Any bad things to say about DVC ownership?

[TDERadulski]

DH and I are thinking about buying into the DVC. All the posts I have read to date are very positive, and of course all the info from Disney itself is even more so.
Does anyone have any negative comments or horror stories about buying into the DVC? Any regrets other than not buying in sooner?

 

[DisneyBill]

Not a single negative in this owner's mind. It is so nice to know that we'll have great vacations experiences for many years to come without ever having to think about and chase whatever discounts may be offered. I've never thought of DVC as anything more than prepaid, stellar vacation plans.

 

[littlestar]

Yes, one regret - I'm addicted to buying DVC points. We want MORE! You'll have to fight the add-on bug once you make your initial purchase.

We started with 150 (it was scary so we bought the minimum). Then we added 60 more, then 50 more the next trip, and then 25 this last trip. We almost picked up the phone this evening when my husband came home from work (rough day at work) and bought 55 more. But, we hid the phone number to our guide (maybe we should freeze it in the freezer in a block of ice or something).

 

[Granny]

You will not find many regrets on this board. If people were not happy with DVC, they'd sell their points and most likely stay away from boards like these.

The only regret I sometimes hear is that people did not buy where they wanted to stay the most. They did not realize that their favorite DVC resort might not be easily available to them at all times of the year.

So let me be the first, but not the last, to offer the most commonly heard advice....buy where you want to stay the most. If that's at a sold out resort, then you're better off buying through resale if you have your heart set on that resort.

If you truly don't care, then SSR is a pretty good deal right now, especially if you're young enough where that extra 12 years of use is of value to you.

 

[SamSam]

Like the above posters, I don't think you'll find many negative comments on this board. DH and I waited many years to become members and our only regret is that we didn't buy when DVC first became available. We finally became 'members' when BCV became available; bought 200 points. June of this year we added another 100 points and I must admit that I'm already thinking we may need a few more points!

 

[disneycrazed139]

This information isn't about me particularly, but I did find a single negative post on another board. It was a person that said that DVC didn't turn out to be a good idea for her. Her only reasons, however, were:

1) She likes to take long weekend trips and couldn't work around that with her schedule--so trips cost too much in points. She didn't realize that issue when she purchased and was disappointed.
2) She likes to take spur of the moment trips and found that there was little availability spur of the moment. She also didn't really understand this when she purchased.

These were the only complaints and reasons she wished she had not bought in. You definitely need to consider these two things becaues DVC wouldn't be the best thing if you can't plan a little in advance. Also if you are buying a minimal contract, I think the weekend point cost would be prohibitive.

Again, this is just a re-cap of a single regretful story I remember from a board other than DISboard.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, TDERadulski. I am another very happy DVC member!

This related thread may be of interest, as folks here were brainstorming on the reasons not to buy DVC.

Good luck!...

 

[PKS44]

We love our membership but these are some complaints I recall seeing (none of which concern us):

1)BCV especially but other resorts have gotten mixed reviews on quality- complaints about thermostats, ants, housekeeping, maintenance issues...but most people have not complained...and the majority of complaints seem to be at BCV--we have not had any major complaints so I hope these we occasionally see are rare exceptions

2)Nonresort benefits can and do disappear-
exchanges for nonDVC resorts either at Disney properties or Cruise and for other hotels/timeshares are more expensive pointwise than they have ever been and may become more so..

Discounts come and go- no ticket break of substance...

Paul

 

[new_yawka]

If I only had more money and vacation time, I could take more DVC vacations!!

 

[Lisa P.]

As previously mentioned, people with a negative view on DVC will most likely not visit this forum. A "negative" to one person may not matter at all to another or may even be perceived as a "positive" by another person. That said, here are some things I've seen mentioned as negatives:

1. It's flexible but nothing is more flexible than renting with cash.

2. Need to plan early enough to reserve your first choice, especially during the highest (premier) and lowest (adventure - point saver) seasons.

3. Need to plan early enough to bank points, within guidelines, if you want to use this option.

4. Some resorts don't have 3BR GV's - may matter to you later, if your home resort doesn't have them, since they often book solid early, by home resort members.

5. Points are much higher for weekend nights and during prime holidays. If you tend to stay mostly during these times and you purchase at today's prices, it's actually possible to pay more for DVC than for discounted cash rooms (this is admittedly unusual).

6. Trading out is costly, compared with other timeshare vacation programs.

7. Trading out is limited by DVC:
--- much shorter list of selected timeshare resorts, non-timeshare options, cruises
--- rarely able to trade up through II, in unit size or season (often a possibility with other timeshares)
--- no individual membership benefits from II (corporate membership, with discounted exchange fee but no bonus weeks or cheap Getaway rentals)
--- many of the nicest timeshares on the exchange list have very limited availability so trading success may be limited as well, particularly if you want a prime holiday week.

8. Purchase price is higher than most timeshares, with little discount currently available through resales (due to Disney's ROFR).

9. Maint fees are higher than most timeshares (partly due to transportation and other amenities offered and supported by those fees). This is an ongoing commitment and probably more important to consider than purchase price, unless you will need to finance the purchase. If you tend to stay for longer periods, your dues are partially subsidizing the more frequent housekeepings, reservations & check-ins of those who prefer many short stays.

10. Finance interest rates tend to be high (consider paying cash or using other financing, such as home equity).

11. DVC resorts are all located within a relatively limited geographical area - some families need to consider travel expenses to reach the resorts, if money gets tighter in the future.

12. High cost (for some) of vacationing regularly at WDW (park passes, restaurant meals, other recreation, airfare, etc.), with more frequent trips likely after purchasing DVC.

