Any regrets for doing DVC?

[tropical10]

Hi,
I'm new and just received my dvd on the DVC. Is there any of you that purchased the DVC and regret ever doing it? and why?.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[DisneyDVCFamily]

Our only regret is not discovering it sooner!

My only recommendation is in this very tough economy, make sure you can afford the monthly payment as well as the annual maintenance fees before jumping in.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Our only regret is not discovering it sooner!

My only recommendation is in this very tough economy, make sure you can afford the monthly payment as well as the annual maintenance fees before jumping in.

...and the park tickets, and the food, and the souvenirs, and the transportation, etc.

We have no regrets, but I must admit in our enthusiasm...we kind of let the thoughts of the other expenses slip passed us. Good thing we could still afford it!

Speaking of the bad economy...Dh and I have been going through a bit of a rough patch financially, but thanks to DVC we still had a great trip to WDW!

DVC made the difference on whether we would take a vacation this year. Priceless.

 

[chalee94]

most posters on this board will be pretty pro-DVC, so if you want negative opinions you may need to look elsewhere.

(some are a little aggravated at the moment, as DVC has made some changes lately that devalue the membership experience for some - replacing real cups/plates with plastic ones, and worse, revamping the booking procedures, with zero prior notice to membership - that suggest DVC management has little to no respect for its owners and is increasingly indifferent to their opinions. i'm not ready to sell by any means but these sorts of reckless and sudden changes do make me a little nervous...but i digress...)

anyway, while my experience so far has been primarily positive, i will admit that there are lots of good reasons to balk at buying DVC:

1) thousands of $ upfront plus annual fees require a certain level of financial ability and commitment (and you still need to pay for tickets and travel, etc.)
2) commitment to wdw/you fear wdw "burnout" (sorta - while you can trade out, the best value is staying at the DVC resorts)
3) DVC not as "deluxe" as deluxe hotels in some senses (limited housekeeping, sofabeds, no room service at some DVC resorts)
4) you prefer to stay on weekends and weekend point costs are MUCH HIGHER
5) financing a depreciating (sooner or later) luxury purchase is generally a poor idea
6) you are happy offsite or at the value hotels
7) you want to stay at a monorail resort (pending a "BLT" announcement)
8) amenities like a kitchen and washer/dryer have no value for you
9) you don't/can't plan my vacations 6+ months in advance
10) you enjoy hunting for deals/bargains for each trip

 

[tropical10]

That's a big help, thanks. It's mainly going to be me and hubby. We don't really care about a kitchenette, the washer and dryer sounds nice though. I want to start trying out the more deluxe and moderate resorts next year.

Lots of food for thought that you've provided. Since I just got the dvd yesterday I'm still in that Disney trance, but I want to make a smart decision too. Perhaps I'll keep reading the boards for several months and re-evaluate at that time.

Thanks again!

 

[bookswin]

If you've never stayed at DVC, do a short rental from a member and see how you like it.

 

[avamadison]

My DH and I bought into SSR before we had children and were so happy! We really wished that we had done it sooner. Once we started our family and had two little girls it has been the best choice for owning. If you find yourself wanting to vacation every year and you enjoy deluxe resorts - then it is for you!

 

[Goofy DVC]

No regrets here.
Two most important issues
1. Got to love disney.
2. Got have $$$$$.
All the other things really don't matter without these two.

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[drag n' fly]

My only regret is we won't be able to use it as much as I would love to as the flights are 3000.00 every time we go. We will only go every other year as it is Once we retire I can see us using it a lot more and taking the grandkids down lots!

 

[ia466590]

Our only regret is not discovering it sooner!

My only recommendation is in this very tough economy, make sure you can afford the monthly payment as well as the annual maintenance fees before jumping in.

WHAT MONTHLY PAYMENT? did I miss something in the little bit of research I did?

 

[oakmanner]

The monthly payment would only apply if you financed a portion of you're purchase. Also, many members elect to pay thier yearly maintenance fees monthly to avoid paying them in a lump sum.

Dennis-

 

[Ms.Tom-Morrow25]

No regrets here, definitely the best thing we ever bought!! I love DVC!

 

[photobob]

I don't regret the purchase, i wish I'd have done it sooner. I really couldn't have afforded to do it sooner though, but we took eight vacations there before we bought. One thing which may have been mentioned by a previous poster is that to take full advantage of DVC it is best that you be able to plan your vacations well in advance. If you travel at slower times it is not as much of a problem to make reservations and get what you want. If you travel at peak times you'll need to be able to make reservations at 11 months out especially for Christmas and NYE and other busy holidays..

