Anyone Against Disney Vacation Club?

[IandGsmom]

I just hope Disney wises up and plans some DVC at DL. I don't see myself going across the country to Florida every year or every other year...but DL, well thats only one hour plane ride away. I know you can use the points down there but I would LOVE a home resort at DL.

 

[Doctor P]

I tend to be the naysayer in our family. Amazingly, it was I who ended up making the judgment that DVC would be right for us and be cost effective. We don't plan to go to Disney more than every other year, but we do generally go at peak attendance times. The one thing that has been mentioned that is absolutely true is that if you don't like to plan your vacations well ahead of time and don't like managing the points, DVC is probably not the best option for you. Since we bought in August 2000, we will have used our points for a side trip to WDW for DW and DSD when we were visiting my parents in FL, two nights around this year's DIS CON for DW, and a seven night family trip to WDW last Christmas. We will go on the DCL 7 day Western cruise next year and are using some leftover points for a night at the American Club in about 4 weeks. DVC is working for us, and we don't plan to go to WDW on points again until probably 2005!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I think what sold it for us was the fact that we have 3 kids, and are limited to deluxe resorts or PO. We own at BWV and VWL. I don't "cook" per say, but we do eat in a lot of lunches (sandwiches) and breakfasts (cereal, muffins). Just convenience food that saves us a park meal. We are only paying for DS on our cruise next summer and doing the rest on points--we are limited to a cat. 4 (again, 3 kids) so I don't know if we would have cruised if we had to pay all cash. It also forces DH to go on a vacation, which he wouldn't do if he stayed in town (he owns his own small business). We can plan in advance because I teach and know I get summer off--although we threw together our trip this Thursday just in October.
Robin M.
2 days till the Dolphin!

 

[pollyanna]

The main reason....when your kids become teens "some" refuse to go to WDW and staying with friends or relatives is not an option.We also like to vacation "other" places...as WDW yearly gets "old" after a while.

 

[Laurabearz]

We bought in as a family of 4...... now that we are soon to be a family of 5 we are even more thrilled with our choice..........

Regular hotel rooms just dont do it for us anymore.... We love being able to put the kids down for a nap in THEIR room and still be able to move about and such in ours........

BTW A lot of DVCrs dont use the cooking thing in the kitchen...... We often dont...... but I love the fridge and the microwave..... great for reheating left overs, having cold soda, and milk for the kids.......

It is not for everyone, but most of us are HUGE fans of it.

 

[WDWfanatic288]

we just joined in DVC and I don't think we could be anymore excited! lol we are getting SOOO pumped for our first DVC stay in June! woo-hoo!
but it's not like you can't stay at other resorts but just use the points at the DVC ones. for weekends points double so we are usually going to move to another resort so we won't spend that many points. and then we can also get in more resorts b/c our goal is to stay at them all!
but if you can afford it and plan on going every year for a veyr long time I say you should look into it

 

[ncligs]

Jenifer,
You have had a lot of great replys so far. DVC is not for everybody.We have been members since 1999.We started with 230 pts at OKW, now we have 300 at OKW and 200 pts at Vero Beach. So you can see we really enjoy DVC. If you can plan ahead 7-11 months in advance it is to your advantage.But you can also take spur of the moment trips if you are not to picky of a DVC resort.
DVC resorts give you 1st class accomodations and you know you will be going back for the next 39 years, so you don't have to do the parks "Commando" style.
4 members of my family(2 brothers-2 sisters) are also DVC members.Getting the familes together, whether at VB,Hilton Head,or OKW, or any WDW resort is a lot of fun. We are fortunate enough now to only have the dues payments. If you can afford the initial puchase and dues, I promise you won't regret your decision.

 

[Laurabearz]

I wanted to add that we have stayed at the Poly (lagoon view Con) and BC (con) as well as Hilton head, and The Plaza hotel in NYC alll on points (Oh and BWV and OKW)

I know for sure we would have never ever coughed up the money for the Plaza...... and yes the points were steep (I think 55 per night) but for us it was a dream vacation (where I got preggers too! LOL)

I know others shun the idea of using points at any other place but DVC resorts, but we love that option.......

 

[Kallison]

We looked into the cost and I'm with the others, I don't think the cost justifies the resort portions of our trips. When passes were included I believe it was a great deal, but now we wouldn't get our money worth. Plus once we become empty nesters I'm sure the attraction won't be there, until grandkids come along! I want to explore Europe, Ireland and Scotland when the kids are gone, I don't want to be going to WDW every year for the next 30 years.

 

[Eeyore2U]

I didn't read the othe posts. DW and I own at both BWV and VWl. DW is a beancounter and based on likes (WDW) it is the most cost effective way to go. For us DVC will pay for itself within the first 5-7 years and then the rest gravy.

 

[mom2boys]

Snoopy,
I get the sam eargument from my husband. Maybe you & I should join without them. I know my husband would tag along every trip.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We love it. It's great to be greeted with the "welcome home" when we get to Boardwalk. By the way, we also use our points to stay in resorts some of the time.

