MouseStation 204 – The Disney Vacation Club with Diane Hancock
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Featured Topic – The Disney Vacation Club with Diane Hancock
In this week’s feature, Mark talks with Diane Hancock, Manager of Communications for the Disney Vacation Club.
After briefly talking about DVC President Jim Lewis and the work environment that he fosters, discussion turned to the club and related issues.
One issue that seems to come up with increasing frequency was inadequate housekeeping. Diane noted that DVC takes housekeeping very seriously and stated that any guest who entered their room to find that housekeeping was improperly or incompletely completed should contact housekeeping to have someone dispatched immediately to rectify the situation. DVC also has a team designated to respond to feedback, both positive and negative, resulting in their 93 percent satisfaction rating.
Some members have complained that there appears to be a decrease in general communication with members, in terms of the monthly email newsletter, the quarterly magazine and the web site. Diane noted that the web site is now updated at least twice a week, and that the changes to the magazine has been modified based on feedback received in the annual condominium association survey.
The response to the Old Key West extension was very good, and members who did that usually noted that they wanted to do it as a legacy for their children and grandchildren. There are no current plans to make any similar extensions at any other properties in the class of 2042, but anything is possible.
The recent change to the studio villa glassware at Old Key West and Saratoga Springs was based on the fact that there were are no glass washers available there. The new sleeper chair at the Animal Kingdom Villas appears to be very popular, but it’s undetermined at this time as to whether or not the sleeper chair will be rolled out to the other existing resorts. In terms of other improvements, a team reviews any possible upgrades and determines the best use of dues for the members.
The new reservation category for rooms “close to the Hospitality House” at Old Key West is due to the large number of requests for rooms in that location. By accommodating that with a special booking category, it makes it easier to accommodate those requests.
Special offerings will continue to be held, both in conjunction with Passholder preview dates and as separate DVC member events. Members will continue to be offered discounts to the various hard-ticketed after-hours party events on both coasts.
The reason that exchanges at Paris and Tokyo no longer include admission is that the cost of tickets varies based on how many people are staying in the room, and it is hard to guess the average cost and allocate it fairly, so smaller groups are no longer penalized. The fact that length-of-stay passes are required for Paris stays is because the Disneyland Paris hotels require length-of-stay pass purchases for all stays, and the DVC exchanges are not given an exception to that rule. There are no non-Disney Collection resorts in Paris or Tokyo because there are no Interval International resorts in Tokyo and the few that are in Paris do not meet Disney’s standards for members.
For future expansion, DVC is looking at more expansion both on property and off-property, domestically and internationally. They’re extremely excited about both the Grand Californian expansion and the new Ko Olina resort, as well as the Kidani Village expansion at the Animal Kingdom Villas. Diane noted that any news will be posted on the DVC resort.
What do you think? If you’re a DVC member, did this address some of your issues? If not, did this help you with understanding some of the questions that you have about the club? Let us know by sending us an email or calling our toll-free feedback line (1-866-939-2278) and let us know what you think!
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