2019 Dues

[lovin'fl]

Your math makes no sense. If I stay at HHI (which we own also) in May, for 3 nights for a 2BR is 99 points. At $8.59/point dues-$850 for those 3 nights. Try to find a 2BR in May (as nice as HHI) for $283/night. You can stay at the Holiday Inn on the ocean there for that. But, that is not a 2BR villa. So, owning HHI would make sense in that respect. As for renting, yeah, IF you can rent for $17-18/point that would be $1683 for your 99 points. You could find many condos for that price at that time. But then, you have to pay dues.. Subtract $850 for paying dues, and renting out your 99 points. You make $833... But, you stay in an Ocean Front condo (think Marriott) and it is nice, but I don't know if it is worth selling it.. So, your "Nice" condo cost you $500/night. At $1500, you made $1683.. Subtract dues--$850..You are out $667......$1683-$1500=$183.. Minus dues $850= - $667.....
Just don't see the math....

I had a 1BR booked in May for 2 of us. It was a Fri and Sat (and SUN), therefore way more points than Sun to Thur (like you must have booked). My 1BR would be an average of $280/night. I could do Marriott on ocean for that...just 2 of us and just 3 nights so no need for W/D and kitchen. Also, I looked up condo rentals near DHHIR (shelter cove and area across highway by beach house...what's that called Palmetto Dunes?...also place called Villamere) and they are less than $280 per night (1BR condos...$100-200 per night...look at VRBO). Also, can get DHHIR via CRO with AP/DVC discount for less than our dues sometimes.

 

[deerh]

I had a 1BR booked in May for 2 of us. It was a Fri and Sat (and SUN), therefore way more points than Sun to Thur (like you must have booked). My 1BR would be an average of $280/night. I could do Marriott on ocean for that...just 2 of us and just 3 nights so no need for W/D and kitchen. Also, I looked up condo rentals near DHHIR (shelter cove and area across highway by beach house...what's that called Palmetto Dunes?...also place called Villamere) and they are less than $280 per night (1BR condos...$100-200 per night...look at VRBO). Also, can get DHHIR via CRO with AP/DVC discount for less than our dues sometimes.

We have owned HHIR for 17 years. With the "increased dues" there, we are contemplating selling. But we live in Atlanta, and a short 5.5 hour drive and we are there. We love it there, and don't own a great amount of points there. I know, I have checked Villamare in the summer-OUCH!! HIGH PRICES indeed! But in May, a lot cheaper. Not sure of what they look like. But we love "not paying" for our DVC when we stay, as Hilton Head can get very expensive. We have stayed at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club. Check that out- we have stayed there quite a few times through VRBO. But now, VRBO is getting very expensive with all of their "extra fees"! Check them out, they are quite outrageous.. So, for me, I am keeping my HHIR points. For now.... Just my .02....

 

[motherof5]

Thanks for all this info! Upon our direct purchase we paid closing costs.....I was confusing that with dues! Doh! I will definitely sign up for the monthly checking acct withdrawl but will pay with disney gift cards.

I have a lot to learn about DVC!

These boards are great for learning.

 

[lovin'fl]

We have owned HHIR for 17 years. With the "increased dues" there, we are contemplating selling. But we live in Atlanta, and a short 5.5 hour drive and we are there. We love it there, and don't own a great amount of points there. I know, I have checked Villamare in the summer-OUCH!! HIGH PRICES indeed! But in May, a lot cheaper. Not sure of what they look like. But we love "not paying" for our DVC when we stay, as Hilton Head can get very expensive. We have stayed at Hilton Head Beach and Tennis Club. Check that out- we have stayed there quite a few times through VRBO. But now, VRBO is getting very expensive with all of their "extra fees"! Check them out, they are quite outrageous.. So, for me, I am keeping my HHIR points. For now.... Just my .02....

We are about the same distance in the Chapel Hill, NC area (5-5.5 hour drive). We too love it there. I do love the staff (best CMs in all of DVC). We actually have been looking at condos to buy. Our 3 kids are in college and when we are done paying tuition (just 4 more semesters to pay for) we will buy in HH. I love Shelter Cove and then the whole area across the highway where the Disney beach house is. So then we won't need our DVC HHI points. We have 100/125 listed for sale. But we aren't too worried if they don't sell. My mom loves it there too so I like to take her. I had to cancel Memorial Day weekend to list the contracts but I transferred some 2018 points over to my other membership and booked June 1 weekend to take my mom.

