AKV/direct $108 pt.... what would you do?

[Dean]

I realy dont get all the hub bub about the $95 res fee it's not a lot if money . I hear it everytime I mention it , even to my dvc friends at home . IDK maybe I an just loose with my money

No, it's not a lot but it is additive to the cost and the risk. The other issues are far larger IMO. The purest way to compare cruising to cash for DCL is to simply look at using the DVC points ONLY for DCL. If you do that for 2 people yearly for a 7 night peak season, you're looking at around 450 DVC points at a buy in (even with this discount at AKV) of $49000 and yearly dues of almost $2500. That's for a cruise that costs $3500 directly so $1000 return of investment on $49000 yearly. Given that dues and cruises are likely to keep step from inflation, I doubt there's anything to be recouped in that area over the years. For something that adds other risk and isn't guaranteed, that's a good choice exactly how? Back when resale points weren't restricted and for a cruise every 5 years or so, I got that though even then it wasn't a good choice to purposefully buy more points for the cruise.

 

[BestDadEver]

The op needs to consider that there are diffrent ways that people calculate thier DVC value .

you could compare it to what you would have paid to stay in the room you are in , the way I do it .

Or you can compare it to the room you would have stayed in . Thes are the ones that ask if you would stay in value resorts .

Or some brake down the price per point for the total contract as a whole .

And that is why you get a lot of diffrent opinions

 

[BestDadEver]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think that even with the insurance the only refund you will get on your points is the MFs that you paid on them. They do not refund your points. Right?

Your right , I bought dvc on my cruise , that I payed cash for and paid for the insurance, after I paid in full 75 days before the cruise , without the insurance I would have been SOL

 

[Dean]

The op needs to consider that there are diffrent ways that people calculate thier DVC value .

you could compare it to what you would have paid to stay in the room you are in , the way I do it .

Or you can compare it to the room you would have stayed in . Thes are the ones that ask if you would stay in value resorts .

Or some brake down the price per point for the total contract as a whole .

And that is why you get a lot of diffrent opinions

IMO, savings is comparing to what you would or could have paid without DVC and value to what extra you're getting. However, comparing to the rack rate of DVC to calculate savings or even value is not a reasonable choice.

 

[BestDadEver]

Many of us bought into the DVC several years ago before Disney changed they way that they do business. The $95 fee only started a couple of years ago and the exchange company was changed from Interval International to RCI. The change wasn't made to necessarily improve the offerings to the owners, some say that it was made to benefit Disney.

Bill

Ok I can understand that then . I am slightly dissapointed that there aren't more nightly room exhanges through rci . I would like to use it to go to hershy park but I dont need 7 days for hersey plus it's only 2 br avalable red all year long was a but dissapointed with that . Ob so what to do aweek in williamsburg though I have been wanting to go there since I was 15

 

[crisi]

We are planning a trip for the end of Dec, beginning of January. My son is currently a CM so we can get a 15% discount through him or Disney currently has a 20% promotion going for AKV. This would make our points $108 instead of $135.

Certain times of year, DVC books up pretty tight pretty fast. The Christmas holidays are one of those times. If you are looking to buy this year, it is possible that the resort is booked already.

If you buy direct, your guide may be able to release unsold rooms out of DVD inventory for you for this trip only, but make sure to know if its available if this is the trip you want to take. If you buy resale, this (small) perk won't be available.

I'd buy only enough points to use AT DISNEY every two to three years. For other travel, I'd use cash, although the more timesharey types here would recommend you find a good, inexpensive timeshare resale. If you want to go this path, spending some time researching timeshares is important as they aren't all alike. DVC is still the best way to timeshare AT DISNEY, but it is a very expensive timeshare if you want to stay in Branson and a very limiting timeshare if you want to say in Maui.

 

[Dean]

Ok I can understand that then . I am slightly dissapointed that there aren't more nightly room exhanges through rci . I would like to use it to go to hershy park but I dont need 7 days for hersey plus it's only 2 br avalable red all year long was a but dissapointed with that . Ob so what to do aweek in williamsburg though I have been wanting to go there since I was 15

Only slightly disappointed with RCI options? Your best bet for hershey for less than a week (even a full week) is to get directly with a Bluegreen owner. There are lots of options for reasonable rentals and direct exchanges.

