When to buy a dvc or not?

[cavesrus]

We r going in sept staying at CR atrium with view club lvl. My wife is big into Disney I see us going prob at least once a yr for week stay for a while since we have a 4year old and a 2 yr old girls. Right now we want the monorail girl girls with strollers etc. so what is break even how many pts would I need for a week stay and does the pts cover entry n to parks etc?


Y aaron

[Missyrose]

Originally Posted by cavesrus

We r going in sept staying at CR atrium with view club lvl. My wife is big into Disney I see us going prob at least once a yr for week stay for a while since we have a 4year old and a 2 yr old girls.

The first thing you need to know is that purchasing DVC means the resorts you will stay at are timeshares. You won't be getting resort rooms when you use your DVC points. So if you enjoy Contemporary, you could buy at Bay Lake Tower, where you would get a DVC villa. The Bay Lake Tower is a separate building from the main CR tower and is connected to CR by a skyway bridge.

Originally Posted by cavesrus

Right now we want the monorail girl girls with strollers etc.

BLT is currently your only DVC option on the monorail loop, though Grand Floridian Villas are being built and should begin selling sometime next year.

Originally Posted by cavesrus

so what is break even how many pts would I need for a week stay

You'd have to figure out your own break even point. It all depends on how much you typically spend on lodging for your Disney vacations. To figure out how many points you need, look at the DVC point charts.

Originally Posted by cavesrus

and does the pts cover entry n to parks etc?

Y aaron

DVC will ONLY cover your lodging, everything else (airfare, park tickets, dining plan) will all be additional (and it all adds up quickly).

There is a DVC discount on Annual Passes, so if you could make your trips be less than a year apart, you could take advantage of that.

There is lots to learn about DVC before making the decision to buy. Start reading through the threads on this board, it will be a good starting point for your research.

[Deb & Bill]

Great response, Missy.

OP you need to remember, too, that with DVC being a timeshare, you will have annual member fees on the points. Currently those run around $5 a point and will go up each year. Those fees pay for the upkeep of the resort since as members we pay for everything at those resorts - staffing, insurance, maintenance,taxes, transportation, etc.

Currently, only AKV has any club level rooms (five two bedroom lockoff villas on the sixth floor of Jambo House - the original building at AKL). Those are hard to get unless you own at AKV and you book them right at 11 months out.

Keep reading these boards to find out more and don't just walk up to a DVC kiosk at WDW and sign next to the palm trees (those are on the DVC contracts direct from Disney). You can save money by buying a resale, but for a brand new resort like the future vllas at GF, you will only be able to get them direct from Disney at a steep price until members start selling their contracts.

Good luck and post if you need more information.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by cavesrus

We r going in sept staying at CR atrium with view club lvl. My wife is big into Disney I see us going prob at least once a yr for week stay for a while since we have a 4year old and a 2 yr old girls. Right now we want the monorail girl girls with strollers etc. so what is break even how many pts would I need for a week stay and does the pts cover entry n to parks etc?


Y aaron

It doesn't sound like you have a history of going to WDW, I'd suggest you gather information and do the sales tour when there but not buy at that time. Visit the other resorts and look around. Then if you're still interested, rent points. Or you could rent points for your upcoming trip. Compared to staying in a CR room, you'll likely break (at least on paper) even if you pay cash and use a studio some where around 10-12 years out. Some will tell you less but they generally use DVC rack rates for a comparison which is unreasonable unless that's what you'd pay for and they often ignore any potential room discounts, also unreasonable, esp for Sept. DVC is a great option for many but you don't have enough info right now and you won't be able to gather enough without direct experience.

[abdgeek]

Originally Posted by cavesrus

We r going in sept staying at CR atrium with view club lvl. My wife is big into Disney I see us going prob at least once a yr for week stay for a while since we have a 4year old and a 2 yr old girls. Right now we want the monorail girl girls with strollers etc. so what is break even how many pts would I need for a week stay and does the pts cover entry n to parks etc?


Y aaron

I agree with Dean. Since you're going to be at WDW in September, go to the DVC kiosk and they will give you all the info in writing(costs, show you the typical room, etc.). They actually have someone pick you up and take you to the Saratoga Springs Resort where they have their offices. Don't worry, It's a no pressure information meeting and they will give you the latest rate information and what properties are available to buy. If you buy on the resale market, you don't get the full benefits of the membership. Make sure you never want to use your points to do DCL, ABD or RCI if you decide to do this.

