Is being a DVCmember worth it

[Dean]

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

To be honest, the playing field on resale vs retail has changed so much that you really have to ask those who have bought in the last 2-3 years, esp those that bought after the resale limitations. Prior to that there were no differences in usage and the price difference was only 20% or so. Your other statements in this paragraph are the very reasons we've been pushing you on your thoughts and apparent decisions as you've posted them in this thread. We want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into, what your other options were and what the real costs and risks are.

Unfortunatly I really can't remember the name of the time share it was it was also 1996 so there are probably beter ones out there now days but staying off Disney is not what I want to do thoe. I have to drive 18-24 hours depending on traffic so when I get there it is so nice to be able to park my car for a week. Flying is out of the question for 7 people a lot cheaper to drive.

No one wants to talk you into anything that doesn't fit. However, it seems you've made the assumption you'll only be happy staying on property without actual comparative data. One of those timeshares I mentioned is essentially on Disney property right behind CBR. DVC was my first timeshare and my first love in timesharing. However, if I had it to go over at this point and knowing what now know, I'd likely either not buy in or just buy a small amount of points, say 50-100.

I'm not sure where you're located but 18-24 hours is a long time. I doubt you'd drive that in one sitting. Depending on where you are, some of the other systems might have resorts that were good stopovers. Truthfully, IMO, I think some of the other resorts are nicer than DVC in a number of areas. Larger rooms, staff more responsive, more and better activities (ignoring the parks), generally better pools and somewhat to much cheaper short and long term. Of course they're not exclusive of each other, many of us own both DVC resorts and one or more other systems.

Part of me is looking at the #s. Another part of me is looking at does the people that have it really love is the service as good as I have heard. I do know the #s can be very misleading and there are so many factors that come in to play. I do believe you can get a discounted room rate. I have just recently started looking at resale and I'm weighing all the pros and cons on that to. I have had people tell me not to buy resale before and people tell me to. Also people not to join at all but most of those people aren't members.

I get the impression you don't have a lot of direct experience visiting Disney. IF this is the case, I'd slow down and do a trip or 2 say renting DVC points and maybe an off property stay at say Bonnet Creek.

To be honest, I do not think service has been Disney's strong point from a resort standpoint and it seems that is important to you. Not that I feel DVC does a bad job, I don't, but I do feel that the other companies do a better job generally when it comes to service and attention to detail. I could give you a number of examples but I'll just give you one I've seen repeated MANY times. At other resorts when I call for something (need a blender, stove not working, etc) I get a better and faster response than with Disney and I get a follow up call to make sure it was taken care of and I am happy with what was done. I am staying at Marriott's Aruba Surf Club right now and can tell you that the pool is nicer and the room is larger and at least as nice as DVC and the response to minor issues as I just described.

This past summer we were in HI for 3 weeks and stayed at Marriott's for all nights. I had a concern about the resort in Kauai. It's one of 2 hotel conversions in the Marriott system and I found the kitchen to be below reasonable for a 1 BR. I was able to speak directly to the GM of the resort (mixed hotel & timeshare) about my concerns. Obviously they weren't going to be able to remodel the kitchen while I was there but I did have suggestions of how they could change it when the hard refurbishment came around. How many people have been able to pick up the phone while at DVC and do that? I remember a lot of people saying they tried, I'm not currently remembering any that were successful in doing so other than a few after the fact based on more significant concerns.

 

[crisi]

Resale, prior to restrictions. But we've never done anything restricted with our points.

Its been a good value for us - because we like having the kids in a different room - got a good deal on resale a decade ago, paid cash, and have no significant opportunity costs. But I wouldn't buy it again and I wouldn't buy it now.

Kids would rather do other things than Disney now that they are teenagers, and my husband and I prefer hotels to timeshares if its just us - DVC is too restrictive in terms of trades and we aren't timeshare people. We like the service and amenities of a hotel stay and the flexibility of cash.

 

[bwvBound]

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

We own three DCV contracts at SSR, each purchased direct at average costs hovering just under $80/pt after incentives. First contract was purchased in early 2004, pre-opening, after we had lost on three attempts to purchase BWV via resale. At the time, buying a resort with the 'new,' longer lease was a strong draw for us. The initial price direct from Disney was on par with the then-current resale prices for BWV.

We like DVC "well enough" but sometimes get annoyed at the Use Year (UY) and banking rules compared to our other points system timeshare. Because of DVC's UY rules, I tend to view DVC as being usable only 8 months out of a year (vs year round) and mostly tied to a specific geography based on the home resort.

I know I can use my points at CA and HI, indeed I do use them there, but I'm often at risk of losing the points if booking travel outside the banking window of my UY. Sadly, neither CA nor HI had been announced when we purchased our SSR points and, thus, not factored into our choice of UY. Our contracts are all OCT UY, which perfectly fits our travel pattern to WDW, but leaves us at risk of losing points should we travel June-Sept to Disneyland (a year-round destination for us) or Aulani, which we are most likely to visit in Sept. Oh, well.

