I'm Scared...Convince Me That Joining DVC Is The Right Choice

[TeresaNJ]

Hi Everyone,

My DH and I have been thinking over the past several months about joining DVC. We've talked to a rep several times, have the DVC hardback info book, and have gone over everything again and again. We like to take a Disney vacation at least once a year, and for the past several years have gone twice a year, and this year will be going three times, God willing. We're taking a short trip in May, just DH and I, staying at AKL, and a short trip in November for the DIS convention, just DH and I. But in October, we're scheduled to go for nine nights, ten days, staying at the Swan with two rooms booked, as we're taking our son and daughter, and their friends. My thinking is that if we're going to join DVC, then the time to do it is now, considering the amount of money we're spending on our rooms in October. I realize the May trip is too soon to do DVC even if we did join, and the November trip I am paying cash through the DIS, so the October trip is the only issue.

I'm just so nervous though to commit to such a large amount of money. Is it really worth it? I've mapped out the money, and what I'm paying for rooms for the three trips pretty much amounts to what I'd pay in a year of monthly payments and dues, but at least now I have the flexibility of deciding where I want to stay, and it looks like I have a better chance of booking where I want on short notice than you have with DVC. I'm reading alot lately about how you guys are having a hard time getting one and two bedroom units when you want them, evening when booking in advance.

I should note that we'd be looking to purchase at least 300 points, preferably 400 if the monthly payment is doable. The other issue is the higher point per night value at VWL as compared to OKW and BWV. There is no way we can buy a resale through, say, the Timeshare Store, as we would need the MBP and the spaced out downpayment schedule that Disney provides since we are closing on a house the end of this month, and using most extra cash for that. I do love the Wilderness Lodge, so buying there is not an issue, just the higher point value, and the fact that if I don't buy at least 300 points I can't see it being worth it considering we like to go at least once a year, and would need a two bedroom to go with the kids. Any advice out there?

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<font color=green><font face=Disney Print>Polynesian 1985, 1990, GF 1992, BC 1995, 1997, BWI 1998, PO 1999, BWV 1999, WL 2000, OKW 2000, AKL May 2001, WDW SWAN Oct 2001, DIS CON. POR Nov 2001</font></font>

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[dianeschlicht]

We found ourselves traveling to Disney at least once a year too. We started looking into DVC way back in late 1992, but didn't take the plunge until 1997. Our only regret is having lost so much time (and money) by not doing it sooner! We figured we were spending 3-5,000 on each on-site trip. Now we travel 1-3 times a year for our original investment plus dues.

I would not be too concerned about getting rooms. We have never had any trouble, but we do usually plan far ahead. I have even been able to increase my stay on a few days notice when our airline went on strike just before one trip.

Just a thought though. Since you like to stay different places, why not buy two different contracts. You could do a 250 point contract from Disney and try for a resale at BWV or OKW for 150 points. This would give you more flexibility about where you stay. If you don't want to or can't pay cash for the resale, you could also wait and buy the remaining 150 at BCV when they come on line. FYI, OKW has lower dues and lower points for use, so a resale there would give you more options. Be aware that BCV might be even more points and more per point than VWL.

I think DVC is a very good choice.

Disneydiane

 

[PamOKW]

It sounds like you love WDW vacations and go fairly often. You also plan at least somewhat in advance as you've got trips for May, Oct & Nov already set. You've also stayed at OKW & BWI so you have an idea what the resorts are like and I guess you approve.

Two basic questions:

1. Do you want to belong to DVC?
2. Can you afford it? (At least right now.)

It's really like buying a car. Is it the model you like and can you get it without putting unnecessary financial stress on your budget?

I'm just guessing, but rooms for your upcoming trips probably come to at least $5,000 and maybe much more. If you are going to continue to layout money like that every year (rather than doing All-Stars or offsite) it makes sense to move up to DVC. Your costs will be somewhat fixed and dues have not gone up dramatically year to year (sometimes they've gone down.) You also won't have to spend time trying to chase discounts. I'm sure you'll agree 2 bedroom villas don't compare to a regular hotel room. You may also get some slight additional savings by eating breakfast and/or other meals in the room.

Just some thoughts....good luck with your decision.

