Am I experiencing DVC letdown?

[dvcdisney]

I am a firm believer that DVC membership is not for everyone. I think you should do what you are comfortable with. And DVC is too expensive to settle and not be completely satisfied.

You mentioned that you prefer the daily housekeeping. And although this does not make or break your stay, it does affect your vacation.

I, personally, love the idea that housekeeping is not every day. Also, AP discount is great for us. We have used a few discounts in restaurants ie. Nine Dragons for lunch etc. These are great perks and would be very upset if they removed them. But as others have mentioned, this is not the reason why we chose to purchase into the membership.

I will admit that I do not like the SSR or OKW. I prefer BCV and AKV (both our home resorts) and even VWL because of the theming, location and proximity to the theme parks. SSR and OKW has always been my last choice but many do love them. You may have a different view of DVC if you stay at the others. I do believe each resort has different atmosphere. When we stayed at OKW a few years ago, I felt like we were just staying at any vacation resort. But when we stayed at BCV or AKV, I felt surrounded by Disneyness. And that's why we love them so much.

 

[crisi]

I think you are going to need to shift your expectations a little. Now is not a good time to resell - so unless you are one of those rare people who could afford to sell SSR at a loss and buy BCV or VWL at a premium (and even then the discounts will be the same and there won't be daily housekeeping) you are going to have to learn to deal.

Treehouse Villas will be cool - particularly if you bring guests. Once you learn the DVC travel patterns, you'll pick times when you can stay other places easily - unfortunately, that isn't the first two weeks of December at BCV/BWV or VWL. But most people have success calling right at seven months for most types of units at most times of year.

Perks will come and go, and Disney may decide to add some more perks to entice the ever growing number of DVC members to spend more in tough economic times. With the dining plan, Disney isn't having issues filling their restaurants, so a lot of those perks have gone.

I miss daily housekeeping too, and while I don't make beds at home - unmade beds in the little DVC rooms drive me batty - its one thing to not have them made in a room I enter to sleep - its another thing when its half the living space! I can buy maid service, but what I've discovered is that I don't like the unmade bed enough to pay for maid service. So I make the bed remembering what a nice room discount I am getting for making my own bed and tossing the towels in the wash in the morning (we head back midday and they go in the dryer, they are fresh the next morning with 2 minutes of work).

As to rentals, for the next few years I think those that rent will continue to get great deals - a lot of people right now can't afford their points - or the travel associated with them. But you bought this for the long term - and over the long term I think owning your points provides value - both financially and in lowering risk. Most rentals happen without a glitch - but if you rent points 2x per year for 20 years you are going to end up with miscommunication somewhere at sometime or a rental you need to cancel.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

As to rentals, for the next few years I think those that rent will continue to get great deals - a lot of people right now can't afford their points - or the travel associated with them. But you bought this for the long term - and over the long term I think owning your points provides value - both financially and in lowering risk. Most rentals happen without a glitch - but if you rent points 2x per year for 20 years you are going to end up with miscommunication somewhere at sometime or a rental you need to cancel.

If a person financed 160 points at 104 a point (using AKV as an example) for 10 years at standard financing (14%), and paid dues for 25 years with an average dues increase of 3% annually, the total cost would break even with renting points at a current rate of $10.00 increasing again by 3% annually.

Of course this is just hypothetical. Rental rates may go up even faster (as could dues), but in the end, you own the DVC, there may be tax advantages on the loan, you control the rental process, etc.

DVC is definately not for everyone, it's not an investment, rather just a method of placing risk on you as the owner rather on Disney in terms of building new resorts and offerings.

To me, when we worked out the numbers, DVC was a no brainer in terms of potential cost savings compared to its lower risk, liquidity and long term benefits.

 

[Silver Queen]

We were at SSR in December for our first DVC trip and thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Initially I wasn't enthusiastic about buying at SSR because we live 20 miles from the real Saratoga, but the incentives swayed us (along with the fact that I thought that AKV was too dark). I thought carefully about the "buy where you want to stay" advice, but I have to say that I think this is going to be fine for us. We loved the relaxing atmosphere at SSR and were very pleased with our accommodations and with all of the CMs that we met. In the future we'll be looking forward to trying out other resorts but right now we look forward to going back to SSR.

