Am I experiencing DVC letdown?

[dianeschlicht]

One other thing I want to mention. Very inconsequential, but I did miss the daily housekeeping you get when you don't stay at DVC. When I am on vacation I really don't want to make the beds everyday, have trash lingering around, or dirty towels to use. I like coming back everynight to a room that has been cleaned, beds made and fresh linen hanging in the bathrooms.
I knew going in to DVC that daily housekeeping was not an option, but still, I miss it.

We feel exactly the OPPOSITE! LOVE the fact that no one is rumaging around "my" room during the day. THe towels can easily be thrown in the washer and dry in the unit, and if I don't want to wash them, I can still dry them and have them seem fresh.

If you don't make your bed, who cares? Only you have to know about it. I'm one who can't stand an unmade bed though, so I aways DO make it just as I do at home. It gets done the minute we jump out of it in the morning, and takes maybe a minute at most.

Now, if you are staying in studios, I can see the problem. I didn't buy into DVC to stay in studios. If I wanted to do that, I'd be staying in hotels instead. I suspect your expectations were a bit different than most who buy.

I look at DVC as a great way to save on many years of on-site accommodations that are deluxe or better, and in a far larger "room" or unit than I would be able to afford without DVC. On top of that, I can go multiple times a year with very little extra cost other than transportation expenses.

When we figure in the $100 discount on APs, we always feel like all trips beyond that first one on an AP are gravy! Our trip ends up being additional for food and transportation only.

True that you need to plan ahead a bit, but we have never had any issues getting what we wanted and even changing reservations at the 7 month window. For example: for this month, I was able to change our 2 bedroom OKW to a 2 bedroom savanna view AKV easily at the 7 month window. If you are traveling in early December or during holiday time, that might not be as easy, but it should work if you are open to being flexible.

 

[Cmbar]

BroganMC....you're my hero

SSR, BLT and a place in Ocean City! OH wow, just my dream life. I want Disney in the Winter and Fall and Beach in the summer.

We haven't bought yet and that is because we can't afford 160 at BLT and we don't care for the AKV. We have stayed at BWV, VWL and SSR and I like all of them, but we had our nicest trip at SSR in the summer. No lines for buses at all and the GrandStation area pool is so nice. Loved being able to refill my mug right there. I think SSR is a good resale purchase because costs are low on the resale market, but then I worry about reselling if necessary. Oh the decisions. We are about to rent 205 points and I keep thinking we need to spend that money on a purchase. OH how I wish I could 100 points as a new owner at BLT. Even thinking about buying a small resale somewhere and then adding 100 at BLT. I think the minimum goes up soon.

I looked but I did not see if anyone answered about the AP. Do you get the 100 discount off a purchase of a brand new AP or does it have to be a renewal. We haven't purchased AP yet. Thanks!

 

[kitsch4]

Maybe its just the resort. We DID NOT care for SSR at all. We really felt it lacked the Disney feel. That is something we really enjoy about VWL and BCV. There is a real Disney feel to the place. We have stayed at AKL, VWL, BWV, BCV and OKW in the past as either cash ressies or renting points. Our favorite is BCV and VWL.

I'm so sorry you are disappointed. We own at Beach Club and stayed at SSR several years ago for the first time. Hated it! We then stayed there again last spring break, since we made last minute reservations and didn't have many choices in where we could stay. I really enjoyed it that time. The first visit we stayed in the Paddock section, which is near the entrance and is really removed from the rest of the resort. The second time we stayed in the Springs section, I think, which is more centrally situated. Walking around the place then, I really felt this sense of community. So maybe you could give it another chance. Your feelings might change. Whatever you decide, you should be happy!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Did the OP take the SSR tour? Or purchase site unseen? It is very easy to get caught up in the worle-wind of ownership while on a vacation. I also think the salesman-CM's REALLY PUSH 7 months reservations at other DVC resorts. Its not always about the dollar, one really needs to want to stay at their owned DVC resort if all else fails. No amount of "savings" can offset this feeling.

 

[Starr W.]

Did the OP take the SSR tour? Or purchase site unseen? It is very easy to get caught up in the worle-wind of ownership while on a vacation. I also think the salesman-CM's REALLY PUSH 7 months reservations at other DVC resorts. Its not always about the dollar, one really needs to want to stay at their owned DVC resort if all else fails. No amount of "savings" can offset this feeling.

Our sales guide was very upfront about the 7month mark, BE FLEXIBLE!

But then again he also told us if you were not committed to planning your vacation 11 to minimum of 7 months out you really shouldn't be buying DVC points.