 

[BestDadEver]

No, it's not a lot but it is additive to the cost and the risk. The other issues are far larger IMO. The purest way to compare cruising to cash for DCL is to simply look at using the DVC points ONLY for DCL. If you do that for 2 people yearly for a 7 night peak season, you're looking at around 450 DVC points at a buy in (even with this discount at AKV) of $49000 and yearly dues of almost $2500. That's for a cruise that costs $3500 directly so $1000 return of investment on $49000 yearly. Given that dues and cruises are likely to keep step from inflation, I doubt there's anything to be recouped in that area over the years. For something that adds other risk and isn't guaranteed, that's a good choice exactly how? Back when resale points weren't restricted and for a cruise every 5 years or so, I got that though even then it wasn't a good choice to purposefully buy more points for the cruise.

We look at it differently . Thats ok . Even if I spend 450 points on cruise . I explain how I look at it . If I spend the points on rooms at dvc resort i would get 2-3 weeks . I am planning my first dvc vacation not including airfare cause you would need that for both . I am most likely spend $2500 for food and tix and anything else I want to do but I bet I spend close to 3 k when I go .So times that by 2-3 times $6k-9k for multipule trips . Or go on a cruise and spend $1500 or less , cause I dont need to spend over $1k just to eat and done have to pay park tix . Thats why it makes sence to me.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I realy dont get all the hub bub about the $95 res fee it's not a lot if money . I hear it everytime I mention it , even to my dvc friends at home . IDK maybe I an just loose with my money

Yea. Every time I hear that "argument," I think to myself, "OK. They've run out of things to argue about."

 

[Dean]

We look at it differently . Thats ok . Even if I spend 450 points on cruise . I explain how I look at it . If I spend the points on rooms at dvc resort i would get 2-3 weeks . I am planning my first dvc vacation not including airfare cause you would need that for both . I am most likely spend $2500 for food and tix and anything else I want to do but I bet I spend close to 3 k when I go .So times that by 2-3 times $6k-9k for multipule trips . Or go on a cruise and spend $1500 or less , cause I dont need to spend over $1k just to eat and done have to pay park tix . Thats why it makes sence to me.

Your choice of course. While there are other costs to any choice (tickets, food, excursions, etc), the comparison of using points vs cash for a cruise is a simple one for which I laid out a simple and direct example. IF one were to use the points in the manner laid out, the real cost of those cruises would be dramatically more than using cash, I'd say roughly 50% more per cruise if you include the time value of money assuming none of those risks ever came into play. If I'm going to tie up my money and have risk, I want a real savings, that's generally a minimum of 20%.

 

[abdgeek]

You heard correctly that resale points can only be used to book DVC resorts. Be very careful if you decide to buy them and make sure you know all the restrictions.

You don't have to visit WDW every year with DVC points. I tend to go every other year or so and use my points for RCI, DCL, ABD and Concierge hotels. Since I've joined DVC I have stayed at the following places using my points:

WDW numerous times, Aulani, Disneyland, Grove Park Inn(NC), DCL cruises to Alaska, Western Caribbean, Mediterranean & Mexican Riviera and ABD Greek and Med add-on trips. I also have reservations for Las Vegas through RCI using my points.

I got a DVC membership to go everywhere that Disney went. Getting to go to WDW more frequently is just a perk. I know the discount in the cost of points sounds attractive, but you are severely limiting what you can do.

 

[ELMC]

We look at it differently . Thats ok . Even if I spend 450 points on cruise . I explain how I look at it . If I spend the points on rooms at dvc resort i would get 2-3 weeks . I am planning my first dvc vacation not including airfare cause you would need that for both . I am most likely spend $2500 for food and tix and anything else I want to do but I bet I spend close to 3 k when I go .So times that by 2-3 times $6k-9k for multipule trips . Or go on a cruise and spend $1500 or less , cause I dont need to spend over $1k just to eat and done have to pay park tix . Thats why it makes sence to me.