 

[vicki_c]

I also would not get discouraged about your home resort. We also own at SSR. We've been DVC owners since March 2008. This year, we have stayed at:

mid-June
2 nights at SSR - booked 3 months out
2 nights at VWL - booked 3 months out (wanted all 4 nights at VWL, but settled for 2)
(and we ended up loving SSR and would be happy to stay there all the time I think)

Food & Wine in early November
2 nights at Boardwalk Villas (got through waitlist after booking at OKW about 2.5 months out)

Christmas/New Year's Week
8 nights at BCV - again done through a waitlist right at 7 months which came through in August
(but now I want BCV points -- it was great!)

So while you might not have bought at the best place for you -- all is not lost! That first week of December is just a really tough time (and Food & Wine is too), but you might just want to stick it out for now and try and pick some vacation dates that are less DVC popular and see how you do at getting into the other resorts.

If the no mousekeeping and no discounts thing is really the sticking point, then I agree, DVC is probably not for you.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

We too were initially hesitant about SSR. When we first started looking at DVC Boardwalk was still for sale. When we finally decided to take the plunge SSR was the only offering. Unless we bought resale, which I must say now we should have looked more closely at, SSR was our only option. We were not aware that some resale groups offered financing. Now, why I don't think it is a great idea for everyone, we financed at the 5 year level knowing we could pay it of within a little over 2 years. We didn't have the whole amount to plunk down on the spot but knew we could pay it off quickly. And, the incentives on the cruise were outstanding. The best we had seen in all the years we had been considering it. That was what pushed DH over the edge.
It was never represented as a "lock" to be able to book anywhere at the 7 month mark, but we had never seen anyone have as much trouble as we did getting something else this past Dec. However, from what I understand, that was common for a lot of people. I am hoping that it was an isolated incident.

Since you are planning to pay the loan off in 2 years, I would continue with that plan, all the time trying to get other resorts at 7 mos. This time frame will give you a good idea just how easy or not getting the resorts you want at the times of year you want. By the time 2 yrs. comes around, if you still feel as you do now, I would sell. No financial deal is worth the lack of desire to stay at a resort you own. Also, in 2 years, you may be able to sell it at a better price than you will today.

 

[BroganMc]

We bought 160 points at Saratoga.
We were waitlisted for a 2bdrm, 1 bdrm & studio, or 2 studios (which ever came thru first) for 12/7-12/12, 2008. We were on the waitlists at BCV (all categories), BWV (all categories), and VWL. Nothing came thru at all.

Maybe its just the resort. We DID NOT care for SSR at all. We really felt it lacked the Disney feel.

Ah, well if I can play Armchair DVC Doctor and diagnosis this ailment of yours I'd be leaning towards a "Bonding Issue". You have not bonded with your home resort.

I too went through a bit of this during my first stay after purchase. I had been staying offsite in our Marriott timeshare. (My one and only on-site stay was at All Star Sports some years before.) So I had the luxury of a much large villa room, free internet and relative ease of getting a room last minute. I could even bump my 2bedroom stay to a 3bedroom with no extra cost. It was also much cheaper to buy and maintain. BUT we always had to drive down or take the AutoTrain. And if we wanted to split up with one of us going to the pool and the other going to the parks, we just couldn't. One car meant chained at the hip. So staying onsite was a huge factor for us.

We purchased in May but stayed that December. 5 days at SSR. I had waitlisted for VWL and BWV. I had called at 7 mos. I wanted just a studio for the two of us to save points. We purchased just enough points to stay in studios. But even at SSR the only room I could find was a 1bedroom. I absolutely needed those fewer HA rooms so that became a huge issue at DVC that was not present at Marriott. VWL waitlist came through but no one bothered to check if it was HA. It wasn't, so I declined.

December was cold that year. We stayed in the Springs, but I think the only things we got to enjoy about the resort were (1) our refillable mugs, (2) the Springs lake view of our room, and (3) the onsite bus transportation.

