I'm not looking for reassurance, but thank you. =) I was simply looking to hear other members speak about their "magical experiences". Just curious which 3 to 4 things did I say in my pervious post that makes "you" think the DVC is not for me?
Well first off, you've got the right attitude. My opinions are just that...what I happen to think. It doesn't mean I'm right and it doesn't mean that what I have to say necessarily applies to you. And perhaps I misinterpreted your OP, but when I read...
Please post some positive things about the club based on experience. I have been reading a lot of posts that are very negative and I hope we have made the right decision to join.
...I interpreted this as seeking reassurance. Perhaps I was wrong.
To answer your question, there were definitely some red flags in your OP. First, you referred to your purchase as "joining the club" and not purchasing a timeshare. But that's what it is. The "magical experiences" you speak of are a function of Disney, and not DVC. DVC is a way of prepaying a portion of lodging expenses in the hopes of realizing a long term cost savings or increase in value for lodging dollars. A lot of times people who go into this thinking about clubs and magic and Pixie Dust often end up disappointed when the magic wears off and they find that all they really have is a timeshare.
Also, typically DVC works best for people who have a track record of visiting Disney World. From your post it sounds like you frequent Disneyland and have some desire to go to Aulani. I'm not so sure an AKV contract is the best way for you to achieve your objectives. Walt Disney World is a much different experience. What are you going to do with your contract if after a few trips to the World you realize that it's not for you? It happens more than you would think. Speaking of which, you have five members in your family which means that you will need a 1 BR. The contract you bought is only good for roughly 4 nights each year at AKV or roughly 3 nights each year at Aulani. Coming from Alaska, that seems like a very short trip, even if you banked and borrowed to use two years at once. Was your purchase based on the amount of points you think you would need to fit your vacation patterns, or based on the monthly payment you were comfortable with?
You mentioned that they "gave" you 2012 points. I'm guessing that your UY is June or later, am I right? If that's the case then they didn't "give" you anything, you are still in your 2012 use year and you are contractually owed those points. It's a little statement but it reflects a potential lack of understanding of how DVC works and what you are getting. Finally, you said "I hope we have made the right decision to join". If you're not sure, that's a problem. For the amount of money you are spending, you really need to know, especially when you consider that buying direct, you have no recourse to getting anywhere close to your money back should this not work out for you. I'm also guessing that you financed, but I could be wrong about that.
Listen, I'm not looking to belittle, offend or insult anybody. If you don't like what I have to say, please disregard it and move on, I wish you all the best. But if there's a chance that anything I have said here echoes anything you might have been thinking, then hopefully that helps, which is what I'm here to do. Like I said before, there are plenty of nice people on this thread spreading the well wishes and congratulations. There's enough feel good going around that you don't need more for me. In my opinion, they're doing you a disservice by telling you what you want to hear instead of giving you information. As we have seen in this thread, in their opinion I'm at best insensitive and at worst cruel. It's ok, it's a difference of opinion which is what makes these boards work. But a lot of the posters on this thread are new here, and they haven't seen the horror stories. This conversation that you and I are having has been had on here many times. Sometimes it plays out much like ours is. Other times it has caused people to reconsider and they have been thankful for avoiding what seemed like a great idea but actually would have been a mistake.
Only you know what is best for you and how much of what I say actually applies. Either way, I wish you all the best and hope that things work out well for you. I wouldn't mind being wrong on this one.
Bill