 

[WDWmom08]

3) DVC not as "deluxe" as deluxe hotels in some senses (limited housekeeping, sofabeds, no room service at some DVC resorts)

7) you want to stay at a monorail resort (pending a "BLT" announcement)

I have a few questions about your post as someone who is also looking into DVC ownership.

#3 - I was surprised when we stayed at the GF in May how non-deluxe I felt is was. The bathroom especially. No oversized tub, the grout was mildew stained and the toilet in our connecting room broke and we could never get it properly fixed so we finally gave up and threw down towels. While I do feel like the overall resort was deluxe; I didn't feel as if the rooms were if that makes any sense. How do the DVC rooms compare in that regard because my impression other than the housekeeping was that they were actually nicer?

#7 - I thought BCV and WLV had monorail access.

ETA: I was also curious about the sofa bed comment. How are the DVC beds different?

 

[jfinke]

#7 - I thought BCV and WLV had monorail access.

Beach Club is within a stone's throw from Epcot.

Wilderness Lodge is a boat trip away from Magic Kingdom.

 

[chalee94]

#3 - I was surprised when we stayed at the GF in May how non-deluxe I felt is was. The bathroom especially. No oversized tub, the grout was mildew stained and the toilet in our connecting room broke and we could never get it properly fixed so we finally gave up and threw down towels. While I do feel like the overall resort was deluxe; I didn't feel as if the rooms were if that makes any sense. How do the DVC rooms compare in that regard because my impression other than the housekeeping was that they were actually nicer?

1BRs and 2BRs have jacuzzi tubs and washer/dryers, and naturally they are larger than most hotel rooms. (at OKW, they are larger than some small houses...not to mention the GVs... ) i thought the furnishings at SSR - and probably BCV - seemed very nice...but probably not quite as nice as at GF.

but for those who equate a "deluxe" experience with room service and at least having your bed made every day...DVC may be a disappointment. (and there have been occasional housekeeping issues with mildew stains or whatever with DVC, also.)

#7 - I thought BCV and WLV had monorail access.

nope. BCV (and BWV) are within walking distance or a boat ride of epcot and MGM - but you'd have to walk all the way through epcot (at least 3 miles or so?) to get to the monorail at the front. WLV is a boat ride away from the MK.

ETA: I was also curious about the sofa bed comment. How are the DVC beds different?

most studios (other than OKW) have 1 queen bed and 1 sofabed. 1BRs have a king bed and a sofabed. most of the sofabeds are nicer, memory-foam types but if you like having 2 real beds as an option like at most hotels...it's only an option in DVC at the OKW studios...unless you go up to a 2BR or whatever.

it's not necessarily a dealbreaker but it can be a disappointment for some...

 

[WDWmom08]

Thanks for the information. That's really good to know; I guess I was delusional thinking you could use the monorail as transportation from BCV to MK.

 

[rigsby25]

We took a trip with 5 people, DH and me, DD and DS, their friend. We stayed at the Contemporary because it looked like the only hotel that could fit 5 people. DH and DS slept in one bed, me and DD in another and friend on a fold out couch. We drove off site to Mickey D's for breakfast. Bought a styrofoam cooler and kept stuff like milk, oj, etc. to save money. We also bought stuff like peanut butter, jelly, bread, etc. Took the DVC tour the last day. How I wish I would have known about it! We spent something like 6,000.00 for 5 people for 7 nights. Granted that included access to the parks, but when I found a 210 resale at OKW for 15,000.00 - how could we not? We have been able to have a family reunion in a grand villa, a wedding with reserving a couple of 1 and 2 br villas, and many fun trips for DH and I. I have the annual dues taken out monthly from my checking account so it doesn't hurt. We pay more now for disney than ever before because of the park tickets, but we have no excuse not to go now, and vacations that were last on our list became first on our list. Planning ahead is not hard - it takes a lot of worry off of us. The point system is so flexible that we can always find something to suit our needs.

 

[SLM]

No regrets at all. I wish we had joined when OKW first opened!

 

[Disney_Villain]

Should have done it sooner (as others say)!

We were spending close to $10k/year on our Disney vacations before DVC . . . and it took us a while to figure out that DVC could bring down those costs.