Very Interested in DVC but also Very Confused

[Kellylynn3]

I've been interested in the concept of DVC for a while but i'm also confused about how exactly it works. I know you get a certain amount of points and those go towards booking your vacation but what all is covered by those points when you book. Is it just the resort or do those points cover theme park tickets, dining plans, etc? How exactly does it work when you book? Anybody, please help a newbie out.

 

[Hunclemarco]

Hello.
Your points will cover your resort accomodations only. You still have to pay for your park tickets, Dining Plan if you choose the plan, and other incidentals.

You buy your points into your home resort that you buy into. You are able to book 11 months in advance at your home resort, and 7 months in advance for any other DVC resort. You will see that many will say to buy where you want to stay most often. The reason for this is to take advantage of the home resort booking availability. Getting in at some resorts at 7 months can be difficult at times.

There are many other "ins and outs" to the program, but these are the basics. Investigate the DIS boards thoroughly, and ask a lot of questions. You may want to go on a tour as well.

 

[wdrl]

If you want to understand how DVC works, my advice is to call DVC direct and talk to a Guide. He or she can explain the basics of DVC membership and mail out to you some information that will answer a lot of your questions. The guide can also explain what incentives are in place today, and what the cost might be to join (assuming you decide to buy directly from Disney rather than buying a resale contract).

Don't be worried that the Guide will give you a high pressure sales job, or that they will be bugging you about signing on the bottom line. The DVC people I've dealt with are pretty laid back and easy to deal with.

You can also go to the Disney vacation club website to get some basic information.

Once to understand the basic structure of DVC membership, there are lots of helpful threads on the Dis boards.

Good luck!!!

 

[wdwnut]

Read the stickies on the DVC boards and then ask questions about the things you still don't understand. The "veterans" on these boards will help you much as they helped me 9+ years ago. You can also have DVC mail you all the info and check out the website. Good luck; let us know what you don't understand.

 

[kristenrice]

As others have already stated, the points that you buy can only be used to secure your accomodations. Now, a nice "benefit" is that you are free to add any of the dining plans to your reservation WITHOUT buying tickets. You pay the same price for the dining plan as those who buy it as part of a package without the obligation to buy passes. This means that you can get your park tickets from a discount broker (try undercovertourist.com) or you can skip the parks altogether and still take advantage of the dining plan. You must purchase the plan for all people on the reservation and for every night of the reservation. Note that when Disney offers "free dining", that is NOT applicable to DVC reservations. "Free dining" is added to a room/ticket package that is bought at full rack rate. Since a DVC reservation is booked on points, it is not part of a package, and therefore not eligible for "free dining".

When you use your points, you are entitled to all of the benefits of any other resort guest. You have access to EMH, you can use DME and you can make charges to your room. One big difference (for some people) is that when you stay on points, you do not get housekeeping on a daily basis. You get a "trash and towel" service on your fouth day and a full-cleaning if you stay 8 or more days.

In reality, DVC only saves you money on your room, and how much it saves you is entirely dependent on what you would have stayed in had you paid cash. If you plan on vacationing at Disney for the next 10-20 years and staying in at least a moderate resort, you should see some savings.

You have definitely come to the right place to get your questions answered.

 

[Kellylynn3]

thanks for all the great information from everyone. i'm way far off from being able to purchase the dvc but i am thinking that it is def. a possibility in the future (hopefully sooner rather than later). One more question, where do most people get their park passes from, do a lot of people just book ticket only packages or do some find that they like annual passes better?

 

[Hunclemarco]

Hello again.
I personally buy the annual passes, but we are seeing the mouse about 35-40 days average per year, and with the DVC discount ($100.00 off), that works best for us. Others find it better for them to use the Non-expire tickets for their personal situation.
You may want to subscribe to mousesavers.com because they will send you a special link for discounts on tickets. I've found them to be one of the most inexpensive places to buy tickets. I do get my AP's through Disney though.

One other thought as to room accomodations. When paying cash, you are paying for each person in the room. As for DVC, you are paying for the room in points, not per person...So, you're getting a better room and not being charged per person. I generally have about 15 go with us when we travel, and instead of paying per person that way, we book 2 2 bedroom units and that covers us... A LOT LESS expensive that way.

Keep the questions coming...i'd like to help you with more info, but there are so many different topics...not sure where to start!

 

[JennaWest]

Have you looked into DVC resales. They are the same exact thing as buying used house but buying "used" memberships. They are far more affordable and if you talk to Disney I don't know if they sell any directly or if they help you find a reputable resale store, but my sister is a DVC member and her agent is supposed to be calling me tomorrow. If you Google DVC resales there are many reputable ones that come up. We are looking for 50 points to start with and they can be purchased for about $3,000. Good Luck!

 

[alamode]

While I'm still waiting for my first DVC contract to go through, here's my idea of what I'll do RE: annual passes.

Next May I'll be booking from the 21st to the 28th for Starwars weekend. So the first day of our annual pass will be May 21st.

In 2011, I'll book earlier in May, so that we can use our annual passes on two trips, and only need to buy every 2 years.

Supposedly 10 days is the magic number for breaking even with annual passes.

 

[dizfan]

While I'm still waiting for my first DVC contract to go through, here's my idea of what I'll do RE: annual passes.

Next May I'll be booking from the 21st to the 28th for Starwars weekend. So the first day of our annual pass will be May 21st.

In 2011, I'll book earlier in May, so that we can use our annual passes on two trips, and only need to buy every 2 years.

Supposedly 10 days is the magic number for breaking even with annual passes.

We plan to do something very similar. 7 day stay in December 2009 and 7 day stay in October 2010. $100 off AP ticket, use DVC/AP discount toward MVMCP and MNSSHP tickets, and purchase TIW for the dining discounts.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Have you looked into DVC resales. They are the same exact thing as buying used house but buying "used" memberships. They are far more affordable and if you talk to Disney I don't know if they sell any directly or if they help you find a reputable resale store, but my sister is a DVC member and her agent is supposed to be calling me tomorrow. If you Google DVC resales there are many reputable ones that come up. We are looking for 50 points to start with and they can be purchased for about $3,000. Good Luck!

Feel free to contact The Timeshare Store, Inc.®(sponsor) and one of our associates will send you emails when new listings become available. You can email us at sales@dvcstore.com. Sometimes those small point listings can sell quickly.

Jason