New to this idea, not real sure if it's worth it or not, how much does it cost? What's the difference between this and just paying out of pocket on your trip? Any help with these questions would be great
I went to ROFR thread to find out the current cost of resales before I made offer. I wanted SSR for entry cost and low MF compared to others. Have stayed there twice before and really liked it so we bought there. Lots to read on this forum and get up to speed. Offer was accepted even though it was $10.00 less than listed for. Good Luck and read read read.
So many variables that there is no quick answer. This is good advice. The 'problem' is frequency, when and where do you enjoy Disney. When: like to vacation in fall and late spring. Where: in Spring we've been able to stay where we like - which is not where we own. The Fall we stay where we own because where we like is not available unless we pay cash - which we did this past fall. We justified the cash option as we've a large family vacation planned for March 2013 which has used over a years worth of our points. Which brings up frequency of use - we still go about twice a year only we're going longer. Good luck with your decision.
Your question is a bit confusing. Are you simply looking to rent points for a vacation? Or are you looking to become a DVC owner?
LOL, not sure yet. I might be interested in owning since we are really trying to plan family trips more often
I am not a DVC member yet but am waiting to hear about an offer I made. We rented points on 3 previous trips and stayed in the villas and loved it. I have always wanted to be a DVC member since childhood, but my parents had no interest as they have a vacation home in Kissimmee, and DH did not like that you do not own it for life. However, after having stayed in the villas and how much we have been going to Disney, he realized it made sense. So I suggest that if you are "new to the idea" that you research on here as much as possible. As even though I thought I knew a lot about it, I still had questions and found them on these message boards. Also, if you need to know the difference between this and paying out of pocket, you should consider renting points. Have you ever stayed in a DVC villa before or only in Disney non-villa accommodations? The difference in price is quite significant but there are upfront costs. You will see a break even point after a number of trips but will have to pay maintenance fees each year. These maintenance fees are much less than what you would pay for Disney rack rates and even discounted rates as you could find yourself able to go to Disney more often and staying in accommodations that you wouldn't normally pay for. As for costs, it depends on different resorts, difference maintenance fees, how many points you need, and if you buy resale or direct. Buying resale is much less and I personally feel it is a better decision. However, it is a personal decision as others only prefer direct since it allows them to use their points for DCL, to stay at Disney collection resorts, and for Disney Adventures. Most people, as well as myself, feel that is a waste of points and wouldn't use their points for such so buying resale makes sense. If you go to Disney often then DVC is definitely something you should look into.
I agree on renting points before you buy. We did it a couple of times before we decided to purchase. You can work out the numbers to work in your favor of purchasing if you focus only on the purchase and MF. The biggest number $$$ is really how much you spend in addition to the DVC purchase on just being at Disney, food, trinkets and tickets. Resale is a bargain but has some perks missing versus direct. I've got three boys as well and it comes down to quality time with them, and forcing us to book vacations. They grow up so quickly. I wish I had purchased the DVC sooner rather than later.
DVCNews.com has current direct pricing from Disney. Then you can check the major resalers for those contract prices. Add to that the Maintenance Fees and you have the roundabout cost. Then you add in travel, tickets and food. Read all the stickies here, you can read the FAQs on DVCNews.com and you can download the Pass porter DVC GUide for about $10. Then I would spend at least 2 months reading info on these threads....they have been invaluable to me.
We have been visiting WDW yearly since 1975. Started hearing about DVC in the early 90's. Never had any interest mainly because I could never get any real numbers on it. Actual costs seemed to be "the best kept secret". There were no internet message boards back then. Didn't want to go to the presentation because we had heard about other timeshare presentations where they would literally lock you in a room and not let you leave. Also we thought it was red week/blue week type of thing where you were locked in to a specific timeframe. Nothing could be further from the truth about DVC. Our daughter and her husband went to the presentation while on vacation in '08 but weren't quite ready to pull the trigger on it right then. By '09 they were ready and did. We went along and found some actual facts and figures and we also bought then. The flexibility really appealed to us and you are only limited by the number of points you own. If you know you are going at least every other year and you can plan early enough to get your desired resort keep reading and learning. I would suggest going to a presentation and get the complete picture laid out for you but would seriously suggest you look at resale if and when you decide to buy. The guides/salesmen will try to scare you about restrictions to resale contracts but those restrictions are minor......I just wouldn't mention resale to them. Good luck with your research!!
