Another "Is it worth it?" thread regarding DVC

[KidAtHeart1]

Hi ! I am interested in someday getting DVC through resale such as the Timeshare Store. I was just wondering if getting into DVC would really be worth it if you (we) only planned on going every other year through banking and/or borrowing. Anyone here have DVC and only go every other year? Would having DVC be worth it? Thanks for any input or comments.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Would you mostly get studios, 1bdrms, 2bdrms, etc., and what time of year? Do you stay more during the week or on weekends?

 

[KidAtHeart1]

Would you mostly get studios, 1bdrms, 2bdrms, etc., and what time of year? Do you stay more during the week or on weekends?

It would probably be a 1bdrm, during the May-August time-frame, for a 7-11 night stay. Kinda a "one big vacation every other year" type of thing.

 

[luvindisneyworld]

I would definetely say it is worth it if you do a trip that long every other year.

 

[WaltEeyoreWorld]

It really depends on what you are replacing. Would the every other year vacation without DVC be to a single room value resort or a multi-room value or single room deluxe resort? If you are replacing deluxe stays or more than one room value stays with 1BR DVC buying resale, it would probably be worth it. You have to really not just think about the initial cost but make sure you compare the MFs you will pay and interest (if taking a loan) vs the costs of the hotel. The x factor is how will costs of the hotel and values of DVC change in the future but without a crystal ball, I would disregard that. One last thing to think of is not financial but more practical. We also bought because it forces us to actually go on vacation. Without it, we would probably continue to work 52 weeks a year. Good luck

 

[WKSumner]

Try this link as I think it sums it up nicely. Scratch that as I could not post the link so here is what it said: Web is ****************

Membership in the Disney Vacation Club is not for everyone. DVC can make sense financially -- assuming you would always stay in a deluxe resort. If you always stay in a value resort, then it won't -- but that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The DVC resorts offer deluxe amenities and room size.

DVC membership might make sense if you meet most or all of these criteria:

The cost of membership and dues does not appear to present a financial hardship.
You vacation at Walt Disney World frequently: ideally at least once every two years.
You plan to continue vacationing at Disney World far enough into the future to make the membership at least break even.
You prefer to stay in Deluxe or DVC accommodations and/or you stay a long time (10 days or more per year). If you always stay at a Value resort, or always stay off-site, or you really spend the entire day at the parks away from your hotel, and you don't spend time at the resort itself (other than crashing at the end of the day), then DVC may not be for you.
You are able to plan your vacations well in advance -- ideally 7 to 11 months out. If you aren't a planner, don't even look at becoming a DVC member. If you can't plan and book your vacations 11 months in advance, and staying at a particular DVC resort is important, then don't join DVC. If you really don't care which DVC resort you end up with, then it's not an issue.
You stay more on weekdays and can limit Friday and Saturday night stays.
You can do without daily mousekeeping and room service (of course, you can pay extra and get mousekeeping as a DVC member).
You desire more space than a typical resort room (such as a 2 bedroom villa, with full kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms and jacuzzi suite, and even a washer/dryer).
You’re not looking at DVC as an investment or a way to make money (it’s not). It is a decision to prepay, at today's rates, the next several decades of Disney trips.

If the only consideration is whether it makes financial sense, then maybe you should be staying offsite and only eating offsite as well, since that beats staying onsite. Beyond just the financial considerations, DVC membership is emotionally satisfying (you “own a piece of the magic”), and it gives you a reason to take a vacation at WDW.

Buying a DVC membership is a rational, financially viable option for some people: namely people who plan to stay in the higher-end accommodations at Walt Disney World on a regular basis.

Buying into DVC is almost a lifestyle choice. A DVC purchase is a way of committing to an annual Disney vacation with family and friends. For some people, that may outweigh any financial considerations.

 

[dmanz32]

When we bought I figured out how long it would take to break even if we vacationed every other year. We normally go around Easter break because we have small children in school. If I remember right I figured around 6 vacations will break us even. By break even I refer to vacationing without DVC versus with DVC. We bought in 2006 so we should break even around 2018. We bought into SSR so we have vacations to 2054. So, for us it seems that it is well worth the buy in price.

 

[DOUGLAS ADDEO]

I think it is worth it for that size accommodation and for that length of your stay. The most important factor is that you have to really enjoy Disney. Othe rthan that just try to get the best price possible and worst cast you can just resell it if you eventually stop using it. It seems there will always be a market for someone to want to buy disney. Our family goes up there (Orlando and Vero) several times a year and always have a great time.

 

[DVC Mike]

Try this link as I think it sums it up nicely. Scratch that as I could not post the link so here is what it said: Web is ****************

Membership in the Disney Vacation Club is not for everyone. DVC can make sense financially -- assuming you would always stay in a deluxe resort. If you always stay in a value resort, then it won't -- but that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The DVC resorts offer deluxe amenities and room size.

