I would like to address some of these points from the other perspective.
I do not think that someone who stays a mod is necessary a better candidate to buy a DVC than someone who stays at a value.
I don't think we should rule this out for the majority of people staying in a Moderate resort. I would guess that they would stay in a deluxe if they had the extra cash. The only exception would be the fans of a specific moderate resort theming. Otherwise, a value would serve the purpose of a place to sleep. Instead, these people would like the little extras not offered in a value. If DVD could offer those who would prefer to stay in a deluxe the opportunity to do so, at the same or lower price point as a Moderate, it would be an easier sell. This model fit my wife and I for our honeymoon, and friends who look into a Disney vacation have expressed these thoughts to me as well.
The values are very child friendly and geared toward young children. Many young families who would like to vacation at Disney yearly will be staying at a value resort.
I think most of the resorts are child friendly in theming and amenities, becasue it is Disney and they expect children to be in tow most of the time. I would also speculate that most young families stay at the Value resorts because it is in their price range. Many young families are not as established in their career fields yet and may not make enough for $150 per night let alone $300. Thus, this would be a demographic that probably chooses based on price.
Also many wealthy people stay at the values.
there is a very interesting book titled :The Millionaire Next Door: by Thomas J. Stanley,William D. Danko. It explains why so many wealthy choose to be frugal with their income.
If the wealthy stay at a Value because they are frugal, wouldn't it save more money to be a DVC member in the long run? Yes, doing a one-off stay at a deluxe on cash is expensive compared to a Value resort, but DVC resorts can bring a solid rate of return over the life of the contract. Thus, I think these Value resort guests would be a prime candidate for DVC.
I know we have a high income and value is where we usually choose to stay. Our children are grown and I need a room that has a roll in shower. The values have very large HA bathrooms and the entrances of the values are much more handicapped friendly. I am able to get in and out of my All Star room unassisted. This way my husband can go and play a round of golf and know I can leave my room to relax by the pool if I choose.
The Deluxe rooms have a narrow hall with the bath on one side and closet on the other. I cannot open the door from the inside unassisted.
Based on this, I think your personal preference for a Value resort is unique to the population as a whole, because you enjoy the access these rooms offer. I think, however, a one bedroom at SSR offers excellent access as well as dedicated rooms for this tpe of access. Thus, this group of visitors would also be likely to enjoy a DVC room and may be upset if they are upgraded into a non-access available SSR room.
Here is thread that talks about why people choose different levels of Disney resorts and for the most part the resort choice is NOT based on persons income.
In doing a high level review of the thread, it sounds like the concensus is that people just do not want to pay Deluxe rates for a room they only sleep in. Given that many are avid Disney and WDW fans, they should seriously consider looking at DVC as an option, because it is less expensive over the long term. I think this would be the exact demographic DVD is targeting by doing the upgrades. This is also why my family bought into DVC. To stay at a deluxe for the overall price of a Value is too good to pass up, since we plan on visiting at least every other year.
In summary, it does seem that the Value resorts are populated mostly based on price. The people who stay there either do not want to or can not afford to stay in a Deluxe. If these people were introduced to the DVC resorts and given the full information, they would find out that they can stay in a deluxe at a much lower price point overall than the Value resorst, thus DVD could have more sales.
That is my analysis. Thanks for the input! Please let me know everyone's thoughts.
- Chris
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), so we booked 2 rooms at ASMu. After two years of values, and facing 2/3 empty-nesting, we looked into DVC. Given the frequency of our trips, we realized that our future WDW trips would cost us less per day than ever-escalating costs per room through CRO, even if we stayed with values (which DH wouldn't............
). By now, our trips to our "homes" have become our bargain vacations, made even sweeter by the AP discount and the DDE!