 

[mikesmom]

As the above poster said, you already plan ahead pretty well. I would say you will save money. When we put a pencil to our decision (hubby is an economist/accountant and has a VERY sharp pencil), we realized that with what we spend on vacations, we would be money ahead very quickly. Room costs go up steadily in Florida, both in and out of the parks, while WDW stays fairly stable. If you do a historic analysis of raises in dues, they are quite low.

Also if you are letting your kids bring friends, there is nothing like it, especially as they become teens. Our 17 your old brought his buddy along last June, and we all had the best vacation. He had someone to run with (and stay up late with), we all got together for breakfast and some meals and hubby and I did the parks at our own pace. Having the refrigerator stocked with snacks and cooking breakfast saved on food money.

We also view it not just as vacationing in WDW every year, but as vacationing in a very nice Florida resort. With the restaurants, clubs, recreation, shows, gardens, etc., it's a great place to relax and vacation even if you never go into a theme park.

I will repeat what is becoming almost a boring statement here...Our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

 

[sumessefui]

We are from NJ also. If you like Disney and want to stay in the better resorts, the DVC is the way to go. The price is high, but for the time being,it will just get higher. We did not join until 1996 and are sorry we waited. We have 400 points and have already broke even cost wise, based on rack rate.

We always stayed at the Poly or GF and the prices there have soared. We now have better and bigger rooms for the price of our yearly fees. I think if you can figure out a way to afford it, you should go for it.

 

[edith76]

You have to decide what is right for you, but buying DVC has been one decision I've never regretted. We were going to Disney alot anyway so for us it was the right choice. In the eight years we've owned, we've more than gotten our monies worth ... and the accommadations are more comfortable (bigger bathroom). Having a washer and dryer is a pricless convienience and the kitchen saves money and a lot of fat calories. We've added on through the years 650pts. (OKW,BWV & VB) - 7 contracts. It wasn't so scary this way. We've never had trouble getting a reservation -

 

[pax_65]

With the demand for DVC and the ever-increasing value, you could always sell your membership and probably make a profit (or at least get your money back) very quickly.

So it's not really like buying a car, because a car's value goes down when you drive it off the lot. DVC's value continues to go up!

Of course, once you join you'll love it so much you'll never want to sell, but it's nice to know you can very easily get your investment back. This made the decision easier for us.

Jon

 

[kewlteacher]

We are new DVCers and are going "home" in July. We take a Disney vacation every year and finally decided this was right for us. I think, for us, the initial hesitation was affording it. We wanted to buy more than just 150 points so we could be more flexible and maybe get two trips a year. The cost is high and you have to weigh that in your decision. My husband and I thoughts were...hey..it is hard now and we make a few sacrifices (still taking a vacation though!) and in the end, or at least 9 years from now, we will automatically have a great vacation every year..one that has wonderful accommodations!
Good luck and hope to see you "home"!

Melissa & Brian
Chesterfield, NJ

 

[LauraS]

It sounds to me like you are a perfect candidate for the DVC. The major criteria for us was...

1.) Do we plan on visiting WDW at least every other year.

2.) Do we always plan on staying on-site in deluxe accommodations.

3.) Can we afford it.

We answered yes to all three of those questions, and our only regret was that we didn't join sooner. IMHO, you'd be wise to take the cash that you'll spend on that Swan trip and put it towards a DVC downpayment. I would think even with a killer discount that you're going to pay $3500-$4000 for those rooms, a sizeable DVC downpayment.

You mentioned that it makes you nervous committing such a large amount of money. I glanced quickly at the 11 or so trips that you've made to WDW. Think about what you've spent on accommodations for those journeys. Even if you finance, think about how nice it will be after (x) amount of years to just pay dues.

Anyway, the escalating cost of staying at the Yacht and Beach is what finally made us decide that there had to be a better/cheaper way. Once we joined and realized how killer the villas were compared to a regular deluxe room, well, we really wished we had joined earlier. We joined in 1999 and will break even with our original investment by 2004 at the latest. I'm paying 80 bucks a month and have the flexibility of spending a few weeks in a studio every year, or a week in a Grand Villa every three. It's totally up to us.

As far as booking on really short notice, well, that's not always easy, in fact planning ahead is the best way to approach DVC bookings. If you're flexible with dates and accommodations you'll have a better chance of getting something on short notice. As far as 2 bedrooms are concerned, somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't those units generally the last to be booked? So you may be in luck there.

