A Little Honesty!

[tvwalsh]

So many threads focus on how much members SAVE by belonging. This is kind of like saving on a new Porsche or a new swimming pool. I figure with the cost of an extra yearly trip and the attendant grandchild spoiling, DVC COSTS me about $3,000 to $4,000 per year!

 

[spiceycat]

I don't have your problems I can drive - have a good mileage car - so the gas is only around $40 ($20 each way) - I get most meals in my villa (or studios) - I buy passes when I see a discount - so I am ahead....

Now grandchild spoiling - yes that is a problem!!!

now vacation days - I only get 20 days - so this year I am borrowing - back habit!!!

 

[tvwalsh]

Because I do not get a room bill when I leave a DVC resort, I tend to spend more on things like boat rental, shows, clothing, etc. I then get to go home and pay my monthly maintenance fees!

 

[dianeschlicht]

LOL! Still sounds like a good deal to me!

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by tvwalsh
So many threads focus on how much members SAVE by belonging. This is kind of like saving on a new Porsche or a new swimming pool. I figure with the cost of an extra yearly trip and the attendant grandchild spoiling, DVC COSTS me about $3,000 to $4,000 per year!

The savings come from doing the same things with cash, instead of buying.

We intended to go to WDW every year and take a DELUXE vacation anyway, so we actually did save by joining DVC. Of course it costs you a lot of money, but about half of what it ordinarily would in those accomodations.

You are correct that it costs money- but you are also comparing apples to oranges. Sure we save all kinds of money if we don't go at all or stay in some dump off site.

 

[snowwhitemom]

As a future owner at SSR, I can't wait to spoil my future grandchildren there.

Rent it and they will come......always a good way to keep the family together , ehh. ( In our case it will be own it and they will come)

 

[Disney Doll]

Since we used to go twice a year and stay at a moderate or better, I spent that amount twice a year, so to only spend it once a year, I am still saving!!!!!!

 

[crisi]

I know what you mean. I think there is a difference between saying "DVC will pay for itself" and "you will save money"

Without DVC we wouldn't spend time in a 2 bedroom unit at $700 a night. We would stay at the WL for $250 a night. We wouldn't go every other year - but probably every three or four. We wouldn't be tempted to treat guests, we'd take our family and wouldn't worry about others.

It isn't saving money if you wouldn't have spent it in the first place!

Not that I'm not happy. I've chosen to do these things with my eyes wide open.

Now I'm sure that some people do manage to save money - they stick to their original yearly vacation plans. They cook in their rooms. They don't invite every shirttail relative they run into because they can't contain their joy. They don't bother with the parks every day, because they know they will be back, and save on park passes by spending days by the pool or playing mini-golf. They spend the same on dining and souvieniers that they would have without DVC - and maybe less - because they don't consider the accomodations money they would have spent (and spent on dues) as "spendable" for their vacation time.

 

[BillPA]

We don't really save money, but we now get 2 trips a year, sometimes 3, for a total of 15-20 nigths for the same cost that we use to drop on a 7-8 night trip in a deluxe room on site. We COULD stay home all but 7-8 nights, then we would save some money, but what would I do with all those "left over points?"

And we don't all get packed into one room. So we save our sanity too.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Not going on any vacations would save our family a lot of money. But that's not an option. Our vacations are special times for us all. Staying in a 2BR DVC is far better and more inexpensive that staying in two connecting rooms in a delux hotel at WDW. At this point in our life we are limited to high cost school vacation periods and DVC allows us to have a high quality vacation for only part of the costs.

HBC

 

[DeeDeeDis]

I'm not saving a dime!

Actually spending more because now I have an excuse to go to WDW three times a year and buy an annual pass.

But I am SOOOO GLAD we made this purchase. I love staying at the villas, makes me feel "special".

Might be becoming a snob, spent two nights at an All star in October, and told my husband I would never stay at an economy hotel again, this coming from a girl who spent 20 plus years of vacation camping in a tent.

Aaah the good life, goes right to your head.

To quote a charge card commercial " Cost of a DVC $$$$, time with hubby & kids, Priceless.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by DeeDeeDis
...." Cost of a DVC $$$$, time with hubby & kids, Priceless. ....

Agreed.

We wouldn't be able to vacation like this without DVC and wouldn't.

 

[goofy4tink]

My DVC logic.....my first trip was without dh. STayed at DxL. Next time, dh came and again stayed at POR (traveled with another family). So, he says, let's go again...but just our little family. Oh and no food courts this time. So, we stay at the Polynesian. Now, understand that my dh didn't 'get' the whole Disney thing until the last trip. But, he was the one who gave our phone number to DVC people on our last day..1 hr. before we left!!! He figures it is forcing him to vacation. THis is something he has always done grudgingly. He asked to buy at BWV. He liked the variety of stuff to do and the closeness to Epcot and MGM. Would we have gone every year and stayed at a deluxe? Probably not. Maybe every 2-3 years. So, we are planning on a yearly visit, sometimes with family or friends, staying for up to 2 weeks, with a week-end break at a mod. or value to save those week-end points. Are we saving money??? No way. But, we are looking forward to enjoying some terrific time in a terrific place together. So, during the year we just won't eat out quite so often. I can live with that.

