense to me. But I am no DVC hater ... just when it changes the makeup of a deluxe resort, and if you had been at DAK Lodge yesterday I believe you would have noticed the same things I did.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<but we are going to be eating at Boma at least 2x (dinner and breakfast) It's tradition! But maybe if it stinks we may have to come up with a new 'getaway' day tradtion.. sign me *bummed out in LA*>> Boma was still wonderful, don't get me wrong. It just seems to be changing ... and when Disney resturants start heading down that path, it never seems to stop until they bottom out. I enjoyed Boma. But it didn't compare to the great dinner I had at the Coral Reef ... or the great dinner I had at Le Cellier.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I recently stayed at AKL, and was surprised that when I reached the reception counter to check in, that I was greeted with "Welcome Home." I though that that was the DVC greeting, and I can see how it makes sense in that context. But for a standard WDW resort to say "welcome home" seemed very strange to me. Then they proceeded to ask me if I had been there before, so it's not as if they even knew I was a repeat guest.>> I got that at the All Star Music ... at both the guard gate and front desk ... and I have (prior to this trip) spent all of three nights here in the past decade! I wonder if this is something they're telling people to do all across property. I recall them doing so at Port Orleans in the past few years as well as the WL.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<WE actually put our money where our mouths are in support of Disney and it's future - and the cash cow that is DVC. Seriously, the rant just doesn't fit.>> I know it may not be politically correct (in LP.com terms anyway) but I just got a trashy vibe at DAK Lodge yesterday that I have NEVER gotten in about eight prior stays since May 2001. The biggest difference is that DVC is now there. Maybe I'm drawing an incorrect conclusion. I don't know. I didn't feel the clientele was trashy in July when I stayed at the Boardwalk Villas ... it seemed pretty middle class (and very New Jersey!) ... but this was different ... and the feeling I got was the same one when I stayed at the Beach Club as soon as the Villas opened there. Suddenly, there were 300-pound women in bras and underwear smoking in the jacuzzi ... maybe it's just my luck, but I'm only stating what I see and then trying to offer up some reason for what is going on. I don't believe most DVCers are trash, I think that's been made pretty obvious here. But that still doesn't negate my feelings about what I saw/experienced ... there was a clear lowering of the quality of the entire DAK Lodge experience and I don't have any other explanation for it. I'm open to other theories ...
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<but then i wouldn't want to disappoint those who do view DVC owners as the new lowest form of WDW attendee.>> C'mon Dave, don't you think that's a bit of hyperbole? I've said I often believe DVCers may represent the best hope for a return of more quality to WDW due to their 'investments.' But I also think adding DVC to existing resorts can result in a lowering of quality at the original. It happened at the WL, which took years to return to its original quality (which I believe it has). The Beach Club has never recovered from having Villas shoehorned in where they never were intended. I don't think I'm a DVC basher and I wish you wouldn't let emotion take over and just think about what I said.
Originally Posted By Skellington88 Is the "wet ride" for Epoct Center the long rumored Rafting ride for Canada? DCA is getting an overhaul of Grizzly River Rapids which will supposedly add AA's to the ride so im sure disney will go the cheap route and clone extras to add to Floridas raft ride too.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo Here's my take on your experience Spirit. It's not DVC, it's the fact you were at AKL in the cheap season, when there are even deeper discounts now due to construction. And isn't it free Dining too? We see this at DLP all the time, when it used to be the kids go free offers, the guest behaviour was worse. I do not blame DVC at all. Having evaluated DVC, but bought into MCVI (don't want to spend most of my vacations in swamp land), it is akin to investing in luxury sweets. No white trash I am aware of could do that. I love the accommodation value of our vacation ownership. Is it cheaper than a priceline special or Pop Century - no. But the accommodation is akin to having a 2 bedroom suite at a deluxe resort for the same price as a normal room at rack rate. Makes perfect sense to me. The problem is not DVC or DVCers, but it is the lack of thinking by management to invest in more infrastructure and customer service improvements. This should be rectified at AKL in the coming years so it will feel more like Boardwalk and less like the Beach Club I should think. If DVC start investing in more locations (as we are seeing at DL), then I may add some DVC points to my vacation portfolio too.
Originally Posted By Sport Goofy << The biggest difference is that DVC is now there. >> Are the AKL DVC units already finished and being occupied? I was under the impression that they were still in the construction phase. How many units were/are being converted from the original hotel rooms? It just seems odd that DVC would be the culprit for any perceived changes at AKL when most of the DVC rooms aren't even open for business. Even if all of the AKL rooms converted to DVC were in use, it wouldn't be a large percentage of the hotel.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<I don't think I'm a DVC basher and I wish you wouldn't let emotion take over and just think about what I said.>> Spirit... you might want to re-read what you said about DVC in your initial post. It was a series of repeated slams against DVC and DVC owners. All of which, as pointed out above, is very unfair in that virtually none of the AK DVC units are available at this time. Anything you say about DVC lowering the quality of the clientele at a resort is nothing other than unfounded, biased conjecture. There are legitimate complaints a person could have about DVC. Attracting PWT is not one of them.
Originally Posted By danyoung >Spirit... you might want to re-read what you said about DVC in your initial post. It was a series of repeated slams against DVC and DVC owners.< Sorry, oh great Spirit, but I gotta go with Roady on this one. You did make a direct tie between DVC folks and dirty shoes on chairs, rugrats running around, and eating beef with fingers. A pretty long stretch, seems to me.
