Did I (we) make a mistake in our purchase?

[sammy_bee]

I just was on the 3-day Wonder and purchased 160 points on board (I could NOT pass up the on-board incentive)! We'd been wondering about DVC and never did check in to it on our last two trips. DH wanted me to check into it this trip - and I fell in!

We like to go to every two years, and it's always around the time of a Daytona race as my hubby (and me by default!) are race fans. We have a 6 year old daughter.

Our first trip - in 2006 - was in February. We stayed in Altamonte Springs thru a Daytona package and did two days @ Disney, three @ races, 1 @ SeaWorld.

Our second trip was our first real "big" trip. It was July 2008. We did three nights in Altamonte Springs for the Daytona days, then transferred on July 5th (sunday) to Disney Wilderness Lodge for 11 nights, and 10 days in parks. I think our room was $270-295/night (we paid extra for a forest view, rather than parking lot view - but we were barely there). I think after taxes, etc. our room ended up being over $3000. Our total for that trip was just shy of $10,000 - Daytona, Deluxe Dining, 10 day pass with hoppers & waterpark, lodging, airfare. The way I see it is we take the lodging out - and maybe cut the Deluxe Dining (let DH eat what he wants, DD and I share something - I never ate the appetizers or desert anyway) - we could do the same trip for about $5000 (or less with tips I might get here!). That's easier to come up with every two years than $10,000!

I have a couple of things holding me back from signing the final papers (couldn't sign on ship as it was too short to draw up papers, and DH needed to be added to them):

1) I don't "have" to stay in the nicest of nice rooms. I was FINE with what we had, could have gone down a little (but not to value! Did that one night before cruise & it STUNK!). I won't cook in a kitchenette - I hate cooking at home, so why on vacation? Is it worth it to buy this to stay in $400+ studios, when I'm fine with less?

2) DH is concerned b/c DD is 6 - if we go at the rate we have, then every two years leaves us about 5 more trips. So by the time she graduates, we ALmost break even. Then what? I say then WE get to do adult vacations - Hawaii, other countries, etc. Is that worth the points? I know there is an exchange fee. Is DVC a good deal for doing that kind of traveling?

3) I'm comfortable with 160 points and think it's plenty. They tried to up us to 200 today when they called DH for info to add him. They said price is going up to $130/point soon. But going every two years gives us 320 with borrowing, plenty to do our 10 days, plus a couple Daytona days.

4) Is it going to be a major pain getting a studio at these times? Usually President's day weekend, and week prior to this. But more likely July 4th ish - for a few days before and/or after. We are buying @ Bay Lake, but my DH has no interest in staying there. We'll likely be back @ Wilderness Lodge, so will only get the 7 month out option. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot? Meaning, will we even be able to get the ressies we want?

5) Do you HAVe to do a studio? Can you stay in a regular room for less points?

I know this is long - and if you read it - thank you! And if you have any feedback or shoves toward signing - or not - thank you even more!

Samantha

[vicki_c]

I won't answer question by question, but you don't sound like you're (1) ready to buy and (2) maybe not the best candidate for DVC, or at least not the way you're going to buy.

• You like the Wilderness Lodge, but are buying at BLT.
• You travel during peak times, and don't really want to stay at your home resort.
• You don't want the extra space which is one of the biggest benefits of DVC, in my opinion (and no you can't stay in a regular room without using a lot of points - you can stay in Disney non-DVC deluxe resorts, but it's a lot more points and you pay a $95 exchange fee).
• You're interested in mostly exchanging for other locations after your daughter is older, and doing that all the time is not an effective use of DVC points - there are other less expensive timeshares that would be better for that.

So I guess I did address most of your items, but mostly my interpretation of what you wrote is that you shouldn't jump into it without more thought.

[TLSnell1981]

For us, it's not just the nicer rooms....it's location, location, location. It's really easy to become accustomed to the convenience of the monorail or EPCOT resorts.

We don't "cook" in the rooms either, but we do love the kitchen. It's nice to be able to pop things into the microwave and have a fridge for snacks.

I wouldn't be happy with the preassure from my guide. Look at the point charts and decide what you need to accommodate your needs.

[SnowWhite12]

I'm anxious to read answers also, as we are just now considering purchasing. Especially info on using points for other RCI properties. Is it point for point at other places (I know there is a $95 fee to do it)? But worth it, as long as we can truly use our points for other RCI properties as well. (I am a Disney fiend, but not DH---so we would take turns on where we go).

[Deb & Bill]

Don't forget that you will be paying annual member fees on those 160 points, either some every month or the entire amount every January. For those years you don't go to Disney, is it going to make you mad to be paying Disney for something you're not using that year? Dues are low right now, but once BLT sells out, the dues could go up. But, then again, they could stay low.

But if you really prefer WL, why not buy a VWL resale instead? Then you would get the 11 month booking advantage. But you can't use DVC points at hotels that have DVC resorts connected to them. So no booking CR, WL, BWI, BC, AKL. You can use points at moderates, but you'll use a lot of points and still have to pay that transfer fee.

If you can still back out of the deal, see if you can. It doesn't sound like BLT is really something you want to own.

[sammy_bee]

Where would I find info on pricing/if Wilderness Lodge is available for purchase? It's not too late to back out - we don't have the right paperwork yet and she said there was no committment, I could get my entire deposit back. The reason I chose BLT was the lower dues and 50 years. AKL (which I think DH would also like, but the location isn't great) was 47 years, higher dues, so they cost the same to finance, with 3 more years @ BLT.

Thanks for the advice so far - keep it coming!

[Deb & Bill]

You could check out DVC resales (check out the Timeshare Store at the top of the page for one) to get an idea of the cost of VWL resales. If you buy directly from Disney, it will probably be more than it costs to buy at BLT, with expiration in 2042. I'll be 92 in 2042, if I'm still alive, so the extended dates don't interest me in the least. And I don't want to saddle my son with something that he might like, but the dues might be prohibitive in the later years.