DVC membership might make sense if you meet most or all of these criteria:

The cost of membership and dues does not appear to present a financial hardship.
You vacation at Walt Disney World frequently: ideally at least once every two years.
You plan to continue vacationing at Disney World far enough into the future to make the membership at least break even.
You prefer to stay in Deluxe or DVC accommodations and/or you stay a long time (10 days or more per year). If you always stay at a Value resort, or always stay off-site, or you really spend the entire day at the parks away from your hotel, and you don't spend time at the resort itself (other than crashing at the end of the day), then DVC may not be for you.
You are able to plan your vacations well in advance -- ideally 7 to 11 months out. If you aren't a planner, don't even look at becoming a DVC member. If you can't plan and book your vacations 11 months in advance, and staying at a particular DVC resort is important, then don't join DVC. If you really don't care which DVC resort you end up with, then it's not an issue.
You stay more on weekdays and can limit Friday and Saturday night stays.
You can do without daily mousekeeping and room service (of course, you can pay extra and get mousekeeping as a DVC member).
You desire more space than a typical resort room (such as a 2 bedroom villa, with full kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms and jacuzzi suite, and even a washer/dryer).
You’re not looking at DVC as an investment or a way to make money (it’s not). It is a decision to prepay, at today's rates, the next several decades of Disney trips.

If the only consideration is whether it makes financial sense, then maybe you should be staying offsite and only eating offsite as well, since that beats staying onsite. Beyond just the financial considerations, DVC membership is emotionally satisfying (you “own a piece of the magic”), and it gives you a reason to take a vacation at WDW.

Buying a DVC membership is a rational, financially viable option for some people: namely people who plan to stay in the higher-end accommodations at Walt Disney World on a regular basis.

Buying into DVC is almost a lifestyle choice. A DVC purchase is a way of committing to an annual Disney vacation with family and friends. For some people, that may outweigh any financial considerations.

True Words of Wisdom!

Oh, wait, that's one my posts you copied...

 

[Dean]

For 2 weekends it may not be worth it, for two weeks with one weekend, absolutely if it fits into your plans financially otherwise. Run the numbers and see what your savings are based on how YOU'd vacation without DVC. I'd say you need to come out even at worst compared to a moderate at usual discounts to justify it from a cost standpoint. Even that assumes you'd stay on property if you didn't own DVC as off property timeshare options could be a fraction of the cost of DVC both up front and yearly.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

According to WDW online reservations...

July 20-30, 2008 for a 1bdrm at SSR would cost $4,275.00
July 20-27, 2008 for a 1bdrm at SSR would cost $3,019.00

Now to stay in a 1 bdrm at SSR for 11 nights in the most expensive Summer months would cost 351 points. Since you would want to go every other year, a 175 pt. contract would be a good fit. (You would have to borrow for your 1 pt., but that can be done.)

A 175 pt. contract at SSR at $80/pt. will run $14,000 + closing, so say $14,500 to be safe. The maintenance fees would run $736.75 PER YEAR.

Since you would be going EVERY OTHER YEAR (736.75X2=$1,473.50)

So...you can pay cash and pay $4,275 every other year or pay $1,500 + the buy-in.

So what about that buy-in.

Lets say you save $2700 every other year using DVC. How long would it take you to pay off the $14k? $14k / 2700 = 5.18; of course since you are only doing this every-other-year; it would take you 10 years to recoup the cost.

This scenario totally ignores inflation & time value of money, but does assume that the maintenance fees and hotel room prices average out.

This situation is not as cost effective as other scenarios. Using DVC for weekends and for 1 bdrms are not as cost effective as using it for studios on weekdays.

Plus, you may want to seriously look at the off-site home rentals or other timeshares. The $1500 every 2 years could possibly rent a 3 or 4 bedroom house if you were willing to stay off property.

It is really up to what you want. There are cheaper accommodations to be had. It comes down to...is this how you always plan to visit and what are the alternatives?

Everyone on the DIS will tell you, the cheapest way to go is to STAY HOME and put your vacation money in an investment account. However, that doesn't always provide the best investment in your family.

You can do the same kind of analysis by going through the point charts for the different classes of accommodations, and then going to the Disney Website. I didn't quite figure it out, but I think you might have a hard time making AKV Concierge Level work out for you.

Good Luck!

Have fun deciding.

 

[crisi]

We do (generally) every other year and it works great. Figure out how many points you need for one trip when you generally go, buy a little more than half that - why a little more? Its better to bank a few extra points each year - once is a great while you'll need to add a day or take an extra trip or take friends or get a two bedroom.

 

[Lisa P.]

The posted analysis with rack rates for renting a 1BR through CRO is interesting but it's really only relevant if you would take this route rather than buy into DVC. Remember that people rarely pay rack rates and they include daily housekeeping service - even "free" dining in late August or September (I'm not a fan or the "free" dining packages - which are anything but free - just acknowledging that these services are included for the rack rate customer).

Compare whatever else you'd actually expect to do and pay, if you don't buy DVC, with what you'll pay (inlcuding interest on any loans) if you do buy DVC. Consider other options, like renting a member's points (especially in May - lower points) or trading in via II with a reasonably priced timeshare week from outside of Orlando. This last option is mentioned because you seem to have some flexibility in your schedule and you expect to vacation for 7 or more nights at a time. HTH!

 

[KidAtHeart1]

Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate it!