As Deb and Bill said, there are very few club level rooms at WDW. You will need to decide if you will be ok staying in a regular studio, 1 or 2 bdroom, etc. if you can't get club level. The studios have a kitchenette and the 1 bedroom and larger have a full kitchen.

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by cavesrus

We r going in sept staying at CR atrium with view club lvl. My wife is big into Disney I see us going prob at least once a yr for week stay for a while since we have a 4year old and a 2 yr old girls. Right now we want the monorail girl girls with strollers etc. so what is break even how many pts would I need for a week stay and does the pts cover entry n to parks etc?


Y aaron

Aaron,

I say this with all due respect...if you are asking if DVC covers entry into the parks then there is a lot you still have to learn about DVC (we've all been there). Again, I don't mean to sound insulting, so please don't take it that way. All I'm saying is that you don't have a solid understanding of what DVC is (and what it isn't). Given the amount of money that DVC costs, it would be in your best interests to learn a lot more about it before making your purchasing decision. Good luck!

[cavesrus]

Np I was just assuming it was typical time share. But didn't know since Disney may do something different. Have been to Disney 5 times but been 4 yrs since my oldest is 4 and she was still n the oven when we was there last lol. I highly drought I would buy retail. Already check resale. Read a lot on here and just had a few questions? Does disney do like other timeshares and bring u n to try and sell u for a stay? Or at a discounted rate for short stay to try it outor is there demand to high? I know the TS n Branson mo do it all the time.

Ty aaron

[ToddyLu]

Another great site for information in DVCNews.com and there is also a pretty good guide book that you can download online for about $10 from Passporter. Be sure to read all the stickies at the top of the DVC forums, too. Like you we were going every year to Disney but staying in Values and decided to step up the game. Everyone's purchase journey is different and folks here will give you realistic info. I would rent from a DVC owner or from a reputable broker like Daddio (David's Vacation Rentals, a sponsor for the DVC Forums). Our buy in was expensive and our trips are still expensive--but that is how we choose to spend our vacation dollars.

Another suggestion is if you are going resale be sure to look into getting a couple of smaller contracts--like 2-100 point contracts for the girls in case you want them to have it one day. We did not realize this was an option direct from Disney and so have a 210 point contract. I would have gotten 4-50 point contracts if I had known for nieces and nephews since DH and I are in our 40s and do not have kids.

Be sure you get a resort that you like since that is all that DVC really garantees. In 3-4 years you will not need a stroller and being on the monorail may not be the best reosrt fit for you. You may prefer an Epcot resort for you and the wife because of decor or other locations--like an Oct weekend trip for you and DW during F&W. You need to think several years down the road. Take into consideration when you will travel when the girls enter school. If you want to stay at BCV in June for SAB--you really need to own there--so consider the big picture too.

[Missyrose]

Originally Posted by cavesrus

Does disney do like other timeshares and bring u n to try and sell u for a stay? Or at a discounted rate for short stay to try it outor is there demand to high? I know the TS n Branson mo do it all the time.

Ty aaron

No, Disney won't pay for part of your stay to try to get you to buy. If you choose to go on the DVC tour, they will probably give you a bunch of fastpasses for your time.

[Deb & Bill]

When we did our DVC tour, we got salt water taffy, lemonade and cookies.

[Missyrose]

Originally Posted by Deb & Bill

When we did our DVC tour, we got salt water taffy, lemonade and cookies.

So they covered three of the major food groups, huh?


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[cavesrus]

Ty for all the info great stuff.

[brinkley07]

I think all of the ideas of going on the tour are great! We were given a $30 gift card when we went on the tour, and ice cream and cookies while at the DVC center. Since we didn't buy the day of the tour the resources they gave us have been a great help while I have been researching resales. They have a complete point guide, list of DVC properties, and it will help you to understand the benefits you will lose when buying resale. I do have several friends with DVC and I will be honest in saying we attempted to get my friends DVC person, but she wasn't working that day. The person we were assigned was pushy and we didn't have a great experience which worked out to our benefit because we didn't buy that day since we weren't feeling comfortable. That is what led me here and to finding such a great wealth of information!

[michelleiada]

Definately do the tour. It will teach you about the entire program and you get to see some of the accomodations. You will probably fall in love. We did!

[rpk1951]

All great information. I would not worry about the stroller. I would look at where you want to be long term as the stroller won't be with you long. Buses and boats take strollers and some parks are close enough to walk too based on your rooms.