[helenk]

Originally Posted by sammy_bee

Where would I find info on pricing/if Wilderness Lodge is available for purchase? It's not too late to back out - we don't have the right paperwork yet and she said there was no committment, I could get my entire deposit back. The reason I chose BLT was the lower dues and 50 years. AKL (which I think DH would also like, but the location isn't great) was 47 years, higher dues, so they cost the same to finance, with 3 more years @ BLT.

Thanks for the advice so far - keep it coming!

Here is a link to the WLV listings with the Timeshare Store, who are sponsors of the DVC boards.
http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting-wilderness.cfm

[castleri]

Originally Posted by vicki_c

I won't answer question by question, but you don't sound like you're (1) ready to buy and (2) maybe not the best candidate for DVC, or at least not the way you're going to buy.

• You like the Wilderness Lodge, but are buying at BLT.
• You travel during peak times, and don't really want to stay at your home resort.
• You don't want the extra space which is one of the biggest benefits of DVC, in my opinion (and no you can't stay in a regular room without using a lot of points - you can stay in Disney non-DVC deluxe resorts, but it's a lot more points and you pay a $95 exchange fee).
• You're interested in mostly exchanging for other locations after your daughter is older, and doing that all the time is not an effective use of DVC points - there are other less expensive timeshares that would be better for that.

So I guess I did address most of your items, but mostly my interpretation of what you wrote is that you shouldn't jump into it without more thought.

I totally agree with the above statements. For us the bigger villas and ability to make meals or not as we chose is important and we would never have stayed in them at rack rates. For the price of a moderate we have the privilege of staying in much nicer accommodations and we prefer the larger units so it was a simple decision. I think you need to ask more questions and do some more research before you make a final decision..These boards are a great place to do that. I would look at the resale market for a good contract at WLV if that is one you really like and I would also look at how you vacation and build some point charts for those vacations and then compare to what you spend for a room for the same time frame. If you are happy in the regular rooms you may be better off not buying DVC at all. Good luck with whatever you do decide.

[Dean]

You need to understand the system better before buying plus buying mostly for weekends is not a good value. And you do need to plan 11 months out at for many of the times you've listed.

[allshookup]

I think you can do all the research in the world, but it's hard to really know how it feels to own DVC until you actually do. We were "fine" with moderate accomodations too until we bought SSR & once we had larger accomodations with a living area & balcony, it made our vacations so much more relaxing. We tend to stay in 1 BRs now, because we fell in love with all that space & having the washer/dryer, but even most of the studios have a nice living area with a couch.

Anyway, before you know it we started looking at the discount on APs & figuring that we would save money by having an AP & TIW card. Then because we had the AP & we already owned points, it seemed silly not to add in a trip or two.

As for the kitchen or kitchenette, you will find many DVC'ers don't cook, including us. However, that kitchen really comes in handy for holding beverages, freezing water bottles for the parks, coffee, snacks or maybe heating leftovers.

Not saying you shouldn't research DVC more, I think you definitely should look at all the pros & cons, but keep in mind that if you do decide to buy your vacation style just may change. If you really are interested, I agree with looking into resale for VWL since that's where you really want to stay. If you own at BLT & try to get into VWL during peak vacation times you WILL be disappointed.

EDITED to answer your last question: No there is nothing smaller than a DVC studio unless you booked a regular room using points & you wouldn't want to do that because the points are much higher.

[Pakey]

If you are second guessing your decision, I would not buy. DVC is a huge committment, not only in the money you will pay for the points and the annual maintenance fees, but you are committing yourself to years of vacationing at the same place.

[Sandisw]

I agree with everyone and really think you should hold off on buying in at BLT. BLT is, right now, the most expensive DVC to purchase from Disney. While the MF's are the lowest and the contract the longest, I do think that it works out to be a great deal for people who know they want to be at BLT most of the time, but maybe stay elswhere occasionally.

If you like VWL and want to stay there, going the resale route makes a lot of sense. You can probably get in for around $80.00 per point vs. $100 ish for BLT. On 160 points, that is over $3000.00. Plus, you can look for a resale contract that is smaller that may work in terms of points needed for your stays.

Good luck!

[CandleontheWater]

I also wouldn't think about it in terms of "only" six more trips. My parents bought into DVC after YEARS of thinking about it, only after me and my brothers were out of college. They see it as a wonderful way for all of us to take a vacation and spend quality family time together. We have more fun now going as adults then we ever did as kids! They are also really excited about bringing down their soon-to-be grandson and continuing the Disney magic to the next generation. The best thing about DVC is that the way you use can grow and change to suit your changing lifestyles. Maybe you don't want to go on a family trip when your DD is in college, but maybe she could borrow some points from you for a fun spring break! The possibilities really are great with a DVC membership.

[Tara]

If staying at VWL is important to you, you should absolutely buy there if you can find a contract that suits you.

It's worth adding...

While VWL is cheaper through resale than BLT is through DVC, VWL will cost you about $7200 more in dues (using the current rates with no inflation) over the life of the contract (through 2042) than BLT would. That negates your savings on the resale and adds about $4000 more.

However, $4000 over the course of 32 years is a small price to pay if you have home booking advantage at your resort of choice.

Also, I don't like to cook at home either, but I don't mind it on vacation! I'm one of those people who used to say DVC didn't appeal because I didn't even want to look at a kitchen. But after 11 years of going to WDW a lot, the novelty of eating every meal out has worn off IYKWIM! It's so nice to be able to fix something light and enjoy a quiet meal in our villa.

I can't say enough good things about our membership - it's so wonderful to have the space to spread out!