dvc any disadvantages?

[cherjp]

Hi we did a DVC tour when we were in florida in oct, and think its a great idea and pondering whether to do it or not but wanted to ask are there any downsides or disadvantages to buying into it,
we would probably go every 2 years , and possibly more in october than any other month, and apart from the plunging $$ cant think of any problems. need advice and thoughts.
thanks in advance

[mark@saratoga]

When we joined our plan was to buy 150 points and have a big Florida holiday every three years :banana: We do this by banking points for a year and then borrowing the following years points as well...:thumbsup2

The downside to buying into DVC are £'s against the $ but saying that $1.50 is about what we were getting when we first went to Florida in 1999, but also with the £ against the $ downturn the annual fees will go up by about 25%.:headache:

The cost of flights is always something to consider but going in October is a bit cheaper. We went in June 06 when the world cup was on and managed to find return fares for £130 with Thompson but that was because of the world cup being on.

[Mr Stoat]

Just remember, you do have annual dues as well. Having said that, the rooms seem bigger and better than the equivelant resort rooms.

[cherjp]

thanks for your replies, Mr Stoat, i see you are from the ayrshire coast whereabouts? we are in Troon.

[Claire L]

I must agree buying at the moment will be more expensive than say 6 months ago, but if you cost out over the 50 or so years for the new properties the difference will probably not be that great.

Once bought though you will never regret :)

Claire ;)

[Mr Stoat]

thanks for your replies, Mr Stoat, i see you are from the ayrshire coast whereabouts? we are in Troon.


Not far away, sunny Fairlie for us!

[JohnnySharp2]

I don't own at DVC so my opinion is probably not that credible in some ways but we had the full tour also and decided against buying.

I think having been to Florida so many times now if we were going to buy we should have done so many years ago.
I also don't think it's necessarily a financial saving either, in the long term perhaps but not short term.
We also prefer to spend most of the holiday in a private villa as that suits our needs better, though we are starting to experiement with part of the holiday on-site too.

Our only stay at a DVC resort was when we rented points for Boardwalk in 2006, and we were so dissapointed with the quality of the room, it really was poor in comparison with good class off-site accomodation.
I know others have expressed similar opinions - though I accept maybe we were just unlucky for the cost it was a big let down, given this it was hard for us to consider buying, especially with maintainence charges on top.
With Joshua's 'special needs' it's unlikely we would be able to pass ownership on so he can enjoy in the future - so again that played a part in our decision.

Just my opinion but I don't think I would stay at a DVC resort now unless it was a relatively new one.

Whether above would be classed as a disadvantage I doubt so please don't get me wrong , there are many advantages , especially the location - that for me is the plus point.

I guess though DVC doesn't work for us , there is no reason why it shouldn't be great for many many others.

[jjpenguin]

Having been DVC members since 2000 we can definitely say that it has worked out great for us.
We have never had any problems with rooms (apart from an exchange to DLP and that got sorted out with us being upgraded into a suite!). Love the convienence of having a place for a quick snack in the room and adore our breakfasts and coffee on the balcony.
We are very spoilt as we now almost always stay in a 1 br with just the two of us - it's really home away from home. And with the points being there I've even managed to squeeze in a couple of quick solo trips ;)

DH is now officially Disney'ed out, so I think this year we won't be going to WDW, but with being able to bank the points that's not a problem.

Yes the dues are a cost, but I reckon for the price of dues, I get much more than I could have got for that money at a place I enjoy going to.

[wideeyes]

I worked out that it is going to take 7 years till I break even so you don't see any savings short term. The good thing is that you get your accommodation at a fixed price for the next 50 odd years and something your kids can use when they are grown up with families as who knows how much it will be to stay on site then.:)

I like to stay in the deluxe accommodation which would costs up to £3000 for us for 2weeks so it is worth it for us, its not worth it if you are happy at a value you could stay there for less than the annual dues depending on how many points you own.

[Claire L]

Only disadvatage I can see is 'add-on-itis' :teeth:

Claire ;)

[DebIreland]

We came very close to buying into DVC last year. I was so excited. But in the end we changed our minds. It's great in many ways but, imo, the three big disadvantages are:
1) Annual dues
2) Weekend points are outrageous
3) Never being able to take advantage of free dining.