13. No assurances of reasonable points charts for non-DVC (non-timeshare) options in the future. Don't consider the hotel/B&B/cruise options in your actual decision on whether to buy or not... DVC could dramatically increase the number of points needed for these options. These are extras, not the meat of the program.

14. Room occupancy limits may or may not suit your family's needs. Families of 5 may find a studio/hotel room or 1BR acceptable, but they are asked to reserve pricier 2BRs at DVC.

15. Limited housekeeping service - considered a "plus" by some, a "minus" by others.

16. Quality of some furnishings has changed (linens, shower curtains, silk plants, etc.).

17. Family may lose interest in Disney over time, which is the primary appeal of DVC.

18. No assurance of room view type, as with a cash room.

19. No assurance of special benefits ongoing - subject to change (restaurant, golf or park pass discounts, pool-hopping privileges, etc.) so don't consider them when deciding to buy.

20. RTU (right to use) - membership ends in 38.5 years or 50 years, depending on home resort. No assurances that DVC will not increase maint fees during final years to maintain the resort in pristine condition before they resume full ownership of these properties. This is a positive to some, who don't want deeded ownership of a property which may age in an unsatisfactory manner.

21. Value of membership is heavily associated with ongoing success of WDW - for the next 50 years.

22. No monorail DVC resorts.

23. DVC has apparently decided there will be no further expansion to any other non-WDW destinations. Marriott built a timeshare on a site previously slated for a DVC resort in Newport, California and another next to the DL near Paris. But DVC has stopped building elsewhere.

---------------------
Some of these items will be true of many timeshare ownerships, not just DVC. None of it may even matter to you at all. But you asked for the negatives. So consider them as they apply to your specific situation. You'll find plenty of positives floating all over this forum, to counter everything here! HTH.

 

[JimC]

I'm in agreement with the above posters. We are happy members who appreciate the Disney brand of service and entertainment, visit WDW often, are not restricted to weekend or school holiday trips, can plan trips in advance with little worry about change, have no need to use DVC for non-Disney vacations -- so DVC works well for us. Our regret is that we should have bought in 1992 when we first looked.

The only point that I might take a different view of is the fear of unduly high maintenance fees near the end of the contract. Maintenance fees are for operations and capital reserves. The reserves cover the major costs of refurbishment and the operations are already fixed at a high standard. It would not be in Disney's interest to use operating funds for refurbishment thereby keeping the reserves for themselves and passing significantly higher operating costs to the members. It would violate their basic operating philosophy and I believe would be subject to legal challenge. Also they are limited to 15% increase per year and the number of contract defaults in the final years if they did this would be further reason for them not to, in my opinion.

 

[TDERadulski]

Thanks to each of you for your honesty.
Many points that you bought up were not things I had thought about. Definately things to discuss with DH before we make our final decision...actually before HE makes his fianl decision...I am already sold on DVC ownership! Right now I am looking into resale opportunities to see what is available.

Again, thanks for all your input!

 

[nuthut]

( )[ ]{ }< >

 

[GadgetRick]

I have to say, overall, my wife and I are VERY happy with DVC but we do have some complaints:

1. Not much of a ticket discount.
2. You only get a discount if you stay at a DVC resort.
3. Not much in the way of any discounts. They publish a paper, which details what places offer DVC discounts. I'm still not sure why they can't work out a discount EVERYWHERE in DW since we come often and spend money regularly.
4. The DVC resorts are beautiful but it would be nice to have them on the monorail.
5. Maint fees are higher compared to other timeshares but they do tend to take care of the properties.
6. Weekends and other high-use periods tend to take a lot of points.
7. You must reserve a non-DVC property at least 60 days before the end of your use year. I understand they're two different companies but can't they work this out in this age of transferring funds electronically??
8. Would like 24-hour phone service on the DVC lines. I often have questions but don't always have time to call during the day.
9. I don't really feel as though I'm much different than a non-DVC member when it comes to Disney. Sure we get our newsletters from DVC but you'd think Disney would give us a little more info. Again, we come often and spend money regularly. How about paying US back for this??
10. The whole use year and banking/borrowing points can be a bit confusing at first.


Again, we're not unhappy with our DVC membership but they could make it better. I fee they should do better with discounts to members (quite often the people in the stores haven't even HEARD of DVC!). I shouldn't have to think about whether this store offers discounts or not. EVERYONE should offer a discount. I'd also like to just see more information for DVC members.

They do treat you quite well at the DVC resorts. Of course, they treat you well in Disney in general. But for the money we spend on the points, maint fees and our regular trips to Disney we should get a little more than the standard, "Welcome home!"

If you're looking for a great time and an easy way to make regular trips to Disney with a family (without breaking the bank), this is it. However, if you're looking to buy into something which makes you feel special, this isn't really it.

The Rickster

 

[Simba's Mom]

Originally posted by Granny

The only regret I sometimes hear is that people did not buy where they wanted to stay the most. .

We're an example of that. We bought without having stayed at any DVC resorts. Our first visit after purchase was to our home resort. While it was OK, we weren't thrilled. Then we stayed just one night at another DVC resort (called MS and said "Give us our last night at any other resort that's got an opening") and DH was hooked there. He won't consider any other resort, so we wish we'd been able to buy there and call that "home". I smartened up about staying before I bought, stayed at BCV solo and then talked DH into an add-on there just for my solo trips. So our only regret? Not "checking out" the different DVC resorts more before we bought.

 

[jimmytammy]

My biggest negative....I wish the CM representing DVC at the All-Star Sports in 01 would have been a little more forceful of a salesperson when I spoke with him. He might have talked me into buying sooner. I could have afforded more points that way.

Other than that, nothing else negative comes to mind right now......wait, theres that one thing, oh no, wait a minute thats another timeshare Im thinking of.