should we buy

[skittlesfirehawk]

i currently go once a year.My dad pays but im thinking about becoming dvc members.Does it really save you money?If you live in fl do you think its still worth it?

 

[MiramarQE]

i currently go once a year.My dad pays but im thinking about becoming dvc members.Does it really save you money?If you live in fl do you think its still worth it?

We're FL residents - and have just signed a contract on 175 pts BWV resale (DVC please pass ROFR!) after literally years of hemming and hawing on DVC.

We looked very closely at our visiting pattern (2 - 3 trips a year) and what we were spending on the room (we stay either Deluxe or Moderate) - then made some educated guesses as to what we WOULD be doing for the next 10 years based on our family situation.

Slammed that into a spreadsheet comparing what were spending (typically discounted room rates) with what we would spend (again, just room) for DVC - including trying to account for inflation on the costs. We ignored discounts/perks as being Fl residents we typically have similar discounts (AP better for Fl residents) to DVC members. We also ignored meals - we don't do dining plans, so maybe we'll have a little bit of a bonus by having breakfast in the villa vice a Disney restaurant/food court.

DVC comes out way ahead on room-to-room comparison. You must be careful however - it can be tempting to then spend more on "non-room" (dining, etc.) once you're in DVC or to overbuy points and spend more time at WDW - after all you're "saving" so much money on the room.

We also rented points and tried a couple resorts - just as a taste to see what the differences were between a hotel room and the DVC room.

 

[NoleFan]

We are fl residents and love DVC. We find that we go more often with DVC & since we already have annual passes. The ability to plan ahead, stay where we want (we bought where we want to stay) and not shop around prices, and plan trips throughout the year for some down time is awesome!

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC is no way to save money. It is merely prepaid lodging (you purchase a real estate interest in a specific DVC resorts). Then you pay annual fees every year in the $4-7 per point range.

And you can only use points purchased directly from Disney to cruise. It takes a lot of points to cruise. Plus direct purchase points can cost maybe twice the price of a resale point.

 

[Missyrose]

i currently go once a year.My dad pays but im thinking about becoming dvc members.Does it really save you money?If you live in fl do you think its still worth it?

If your dad is happy paying for the trips, why put out that large a sum of money for DVC?

 

[a742246]

If you live in Florida another thing you can do is rent distress points from
David's, Timeshare store, or the rental boards on disboard. Distress points
goes for $9-10 a point but you generally only have up to 2 months to book
a stay and have limited resort availablity.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you live in Florida another thing you can do is rent distress points from
David's, Timeshare store, or the rental boards on disboard. Distress points
goes for $9-10 a point but you generally only have up to 2 months to book
a stay and have limited resort availablity.

Most of the time his distressed sale points only are good for SSR because that might be all that is still available.

 

[FuzzyPants]

Hello all! Sorry to jump in on this thread but I am interested in joining DVC also for just my wife and I (no kids). We are not FL residents but enjoy staying at the Beach Club Resort in the early December time frame. What are people's thoughts?

Thanks so much!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Hello all! Sorry to jump in on this thread but I am interested in joining DVC also for just my wife and I (no kids). We are not FL residents but enjoy staying at the Beach Club Resort in the early December time frame. What are people's thoughts?

Thanks so much!

If you want to stay at BCV in early Dec, you need to own there and book it at 11 months out. Early Dec is the most popular time for DVC members. And late Sept through mid-January is an extremely popular time for members.

 

[chalee94]

Hello all! Sorry to jump in on this thread but I am interested in joining DVC also for just my wife and I (no kids). We are not FL residents but enjoy staying at the Beach Club Resort in the early December time frame. What are people's thoughts?

i agree that if you want to stay at BCV during peak periods (and early dec is that for DVC bookings), you should own there.

also, you should be aware that the BCV is something of a different experience than the hotel side. different furnishings, different refurb schedules and daily housekeeping is not included. the BCV contracts expire in early 2042.

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I'm a fl res but purchased before we moved here.

Bottom line, if you love Disney, love deluxe hotels, love big rooms, love being able to walk to parks, love to save money on dining then buy!

