I think that, if you frequent these boards, you have a sense of what kind of trips DVC is particularly good for. If you think that traveling in this way would suit your family's needs, then DVC is going to be a good fit for you, regardless of whether or not it's a good fit for others. The things to remember (that are particularly different from traveling to the resorts non-DVC) are that you have to be willing to plan your travel substantially further in advance (if your dates are not flexible), you're going to want to travel frequently enough (or be comfortable with renting) to use all of your points, and, if you want to stay at a resort other than your home resort, you'll likely need to be flexible with your dates, rooms, etc.. These caveats are not always feasible for families over time.
For example, my parents are DVC member empty-nesters who don't go very often--and they do not want to rent. They have wasted points in the past and have thought about selling, but want to hold onto the points for grandchildren, which are pretty much a certainty in the next 10 years. I've kind of taken over their points and book travel for other people in the family to make sure the points aren't wasted every year. They don't like to plan in advance and, at the time they purchased, thought they'd use their points to travel outside the DVC network (which, anyone here will probably tell you, is a pretty inefficient use of points.) They might represent the kind of person who sells--they were sold pretty hard while on vacation with flashy promotions (don't take any specific extra perks or benefits as set in stone for the next several decades!), made a quick purchase one year without talking to other members, and didn't really consider if the structure of travel that works best with DVC was right for them.
If you're relatively flexible in at least one way (i.e. your dates are flexible, you're flexible about where you might stay, or you're able to commit pretty far out) then I've found the booking structure to be convenient and relatively easy to change and adjust. My parents own at SSR, and because we are open to split stays, I've been able to book 2 and 3 night splits at AKL, GFV, BLT, BWV, BCV and the Poly--all for the week before Christmas and all within 3-4 months of travel. It takes persistence and flexibility, but it's completely doable. If I had my heart set on booking at 4 months out, for a full week without a split, for a very specific week in October or December or April (for example), at a monorail resort... DVC would be a terrible fit. And not all people who buy are savvy enough to understand that!
Bill