If you spend 450 points on a cruise then you are spending $4,500 cash. Despite how uncomfortable people feel about renting out points, the fact remains that you can easily rent out points for $10 a piece. If you don't want to do it that's cool, but it's not a reason to ignore the fact that it places a real value on the points you use for a cruise.

 

[DougEMG]

IMO, savings is comparing to what you would or could have paid without DVC and value to what extra you're getting. However, comparing to the rack rate of DVC to calculate savings or even value is not a reasonable choice.

 

[Dean]

You heard correctly that resale points can only be used to book DVC resorts. Be very careful if you decide to buy them and make sure you know all the restrictions.

You don't have to visit WDW every year with DVC points. I tend to go every other year or so and use my points for RCI, DCL, ABD and Concierge hotels. Since I've joined DVC I have stayed at the following places using my points:

WDW numerous times, Aulani, Disneyland, Grove Park Inn(NC), DCL cruises to Alaska, Western Caribbean, Mediterranean & Mexican Riviera and ABD Greek and Med add-on trips. I also have reservations for Las Vegas through RCI using my points.

I got a DVC membership to go everywhere that Disney went. Getting to go to WDW more frequently is just a perk. I know the discount in the cost of points sounds attractive, but you are severely limiting what you can do.

I understand using DVC as a forced vacation plan much like people use W-2 withholding as a forced savings plan. However, the reality is that for anyone buying in, if they just bought the points they'd use for DVC and looked at other options for the non DVC trips, they'd have a LOT more money in their back accounts at the end of the day, a lot more flexibility, a lot more options and a lot less risk.

If you spend 450 points on a cruise then you are spending $4,500 cash. Despite how uncomfortable people feel about renting out points, the fact remains that you can easily rent out points for $10 a piece. If you don't want to do it that's cool, but it's not a reason to ignore the fact that it places a real value on the points you use for a cruise.

While I agree with your numbers, I at least understand owning and deciding to use the points for a cruise. Still, the other risks and negatives for using points for a cruise well in advance far outweigh the risks of renting out the points IMO. In this case we're even going beyond that and discussing one who has the option up front of buying more points to use for these options or less points and paying cash, it is a black and white decision IMO.

 

[princesscinderella]

The only other piece of advice I have to add is that I believe there are some restrictions on selling your points down the road when they are purchased with a cast member discount. You go the direct route might what to investigate what those restrictions are.

 

[BestDadEver]

If you spend 450 points on a cruise then you are spending $4,500 cash. Despite how uncomfortable people feel about renting out points, the fact remains that you can easily rent out points for $10 a piece. If you don't want to do it that's cool, but it's not a reason to ignore the fact that it places a real value on the points you use for a cruise.

Just to not revisit this whole discussion again about value . My cruise cost me $4500 cash so it is the same, and after brake even point I will consider it free . I am also not interested in renting points if I dont have too . It sounds like a total nightmare to me to rent points .

 

[BestDadEver]

Only slightly disappointed with RCI options? Your best bet for hershey for less than a week (even a full week) is to get directly with a Bluegreen owner. There are lots of options for reasonable rentals and direct exchanges.

It may be an option to look into . I haven't looked into any other time shares . So those names you mention idk what they mean our how they work .

Is that something that can be had for very cheap ? Then I may be interested. Or are you saying to rent from someone .

My in laws had rci account and didn't like it much they sold it .

 

[ELMC]

Just to not revisit this whole discussion again about value . My cruise cost me $4500 cash so it is the same, and after brake even point I will consider it free . I am also not interested in renting points if I dont have too . It sounds like a total nightmare to me to rent points .

Really, free? You're not even assigning a cost of maintenance fees for the points you use?

 

[BestDadEver]

Really, free? You're not even assigning a cost of maintenance fees for the points you use?

Yes MF .not free severly reduced .

 

[ELMC]

Yes MF .not free severly reduced .

You do realize that maintenance fees make up the majority of the cost of DVC over time, right?