 

[bakerworld]

Our idea of vacationing was to spend time in the parks or the resort - not the bus, which just getting out of OKW took a good 1/2 hour when we first tried it in 2000 so DVC didn't tempt us until we stayed at VWL in 2006. By then SSR was being pushed which we had no interest because we figured the bus situation would be the same as OKW and we had no idea the resale market even existed. By the time we bought - still not knowing about resale - the kids were gone and we been to Disney enough to know we wanted to go often and were tired of moderates so we bought AKL with the idea that we'd go off season and trade into closer venues at the 7-month mark - which we've done very successfully. The other plus with AKL was concierge which we figured as we age will be a large bonus.

Do we love DVC - not really, what we enjoy is Disney. DVC gives us the ability to stay in a premium resort but we have to clean it and buy our own day to day supplies. Nobody changes the towels or washes the dishes. We gave that up when we bought.

 

[jupers]

I bought dvc just before the resale changes. However, I would buy again. I got a great deal and we love our dvc. I stayed offsite once and won't again. DH is a workaholic and convincing him to vaca can be tough but he is willing because we have the timeshare. We are doing our first road trip down this summer!

 

[lovin'fl]

We bought 200 OKW points via resale in 2006 after doing 2 WDW trips...one staying off-site (which I hate to drive into WDW for the parks each day) and the other staying at POR. We lived in NC in 2006 and figured we'd go to WDW very frequently and drive...we have 3 kids. In 2007, we moved to MD and cut our WDW trips to every other year (but still would drive) and added on 75 HH points also via resale so that we could throw in some beach trips (every 3 years) that would save us the costs of park tickets and Disney's outrageous dining costs (even with TIW card it costs a lot to eat at WDW) plus it's a shorter drive. We paid cash for both contracts. We are now in the process of adding on 100 AKV points via resale (my MIL and FIL paid us for use of half of our OKW points and so we needed some more points...SIL owns at AKV and we like to do WDW trips with them so...AKV it is). We are happy with our DVC membership. We do get Disney'ed out and need a break...which is good since we live so far. We did fly the last 2 trips and that really adds to our cost (family of 5) and DH is insisting we drive next time. We just got back from a 5 night stay at BCV and we spent $1500 just on food/drinks (even with TIW card...we did 7 TS meals and 3 CS meals and lots of snacks, pastries and drinks...also includes tips)...we bought the discounted PAPs which cost us over $2000 and our airfare was about $1400 (had paid $950 but switched to a later flight at the last minute for $450 more). We are planning to do a second 5 night trip with our PAPs and will drive...so only cost will be food/drinks and the drive to/from.
So, for 10 nights the total cost will end up costing us about $7000 (yikes, now that I look at it) and that is not counting annual dues or any costs to buy our DVC points. We will go to HH next year and it will be a while before we do WDW again and I'm not sure if my kids will go anymore (they were complaining this past trip...they are all teenagers). MIL and FIL will go every other year and stay in a 1BR at OKW for 6 nights. Last year we managed to snag a resie at Vero Beach and tried that out...ended up adding 2 nights at Universal's Hard Rock hotel to do 2 days at US (to see the Harry Potter stuff)...so that added up too.

Edited to add: We like the DVC resorts for the villas with washer and dryer and separate master (kitchen doesn't really matter to us...all we use it for is to make coffee and store drinks and leftovers in the fridge...we do have some breakfast stuff as well). We can't really do a standard hotel room with the 5 of us anymore (now that our kids are all teens...DS doesn't really fit on the single airbed so well). And even with just 4 of us in a hotel room (which we do a lot since DDs play travel softball), it's a bit stressful (DDs like to stay awake later and mess on their Ipods and cellphones...I like to get up earlier which disturbs the sleeping beauties...all 4 of us sharing 1 bathroom).

 

[HippieChickadee]

I bought resale, no financing.

Wish I hadn't now. We much prefer the value resorts. Bigger then life objects, colors, smaller property, location, food court has better food (of course to our taste, not everyone's).

We just plain enjoy ourselves more at pop century or all star sports.

The money we pay for our dues each year would cover the resort we would rather have, lol.

However, we haven't sold yet because the one thing (the only thing) we like about it is being able to buy annual passes. We aren't Florida residents and we go more then once a year so we save 300+ dollars per person after our first trip.

Anyway, to each their own. Life would be boring if everyone were alike

 

[ssawka]

When I bought I actually got a home equity loan with a interest rate of less that half of what Disney will try to stick u with. Look into it or a secure personal loan it will save u a lot of money

One thing about a personal loan is that it would not be tax deductible. You would need to talk to a tax professional, but a DVC loan should be tax deductible if you only own at most one house. A Home Equity loan or a HELC would also be tax deductible.

