A couple of ?'s

[prune1977]

I talked to Disney Jan. 2012 about buying a timeshare there. I've seen on this board ROFR, what does that stand for? Also would you recommend buying direct from Disney or would you buy something for sale from someone who's already bought. We typically spend at least 7-10 nights at a resort, so far WL and AK but get free dining. Is it wiser to keep hoping for free dining or do the timeshare?

 

[ELMC]

I talked to Disney Jan. 2012 about buying a timeshare there. I've seen on this board ROFR, what does that stand for? Also would you recommend buying direct from Disney or would you buy something for sale from someone who's already bought. We typically spend at least 7-10 nights at a resort, so far WL and AK but get free dining. Is it wiser to keep hoping for free dining or do the timeshare?

ROFR stands for Right of First Refusal, and it basically says that Disney has the right to buy any resale contract at the price agreed upon between buyer and seller. It means that if you decide to purchase resale, there is a small chance that Disney might take the contract and you would be forced to start over. I do not think that this should be a deterrent if you decide to purchase resale. There are a TON of threads that deal with the direct vs. resale question, and you should definitely take the time to read up on them. I will (over)simplify it by saying that if saving money is your main consideration then you should purchase resale. If speed and convenience is your main consideration, purchase direct.

As far as the DVC vs. free dining question, you would have to run the numbers to compare what you would be spending in each situation. Based on the information you have provided, I can tell you that I think that over the long run you would most likely be better off with DVC. "Free" dining isn't really free because it forces you to pay rack rate for the room. So if you were staying at a value resort and getting the free Quick Service dining plan then the math actually works out great. But staying in a Deluxe, you are usually better off booking with a discount code, renting DVC points or possibly even purchasing DVC. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Dean]

I talked to Disney Jan. 2012 about buying a timeshare there. I've seen on this board ROFR, what does that stand for? Also would you recommend buying direct from Disney or would you buy something for sale from someone who's already bought. We typically spend at least 7-10 nights at a resort, so far WL and AK but get free dining. Is it wiser to keep hoping for free dining or do the timeshare?

There is so much about your personal and use info that we don't know that likely would affect our answer. In general IF you'd go at least every other year and stay in those same deluxe type of units, DVC would save you money only either for a studio or 2 BR compared to two studios. A 1 BR likely wouldn't but would give you more value. This assumes deluxe at a modest discount and reasonable increases in both DVC fees and deluxe room rates. This also assumes you'd pay cash for DVC and don't have other financial issues.

Compared to fee dining vs getting the DP with DVC, DVC will likely not save you money. It is unlikely that the FD will cont in such a way you can use it most trips but it's possible. One thing you might consider is buying less DVC points and doing both at times. That way you can take advantage of FD when available and still benefit from DVC. Otherwise you should likely not buy right now, you can always buy resale later, almost certainly at a cheaper relative price, if the FD runs out.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Buying into DVC is not to save money. It's a luxury purchase. If you like the Disney bargains like free dining or 30-40% off, etc, you won't find that with DVC. You are eligible for a few dining and shopping discounts, discounts on Annual Passes for now, but that could all change. All you are guaranteed is staying in a DVC resort based on you booking it when it can still be booked. If you wait too late to book, you wind up with nothing but wasted points.

It's a timeshare and you have to understand the rules to make it work for you. It's not cheap. It doesn't save you money. You wind up spending more because you go more often. Trading out to stay in something other than a DVC resort can be an expensive use of points.

Good luck making up your mind. Keep reading here. There have been several posts about how to make DVC work.

 

[Sandisw]

One other thing about the whole free dining vs. DVC in terms of costs--free dining as a discount becomes better when you have more people. Once you are traveling with less, then the deal becomes a little less appealing.

When we were deciding all of this, we did consider the discounts and figured, based on what we were paying for BLT in 2009, it was locking in about a 30 to 356% discounts for the long term and getting us a 1 bedroom vs. a room at the CR for our typical 5 night trip. For us, having made the decision that going to Disney would continue for many years, it was worth it for us.

Of course, the danger (which many here warned would happen!!! LOL) was that we since added on and now head to Disney more than we did before so in terms of "saving" money--well, technically, we are for the room since we are getting a ton more nights--however, if you add in the extra airfare we are spending and the additional costs of being on vacation more--we probably are not.

