Current Owners: Would you Buy At 2021 prices?

[taaren]

I'm with the people who say they'd buy less points. I purchased VGC for $96 direct in 2008. In 2010 we acquired more points resale for $82. In retrospect I should have grabbed a small BCV contract when prices were in the $80's but transferring points in has worked for us instead when we've wanted WDW since I haven't been able to justify to myself the resale or direct price for my other favorite property once it started skyrocketing.

Odds are good I'll directly add on a small contract at the DLH Villas when they open, how many points will depend on the price (eg I'm willing to pay 2023 prices, probably) ... and I'll be keeping an eye out for resale contracts for that property and VGC as well for a few years after, but given that VGC prices have gone nowhere but up, I'm cautiously optimistic that many more SoCal points on the market will create a softening of the resale market, but not holding my breath, if that makes sense.

 

[TeamRiley]

I thought the new DLH Villas would soften VGC as well. But now I think it will actually drive the price of VGC up.

 

[gisele2]

I bought at the 2020 resale price ....

 

[bwvBound]

I guess it would depend on if we had the same "need" today as we did in the past to create the "justification." At the time we purchased, staying onsite for a conference was a highest priority ... and DVC was the best answer to solve our problem. If we had a similar problem today and DVC was the "best answer" we would likely make a similar decision.

 

[ldo]

Yes. Ssr or akv resale and stay in 1br.

 

[sethschroeder]

I guess it would depend on if we had the same "need" today as we did in the past to create the "justification." At the time we purchased, staying onsite for a conference was a highest priority ... and DVC was the best answer to solve our problem. If we had a similar problem today and DVC was the "best answer" we would likely make a similar decision.

What benefit though is worth onsite vs offsite that has been removed?

30 years ago did any onsite benefit even exist? Was it maybe 10 years ago you started getting dining reservation priority to maybe 1 or 2 places of benefit? Finally maybe 6 years ago you got FP+ priority which was the biggest bump in benefit?

Not trying to get off topic but I am just not sure what has been really removed compared to the past when it was "cheaper" to get in to DVC.

 

[CarolMN]

What benefit though is worth onsite vs offsite that has been removed?

30 years ago did any onsite benefit even exist? Was it maybe 10 years ago you started getting dining reservation priority to maybe 1 or 2 places of benefit? Finally maybe 6 years ago you got FP+ priority which was the biggest bump in benefit?

Not trying to get off topic but I am just not sure what has been really removed compared to the past when it was "cheaper" to get in to DVC.

Interesting perspective. We bought in 1999 and I don't remember knowing about any special DVC benefits before purchase, and we never used the DVC ticket deals that I found out about after purchase. (If you stayed at OKW prior to 1/1/2000, a certain number of tickets were included, depending on the size of villa.. I think there was also a length of stay ticket available at BWV, but they were more expensive than the park hoppers we bought and included things we wouldn't use. At one time there was a Food 'n Fun Plan - I don't remember much about it and we never bought that, either).

Anyway, we paid $65 per point and sold back half of the first years points, which further reduced the price. I just wanted to be on site at the BWV and be able to walk to EPCOT and use Disney transportation to the other parks. (No walking path to the Studios back then). Also, I was tired of calling and calling for discounts. Didn't even think about any onsite benefits beyond that, if there were any.

We broke even a long time ago and would not buy at today's prices - but I am an old lady with a very bad case of DVC sticker shock that started a long time ago, probably with the next DVC to open (VWL), LOL.

The very best "benefit" of DVC for me is when I get to remind my brother who warned me over and over about buying timeshares, that I can now sell ours for more than double what we originally paid, even though it is expiring in 2042.

 

[Philsfan77]

If I wanted a new resort...I would. I personally wouldn't buy a sold out resort (with the exception of maybe OKW) for the 2057 extension. Difference between resale and direct for OKW is like $60, but 15 extra years of ownership is guaranteed with direct. 2057 resales seem hard to find right now.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

We only bought last year (via resale), so we don't fit into your category of those "who bought in awhile back". However, IMO, DVC still makes sense. Yes prices have gone up compared to when you bought into DVC, but that is inflation and occurs across all industries. The important thing to remember is that while DVC prices have gone up, so has the cost to book room at these resorts through Disney. So the value of DVC is still there...very much so. DVC owners still save a lot of money on rooms over the life of the contract.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

It is expensive. The $30k buy in will be tripled with dues. Say you're buying RIV $200 a point for 50 year contract, that's $4 per point/year. Dues are around $8 per year.

And then triple that lodging cost to estimate ticket and food costs. This has been pretty consistent for our trips in Moderates or DVC Villas. That's the budget money spent in WDW not including our travel costs to get there.

The $30k direct contract ends up being tripled twice for a $270k commitment (in today's dollars) of money spent in the WDW bubble over the next 50yrs. That could buy a house, lol.

Non-hotel fees should definitely be taken into consideration when buying into DVC, such as park tickets and dining/drinking. However, we bought the resort we really wanted (BCV) precisely for non-park WDW trips. We know we can now feel free to visit WDW and just enjoy the resort and DS, rather than feeling obligated to visit the parks as well. I anticipate that 25% or more of our future DVC visits to WDW will be resort only, which will really cut down on the cost as well.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

A $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 ten years ago is worth over $30,000 today. In Disney stock it's over $40,000, and in Apple stock it's over $100,000. These figures make the inflation in DVC cost look small in comparison.