 

[JimC]

The savings are easily there if you compare identical vacations cash or DVC membership. I believe the savings are there (may take longer) if you compare moderates to DVC memberships using 1 bedrooms. And the savings are before the enhanced enjoyment of the 1 bedroom units over a moderate.

If you go more because of the membership then you bought more points than you needed to replicate your cash vacation patterns. I don't believe that should not count against the analysis.

 

[tvwalsh]

I think it is wonderful to analyze what the value of our memberships are! I agree that they are a great value! I think that dollar for dollar we are getting more value than non- members. We may even need to do this to convince our spouses.

The point I am trying to make is that anyone who joins DVC with the idea that they will save money and spend less is ... a little bit, shall we say, Goofy!

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Due to the lack of Disney discounts for DVC members, we don't feel enticed to spend-spend-spend while at WDW. We try to scrutinize all "Disney purchases" while at WDW. We enjoy many of the restaurants, but they are often way overpriced for the quality, especially any counter services. We eat most meals in, and we buy less of the overpriced souveniors, and bring stuff from home. We love the ability to vacation more frequently, but do struggle with keeping to the budget we set. We are getting much better with every trip. We schedule trips according to active APs, and then enjoy the offsites. In the future, we will be flying less and driving more, and doing trips to the WDW DVCs that don't involve going to the parks.

DVC has allowed us to shift our vacation bargain hunting to the non-lodging catagories.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

We own at Vero beach, so many of our vacations don't involve large expenses for park passes, just great pool and beach time. This helps keep our vacation costs a little lower, and doesn't burn us out on WDW.

 

[crisi]

Maybe not Goofy -- maybe just more disiplined than I am:

If I stayed in a studio with my family of four rather than a two bedroom.....

If I traveled as often as I did before (which would make me a bad choice for DVC)......

If I stayed in a one bedroom, but cooked most of my meals in.....

If I planned trips to maximize points (no weekends!).....

If I stayed at OKW or a BWV Standard View room.....

If I wasn't tempted by the increased cash flow around vacation time to buy an extra sweatshirt.....

If I didn't say "Hey I have some extra points - my kids can take the hideabed" to family and friends - and worse yet, end up renting a minivan and picking up the tab for a few meals while we are all down there since we have a few extra people along (or the whole cost of the trip, airfare and everything, like we just did for my MIL).....

If I didn't get the add on bug....

I'd save money.

 

[spiceycat]

Call me Goofy if you makes you feel better - the trip before I brought - I spend around $3,500 for 2 rooms at the POR - I paid for everything - tickets, rooms, meals.

then I brought OKW (when we still had free tickets) - I brought groceries at the grocery store and that is what we ate.... (I have food allergies so eating out is a real pain to me in the first place) that trip was $125 to $200 - counting the grocery and my gasoline. remember then the tickets were free.

now I look for discount sites to buy my WDW tickets (yes they work - the only problem I never had was with the CM's.....)

we don't go to the park every day - we like to relax at my DVC home.... generally every other day - or sometimes even worst - so a 5 day pass will last me - at least 2 trips - we generally stay 5 days. No kids so no park is much, much easier for me than most members.

still buy groceries and gas - but now I have been eating out more (bad....) - the WDW restuarants really try to work with you - but this really adds to the expense - FAST - so lately my trips have been in the $400 to $700 range - but I still I think I do much better with DVC than I was before - then every trip every meal was out (and I generally got sick).

I kept all my receipts so I know where I need to cut back on my next trip.hey when you have to stay on a budget - you learn to cut back....

I got an annual passes last year - but we had to go to the parks alot more than either of us really wanted to - so no annual pass again for a while.

Now if DVC gets a good discount on the annual pass I will probably change my mind.

I generally go - 3 to 4 times a year stay 5 to 4 days. I brought DVC to save money and I do.

now my brother is just the opposite (and he shouldn't be) they stay in a 2-bedroom (on my points - crazy right) and he spend a fortune - when the tickets were still free - he could easily spend a $1,000 or more on just eating out...I think that is crazy!!!

but the world is make up of very different people!

 

[Pa@okw95]

tvwalsh--I have been saying that for years on this site that DVC is not a savings but an expense, it is that simple. What most people do is compare what it would cost if they stayed at some other place at WDW-this is like my wife telling me how much she saved when she bought herself a suit that cost her $380 marked down from $500, a $120 savings. Oh really! Being a member of DVC has cost me thousands more than it would ever had if I did not buy for the simple reason I would never had gone to WDW 2 or 3 times a year like I have since joining, then there are the tickets for my guests, yes, my grandchild has also gone 3 times and she is only 4 years old, her airline tickets, park tickets, her parents tickets, chartacter meals, etc. The list goes on and on. It is a big expense but I have enjoyed it most of the time.