SSR reminded us of our Marriott timeshares in general resort layout so not a big shock. We did have a running comparison contest going though between Marriott Cypress Harbour vs. SSR. SSR had a much smaller kitchen and living room, the washer/dryer being in a closet. Cypress Harbour is just plan huge with a room all to itself for the w/d. And Marriott gave us free internet while Disney charged us $10/day.

We did not "bond" with SSR until we returned the following May. This time we chose the 1bedroom at SSR so that I could head off to the parks or wherever while GM took the van to go attend an all-day conference. We stayed in the newer Grandstand section.

The newly planted crepe myrtles blossomed, bus service was a heckuva lot quicker than our bickerings over the van, and the weather was warm enough to really enjoy this outdoor resort. We got up every morning just to turn our refillable mug runs into long walks along the many pathways. We left the parks just to soak in the hot tubs and pools. And we discovered there was a Community Hall and lots of interesting people working the resort.

A few more trips later and it has become a second home to us. We have our place at the beach in OC, MD (great for the summertime retreat), our house for the winter, and our SSR for escapes to Florida.

Now we do spend quite a bit of time at the other resorts. We love resort hopping for days off and when staying at Marriott. We love the decor of VWL and AKV, especially in Springtime. BWV makes a nice homebase for Food&Wine, but they are all short studio stays for us. More like hotel getaways than vacation resorts.

We did just purchase a BLT add-on, but solely for a 3-4 day a year getaway. Just something to spice things up a bit.

If this is your first ever stay at SSR I'd recommend you give it another go in a warmer time (October is very nice there) before you give it up for adoption. Perhaps you are more of a "hotel-themed" resort type guest. In that case, you can sell SSR and pick up one of the older ones in resale. There are a lot about.

But before you do anything, I think you need to brush up a bit on how the program actually works as far as perks, reservation demand, etc. I studied the stuff here for a good 6 months before I thought I had a good enough grasp on it. Talk to the CMs at MS about what your goal is for a ressie and they'll give a lot of insight as to when is a good time to book X resort.

If you get the AP already, then pony up for the DDE (or is that called Table at Wonderland now?). $60 a year and the card gives you a 20% discount everywhere (except a couple). You even get the discount at Artist's Palette in SSR. Get yourself a Disney Visa card as well. Then be in the habit of whipping out all your membership cards at the stores and restaurants to see what gives you the best discount at the time. We routinely pull out our DVC Member cards, Disney Visa, AP and DDE cards and just ask.

 

[vicki_c]

I think that's a very nice analysis, BroganMc! Interesting concept -- the bonding thing!

 

[La2kw]

We've been members since '94. We have stayed at every DVC resort that exists, most of them more than once. We only own at OKW and SSR, which happen to be our favorite two resorts. We have never had a problem using our points to try other DVC resorts. This July, we have two weeks booked at BCV and another two nights at VB. We booked this at 7 months.

Your guide should have stressed to you that DVC is not about discounts. Those come and go. The AP discount is fantastic, IMO. Here's a list of all the discounts we currently get on dining alone. That's not too bad, IMO.

DVC Dining Discounts

MK
Tommorowland Terrace Noodle Station 10% Lunch

Studios
Studio Catering Co. 10% Lunch/Dinner

Epcot
Tutto Italia 10% Lunch/Dinner
Chefs de France 20% Lunch
Coral Reef 10% Lunch
Nine Dragons 20% Lunch
Marrakesh 20% Lunch/Dinner
San Angel Inn 10% Lunch

AK
Yak & Yeti 10% Lunch/Dinner
Rainforest Café 10% Bfast/Lunch/Dinner

Resorts
Captain’s Grill 10% Bfast/Lunch/Dinner
ESPN Club 10% Lunch
Grand Floridian Café 10% Bfast/Lunch
Olivia’s Café 10% Bfast/Lunch/Dinner
Spoodle’s 10% Breakfast
Trail’s End 10% Bfast/Lunch
Whispering Canyon Café 10% Bfast/Lunch

Downtown Disney
Fulton’s Crab House 20% Lunch/10% Dinner
Ghiradelli 10%
McDonald’s 20% Bfast/Lunch/Dinner Extra Value Meals
Portobello Yacht Club 20% Lunch/10%Dinner
CocoMoka Café –Virgin Records free cookie with large coffee or smoothee
HOB 20% Lunch/Dinner

Swan/Dolphin- most restaurants except signature. 20% most meals

 

[BroganMc]

I think that's a very nice analysis, BroganMc! Interesting concept -- the bonding thing!

