Dvc annual meeting

[KAT4DISNEY]

Me, too. Disney streams lots of things,including DVD sales videos, so I see no good reason they can't stream the annual meeting this for Members.

I believe they live stream it to those attending at DL. In this day and age it's old school to think you can/should only do it to certain locations.

 

[DebbieB]

I followed dvcnews, nothing major. No details on Riviera other than still planned to open next fall. They are planning to replace sofabeds as rooms are renovated to the new pulldown wall unit that goes over the sofa. Bathrooms will be getting the pumps with shampoo, etc.

For pictures, see @dvcnews or @wdlr2 on Twitter.

 

[Bing Showei]

This was my first condo meeting and I can see how many say the best part of this dog and pony are the free cookies after the event.

It was disheartening to see a deaf 25-year-DVC-member voice some frustration with the removal of a bridge he would use to seek refuge under from the sun at OKW and how he felt that member concerns, as a whole, fell upon deaf ears, and there was no voice for members, only to have the board respond about how great they are about “touch points” with the broader membership. From surveys to membership magic events, they found multiple reasons to pat themselves on the back on how much our opinions matter and how well they implement changes to reflect that.

As a new member myself, this fast-tracked me to cynicism that should be reserved for members who bought in decades ago only to see the same story play out meeting after meeting.

Honestly, I found it hard to clap for Disney's noble efforts to look out for the minimum wage cast members (why your dues are so high next year, they didn’t hesitate to point out repeatedly) when they fought tooth and nail against it with the unions. But again, another opportunity to pat themselves on the back.

Not sure what I was expecting, but this did not give me a great feeling about DVCMC response to member concerns.

 

[Wakey]

On a more positive note, the Murphy sofa is being implemented, and it can be seen here in its basic form https://inovabed.com. Video at bottom.
The one at SSR seems like it will have a nice picture of Saratoga architecture behind. One photo showed part of the SSR refurb which looks good. Did they show any more photos Bing?

 

[Bing Showei]

Nope just that one photo.

And they brought it up again later because that bone drew such applause during the presentation.

You guys need to watch the presentation, it was pretty depressing. Soap dispensers we’ve all been clamoring for, Reflections which we’re all super excited about... it was rich.

One new piece of info that I got is that Riviera is now confirmed to be the Italian Riviera... in case anyone was still on the fence about that; like the DVC rep I spoke to in August. Yay.

 

[Matty B13]

Those pull down beds at least look to be an improvement over the sofa beds. Maybe they will add in the small pull down beds under the TV's like at VGF and Poly to the other resorts as well. At least it would be a lot easier to clean up the living rooms in the 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom units in the morning.

 

[Wakey]

Those pull down beds at least look to be an improvement over the sofa beds. Maybe they will add in the small pull down beds under the TV's like at VGF and Poly to the other resorts as well. At least it would be a lot easier to clean up the living rooms in the 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom units in the morning.

Putting the small under TV Murphy in 1 beds for 5 sleep surfaces would be a huge plus for SSR. I don't think they'll do it though, not sure why they put more sleep surfaces on studios than 1 beds.

 

[Matty B13]

From that video it looks like they won't be loosing any seat cushions as well, just hope they hold up to the wear and tear or can be easily replaced.

 

[MassJester]

I thought the annual dues increases were a bit steep. If our condo association board here st home kept moving the bar up like that, we’d vote them out.

 

[disneynutz]

Are DVC owners paying for the new Murphy beds?

Bill

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Are DVC owners paying for the new Murphy beds?

Bill

Why wouldn't we be? During refurbs we pay for that and it includes whatever new furniture they decide on.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't believe that was mentioned at last year's meeting. The daily room inspections / trash removal were made public about 3 weeks after the DVC meeting. Procedure was implemented at Magic Kingdom resorts in late December and others in January 2018.

Nope, Ken mentioned it at the meeting and everyone was whoopin' and hollarin'. Hot dog, they said. But nothing was said about the rest of the hotels at WDW. Just that they had made the decision to do a daily trash collection that would not impact towels and other amenities nor full cleanings. I was there and thought it was still stupid and would cost us all extra money in the long run.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Are DVC owners paying for the new Murphy beds?

