Annual dues

[goofymama]

Are the dues/maintenance fees the same at each resort or does it vary. Can anyone give me an idea of how much per point the annual dues are?

I'm struggling to determine if DVC ownership really makes sense financially. If anyone wants to give their $0.02 as to how they justify the cost, I'd be happy to read it!

TIA, Laura

 

[RobDoc]

Here is the history of annual fees since the beginning of DVC. The dues have gone up an average of about 4% per year - some years they have gone down, some years they have gone up much more. These fees are directly related to the costs of running the resorts and the DVC infrastructure.

WHen we joined back in 1993, I tracked all DVC costs - even computing lost interest on the purchase price - and compared that with what we would have spent on the same trips without DVC. We had usually stayed in onsite Deluxe resorts and townhouses at Disney Village. From those comparisons (we also incuded the cost of Theme Park tickets, which were an included incentive for early purchasers), we reached a break even point in just over 4 years. Since that time, our annual Disney travel costs have been only for the amount of our annual fees. At this point - depending on what accommodations you would usually enjoy and with no admission included (the DVC AP discount is still a nice benefit), it will likely take longer to recoup the initial costs of ownership - but it can still be done within 7-8 years, I think - all the while staying in wonderful accommodations. It will also depend on what villa type and what time period you will travel. We have usually stayed in a 1BR villa, a few stays in 2BRs, several in GVs and a couple of times in studios. Initially , we usually stayed Sun- Fri, but now usually stay for 10 nites, including four weekend nights.

Enjoy!

Year OKW BWV VB VB(sub) HH VWL BCV SSR

2006 4.24 4.69 5.27 4.12 4.34 4.61 4.48 3.98
2005 3.86 4.41 4.87 3.84 3.86 4.35 4.27 3.83
2004 3.68 4.25 4.67 3.67 3.70 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 4.11 4.37 4.37 3.69 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.92 4.17 3.33 3.49 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 3.83 3.98 2.70 3.32 3.63
2000 3.16 3.94 4.07 2.87 3.25 3.62
1999 3.16 4.02 3.99 2.82 3.18
1998 3.17 3.94 ---- 2.76 3.20
1997 3.14 3.84 ---- 2.90 3.16
1996 2.99 3.70 ---- 2.82 3.16
1995 2.84
1994 2.70
1993 2.63
1992 2.56
1991 2.51

 

[goofymama]

WebmasterDoc

Thank you for your post that was VERY HELPFUL! I wish I had bought it during the early 90's!!!!

 

[MAO]

<snipped>
I'm struggling to determine if DVC ownership really makes sense financially. If anyone wants to give their $0.02 as to how they justify the cost, I'd be happy to read it!

TIA, Laura

Someone claimed on the newsgroup rec.arts.disney.parks recently that they could get an AP discount for $189 per night rate at a Deluxe resort in June. I don't have an AP, nor do I know if there are any restrictions on what dates in June or if this rate is good for weekdays only.

Let's make some assumptions.
1) $189 doesn't include taxes, so assume $200 a night.
2) Assume Boardwalk Inn or Yacht/Beach Club are Deluxe resorts available in this rate.
3) Assume this rate is valid. ;-) (Not just a rumor, in other words.)
4) Assume that late June (during DVC's "Magic Season") is valid for this rate.
5) Assume that this rate includes weekends (Friday & Saturday nights.)

I bought BWV in 1998 and, with the incentive that was going on at that time (I got my nights at the Yacht Club 'comped' as if I'd used DVC points to stay there) and financing half of the total cost, I paid $12,885.29 for 210 points. I bought in October of 1998 and my ownership expires at the end of January 2042, so assume a full 43 years of ownership (all of 1999 through 2041.) This averages out to $299.66 per year for the inital purchase.


I can look at this two ways:
Through 2006, I wil have paid $6965.70 in maintenance fees, which is an average of $870.71 per year for a total of $1170.37 per year.

Or, I can look at this year only, which is $984.90 in maintenance fees which totals $1284.56 this year. (maintenance fees plus initial purchase, in case I lost you -- I kind of lost me for a moment.)

Either way, $1170.37 divided by the $200 nightly rate equals 5.85 nights or $1284.56 divided by the $200 nightly rate equals 6.4 nights -- about 6 nights at the AP rate.


I, however, with 210 points, can get a Preferred view studio at Boardwalk for 12 nights and have 6 points left over. If I were to get a standard view studio at Boardwalk, I can stay for 13 nights (includes two Fridays and a Saturday night) and have 16 points left over. That's assuming I want only one l-o-n-g visit; I would be able to technically get more nights if I only stayed Sunday through Thursday nights. This also assumes that I want to go in June (which is *not* a valid assumption for me -- I've always gone in one of the 'lesser' seasons -- my normal October date would give me 13 nights and 21 leftover points in a preferred studio and 18 straight nights in a standard room.)

Note that I believe a Boardwalk studio is still a better room in terms of amenities than a Boardwalk Inn or Yacht/Beach Club room. But it's the closest thing DVC has to compare to a hotel room.

That's how I justify my DVC purchase. Before I bought into DVC I never stayed at anything "less" than a Deluxe resort and had no intention of ever doing so. Certainly, if you usually stay at the All Stars or camp at Fort Wilderness you might not be able to justify the cost. But I've never heard of any DVC owner claim that DVC ownership is right for everyone.

 

[shantay1008]

For us, there were some basic assumptions, including
1. We planned to visit Florida at least every two years to visit family and escape the cold.
2. WDW is a great place to vacation with our four kids and extended family. They take good care of us, and we couldn't think of an easier place or way to vacation than staying at DVC.
3. Having stayed in Deluxe hotels during various business conferences, DH and I knew we didn't want to go back to the cheaper hotels of our childhoods. It sounds spoiled, I know, but schlepping laundry back and forth to the machines and competing with the spring breakers for a seat on the bus at the All-Stars just doesn't feel like vacation anymore.
4. The way I look at dues is that our initial purchase paid for the actual rooms that we will stay in for the next X number of years. The annual dues pay for the bus drivers, front desk staff, lifeguards, heating, housekeeping, etc., on each of our trips.
Just some thoughts...good luck!
Shannon

 

[U2FanHfx]

Hi All,

I just posted my story on the Canadian forum (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1125636)

It should be noted that we stayed in value for the first while and then slowly crept up to deluxes and most recently DVC rental. So yes, this ended up making great sense. However, it is not an investment (ie. I can make a ton of money of this). It is an investment if you plan to use it as you can save a lot of money.

Regs,

CJM

 

[Buzzro]

We 1st bought 220 @ OKW 12/1999 (financed 8 yrs.) and added 60 @ VB in 2004 (cash). I have kept track of everything paid to DVC and tracked what I would have had to pay for the reservations we've made. Too this point our cost versus reservations has been a savings of 28.5% from rack rates. This is already better than most if not all specials and discounts that have been available. Once OKW is paid off I fully expect to see 50% to 80% savings.