Helps when you're a Psych grad and your 70-some-yo father breaks his hip on vacation and needs a place to begin his rehab post-hospital. Driving him through those gates last October really put a sunglowing-tint on the resort bond for us. They should rename it the Grandpa Mohawk Rehab Retreat, we joked.

Seriously OP, I've been reading the many responses you've gotten and I hope you have too. There's a lot of good wisdom being shared by the DVC DiS veterans here. No timeshare program is exactly as the salesman says. It has quirks and veteran (read: obsessed) members are the best ones to sort out fact from fiction.

There are many here who are also vets when it comes to other timeshare programs and the exchange world. Those guys shame me with their knowledge. But if you can just figure out how to make your DVC work for you, then you'll be a lot happier.

Brave heart. Things are never as bad as they seem if you're patient and diligent enough to see it through. Good luck!

BTW, you might begin by asking the vets here how to get the ressie you're after. They have lots of strategies.

 

[eliza61]

Ouch, I think this is more a case of buyers remorse. Some times I wish reading the dis boards before purchasing was made mandatory.

Unfortunately you may have purchased for all the wrong reasons. Buying most any tme share including DVC is primarily about PRE-paying for your vacations. You are purchasing your future vacations at todays dollars. I do question how you brought into SSR? Did you check it out before hand?
Happily I love my dvc and have enjoyed all my stays. SSR is not one of my favorites resorts but I enjoyed my stay there.

Not sure I have any advice except to sell and post lots of questions on how to get into other resorts. I travel in August and have virtually stayed in every dvc resort except AK, which I plan on booking in a few weeks, so maybe you are attempting during a really busy time.

Also if you go to disneyvacationclub.com you can see all the restuarants that are giving the discount.

 

[OneMoreTry]

I cannot relate to the OP at all. ????

Have always loved DVC.
Wanted condos at WDW.
Get condos at WDW.
Mostly OKW but have stayed at all but SSR.
Also love the HHI resort.
I don't count on the wait list, but it comes through 95% of time. Would not expect it to at Xmas.
Only perk I ever used was free gift at Ghiradelli once at DD and I think one 10% discount at a restaurant.
Oh, and we used the DVC cash discount for weekend nights a couple of times.

You know those things you buy where you always look back and say -- I'm SOO glad I bought that?
For me, DVC is one of those.

 

[kmintheville]

as I have said before, the neat thing about DVC is there is something for everyone. We like SSR. But have, and will stay at the others too!

 

[ChickieToo]

OP: I have skimmed most of this thread, but haven't read it all, so forgive me if someone mentioned this before. But in terms of the waitlist, did you waitlist for the whole week at one time, or day-by-day? It would be much harder to fulfill a waitlist for an entire week than one day at a time. I have had success with the day-by-day waitlist for BCV during spring break. I waitlisted for 3 studios to open up day-by-day and eventually they all did. Of course I realize some of this was luck of the draw. How you waitlisted coupled with trying to switch at the busiest DVC time of the year could have been your problem with switching resorts.

Overall, I also echo the "buy where you want to stay mantra". We own at VWL and BCV, but we bought BCV resale through Disney. I bought two seperate contracts and was on a wailist for the first contract for months. The second time not as long.

I also agree that DVC isn't for everyone. The mousekeeping thing used to bug me too, but after 7 years I've come to appreciate the privacy. As for not liking SSR, you could always buy a resort you like more through a broker or through Disney, and rent out your SSR points until there is a more favorable time to sell.

Sorry about your disappointment. I hope you come up with a solution that suits you.