That being said, if we were to buy now, I know two things:

1. We would not buy direct! $140 PP is way to rich for my blood. We bought BLT in 2009 for $92 PP. We bought direct because I wanted BLT and the difference between the direct and the resale prices was not as large then as it is now.
2. I would not borrow against my primary home for a DVC purchase! It is just not worth risking your home over.

 

[Dean]

One thing about a personal loan is that it would not be tax deductible. You would need to talk to a tax professional, but a DVC loan should be tax deductible if you only own at most one house. A Home Equity loan or a HELC would also be tax deductible.

That being said, if we were to buy now, I know two things:

1. We would not buy direct! $140 PP is way to rich for my blood. We bought BLT in 2009 for $92 PP. We bought direct because I wanted BLT and the difference between the direct and the resale prices was not as large then as it is now.
2. I would not borrow against my primary home for a DVC purchase! It is just not worth risking your home over.

Timeshare Transfers, the one company I know of that will finance DVC, Marriott, Hilton and the like, writes their loans as a mortgage and are thus deductible within the applicable rules. IMO the amount of savings with the deduction is a pittance and not worth adding to any consideration. I do agree that IF one is gong to finance, risking a home is not a good idea.

 

[ELMC]

I bought resale, no financing.

Wish I hadn't now. We much prefer the value resorts. Bigger then life objects, colors, smaller property, location, food court has better food (of course to our taste, not everyone's).

We just plain enjoy ourselves more at pop century or all star sports.

The money we pay for our dues each year would cover the resort we would rather have, lol.

However, we haven't sold yet because the one thing (the only thing) we like about it is being able to buy annual passes. We aren't Florida residents and we go more then once a year so we save 300+ dollars per person after our first trip.

Anyway, to each their own. Life would be boring if everyone were alike

Great point. I've read on here a bunch of times that if you're happy staying at the Values, then DVC is probably not for you. This is a perfect example.

I would ask, have you considered renting out your points? That way you get the benefits of being a member but you still get to stay in the hotels that you like. Renting points through a broker (like Daddio or The Timeshare Store) is easy!

 

[Sigmaraz]

I joined the DVC in 2008 after my husband had died to make sure that I can take myself and my kids on vacation every year. I purchased through disney and have been extremely happy. I have used the points to take the kids to Colorado at Keystone, San Diego, and allowed other family members use my points. I can honestly say that I am really happy that I did this, I think it is one of the best things that I did. I did buy 300 points, which is quite a few, but I think it was worth it. I think that it is worth it and in comparison with my friends who have purchased through RCI and other time shares the cost and finances are pretty much the same.

 

[HippieChickadee]

Great point. I've read on here a bunch of times that if you're happy staying at the Values, then DVC is probably not for you. This is a perfect example.

I would ask, have you considered renting out your points? That way you get the benefits of being a member but you still get to stay in the hotels that you like. Renting points through a broker (like Daddio or The Timeshare Store) is easy!

You know, I've never thought of that...

What an awesome idea!!!!!!!!

i'm going to look into that tonight! Thank you!

 

[ssawka]

Timeshare Transfers, the one company I know of that will finance DVC, Marriott, Hilton and the like, writes their loans as a mortgage and are thus deductible within the applicable rules. IMO the amount of savings with the deduction is a pittance and not worth adding to any consideration. I do agree that IF one is gong to finance, risking a home is not a good idea.

I was comparing the tax deductibility of a loan through Disney vs. a personal loan. In that case, it is likely that the effective rate of Disney's loan will be cheaper than a personal loan.

Also, I am not one to say that you absolutely should not finance because in some cases financing makes sense. For example, we financed through Disney and paid it off in one year because we didn't have the cash to pay for it when we bought. I knew we'd get it paid off quickly, so we financed. Well, I am glad we did because the price jumped up 22% that year. If we had waited, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford our home resort (BLT). Now, obviously this would not work for everyone and I agree that taking out a loan for a timeshare and keeping the loan for the full term is not a financially sound decision.

 

[Dean]

I was comparing the tax deductibility of a loan through Disney vs. a personal loan. In that case, it is likely that the effective rate of Disney's loan will be cheaper than a personal loan.

Also, I am not one to say that you absolutely should not finance because in some cases financing makes sense. For example, we financed through Disney and paid it off in one year because we didn't have the cash to pay for it when we bought. I knew we'd get it paid off quickly, so we financed. Well, I am glad we did because the price jumped up 22% that year. If we had waited, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford our home resort (BLT). Now, obviously this would not work for everyone and I agree that taking out a loan for a timeshare and keeping the loan for the full term is not a financially sound decision.

I do agree there are very limited exceptions and have addressed these issues in the past. I think the circumstances where you have the money coming guaranteed, truly know what you want and are able to avoid known price increases is about the only one I can think of. Better to be priced out due to increases than to get stuck or over extend yourself when life happens. You took on a certain amount of risk and it worked out for you but it didn't for others, esp the last few years.