 

[hakepb]

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.

Policy change, you can only waitlist for the entire stay (implemented I think the same time as the 11+7 and 7+7) Although existing day by day waitlist requests were "grandfathered in" By now, all waitlist requests should be entire stay.

(I think you could call back, and if one day was open, you add that open day, cancel your old waitlist and waitlist for the shorter stay but your new waitlist is put at the bottom of the pile...)

 

[starwood]

After our initial purchase price our only yearly outlay is for dues. This year it was $875.90. I paid $459 with my Disney Visa Reward dollars so the only money I put out for 185 points at OKW is $416.90 and a small portion is tax deductible for property taxes. For that $416 I am getting 4 days in July at Animal Kingdom Villas in a 2 bedroom unit with a savannah view. I'm guessing if I were to pay cash for this ressie I would be spending approximately $2800.

 

[Dodie]

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.

This was my initial thought as well. We purchased VWL directly from Disney last year without difficulty. We told our guide that was where we wanted to buy because that was where we wanted to stay and that we would not purchase at AKL or SSR. 160 points were available; we bought them; and financed them through Disney too.
I'm wondering if you allowed your guide to SELL you instead of doing your research. Now you have buyer's remorse. It's understandable, but don't give up hope. Just assume that you will likely NOT get a wait list to go through for the most popular DVC time of year (early December). If that is when you plan to go to Disney World, you will probably be staying at your home resort. If you call right at the 7 month date for other times of the year - there will usually be other choices for you. Of course, those choices are limited at certain resorts during certain events (BWV and BCV during Food and Wine, for instance), but if you're flexible, you'll have good luck.

 

[WolfpackFan]

I have to say, when we bought our DVC contracts the perks didn't even enter into our minds. We bought to pre-pay for our future vacations. Now that we are retired and with the tight economic times our DVC vacations are just about all the vacations we can afford to take. Luckily we now have enough points we can do 3-4 good vacations every year, splitting up with visits to WDW and HHI. We don't even consider using our points for anything else like cruises or exchanges, the point values are just too high. As far as perks go, other than getting the AP discount we don't usually take advantage of them. In some cases, we even forget to check if a restaurant has a DVC discount. If you bought into DVC because of anything other than pre-paying for future vacations at DVC resorts, you bought in for the wrong reasons and will be disappointed.

 

[ChickieToo]

Policy change, you can only waitlist for the entire stay (implemented I think the same time as the 11+7 and 7+7) Although existing day by day waitlist requests were "grandfathered in" By now, all waitlist requests should be entire stay.

(I think you could call back, and if one day was open, you add that open day, cancel your old waitlist and waitlist for the shorter stay but your new waitlist is put at the bottom of the pile...)

You are right, but at the time she made her waitlist, at the 11th month mark last January, she was still able to waitlist day-by-day, I believe (I may be wrong about this, but I thought the waitlist change was fairly recent). I was just trying to point out that if she didn't waitlist by the day, the waitlist was probably not successful because the chances of a whole week coming up exactly as she needed it was probably near impossible during Christmas time. I was just trying to see what factors may have impacted her success in this area as she was really disappointed about it. Thanks for helping me clarify though.

Of course, if she were to do this again, she would have no choice but to waitlist by the week.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I was interested in DVC from the get go but couldn't afford it. In the early years the perks were much better, but like many posters, I didn't buy into it for the perks.

My family loves Disney, being from Florida, we don't have the expense of flying in etc., and we get to stay in a home away from home. The surroundings, no matter the resort, each have their charms and I like them all. I've never had a bad stay, I've enjoyed each and every resort (save BLT, looking forward to it) and though OKW is my personal favorite, I would add on if I could at any of them.

I can't afford deluxe hotels, and I knew going into DVC what I was getting. I know that by staying in a one or two bedroom, I can control how much I spend on food and I can relax in comfortable, affordable nice surroundings. I'll be honest, my family loves togetherness, but it's not happening in a studio, more often than not we're in a 2 bdr. We've been to Disney 40+ times and for us it's no longer the commando driven vacation, parks from rope drop till close, so the resort we stay at is even more important. We actually do vacation at the resorts and never visit the parks.

I also agree with the fact that high expectations often lead to let down. DVC has served to enhance my already wonderful vacation experience. Being DVC members now is just as wonderful as it was in 2000 when we purchased. We are lucky to have the travel bug, and we budget vacations all over the world and DVC for it's part has superseded my expectations, but then again I'm a realist. Vacation is family and friends sharing special times and for me the surroundings (DVC or not) don't make or break my experience.