Next year free dining is available up to October 3rd - they're also offering big discounts off Saratoga Springs and DVC. When you add up the savings to be made with the free food and discounts on the rooms, it would be hard to justify DVC stays on points at OKW or SSR for that time period.

2 weeks in August at OKW in a 2 bed would be 592 points (unless you move at the weekends which is what we did in '06 when we rented points for the Boardwalk - but moving twice was a PAIN). The annual dues for 592 points is 2500 dollars. *Just* for the annual dues. The same 2 bed OKW (with free dining) for that same 2 weeks is 3700 dollars for us with the discounts and that includes food for 5 people.

I love the idea of pre-paying holidays but the annual dues take most of the good out of that for me.

[oceanscape]

We came very close to buying into DVC last year. I was so excited. But in the end we changed our minds. It's great in many ways but, imo, the three big disadvantages are:
1) Annual dues
2) Weekend points are outrageous
3) Never being able to take advantage of free dining.

Next year free dining is available up to October 3rd - they're also offering big discounts off Saratoga Springs and DVC. When you add up the savings to be made with the free food and discounts on the rooms, it would be hard to justify DVC stays on points at OKW or SSR for that time period.

2 weeks in August at OKW in a 2 bed would be 592 points (unless you move at the weekends which is what we did in '06 when we rented points for the Boardwalk - but moving twice was a PAIN). The annual dues for 592 points is 2500 dollars. *Just* for the annual dues. The same 2 bed OKW (with free dining) for that same 2 weeks is 3700 dollars for us with the discounts and that includes food for 5 people.

I love the idea of pre-paying holidays but the annual dues take most of the good out of that for me.
I agree. There are so many good on-site deals to be snapped up recently, especially with the advent of free dining, that DVC just doesn't seem worth it. Even more so now the exchange rate is so unfavourable. The Disney Travel Company have been offering incredible deals on the DVC resorts (not sure why...) - DVC is definitely out of the question for us as it's just not good value for money at the moment.

[JimC]

DVC works best for those who want to visit WDW at least every other year, like staying on property in at least moderate resorts, can plan their holiday months out, and rarely need to change or cancel a reservation within 30 days. Generally avoiding weekends will increase the value, but if you consider the weekly cost it is still a competitive proposition to renting. Five to seven years is a reasonable time-frame to break-even. DVC has an active resale market and it is a product with good resale value.

You would also have exchange rate risk, but that can be hedged. That leaves airfare as a bit of a wild card. You are committed to the trip or at least some trip (if you exchange, but that is not the best value for your points).

Many members used to play the discount game with AP and other codes, 7 for 4, free dining and the like. But the availability varies greatly. Right now is a good time for steep discounts. But there are more times when they are non-existent and even the regular discounts are scarce.

If you want to play the game and are flexible about your travel then DVC might not give you the absolute rock bottom price. But if you want greater certainty for a reasonably priced holiday that will cost less then the easy discounts typically available and do not want to play the code game, then DVC is a good program for you.

[Pootle]

We came very close to buying into DVC last year. I was so excited. But in the end we changed our minds. It's great in many ways but, imo, the three big disadvantages are:
1) Annual dues
2) Weekend points are outrageous
3) Never being able to take advantage of free dining.

Next year free dining is available up to October 3rd - they're also offering big discounts off Saratoga Springs and DVC. When you add up the savings to be made with the free food and discounts on the rooms, it would be hard to justify DVC stays on points at OKW or SSR for that time period.

2 weeks in August at OKW in a 2 bed would be 592 points (unless you move at the weekends which is what we did in '06 when we rented points for the Boardwalk - but moving twice was a PAIN). The annual dues for 592 points is 2500 dollars. *Just* for the annual dues. The same 2 bed OKW (with free dining) for that same 2 weeks is 3700 dollars for us with the discounts and that includes food for 5 people.

I love the idea of pre-paying holidays but the annual dues take most of the good out of that for me.

I can't fault your logic at all - especially with today's exchange rate - and I'm a long-time DVC devotee as you can see from my signature.

The big 'BUT' from me is in connection with the time of the free dining, ie hurricane season. Now this may strike with me more than most because I have experienced one plus a tropical storm and we vowed 'never again'. Free dining is not available during the pleasanter (weather/crowds) months to be in Florida - and very few people are tied to school holidays forever.