 

[deerh]

That sounds like a good plan! We looked into buying at HH as well, but the prices were beyond our reach. Except Hilton Head Beach and Tennis which is an older development. But, we love the Atlanta area (except the traffic!) and don't want to move as our kids (also out of college and have successful jobs in the Atlanta area). So, we don't want to leave, and have HH and Disney (we own at BWV and CCV) to go to and vacation too. I love having two totally different places (beach and Disney) to go to.. Also, Disney Cruises/RCI options as well.. So, we have owned DVC since 1999 and still love it. It is also nice to have all but CCV paid for! Makes it nice. Just hoping the dues don't go up as dramatic as they did this year!!!!!! Good luck in your search in HH for a Condo! Great place and great beach!

 

[lovin'fl]

That sounds like a good plan! We looked into buying at HH as well, but the prices were beyond our reach. Except Hilton Head Beach and Tennis which is an older development. But, we love the Atlanta area (except the traffic!) and don't want to move as our kids (also out of college and have successful jobs in the Atlanta area). So, we don't want to leave, and have HH and Disney (we own at BWV and CCV) to go to and vacation too. I love having two totally different places (beach and Disney) to go to.. Also, Disney Cruises/RCI options as well.. So, we have owned DVC since 1999 and still love it. It is also nice to have all but CCV paid for! Makes it nice. Just hoping the dues don't go up as dramatic as they did this year!!!!!! Good luck in your search in HH for a Condo! Great place and great beach!

We also own CCV and BWV (and also OKW). LOL, we have many similarities. Been DVC since 2006. I want to keep enough to still do our annual trips but we certainly can downsize a little. I may just sell one of the 50 point HHI and then pull the 2nd one off the market. Then we'll have 75 HHI, 70 CCV, 200 OKW and 255 BWV (thinking of then selling 50 BWV...then we'd have 550 instead of 650 and that's a nice chunk). We cruise a lot too, but Royal and Carnival (our 1st was Disney but then switched to be more frugal).

 

[deerh]

We also own CCV and BWV (and also OKW). LOL, we have many similarities. Been DVC since 2006. I want to keep enough to still do our annual trips but we certainly can downsize a little. I may just sell one of the 50 point HHI and then pull the 2nd one off the market. Then we'll have 75 HHI, 70 CCV, 200 OKW and 255 BWV (thinking of then selling 50 BWV...then we'd have 550 instead of 650 and that's a nice chunk). We cruise a lot too, but Royal and Carnival (our 1st was Disney but then switched to be more frugal).

We own 85 HH points, and 290 BWV points and 160 CCV points. That is plenty for us. We want to go cruising as well. Maybe go on Royal. Carnival is for the "kids" or younger adults and probably not as nice as Disney/Royal... That is the plan anyway.... Hopefully!!! HA

 

[E2ME2]

We own 85 HH points, and 290 BWV points and 160 CCV points. That is plenty for us. We want to go cruising as well. Maybe go on Royal. Carnival is for the "kids" or younger adults and probably not as nice as Disney/Royal... That is the plan anyway.... Hopefully!!! HA

deerh - have you not cruised before?
I have cruised on Carnival/Disney/Holland America.
Disney was by far the most luxurious, best food, & great entertainment (family-friendly)
Carnival was, however, more vibrant, fun, interesting for adults (I'm talking 40-60 in age), and has a casino which you won't find on Disney.
Holland America was midway between the 2 in luxury & food, but was very boring as to the onboard activities and entertainment, & I hear Royal Caribbean is much like Holland America in that regard.
My parents took a Royal Caribbean cruise when in their late 60's, and complained that it was not as much fun as Carnival- FYI.
& Carnival is usually a good bit less expensive, so 12 of our 14 cruises were on Carnival, with no regrets!

 

[lovin'fl]

We did 1 Disney cruise, in 2007, and it was a a great cruise. But it is very 'little kid' oriented and the ship was a ghost town at night.

We then switched to Carnival to save money and were very pleasantly surprised in the quality we got. It isn't as good a cruise as Disney but it's not that much below them (considering Disney is double to triple price...the quality is not double to triple but just a step above). We had 9 cruises on Carnival since 2010. The last being just a few weeks ago. We have started to become disenchanted a little bit, with Carnival. They have slipped a bit in quality (money saving I suppose). The last cruise was on the newest biggest ship, the Horizon, and we paid a good bit in total (Havana cabin, drink package, excursions, up charge dining venues...) and it didn't deliver the WOW factor. It had it's good (the Havana section and up charge dinning venues) and it's bad (too much to go into) but, overall, left me feeling 'meh' and a bit let down.