...for those of you who are disapointed and aren't feeling it, then selling is probably the best thing to do! Or perhaps give it another try before making your decision.

 

[DisFlan]

I'd agree with giving it more time and maybe a few more stays before deciding to sell - maybe at a different time of year. You won't always be limited to SSR. And as mentioned, DVC may not be the right choice for you. But I'd still stick with it for a bit longer.

We've been staying at WDW since 1983, long before we joined DVC in 2004, and they weren't all perfect trips. The same can happen with any single DVC stay at any given resort. The next stay at the same resort can be totally different. We bought a BWV resale without ever staying there and were lucky enough to "bond" with it. BUT - we're giving SSR a try later this year. We like to try a resort before we take a view on it.

DisFlan

 

[Dictator]

I bought at SSR. It's one of my least favorite resorts. BUT the price was right. We almost always go to WDW in Sept or Oct. I've never had trouble at getting a reservation elsewhere except during the week of Dec last year. We bought DVC so that we could bring others with us on vacation as our treat. We bought DVC so that we could controll vacation costs over the next few decades. We didn't buy to get discounts on anything.

 

[LisaS]

I looked but I did not see if anyone answered about the AP. Do you get the 100 discount off a purchase of a brand new AP or does it have to be a renewal. We haven't purchased AP yet. Thanks!

You get $100 off a new adult AP purchase. You also get a discount if you renew an AP ($105). There are discounts for PAPs as well. Here is a link to a table of AP prices. These prices do not include the 6.5% sales tax.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/tickets.htm#ap

 

[Pennyguy23]

We own SSR and have only stayed there twice and both times we wanted to. (We have also stayed at BCV Twice, BWV 3 times, VWL Twice, AKV 4 times, But we do own there but didn't use the 11month window) We stayed at SSR over new years for 4 nights then for the next SIX nights we had our "pick of the litter" Every single resort was aval. So I think you just picked a VERY bad week. We are going back Sunday for 5 nights at SSR in a 2Br. We are VERY excited. Thats why we like DVC. Something for everyone.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

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...

What happens when you bond with every resort you visit, DVC Doc?

All kidding aside (even though I've never met a DVC resort I didn't fall in love with), this whole scenario reminds me of when you move into a new house. No house is ever perfect (at least if you're on a limited budget and haven't owned a few in the past to know what you like/don't like). The first few nights you assess everything you love and hate. You notice every noise the house makes, and you almost kill yourself walking through it in the middle of the night. You flip the wrong light switches, and it's about as comfortable and homey as sleeping in a motel room. But, you begin to build memories. After a few weeks, you begin to laugh at the heater going out the day you moved in (okay...this really happened...2/2/2000 during some close to record low temps). You begin having family over to visit. You celebrate the holidays. It becomes less about the house being everything you want it to be, and more about everything it has become to you.

For us, we're lucky. "Disney" is our house. It's where we've built our memories, and not at a given resort. Every place we stay gives us more to explore and enjoy at WDW. We just watched a video tonight (taped from before Christmas) of WDW and the resorts. They kept showing different places (value - deluxe), and we kept saying, "Oh! Remember when..." and, "Oh! We stayed there! Wasn't ??? wonderful?" My husband looked over at me and said, "I really love that place. Where are we staying in April?"

Give it another try or two, OP! What you'll figure out for yourself is whether it's truly SSR or WDW. If you find either SSR or WDW is not your cup of tea, it truly is an easy fix. You may lose some money, but you don't want to be stuck with something you don't enjoy.

We feel exactly the OPPOSITE! LOVE the fact that no one is rumaging around "my" room during the day. The towels can easily be thrown in the washer and dry in the unit, and if I don't want to wash them, I can still dry them and have them seem fresh...

I couldn't agree more. I would be fine with Mousekeeping cleaning the day we left, and we usually stay 5 - 7 days.

 

[HGLightlyj]

Member since 2002. Haven't regretted buying DVC for a minute. 11 month/ 7 month reservations/ wait list for the most part has worked for me. I remain flexible. I own at OKW - WL is only DVC resort that I have not reserved.

 

[jimmytammy]

Our 1st trip as members, I was thinking "what have I done", but it was our own fault. We booked way into the 7 mos window, at our home resort. We got lucky getting a studio at VWL, in Dec no less, but couldnt get the week we wanted. But it was my own doings. I hadnt learned the system yet, and how to best it to my advantage.

But our 2nd trip, a whole different scenario. We stayed in a 2 bed at our home resort. Called 11 mos out, got exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it. And we slowed down. Didnt rush around the parks, took our time. It sank in, we ARE coming back.