 

[littlestar]

Don't feel bad. On our first trip after buying into DVC we had two units at VWL and we got a dumpster room view and the studio with no balcony. Part of our family had come over from Marriott's Grande Vista (brand new unit that was perfect) and I know my family thought we were nuts for buying into DVC (laughter). We didn't sell, but we had a few thoughts that leaned that way. We gave it another chance and our future trips were much better. We've actually branched out even more since then - now we own Marriott, too -

We like the Grandstand section of Saratoga really well. Saratoga grew on us.

 

[Tigger031266]

Let me suggest to the OP that they give it another try. Try BWV during a different time. Spend a day or two at VB. You may have just had unusual issues. From my 5 yrs of experience, I have never had issues getting rooms if I was flexible.

I understand what your saying about SSR. I personally love the resort but it took time to grow on me. SSR lost some of its magic because the fireworks went away and pleasure island closed.

I agree with other posters that DVC is really about prepaid vacations.
However, I think the perks are really great:
- Valet Parking - at many resorts
- AP Discounts
- Restaurant Discounts
- Merchandise Discounts
- Free DVD Rentals
- Community Halls
- 1 bedrooms with Washers, Dryers, Kitchens, Jacuzzi tubs
- Free Internet
- Previews of Rides
- Free washers/dryers at pools for studios
- Free parking at parks
.....

Give it one more time!

 

[culli]

OP you say your only choice was SSR to buy, well that is not true. You could have bought through Disney any of the resorts, except maybe BCV you might have had to go a list. You just wanted the incentives so you went with SSR. As far as perks, except the AP one they are pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things. You said you rented before at other resorts you had a pretty good idea of DVC. I believe you say you like Port Orleans, but we stayed there and that place is as spread out as SSR, issues with buses are everywhere just not SSR.

I love all the resorts and happy staying in any of them, beats staying in a hotel no question. I can't believe we could ever stay in a hotel on a vacation again. SSR is understated by design and understand if it is not your cup of tea, but WOW YOU ARE AT WDW and SSR ruined your trip!?!?!?!?!?!?!

This really looks like buyers remorse, not tyring to be too rough on you but just a little "Dr. Phil" treatment. You say you like the "Disney" feel for BCV but what is Disney about it? It is just a nautical theme, I don't see this any more Disney than SSR. SSR is the largest resort so I hope everyone keeps bashing it and people sell their points. I for one wouldn't mind staying at any of the resorts and will admit we try to get BWV, BCV and DWL first then SSR or OKW......for us animal kingdom has zero appeal, but hey if it was all that was available that would be fine. Actually if SSR was walking distance to EPCOT or a quick boat ride to MK it would be hands down the best all around resort at Disney. I have a different philosophy when buying and it is get the best #&@!!!*@& deal you can get. SSR can be had with loaded contracts for 68-70 per pt and one of the lowest MF. So keep the gluttony of SSR contracts coming I would like to see the market drive the price in the low 60's or even lower.......I would like to get some more points

 

[bwvBound]

You have not bonded with your home resort.

BroganMc -- Would you, please, consider posting a POLL on the notion of being bonded with one's home resort?

My name is bwvBound and I am not bonded with my DVC home resort (SSR).

 

[FindTheMickeys]

WOW.. SSR has been my home since 2005 and I love it. The only time I ran into an issue getting a room was during Wine Fest at Epcot. Then I just had to move my stay up a week. Of course, my favorilte time is mid-October, no heat and no lines... We always stay in a 2 BR villa and I love it. Yes, sometimes you have to wait for a bus, but to me it's a heck of a lot better than having to catch a tram to the front gate from WAY out in a parking lot somewhere... I'm really sorry you're not happy since that is a whole lot of money to spend on something that doesn't give you what you expected... Good luck...

 

[dairyqueenmom]

We have been able to book outside our home resort in Sept. at the 7th month mark. You have to go into it knowing it is pre-paid villa vacation, discounts are a perk. The AP discount is huge for us. We know using our points outside of the world is a poor comparison. It works for us.