We don't regret our decision for one second and look forward to adding on 100 or so BWV points when we feel that we need them.

Laura

 

[DiznEeyore]

FWIW, dh & I went back and forth for over 2 years trying to decide. If anything, we tried to talk ourselves *out* of DVC. Now that we've closed, and we have two trips planned for this year, we couldn't be more pleased. It's such a nice, comforting thought to know we have a lovely villa to stay at whenever we want!!

On the other hand, if you're truly "scared", I would consider waiting a bit before making a large financial commitment. Better to be sure than sorry. JMHO.

Amy
"DiznEeyore"
Offsite '78
ASMu 10/98
PO 2/99
ASMo/Poly/PO 9/99
Contemporary 9/00
VWL 12/01

 

[Richyams]

Where would we be if Orville and Wilbur Wright said "Lets not, we're scared"

Or had the freedom fighters that founded our country thought "its too scary to fight the British"

What if Jonas Saulk had thought "I better not get involved with all these germs, I might catch something"

Maybe I am being a small bit dramatic, but if you visit WDW at least every other year, usually stay in a moderate or delux and can afford it, DVC is usually a pretty good idea.

The best part is that you can always sell it, if you get a resale, you can probably sell it for what you paid for it.

We have been members since '92, I think that it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[Synonymous]

I'm a fairly new DVC member, but I'm very glad we did it. And we don't plan to go to WDW nearly as often as you apparently do.

As for your concerns- I think if you read the boards carefully, you will find very few instances of people reporting that they failed to get reservations when they wanted them. Mostly, when you read posts about problems getting reservations, you are reading about rumours and people's anxieties, rather than actual experiences. I don't think I've ever seen a post from anyone saying "we wanted to go to WDW and couldn't." If you want to go at a particularly busy time, you might have to adjust your dates slightly, or stay at a different resort, but you can do it.

Remember- you can always use your DVC points to stay at non-DVC resorts at WDW.

As for the "value" of WLV- what you have read is a totally subjective opinion, usually given by BWV owners, who feel that the location of BWV is far superior than any other resort. I own at BWV, but I don't share that opinion. The only reason I didn't wait for WLV was because I could get BWV points alot cheaper, since I bought before the price increase. That option isn't there anymore, except maybe as a re-sale. All else equal, I would have bought WLV in an instant.


Good luck!

Tom

 

[ShirleyKME]

Go for it. We have no regrets!
OKW 1997 238 points. We just got back and had another wonderful time. I have never had any real problems with booking rooms. good luck!
Shirley

 

[Pluto's Pal]

If there ever was anyone who could benefit from joining it sounds like it's you! Here's where the fear left me:
Last year on our first DVC trip to BWV we checked in around 8:30 PM as our flight was a late one. After dropping off our luggage in the room we went out onto the boardwalk to check it out, as we had only walked around the area once a couple of years before. As soon as we got out there I knew we did the right thing - all of the activity, the atmosphere, the people - made me realize what a good choice we made. As we were strolling along I put my arm around my 12 year old daughter and 10 year old son and told them "Just think, 30 years from now you guys can take turns pushing Mom & I around in our wheelchairs".
Go for it, you won't regret it!

 

[LooHoo]

Go for IT! It sound like you will be spending an incredable amount of money every year for your trips anyway. You can pay it off early and then relax. If you are unsure try buying a smaller amount at first and then you can add on later if it works out for you which I am sure it will.

 

[Snow Shoe]

Well, we just closed this past Wednesday, and I am now wondering why it took so long for us to buy into DVC! The cost of the rooms at WDW was always our hangup in not being able to go more than every other year. Now with buying 500 pts. that worry is gone. By elimating that major cost for us, the room, we can now go every year and the then some. Frankly I booked Wed., a trip to Disneyland Paris for this July, something we would have never been able to do before DVC. Going to WDW will be 90% of our DVC time, but that other 10%, DVC will allow us to visit the world in a very unique and affordable way.
I have 2 adult children and one 11 yr old left at home. Having DVC will allow the entire family to vacation togeter at times, or I can set up something special for my adult kids and their families. And eventually my kids can use it when I can no longer go my self.
All that said, you'll never regreat doing it!!!