DVC has been wonderful ever since. We have purchased 3 more contracts since the 1st one. And couldnt be happier.

Everyone has a different experience with DVC. I only share mine because for different reasons I questioned if I had done the right thing or not. But time made it all right. I say give it time, then you will know.

 

[WDWLVR]

We've been owners since early 2000. I agree with the buy where you want to stay. We love our Boardwalk home and if that is the only place we could stay going forward I'd be happy with that. Having said that we have been able to book at the 7 month window to stay at all other DVC's except for SSR and AKV and I assume that we'll try those some day as well.

We like the fact that we don't have daily housekeeping. Making the bed in the morning is no big deal and when the trash needs to be taken out it is. In the meantime we can come back and just relax any time of the day and not worry about housekeeping knocking on the door.

We didn't buy DVC for the perks, we bought it for pre-paid accomodations until 2042. We have, however, taken advantage of a number of the perks. We've used the DVC discount for AP's for a number of years now. We've also used the DVC discount for both of the Segway tours we've done. We've attended the DVC Merry Member Mixer for a number of years which I thought was a nice perk. We've also taken advantage of a number of DVC special events like the Member Cruises and Member Homecoming. We paid for these events but feel like we really have gotten our money's worth by seeing and enjoying the likes of Roy Disney, Art Linkletter, Richard Sherman, Jody Benson, Susan Egan and many many more.

 

[MAGICX2]

So sorry it has taken me to post another reply. I have been offline for a few days. I will try to address the very good and valid points all of you made.

We made our waitlist request at exactly the 7 month mark to the day at 9am. We made the waitlist for the stay as a whole and also a day-by-day for each request. I think we had somewhere around 27 waitlist requests for that one week.

We researched DVC for 4 years before we purchased. We did budget analysis, point breakdowns (btw, at the time we figured out that our 160 points over the couse of 49 years was costing us roughly $5 per point), and we took a total of 3 DVC tours. We did research, a lot of it, before we made this decision.

Housekeeping is not a make or break issue for me. I just miss it sometimes. Who doesn't like to come home to a room totally clean and fresh that you didn't have to do? I also like knowing that I can leave stuff where ever I like and not worry about having to pick up so housekeeping can come and clean up. We washed clothes on our last trip. It took a while as the dryer is not that great, but you know what, I never even thought about throwing the towels in! Duh.

I should mention that we brought some extended family with us for the trip in Dec. It was their first trip and their attitudes while there was a little on the negative side. I am sure this has affected my view of our vacation as well. I really did not enjoy SSR, but maybe under different circumstances and at a different time of year it would be different.

We had absolutely no problem getting in to OKW in June with only three weeks notice. Also, any time we had rented, we had always been able to get our first request. It was extremely crowded, not just at SSR, but everywhere while we were there in Dec.

I did not purchase DVC for the discounts. I realize they are "subject to change." I think the free valet and internet are awesome perks. I was just very dissapointed that every where we asked that was supposed to offer a DVC discount we were told it had been discontinued. I should also say that we had the Disney Dining Experience card a few years ago and found it to be very worth the money. I also know they no longer have the DDE card. When I first heard about the " Tables in Wonderland" card, I mistook it for the special experiences they were offering at F&WF called "Cities in Wonderland" and dismissed it. I should have paid closer attention because I totally would have gotten this card. We plan on getting it closer to our next trip.

I spent most of the evening Thurs and all day Fri. talking to different timeshare resale agencies and also looking more closely at things with my husband. Because of the current market, loan balance, and the 10-12% commission these places charge , we have decided to hang on to our DVC. I think we need to give it another go. I think we had a not so great experience this time, but that doesn't mean it won't be better next time. We have gone to WDW 15+ times since 2001 and this is the first time we had a not so great experience. That's a pretty good track record.

I do like the idea of "bonding" to your resort. I think I had premature bonding with VWL and BCV before we were ever members. I should have stuck to the addage that a lot of you are going with..."Buy where you want to stay." The poster that said that we bought SSR for the incentives was absolutely right. The incentives we were offered at the time were to good to pass up. But other than the points reduction, those incentives are long gone and all we have left is a resort that we may or may not ever really enjoy. I don't think we have "buyers remorse" per say. I do not regret purchasing DVC and if we did sell our SSR we would turn right around and purchase at another resort. I do have resort remorse. So I would say to those of you whom are considering purchasing DVC that are reading this.....go with your gut and "buy where you want to stay", incentives be darned.