Bill

We won't have to worry about having them at OKW. Unless they decide to take out one of the queen beds in the studio. They'd have to be put up against the windows in the living room for the larger villas.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Those pull down beds at least look to be an improvement over the sofa beds. Maybe they will add in the small pull down beds under the TV's like at VGF and Poly to the other resorts as well. At least it would be a lot easier to clean up the living rooms in the 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom units in the morning.

Actually, the twin sleeper chair is better at OKW, BLT and AKV than the tiny murphy bed under the television. But the sleeper chair won't fit in the older BWV to SSR model villas.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Putting the small under TV Murphy in 1 beds for 5 sleep surfaces would be a huge plus for SSR. I don't think they'll do it though, not sure why they put more sleep surfaces on studios than 1 beds.

Because they won't fit in the living rooms of BWV, BRV and others. Especially if they have a door connecting the one bedroom to a studio or a dedicated two bedroom with the connecting door in the living room. When we stayed in BRV this past October, I noticed that the bigger television with furniture takes up even more wall space in the living room. You cannot push both chairs under the counter that is attached to the kitchen half wall (sink, dishwasher, etc) because there isn't enough space, especially with the corbels used to hold up the counter. But even that bigger television cabinet isn't big enough to put in the murphy bed without removing that counter.

 

[tjkraz]

Nope, Ken mentioned it at the meeting and everyone was whoopin' and hollarin'. Hot dog, they said. But nothing was said about the rest of the hotels at WDW. Just that they had made the decision to do a daily trash collection that would not impact towels and other amenities nor full cleanings. I was there and thought it was still stupid and would cost us all extra money in the long run.

Probably not worth spiriting hairs but I have nothing in my notes from last year’s meeting about daily trash removal, nor could I find any online reference to it being discussed online in the wake of the 2017 DVC meeting.

The daily room inspections were reported as “breaking news” on December 22 by a variety of websites. And later that same day, DVC sent an email to all members which mentioned the trash removal. Discussion here on the DIS also began on 12/22:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/trash-will-now-be-taken-every-day.3653864/

 

[Deb & Bill]

Probably not worth spiriting hairs but I have nothing in my notes from last year’s meeting about daily trash removal, nor could I find any online reference to it being discussed online in the wake of the 2017 DVC meeting.

The daily room inspections were reported as “breaking news” on December 22 by a variety of websites. And later that same day, DVC sent an email to all members which mentioned the trash removal. Discussion here on the DIS also began on 12/22:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/trash-will-now-be-taken-every-day.3653864/

Love ya, Tim, but you forgot to write that one in your notes. Ken mentioned it at the annual meeting. That was my first one.

 

[tjkraz]

It was disheartening to see a deaf 25-year-DVC-member voice some frustration with the removal of a bridge he would use to seek refuge under from the sun at OKW and how he felt that member concerns, as a whole, fell upon deaf ears, and there was no voice for members, only to have the board respond about how great they are about “touch points” with the broader membership. From surveys to membership magic events, they found multiple reasons to pat themselves on the back on how much our opinions matter and how well they implement changes to reflect that.

The response from DVC executives was about as forthright as one could expect. Members are not going to get a proverbial seat at the table. (And even if we did, not everyone’s pet project would pass muster—anyone who has been involved with a homeowners’ or condo association knows that few policies/projects are met with universal praise.)

Based upon my 15+ years of ownership, DVC executives are about as accessible as ever. They were quite correct in pointing out that execs make themselves available at these condo meetings, Moonlight Magic events and member cruises. DVC sends out regular surveys and every single owner can use phone calls or email messages to share feedback. Members are being invited to stay in refurb model rooms and provide feedback—something that was completely unheard of 2+ years ago.

DVC has consistently addressed many member pain points over the years, on topics ranging from member website features to sofabed quality to refurbishment frequency. We’ve seen the Epcot lounge stick around a lot longer than intended, the explosion of Moonlight Magic and growth of popular member perks (shopping, dining, special AP incentives) and special events.

But if Disney decides that it wants to reduce plastic waste, build new transportation systems or reconfigure a pool, they’re going to do it.

If I properly understood the comments voiced by the member in question, the issue seemed to be lack of shade in the pool area. Hopefully that’s a complaint which will receive some consideration. I do not see us getting to a point where DVC invites OKW owners to vote on the removal of a pool bridge.