I would have never had the awesome experiences I've had at Disney without DVC. I would have stayed value or mod......there is so much more to disney then the parks and DVC has allowed us to experience that.

We own at BLT and BW so we can enjoy so much at those resorts and never step foot in the parks.....

Going to Disney is more of a relaxing vacation instead of a commando tour of the parks..

I know that cost are a factor.....but I have definitely got a great return for my investment.....I could sell right now for what we paid, or I can rent points and make double my annual dues....so financially at this point I could break even....but we have gotten 10 years of fantastic trips out of it....and money just can't buy that!

Since we live in Florida now we are 1.5 hours away.......it's even a better deal...
You have all the park discounts, cruise discounts etc.....we got annual tickets to Seaworld last yr....so we booked a cruise in aug, spent the night before cruise at Seaworld and OKW....for pretty much free.

It's is so nice to travel and not have to pay for your room at that time...annual dues are due in Jan so once they are paid I don't worry about them.

 

[bakerworld]

Just remember to base all your cost analysis on room only as the ticket perks might not always be offered.

2 items which drove the purchase: we love walking to resorts and we have a maximum of what our annual dues total. If you don't establish parameters than you will over buy. We did buy into 1 older resort to book in the Fall.

 

[Spork24]

DVC is no way to save money. It is merely prepaid lodging (you purchase a real estate interest in a specific DVC resorts). Then you pay annual fees every year in the $4-7 per point range. And you can only use points purchased directly from Disney to cruise. It takes a lot of points to cruise. Plus direct purchase points can cost maybe twice the price of a resale point.

It sounds like you are making this statement with about half the facts about DVC. DVC might not be as good of a value as disney wants you to believe (70% off), but if you want a multi-room suite/villa when you visit disney then owning a DVC can save you quite a bit. Especially if you buy resale and can afford to pay cash.

For the record, I'm pretty sure I made similar statements a couple years ago when I first started looking into DVC. I think I even used the word rip off. However after my wife and I stayed in a I BR villa a couple of times (BLT and BWV), we were hooked on the living room, and suites are very expensive at WDW.

We waited two years and did a lot of research, but eventually decided buying WOULD save us money with the way we like to travel. Even considering inflation and the upfront cost. It would not have been worth it to my family if we had to finance it.

If you don't mind staying in a value or moderate hotel then, you won't save a dime with DVC. If you want to be in the nicer rooms in the best locations then DVC can very well save you money.

 

[Msmithmd]

It sounds like you are making this statement with about half the facts about DVC.

You might wanna check Deb and Bill's post count before making this conclusion.

They most certainly have all the facts.

I agree with most of your post actually. But this opening made me truly laugh out loud.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It sounds like you are making this statement with about half the facts about DVC. DVC might not be as good of a value as disney wants you to believe (70% off), but if you want a multi-room suite/villa when you visit disney then owning a DVC can save you quite a bit. Especially if you buy resale and can afford to pay cash.

For the record, I'm pretty sure I made similar statements a couple years ago when I first started looking into DVC. I think I even used the word rip off. However after my wife and I stayed in a I BR villa a couple of times (BLT and BWV), we were hooked on the living room, and suites are very expensive at WDW.

We waited two years and did a lot of research, but eventually decided buying WOULD save us money with the way we like to travel. Even considering inflation and the upfront cost. It would not have been worth it to my family if we had to finance it.

If you don't mind staying in a value or moderate hotel then, you won't save a dime with DVC. If you want to be in the nicer rooms in the best locations then DVC can very well save you money.

If you already go to Disney and book a villa for cash, DVC will save you money. But if you book anything else and you don't go annually, DVC will actually wind up costing you more. The more you go, the more you spend.

 

[crisi]

If you already go to Disney and book a villa for cash, DVC will save you money. But if you book anything else and you don't go annually, DVC will actually wind up costing you more. The more you go, the more you spend.

And if you want a multi room unit - AND you don't mind staying offsite - there are plenty of timeshares in the Orlando area for a fraction of the cost. The ever popular Bonnet Creek will put you as close to most parks as OKW does, at a fraction of the cost - no buses, but a lot of members like to drive anyway.