Lots to consider but the biggest piece, IMO, is whether or not you want you see wanting to visit Disney for many years to come--DVC is definitely about the long term and IMO, you need to be sure that you are comfortable with all the pieces.

Good luck!

 

[prune1977]

There is so much about your personal and use info that we don't know that likely would affect our answer. In general IF you'd go at least every other year and stay in those same deluxe type of units, DVC would save you money only either for a studio or 2 BR compared to two studios. A 1 BR likely wouldn't but would give you more value. This assumes deluxe at a modest discount and reasonable increases in both DVC fees and deluxe room rates. This also assumes you'd pay cash for DVC and don't have other financial issues.

Compared to fee dining vs getting the DP with DVC, DVC will likely not save you money. It is unlikely that the FD will cont in such a way you can use it most trips but it's possible. One thing you might consider is buying less DVC points and doing both at times. That way you can take advantage of FD when available and still benefit from DVC. Otherwise you should likely not buy right now, you can always buy resale later, almost certainly at a cheaper relative price, if the FD runs out.

We actually go every year, thats why we're debating buying into it. But not sure if it makes more financial sense to do that or just book the 7-10 nights like we've been doing. So far we've always got free dining and we stay at least at a moderate. There's 5 of us total. Right now we have a 7, 5 and 2 y/o. So I guess just weighing our options

 

[Deb & Bill]

We actually go every year, thats why we're debating buying into it. But not sure if it makes more financial sense to do that or just book the 7-10 nights like we've been doing. So far we've always got free dining and we stay at least at a moderate. There's 5 of us total. Right now we have a 7, 5 and 2 y/o. So I guess just weighing our options

Once your two year old hits three, you'd need a one bedroom at a minimum. OKW, AKV (not value villas) and BLT have one bedrooms that have sleeping spaces for five. VWL, SSR, BCV, BWV have one bedrooms that have four sleeping spaces, but they may allow the fifth person, but not provide any bedding or towels.

 

[Dean]

We actually go every year, thats why we're debating buying into it. But not sure if it makes more financial sense to do that or just book the 7-10 nights like we've been doing. So far we've always got free dining and we stay at least at a moderate. There's 5 of us total. Right now we have a 7, 5 and 2 y/o. So I guess just weighing our options

Since you're looking at 1 BR units and above, I doubt you'll save any money. My thoughts remain that you should wait and if the specials dry up, re think the option.

 

[amypetecar]

You save money compared to rack rates. It is really more of a personal choice. I love it and can't wait to afford another contract. But you can always find nice accomodations cheaper on property.

Here's the simple answer. If you know you love disney, will go every year or two, and can afford the timeshare without compromising your financial security, it's a great buy. But as others have said, it's a luxury purchase for disposable income... not an investment nor true money saving opportunity.

If you're not sure... rent a few points first. You'll still save a ton of cash compared to deluxe rack rates, but without the committment of owning the contract.

I rented a night at a Boardward studio for $125 for 15 points during Thanksgiving week. Price on kayak.com? $425 per night!

 

[BestDadEver]

I dont agree with the notion of , you wont save money cause you go more , and will spend more on air fair and tickets .

The way I look at it is If I spend 5k for a week before dvc , or got 100 points for 10k and spend $2500 and 100 points for a week , after the 5th vacation it only cost me $2500 for a $5k vacation there after for 35+ years . That is $2500 savings per trip to me .

 

[ELMC]

I dont agree with the notion of , you wont save money cause you go more , and will spend more on air fair and tickets .

The way I look at it is If I spend 5k for a week before dvc , or got 100 points for 10k and spend $2500 and 100 points for a week , after the 5th vacation it only cost me $2500 for a $5k vacation there after for 35+ years . That is $2500 savings per trip to me .

With all due respect, I think your math is oversimplified to the point of being incorrect. Something's not making sense here, would you care to share the details of your analysis?

 

[Dean]

I dont agree with the notion of , you wont save money cause you go more , and will spend more on air fair and tickets .

The way I look at it is If I spend 5k for a week before dvc , or got 100 points for 10k and spend $2500 and 100 points for a week , after the 5th vacation it only cost me $2500 for a $5k vacation there after for 35+ years . That is $2500 savings per trip to me .