It's great to have the washer and dryer in the room. Last trip I had lots of the laundry done before we came home by doing a load at night.

We always eat breakfast in the room now. Cold cereal, yogurt and oatmeal isn't REALLY cooking, but it saves time and money.

It's also nice to have a room that is separate from the kids. They can go to sleep and we don't disturb them if we stay up a while.

We rented our points last year and used the $ to put towards a Magic cruise. I think we'll always be happy that we made this investment. It may not be for everyone, but it is great for us.

 

[mkandk]

I'm afraid we'd get tired of DW. I'm with the other poster about visiting Europe, and other such.

What about selling points? Or renting them? Do you break even? Is it hard to get rid of them in years when you can't use them?

One thing I would like about it is how easy it would be to take friends and family.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We actually paid for the cruise by renting our points instead of buying the cruise with points. We saved money that way. We had no trouble renting. Many people are anxious to have the chance to stay DVC. We met some nice folks that way.

We haven't done it yet, but you can also stay in some wonderful places outside of WDW on your points. Our friends just did that and said the resort was to die for. If there isn't a participating resort, just rent the points or bank them for next year.

 

[Melrosgirl]

still reading all of your great replies. It's nice to see both sides of the coin.

 

[Lucky4me]

It would be a bad investment for us. I couldn't get DH to go to Disney even every other year. If we want to stay at a DVC resort we'll rent points. I adore Old Key West, but there are some off site timeshares that are just as nice. You can go to an auction site and get a week at these places for less than what one night would cost at OKW.

( ****If I win the lotto tonight I'll be purchasing 1000 points tomorrow! )

 

[Disney Doll]

DH and I have been members since 1997, with our home resort at OKW. I wanted to buy it when we were there on our honeymoon, but DH(the realtor) thought we should save and buy a house first...how practical of him.

Anyhow, that's what we did...saved and bought a house first, which is why it took us until 1997 to buy points.

The positives...I like staying in a nicer resort. With DVC, you get the equivalent of a deluxe or nicer(IMHO), at a good price. I like the larger space, the washer/dryer in the room, the ability to do light, easy breakfasts and snacks in the room(DH and I do not cook full meals in the room). I like the fact that I do not have to come up with the big "chunk of change" all at once to pay for a regular resort. Our DVC payment is made monthly, which is very easy. Once it gets paid off, and all you're paying is the dues amount, the cost of it for the level of accomodations is almost ridiculous...it's cheap!!!!!! From a purely financial standpoint, when you pay off the cost of the loan is when it really begins to make the most sense.

The negatives...as others have pointed out, you generally have to plan your vacations a little in advance.I must say though, I did call them once 3 weeks before we were going to go and got a studio at OKW at the beginning of June with no problem! As a rule, though, some advance planning is needed. It is a big initial expense, or a long-term expense, depending on how you finance it. There are only so many DVC properties, so if you like to stay different places, then that does limit you. I kind of handle that by staying at a resort for the 2 expensive weekend nights(Friday and Saturday)and then moving to the DVC resort for the cheaper weekday nights(points wise, weekends cost more points than weekdays). That way, I get to experience a little of a regular resort and also get the benefit of my DVC. If you don't want to do a DVC resort every year or at least every other year, then it is probably not the right choice for you.

IMHO, it is one of the best decisions we have ever made. We did not base it solely on finances, as both DH and I feel there is more to life than finances. It may not make great financial sense, but it makes good financial sense, and some of the good times we've had there already with family and friends have made it worth every penny.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We own at OKW, VWL and BCV. While we do use our points every year at WDW, we have also used them on the Disney Cruise. And with all the opportunities that DVD gives, you can trade out your points for other hotels and timeshares around the world. You don't only have to stay at DVC resorts. You get the best use of your points at DVC, but you can use them all over the world.

And it sure beats bringing a microwave oven from home or bringing an ice chest and having to refill it every day to keep the milk cold. I like going home with a suitcase full of clean clothes, too. Throw in the dirty stuff before you head to a park and toss it in the dryer when you get back. The jacuzzi tub is pretty nice, too.

 

[Melrosgirl]

thanks again!

 

[iLovDisney]

We looked into DVC, but didn't really want to go to WDW that often. We did, however, buy a timeshare. With a family of 5, staying in a 2 bedroom, 1200 square' unit is so much better than 2 double beds and a roll-away. We usually have 3 TVs and 1+ VCRs. Breakfast is so much more nutritious and quick and cheap when done in the room. As for "cooking," after spending an exhausting day doing something fun, the last thing I want to do is sit in a restaurant with tired children. I'll boil some water, do spaghetti and sauce for less than $3.00! While the food is cooking the family can shower, rest, read, etc. It is the best thing for our family.

There are timeshare rentals, too, in addition to purchasing.