However, for anyone who likes to travel at that time, then NOT joining (from the UK at least) is a no-brainer right now. DVC will still be there when/if things change.

[john storey]

Joining DVC was probably one of the best things we have done over the past 5/6 years. Going out to Florida with the intention of buying a house but put off by the 'panic wave' of buyers who were intent on buying 'anything'. Thank heavens we didn't fall for it (we would have lost around £125,000 with the current crisis going on). We used the money that was going to be the deposit for the house on DVC membership, yippee free holidays for the rest of our lives (annual dues excepted & airfares). Staying in the huge accomadations was so different to small ensuite hotel rooms we had been used to. Also Disney seem to be adding new venues to keep the DVC dream alive, (can't wait to stay in the new Contempory Towers). Another point what with the awful financial crisis we are all experiencing we managed to book next May's holiday (22days in 6 seperate sites) pay our air fares whilst the exchange rate was good + get a bit of currency, & just forget about it until May. We also could probably sell our points back to Disney OR resale agents & get back almost what we payed. Go for it.

[cherjp]

thanks to everyone who has replied ,its very interesting to hear everyones opinion, our guide had phoned us to let us know the new incentives , and to say that the cost per point is going up in january, we are very interested and love the idea of staying onsite in a nice place, but the free dining issue is good too and if disney were to do it again in 2010 it might just work out to be in our dates for going so it might work out a cheaper option and have the magic too, at the moment DVC isnt a possiblity until we see how the future finances will pan out but we are very keen, so we will wait and see what the next few months hold.
thanks again

[river]

I don't own at DVC so my opinion is probably not that credible in some ways but we had the full tour also and decided against buying.

I think having been to Florida so many times now if we were going to buy we should have done so many years ago.

[JohnnySharp2]

I don't own at DVC so my opinion is probably not that credible in some ways but we had the full tour also and decided against buying.

I think having been to Florida so many times now if we were going to buy we should have done so many years ago.

An 'interesting' first post - you copy my first 2 sentences exactly. :rolleyes:

[Pootle]

An 'interesting' first post - you copy my first 2 sentences exactly. :rolleyes:

:rotfl:

Maybe you should be flattered Johnny ..... of all the posts, yours was the chosen one ;)

[JohnnySharp2]

:rotfl:

Maybe you should be flattered Johnny ..... of all the posts, yours was the chosen one ;)

:)

It wouldn't be the first time my thoughts have been repeated or copied Moira.

*Head visibly growing as I type*

[mark&sue]

I can certainly see why it would not be an advantage for Johnny as I know Johnny's wife is a teacher and would have to pay extremely expensive flights during the high season. There never seem to be special offers on direct flights to Orlando during the school holidays. Whereas there often seems to be special offers on hotel and dining etc.

Unfortunately for me my DH, Mark is totally fed up with Disney and I am exremely pleased we purchased DVC (520 points which we are currently renting out) as I feel sure we will just have to visit again some time. If I did not have this fall back position I think I would go insane. However it definately is not good value during the school holidays. Luckily for us my dd is 15 and we do not have that long to wait for cheaper flights. To add to our complications we have bought a holiday home in Spain so we are keen to visit every school holiday we can until the novelty has worn off!

That said the happiness I felt when we purchased DVC membership was unreal and four years and an add on later I still feel the same way. We have used our points for our WDW trips with just our family and our friends' families too, holidays to Disneyland Paris, the Disney Cruise line and would you believe it a February half term trip to Devon!! The only other downside is the annual dues. Luckily I prepaid these for a few years in July when I got $2 to the £.

I can't think of any other disadvantages as previously said if you get fed up or unable to visit one year you can always rent out your points.


Susan

[JohnnySharp2]

Hi Susan,

As usual you talk a lot of sense. ;)

DVC wouldn't work for us for so many reasons, irrespective of my minor gripe about the room on our only stay so far.

As you say we are restricted to the more expensive times of the year, Joshua ideally prefers a private villa and with his special needs we cannot really see him going later on in life so it's not like a purchase would be a lifetime thing for us.

As ever though we all have our own different circumstances.