Steve

 

[TeresaNJ]

Thank you all so much for your words of wisdom. I know you are all right; with the money I've spent in rooms at Disney over the years I could have bought into DVC multiple times. I've figured out that my real problem is GUILT. I feel guilty commiting that much money monthly to vacation. I keep thinking, well we could buy a second new car, or maybe we should spend the money on fixing up the house, etc. It seems so frivilous to allot a monthly payment to vacation, even though we definitely do deserve it (LOL). Even though I'm spending that much yearly on Disney, I think, well if something came up I could always cancel my vacation, but with DVC you can't. Not that I would want to cancel and allot the money to something else, but I could if I had to.

I already hear comments from family members on how many times we go to Disney. Not that I care what they think, but it does make me feel like they think we are abnormal or selfish or something. We started going to WDW 16 years ago when my sons were 4 & 5. After the first trip, we didn't go again until my daughter turned 4, so there was a five year span between the first and second trips. We went with my uncle, who was single, and absolutely loved WDW. He had been there 14 times already, between 1971 and going with us in 1985. His favorite resort was the Polynesian, and that is where we stayed our first two trips. I became hooked. As my kids have gotten older, we've been able to go more often. They love it as much as we do, and always look forward to going. So in that respect, joining DVC is a great idea because I will always have the opportunity to let my kids go, and eventually my grandchildren.

Probably the reason I didn't join sooner is because my first husband didn't GET Disney. He would go along for the ride and basically tolerate it. Not much fun going with him. But my second husband loves it as much as I do. The funny thing is, when I met my new husband three years ago at work, he heard me talk about my Disney trips, and he told me he thought to himself, "why would anyone keep going back to the same place for vacation?" He had been twice before, once as a child with his parents camping at FW, and once in high school on his senior trip, never making it to Epcot. We've been together 2 1/2 years, married for one, and he has been there four times with me already, and he is the one basically pushing to buy into DVC. He's become more of a Disney freak than me!

Sorry this is so long, I know I'm rambling. Hopefully, you'll all be able to welcome me home soon.

<font color=FF0066><font size=4><marquee><font face=Disney Print>"SPRING IS ALMOST HERE"</font></font></marquee></font>

<font color=green><font face=Disney Print>Polynesian 1985, 1990, GF 1992, BC 1995, 1997, BWI 1998, PO 1999, BWV 1999, WL 2000, OKW 2000, AKL May 2001, WDW SWAN Oct 2001, DIS CON. POR Nov 2001</font></font>

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[larry_poppins]

If you enjoy WDW - go for it! It does not matter what other people say or think. If it is not Disney these same people will find something else to judge you on.

Be thankful you have found a hobby in life to be passionate about and that brings you and your family so much joy.

I have been a member of DVC since 1997. I only wish I joined when I first heard about it in 1991 or 1992. HEck if I could go back I would camp out on the sidewalk to be the first member to join.

Sincerely,

Larry Poppins

 

[wdwnut]

hi from a fellow new jerseyan: we, too, regret we didn't buy in in 1993-it would've been paid for! we don't regret for one second buying in at bwv. this has been one of the best moves we ever made. if the vwl or bwv are booked up, there are a lot more units at okw so availability isn't usually much of a problem. we even added on 150 points this past fall-my son is using them for part of his honeymoon this august. it seems that one of your biggest concerns is money so talk to your guide and find out exactly what the monthly payments would be. if you are comfortable with this financially, then go for it. compared with what you'd be spending for the regular rooms, it should pay for itself within a few years.

 

[tss2]

We felt the same way as you do when we were trying to make our decision on whether or not to purchase. This board helped alot and we finally decided to join. I feel even better about our decision since we purchased and these are a few reasons why:

1. I love Disney and now KNOW I will be coming back home soon.
2. Since I know we are coming back, I can be a little bit more relaxed about "seeing everything" on any particular trip. I know if we miss something this time, we will see it next time.
3. I know its a good amount of money, but I look forward to lots of great quality family vacations!
4. And without my kids I will also be able to enjoy some great adult vacations just for two!!!
5. Someday I can bring my grandchildren! That will be fun!
6. My parent have never been to Disney and probably wouldn't be able to go on their own! Now I'm going to take them!

I hope this helps you! THe boards helped me alot! Good luck!