Also, cabins at Ft. Wilderness, connecting rooms at a value, the family suites - by the time you factor in TVM and risk, each of those has the potential to be cheaper.

Granted, DVC is, in my opinion, the best way to get a multi room unit with a kitchen, onsite. But it isn't the only or necessarily the cheapest option to get to WDW in a multiroom unit - it is just, in my opinion, nicer than many other options - and the options it isn't nicer than are much more expensive (suites).

 

[chalee94]

It sounds like you are making this statement with about half the facts about DVC.

well, it's a complicated question.

if you are disciplined and only stay in studios (and don't mind the sofabeds and reduced housekeeping), DVC can save you money on deluxes (and possibly a small savings on moderates in some cases.)

if you would book larger DVC villas on cash even if you didn't buy in, DVC can save you money.

but if you are used to staying in hotel rooms, DVC can tempt you with larger villas that cost more. DVC also locks you into wdw vacations that you might otherwise opt out of...costing you more (in a different way).

some of it depends on your expectations going in.

 

[crisi]

well, it's a complicated question.

if you are disciplined and only stay in studios (and don't mind the sofabeds and reduced housekeeping), DVC can save you money on deluxes (and possibly a small savings on moderates in some cases.)

.

And even then its important to understand the difference between a room in a Deluxe resort and a DVC studio.

A room in a Deluxe resort will have daily housekeeping - a lot of members prefer no housekeeping, and DVC will offer it for a fee, but its one of the reasons that DVC room is cheaper.

A room in a Deluxe resort will have two queen beds - the DVC room (except at OKW) will have a Queen bed and a full pullout.

The Deluxe resort may have more room view options available - some of the DVC resorts really don't offer much in terms of view.

And then there is availability. If I want to pay for a room at a Deluxe resort, they don't tend to book completely and I can often get exactly what I want a few months out. If I know what I want a year in advance, I can be sure to get it by calling. If I want to use my BWV points over at the Grand Floridian for a DVC studio, I'd better be having a lucky day - I have to wait until seven months out and then hope that room is available.

For members that enjoy their DVC, none of this is important - they are happy with their home resort, or happy being at Disney - if they can stay somewhere specific, its a bonus. The don't like daily housekeeping. Those that stay in studios don't mind the pullout - some are traveling as a couple or single and prefer having a couch instead of a bed taking up extra room. As for view - for those that its important to, they tended to buy resorts where good views are booking categories.

 

[Nabas]

Generally, the financial justification for buying into DVC requires answering 'yes' to all of the following questions:

1. Do you plan to go to WDW often, typically at least once every two years, for many years to come? (At least 5-10 trips.)
2. Do you typically stay or want to stay at WDW Deluxe Resorts?
3. Can you afford to pay cash for your DVC purchase?
4. Can you afford to pay the annual Maintenance Fee?
5. Can you afford the ancillary costs? (e.g. airline tickets, theme park tickets, etc.)

There are several exceptions to the above. However, your answers to these questions give you a rough idea if DVC is worth pursuing further.

If you cannot answer 'yes' to all of these questions, then from a financial perspective, DVC probably is not for you.

If you answer 'no' to any of the questions, then consider renting someone else's DVC points, stay at a Moderate or Value Resort, or stay offsite.

 

[Spork24]

Generally, the financial justification for buying into DVC requires answering 'yes' to all of the following questions: [*]Do you plan to go to WDW often, typically at least once every two years, for many years to come? (At least 5-10 trips.) [*]Do you typically stay or want to stay at WDW Deluxe Resorts? [*]Can you afford to pay cash for your DVC purchase? [*]Can you afford to pay the annual Maintenance Fee? [*]Can you afford the ancillary costs? (e.g. airline tickets, theme park tickets, etc.) There are several exceptions to the above. However, your answers to these questions give you a rough idea if DVC is worth pursuing further. If you cannot answer 'yes' to all of these questions, then from a financial perspective, DVC probably is not for you. If you answer 'no' to any of the questions, then consider renting someone else's DVC points, stay at a Moderate or Value Resort, or stay offsite.

Very well said! I couldn't agree more.