Last year (Sept 2017) we tried our first Royal Caribbean cruise. It was a short 3 day on an older ship. It was pretty comparable to the Carnival cruises we have done (some things Royal does a smidge better and some things Carnival does a smidge better...a wash pretty much). So while on the ship (and thanks to me winning Bingo), we went and booked another Royal cruise. It's coming up in January and is a 9 day but still on an older ship (Grandeur). I am hoping this will be a bit of a re-do from the let down Carnival cruise last month. If it makes up for it, then we will likely switch over to being Royal loyal. I have my eye on a cruise for 2020.

At any rate...using DVC points for Disney cruises is not a good use of points (not a good value). It's better to rent out points and use that cash to pay for the cruise. You'll get more mileage that way.

 

[skier_pete]

Not that this is what this thread is about - but I find that the Disney Cruise we took - while very nice - i didn't find that I got the "bang for my buck" that I do at Disney World. Not that Disney is cheap, but I can spend 10 days at WDW for the price of a 5 day (or less) cruise. And I enjoy WDW more.

To turn it back to the subject of dues, using DVC points for a cruise becomes even MORE nonsensical with the 10% hike in dues.

 

[mustinjourney]

Not that this is what this thread is about - but I find that the Disney Cruise we took - while very nice - i didn't find that I got the "bang for my buck" that I do at Disney World. Not that Disney is cheap, but I can spend 10 days at WDW for the price of a 5 day (or less) cruise. And I enjoy WDW more.

To turn it back to the subject of dues, using DVC points for a cruise becomes even MORE nonsensical with the 10% hike in dues.

I actually cancelled my upcoming disney cruise for that exact reason. 7 nights out of galveston (we live in houston) in December was going to run $7000 for the cruise...and I'm guessing another $3000 in tips/excursions and other incidentals. So $10,000 for a week -- and this was a window view room -- not even verandah!

Meanwhile -- I had 7 nights already booked (Dec 2019) in VGF that I was originally planning on renting out. However, even with flights and tickets, the cost for WDW is going to be about $4000 in total. We won't be eating as nicely as we would on a cruise -- but that is just fine with me. I'd rather save that $6000.

 

[deerh]

deerh - have you not cruised before?
I have cruised on Carnival/Disney/Holland America.
Disney was by far the most luxurious, best food, & great entertainment (family-friendly)
Carnival was, however, more vibrant, fun, interesting for adults (I'm talking 40-60 in age), and has a casino which you won't find on Disney.
Holland America was midway between the 2 in luxury & food, but was very boring as to the onboard activities and entertainment, & I hear Royal Caribbean is much like Holland America in that regard.
My parents took a Royal Caribbean cruise when in their late 60's, and complained that it was not as much fun as Carnival- FYI.
& Carnival is usually a good bit less expensive, so 12 of our 14 cruises were on Carnival, with no regrets!

Yes, We have cruised before. But it has been a LONG time. 2001 Disney Cruise (great, and great when my kids were little). Carnival in the 90's. I remember belly flops in the pool, and girls throwing up on deck. Not my cup of tea. Maybe that has changed. I just did not like the "vibe" that Carnival had. But, again, that was years ago... Just seemed like a lot of drinking and "too wild" at the time. I am in 60's now, and don't want to see 24 year olds throwing up on deck!!! I have heard that Royal is a little more 'sophisticated' than Carnival. My son went on a Europe cruise on Celebrity cruise and loved it..

 

[lovin'fl]

Yes, We have cruised before. But it has been a LONG time. 2001 Disney Cruise (great, and great when my kids were little). Carnival in the 90's. I remember belly flops in the pool, and girls throwing up on deck. Not my cup of tea. Maybe that has changed. I just did not like the "vibe" that Carnival had. But, again, that was years ago... Just seemed like a lot of drinking and "too wild" at the time. I am in 60's now, and don't want to see 24 year olds throwing up on deck!!! I have heard that Royal is a little more 'sophisticated' than Carnival. My son went on a Europe cruise on Celebrity cruise and loved it..

The short cruises on Carnival are big party cruises but 5+ day cruises are calmer. But they do have the belly flop contest and the dancing waiters in the MDR which are all tacky and I could do without. So we skip the MDR half the time and do pay extra venues or buffet. And we do the anytime dining and choose time where we miss the dancing. I really hate that stuff. We booked the last cabin in the new Havana section which has private pool deck for Havana cabins so we also avoided the main pool deck most of the time and didn't see the tacky pool party games. We will see how Royal compares in the young party tacky department. Our only Royal cruise was the 3 day and it had a lot of partiers on it. I think the 20somethings can only afford the shorter cruises and maybe can only get time off enough for the shorter cruises. So longer cruises tend to be calmer and an older contingent.