Honestly, I found it hard to clap for Disney's noble efforts to look out for the minimum wage cast members...when they fought tooth and nail against it with the unions.

That’s kinda the nature of collective bargaining.

 

[Bing Showei]

The response from DVC executives was about as forthright as one could expect. Members are not going to get a proverbial seat at the table. (And even if we did, not everyone’s pet project would pass muster—anyone who has been involved with a homeowners’ or condo association knows that few policies/projects are met with universal praise.)

I would have a hard time arguing against this point. But that is not to say that the answer was forthright. A forthright answer is that "As one of the most profitable divisions within The Walt Disney Company, we have only one objective: to create a marketable product that continues to generate the most profit possible without damaging the brand and affecting sales." But I'm not naive enough to expect that answer, of course.

The reason this particular member's expression of frustration with the decision making process resonated so much with the audience, and why it received the uproarious applause it did, was that a lot of members out there share that frustration; perhaps not the particular issue with pool shading, but the nature of the organizations decision making; bulk shampoo, conditioner, and body soap; an OKW redesign that seems to have killed the charm, character, and appeal of it's previous incarnation; or the active decision to continue selling small contracts at higher per point costs at small resorts that could not possibly accommodate the ratio of planned studio usage; are all motivated by one thing only: bottom line. Full stop.

Where this all becomes hard to digest is when they do the lip service of talking about how important we are as members, when the reality is we are only as important as our ability and willingness to proselytize about the virtues of DVC ownership. For almost two hours, they celebrated how great they've been as an organization (yes, collective bargaining is messy, but it's insulting to turn around and exult about how important it is to the organization to take care of it's most vulnerable employees), and how happy we've been as members. Couched in addressing our interests, were decisions being made serve the bottom line.

Yes, we have benefited from a better member website, but that decision was driven by the financial impact of relying more on automation and less on CM phone interface. There will never be a decision made that does not first serve the bottom line.

Once a contract is sold, we are a captive audience with only one option for substantive change: to sell out of the system. Whether we complain about it and continue to pay dues or we sell, those dues continue to be paid. With that structure of a membership, where is the motivation for DVCMC to make member-driven changes? There isn't one. And Terri pointing out that the "Member Representative" (an employee paid by The Walt Disney Company) "is also a member" as another assertion of membership concerns being represented was just insulting.

While their response was, as you stated it, "about as forthright as one could expect" maybe we should reframe our expectations.

 

[Chuck S]

This was my first condo meeting and I can see how many say the best part of this dog and pony are the free cookies after the event.

It was disheartening to see a deaf 25-year-DVC-member voice some frustration with the removal of a bridge he would use to seek refuge under from the sun at OKW and how he felt that member concerns, as a whole, fell upon deaf ears, and there was no voice for members, only to have the board respond about how great they are about “touch points” with the broader membership. From surveys to membership magic events, they found multiple reasons to pat themselves on the back on how much our opinions matter and how well they implement changes to reflect that.

As a new member myself, this fast-tracked me to cynicism that should be reserved for members who bought in decades ago only to see the same story play out meeting after meeting.

Honestly, I found it hard to clap for Disney's noble efforts to look out for the minimum wage cast members (why your dues are so high next year, they didn’t hesitate to point out repeatedly) when they fought tooth and nail against it with the unions. But again, another opportunity to pat themselves on the back.

Not sure what I was expecting, but this did not give me a great feeling about DVCMC response to member concerns.

Did the board say why the bridge was removed? I'm thinking it is because members and guests would jump off of it into the pool even after being told not to repeatedly by lifeguards. If lifeguards are spending all their time watching for jumpers, they didn't have their eyes on the pool itself looking for distressed swimmers...and following the drowning of some swimmers at Disney resort pools in recent years, it became a huge liability. Sometimes when changes are made that we don;t like, it is because of our fellow members and guests behaving poorly. And all eyes are on the theme park/water park industry as a whole right now because of accidents (non-Disney) , some fatal, in recent years. Remember the Schlitterbahn tragedy in Kansas...Schiltterbahn designed and built Crush 'N' Gusher at Typhoon Lagoon though it is very different ride from the one that had the accident.