Am I wrong . . . DVC is a great deal right?

[njziggy]

It can be a great value...it depends on how you travel. For us, it allowed us to have more space, laundry & kitchen when the kids were younger...totally priceless to me We have used our DVC for extended family vacations- most recently a 3BR savannah view at Kidani...no way I would have paid those rates for that! Only downside to DVC- it makes it harder to come up with reasons why you can't go to Disney. DVC + AP= a disney filled year

 

[crisi]

I don’t think you can make a valid comparison if you haven’t experienced staying at a Disney property. I have stayed offsite and wouldn’t do it again.

Disney is worth the extra cost. There are lots of different things to do at Disney that have nothing to do with the parks and unless you stay at a resort you may never know about them. My kids for example loved the Horse Riding Experience. Going on a boat ride is also pretty cool.

The extra benefits on staying onsite far outweigh the cost difference. Being able to access fast pass booking 60 days in advance of your holiday, compared to 30 days if you stay offsite is worth a lot to me. I own at BLT and can walk to the park. I can come and go as I please and don’t need to worry about parking, getting stuck in traffic or depend upon outside buses picking me up.

When the parks get busy, I just take a 5 min walk back to my hotel, chill out for a bit and then go back when things are not so busy. You have a far more relaxed vacation staying on site.

As a side note some of the cheaper Disney resorts are great value if you don’t want to spend much. I would be surprised if you could buy a better option for half the price of a night at Pop Century.

You should give on site a try...you might be surprised.

I've stayed offsite and on. There are advantages to onsite. For me its transportation. I don't like to drive on vacation. I like having Disney meet all my transportation needs.

But if I wanted to have a car, I'd prefer offsite - hotels and houses offsite are nicer for way less money. Restaurants offsite are better. There isn't anything I get for being an on property guest - except transportation - that makes it worth while.

 

[thelionqueen]

The value WBC holds over Disney is completely stunning! I'm so very surprised (and happy) the masses haven't figured this out yet.. shhhhhh.

 

[thelionqueen]

I love reading these threads because I have been on both sides and understand both. As a previous owner (bought & sold many contracts) I am an avid believer that DVC, overall at today's prices, is absolutely a horrible investment. My original contracts bought 10+ years ago were definitely a good deal and completely was "The best kept secret" at Disney. The price per point today is absolutely insane, the restrictions they keep imposing are disappointing, the ability to book as an owner has changed, and I believe will continue to change, for the worse dramatically. The "perks" are nice but actually taking advantage of them is becoming more difficult. More owners are booking reservations only to rent them at a higher rate which will continue and drastically affect owners who just want to use their contracts. IF I were to buy in again, there is no chance I'd buy Riviera or from Disney direct. I would buy a resale contract with approx 10-15 years left on the contract and was where I wanted to stay 90% of the time. I wouldn't finance, only pay cash. To me, DVC was a great deal "back in the day" and is most definitely an emotional purchase. There is no formula I have found that made DVC a better investment than putting money someplace with a return and paying cash for vacations or renting points. There simply isn't anything that shows a significant savings that I've found. NOW, if you're comparing rack rates and other details, then Maybe there is an argument for a small savings over the life of your contract. But that is simply inaccurate. Disney ALWAYS has deals on rooms and I haven't paid rack rate EVER. I absolutely LOVED owning my DVC contracts, and I was lucky to get my money back plus some when I sold. But it was more of a emotional purchase for me. I've saved a TON of $$ since selling my contracts, and my vacations have been every bit as good, or better than when I owned DVC. Just my perspective

 

[DebbieB]

I paid $14,750 for 250 BWV points in 1999, including a $1,500 discount for selling back 150 of my first year points. Always been happy, no regrets. At $188, those points would cost $47,000, I wouldn't be doing it. That's too much, combined with the increased price of everything (passes, food, etc).