Disney theme parks provide massive cash flow to the company

It's kind of surprising that their occupancy has actually gone down in the last five years, but the per-room spending is significantly up.

They've been listening to me. ;)

Gonch's Business Model

I was thinking that part of the decline might just be because they have a lot more rooms than they used to, but I'm assuming that they work the DVC rooms into that mix, and I have no idea if that's the case.

That DVC business must be huge, but frankly I can't imagine it. I've never considered any kind of time share or vacation club- it just seems like another bill on top of bills we already have. Plus, some years we feel like going to a fabulous place and some years we don't. We like to vacation, but we're not that serious about knowing exactly when and where we're going to be that far ahead.

But it must be working for somebody, but I wonder what average occupancy is. It seems all the deluxe resorts have or are getting huge DVC wings or towers. And they're lovely, we checked the one out at Grand Floridian and it couldn't have been nicer. It also seemed like we couldn't swing a cat there at Disney without hitting a DVC kiosk or counter. Some of the nicest cast member visits I had while we were there were with the DVC sales agents. The push seems to be on, of course, as those folks always turn the conversation into an opportunity, but they were some of the nicest and most knowledgeable people we met there.

I guess you don't make sales like that by being grouchy. But I bet for every visit they schedule they get a thousand no thank-yous. That's what makes a sales job like that tough and why burn out is so high.

If I had or could afford it I'd probably alternate between WDW, DL, and Aulani, of course. (even though I wish it was on Maui instead of Oahu)

I think you can use some points on the cruise ships now, right? If we continue to have a cruise problem, that might be worth looking into.

Lord Gonchar said:

They've been listening to me. ;)

Gonch's Business Model

Know your market.... ;~P

"Want to know Disney's best kept secret?"

If the world were to plunge into complete chaos, I have enough of the DVC pamphlets to keep a fire going for the next 5 winters. I go to Disney often, but I don't go enough to join the DVC. It's a good idea for some, just not for me. Just depends on the guest.