I doubt you pay $5K now for something you can get with a 100 points which is not even a week in a studio for many times. A week in a studio that you can get for 100 points (off season, lessor resorts) would not cost any where near $5K with tax. Comparing using a studio, you'll pay a little more with DVC than a moderate and a fair amount less than a deluxe assuming historical discounts at a moderate level. However, many people don't end up with the bare DVC option long term going more for 1 & 2 BR units.

 

[prune1977]

Ok we typically spend total overall airfare, resort, dining plan and park tix around 4-$5k total. So it sounds like i might be better off continuing to do this until free dining is no longer offered?

 

[Sandisw]

I dont agree with the notion of , you wont save money cause you go more , and will spend more on air fair and tickets .

The way I look at it is If I spend 5k for a week before dvc , or got 100 points for 10k and spend $2500 and 100 points for a week , after the 5th vacation it only cost me $2500 for a $5k vacation there after for 35+ years . That is $2500 savings per trip to me .

I think that those of us who bring this up do so as informational as it is a reality for many of us who bought DVC.

My vacation budget was between $5000 and $7000 each year prior to owning DVC. That money was used for mostly one trip a year to Disney for my family of 5. My vacation budget is still between $5000 and $7000 a year but it includes multiple trips to Disney...in my case, owning DVC has not "saved" me any money if you define saving money as having it left to use for something else.

Owing DVC certainly allows me to get more for my vacation dollars than before since I now visit more often and stay in larger rooms - 1 and 2 bedrooms.

But, if someone is going to just go with studios and just stay with their typical vacation habits, then that one trip, then yes, it most likely will be less expensive than continuing to stay a cash guest if you are staying at the deluxe resorts, providing you know for sure you are in it for the long haul.

 

[chalee94]

So it sounds like i might be better off continuing to do this until free dining is no longer offered?

DVC will only cover your resort accommodation costs.

so if you would miss free dining, then DVC is not for you...

 

[Deb & Bill]

Ok we typically spend total overall airfare, resort, dining plan and park tix around 4-$5k total. So it sounds like i might be better off continuing to do this until free dining is no longer offered?

Probably because you still have to pay for your airfare, your dining plan, your park admission. All DVC gets you is lodging. And you still have to pay monthly/annual maintenance fees.

 

[staceymay00]

How important to you is free dining? Keep in mind that as your kids get older, free dining may become even more important to you because the cost of the DDP climbs every time one of your children turns ten (as does the cost of feeding kids OOP once they are 10). You also have to consider that you won't be able to book one room at WL, AK or the moderates (besides POR) once your youngest is three. Even the deluxe rooms that sleep five get crowded as children get bigger. Some people don't mind the cramped quarters, some do. You won't be able to sleep five in a DVC studio if all kids are 3 and over, and some of the 1BR villas only sleep four. Some 1BRs have sleeping space for five - AKV, BLT and OKW.

We have never been a DDP family, not even free dining because it is rarely available when we travel, and we got to the point of wanting more space when we stay on site. That is why we bought into DVC. We aren't really saving money, but we are getting larger accomodations with a 2BR villa for about the same per night, a little more, than we were paying to stay at a deluxe resort with a nice discount. We have three kids as well - 12, 10 and 7 - and everything, including Disney, gets more expensive as they get older!

I don't regret buying in 2.5 years ago, but it is a large amount of money to commit to spending at WDW each year - you'll have the DVC annual fees, tickets, food and airfare each year. Sometimes I look at that amount and wonder if we will continue being happy spending that much every year. Start with calculating how much you'll spend with DVC compared to what you are spending now and definitely research buying resale to save money.

 

[jockotaco]

My recommendation is to look at the next 10 years or so. Do you have an "must do trips". For my wife and it the answer to this question was as follows..
1) We go to the grand cal every other year
2) We want to go to Animal Kingdom
3) Aulani
we are a family of 5, typically get 2 rooms or a suite and stay on property. After analyzing these dates using a fictious date (to get cost) and pricing that date with all specials our breakeven was roughly 10 years including annual dues. It was for this reason that we bought. Not sure I would have purchased had our breakeven been much longer.