 

[LawrenceFamily]

Only just seen the dues increases We only bought our resale contract in August and whilst we were expecting a 2-3% increase in dues, I have to say I'm shocked at our 10% increase at AKV! Our contract has 230 points so essentially it's another $156 a year extra. Whilst that's not a deal breaker, that's still a massive kick in the teeth.

We're from the UK and I was going to ask a question about paying dues for anyone else that's not from the US. When we bought our contract, we received several bank charges for transferring money to a US bank account. When we pay dues, do you receive similar charges? Ultimately if my dues are $1711 a year, I'd like to just pay via debit or credit card and not have to be hit with £20-£30 bank charges for paying to a US account. Can someone with experience of this let me know what they have experienced previously?

Thanks in advance

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Only just seen the dues increases We only bought our resale contract in August and whilst we were expecting a 2-3% increase in dues, I have to say I'm shocked at our 10% increase at AKV! Our contract has 230 points so essentially it's another $156 a year extra. Whilst that's not a deal breaker, that's still a massive kick in the teeth.

We're from the UK and I was going to ask a question about paying dues for anyone else that's not from the US. When we bought our contract, we received several bank charges for transferring money to a US bank account. When we pay dues, do you receive similar charges? Ultimately if my dues are $1711 a year, I'd like to just pay via debit or credit card and not have to be hit with £20-£30 bank charges for paying to a US account. Can someone with experience of this let me know what they have experienced previously?

Thanks in advance

I have no experience with this sorry, but if you can buy Disney gift cards you can pay with those also.
We are also recent first time buyers and are incredibly disappointed with Disney on the 10% increase. Very scary.

 

[zavandor]

Only just seen the dues increases We only bought our resale contract in August and whilst we were expecting a 2-3% increase in dues, I have to say I'm shocked at our 10% increase at AKV! Our contract has 230 points so essentially it's another $156 a year extra. Whilst that's not a deal breaker, that's still a massive kick in the teeth.

We're from the UK and I was going to ask a question about paying dues for anyone else that's not from the US. When we bought our contract, we received several bank charges for transferring money to a US bank account. When we pay dues, do you receive similar charges? Ultimately if my dues are $1711 a year, I'd like to just pay via debit or credit card and not have to be hit with £20-£30 bank charges for paying to a US account. Can someone with experience of this let me know what they have experienced previously?

Thanks in advance

You can pay with a credit or debit card, the charge is in $ so better have a card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Only just seen the dues increases We only bought our resale contract in August and whilst we were expecting a 2-3% increase in dues, I have to say I'm shocked at our 10% increase at AKV! Our contract has 230 points so essentially it's another $156 a year extra. Whilst that's not a deal breaker, that's still a massive kick in the teeth.

We're from the UK and I was going to ask a question about paying dues for anyone else that's not from the US. When we bought our contract, we received several bank charges for transferring money to a US bank account. When we pay dues, do you receive similar charges? Ultimately if my dues are $1711 a year, I'd like to just pay via debit or credit card and not have to be hit with £20-£30 bank charges for paying to a US account. Can someone with experience of this let me know what they have experienced previously?

Thanks in advance

Not meaning to be negative, but I don't think the dues increase has been 2-3% since about 15 years ago. Also, it's not just "another $156 a year extra", it is just $156 extra this year. There will be another dues increase every year you own.

 

[Madame]

Not meaning to be negative, but I don't think the dues increase has been 2-3% since about 15 years ago. Also, it's not just "another $156 a year extra", it is just $156 extra this year. There will be another dues increase every year you own.

Yes, it’s the compound element that’s becoming worrisome.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Yes, it’s the compound element that’s becoming worrisome.

Yes, at this last rate dues will double in 7-8 years.

 

[Mumof4mice]

Only just seen the dues increases We only bought our resale contract in August and whilst we were expecting a 2-3% increase in dues, I have to say I'm shocked at our 10% increase at AKV! Our contract has 230 points so essentially it's another $156 a year extra. Whilst that's not a deal breaker, that's still a massive kick in the teeth.

We're from the UK and I was going to ask a question about paying dues for anyone else that's not from the US. When we bought our contract, we received several bank charges for transferring money to a US bank account. When we pay dues, do you receive similar charges? Ultimately if my dues are $1711 a year, I'd like to just pay via debit or credit card and not have to be hit with £20-£30 bank charges for paying to a US account. Can someone with experience of this let me know what they have experienced previously?

Thanks in advance

If you pay by credit card you won't get the £20-£30 bank charges for wire transfers. However, most credit cards charge an international transaction fee (usually 2-3%). You can check your card statement to see if yours does. If your current card charges 3%, you may like to get a credit card that doesn't charge international transaction fees. We have one that we use for online shopping and travelling.