Yes, the cost of DVC has gone up faster than inflation, but so has the cost of Disney hotels, and so has the cost of non-Disney hotels elsewhere in the world.

Even at today's prices DVC offers significant savings for people who want to stay at Disney and would otherwise book moderate or deluxe rooms. It's a great value when used as intended and will continue to be into the future.

Under reasonable assumptions my present value analysis shows even the most expensive contracts (Beach Club), if held to expiration, have an equivalent nightly rate in studios ranging from $270-$360/nt. on average depending on season. SSR points in SSR rooms can have an equivalent nightly rate of under $180/nt. (studios) in the low season.

I would not hesitate to buy more points today if I wanted/needed more nights.

Exactly. We bought BCV in 2020 (resale) and, taking contract purchase costs and estimated MF's over the life of the contract, figured our average nightly rate to be around $270 per night. We are going for 7 nights during Easter week this year and the cost per night is $262 when factoring in MFs and contract purchase cost (total purchase price/fees divided by all the points in the contract). That is an extremely huge cost savings versus we would pay by booking those rooms directly through Disney. Heck, that is cheaper than staying at most value resorts! That is why we decided to buy into DVC in 2020. Yes, we were late to the party...but we are still dancing and having fun!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We bought 175 points at OKW in 1997 for $50 a point direct from DVC. I would never pay the prices they are asking now.

 

[gisele2]

I bought in 2020 resale , and I would not pay the 2021 prices.

 

[GrtDisGuy]

We bought 175 points at OKW in 1997 for $50 a point direct from DVC. I would never pay the prices they are asking now.

That is really interesting. So you could sell those somewhere around $100 per point today - say 3% annual return (on a timeshare!). The price of direct has increased about 5% annual if you think about buying $165 per point direct. If the pace on both of those continue similar to historical - not a bad timeshare to buy in todays dollars either. Who knows if that track record will continue though.

 

[DougEMG]

I wish I had bought VGF when it first went on sale, so if a resort came out that I really want (and my daughter wanted) I would be tempted to buy.

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

We paid cash for a 2 bedroom at CC pre DVC, oh the points we could've bought with just that one stay! However, that trip did help convince my husband that DVC was the way to go, and we were definitely committed to coming back. It turned a once every 4-5 year trip into a yearly trip. Yes, I would still buy today, even at CC because it's hands down our favorite resort. I'd like more points than our 150 but it was a compromise we were both ok with.

I have a lot more heartburn paying for a new car that will be out of date in a few years than I do for 45+ years of vacations.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I started seriously looking at DVC in 2016. It's been the same ole story around here since then. Always people wondering if current pricing is worth it, etc.

At that time, the whole blue card / white card became a thing. People found the 25 point "loophole" until DVC started gradually raising the minimum. So many people (often those who already have a blue card) saying they'd never buy XX points for the blue card. There was number crunching in every thread.

How about RIV.......NOBODY was going to buy that!!!!! Especially not when the restrictions were announced. lol

I ended up buying BWV at $165 / pt direct in 2017 which meant I was crazy. Ha ha. Yes, I know this one has some genuine concern. I will not be selling in 15 years for a big profit, but it won't be worthless either. I actually hope to use up every last point in 2041 and never make a penny back. That would be fine by me! But the last few months I've seen small BWV contracts (which is what I have) go for $145+ per point. So, I'm not going to take a huge hit even if I need to sell tomorrow.

I was on waitlist for BLT when it was around $190 / pt and remember being so unsure about paying that much. And then it went up to $220 or $225 overnight and I was so mad I didn't get on that list sooner. Suddenly, I would have gladly paid $190 / pt.

So, what's my point? If you want to buy and can afford it, just do it. I've been staying in BWV studios for $140/night or less with the horrible deal I got! Did some people get a better deal? Yup! But it's still better than cash rates and I'll just be happy to be there!

 

[Evita_W]

I think it depends, DH now gets 4 weeks of vacation a year and generally the week between Christmas and New Years as well plus a week of personal time per year, so that's 6 weeks of time per year in total. I work as a substitute teacher, so can pick when I want to work or not. This means we definitely can take more time off than we have points for, we are considering adding on, but not sure at this point in time.

We have used for cruises, RCI, staying at Disneyland Hotels when we couldn't get a VGC room and while not always the best bang for the points, it has worked well for us and sometimes it is a better bang for the buck.

 

[fordchevyguy]

I bought 150 BW resale in 2001; I bought an additional 100 BW resale in 2011(ish); And I just bought 100 AK resale this year..... so the answer is yes I would Buy today at these prices resale—- same as when I first did.

 

[Bobby2443]

I’m a new DVC member so I don’t fit in the category of someone who has owned for a long time but my only point would be after someone who “tried before buying” I wished I would have just bought at the beginning and not wasted so much money on renting first. Don’t get me wrong it’s a big purchase but at the same time the amount of money you spend renting without owning anything is crazy in retrospect. Have I bought more points than I’ll need 15 years from now? Probably, but I’ll worry about it then and enjoy the fun for now