Anyone on this board a DVC member

[IMADSNYLOVR]

Just wondered if a WDW frequent visiters found the DVC to be good for the Budget. We are ending up going about 1 a year and are considering investing in DVC. We did book a house this year(may cancel if do DVC). Just curious on thoughts!

Sarah

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by IMADSNYLOVR
Just wondered if a WDW frequent visiters found the DVC to be good for the Budget. We are ending up going about 1 a year and are considering investing in DVC. We did book a house this year(may cancel if do DVC). Just curious on thoughts!

Sarah

I'm a DVC member - I post a lot more on the DVC Board than here, though.

Think of DVC as a pre-paid lodging plan. DVC makes economic sense for those who go to WDW at least every other year and stay on site in at least a moderate hotel. If you go more often and/or stay in deluxe hotels, it "breaks even" a lot quicker. DVC works best for those who can plan at least 11 months in advance of travel.

I really don't think it has saved us all that much money. But now, we stay in deluxe (and larger) accomodations instead of a moderate hotel room. It's also enabled us to treat family.

We've experienced some savings by eating most breakfasts and some other meals in the unit. The washer/dryer has enabled us to pack much, much less. The extra space has made the vacations much more enjoyable.

If you are thinking of renting from a DVC member (and not buying in yourself), yes, DVC can save you a lot of $$ over most Disney rates. Weekends are more expensive to rent from a DVC member than are weekend nights. You will not get daily housekeeping if you rent from a DVC member and most members have fairly restrictive cancellation policies. It's not like renting from Disney or any other rental company. The transaction is a private one between you and the DVC owner mand requires a degree of trust in a stranger from both parties.

HTH. Ask more questions if you need/want more info.

 

[jiminy14]

I am a DVC member at the Boardwalk buying my points in 1996. I had my initial concerns about the whole "timeshare" program but I have nothing but good things to say about DVC.
I love having a full kitchen and laundry facilities in my unit. My family eats breakfast in the room every morning which saves us a lot of time. With our points we can usually get a two bedroom unit for two weeks in August. This allows us to invite family members to use the studio unit at no cost to them. The washer and dryer are an added plus especially in the hot and humid days of August.
True you don't get housekeeping everyday, but after the first visit, you get used to it. Sometimes it makes things easier knowing that the maid will only be in on certain days.
If I had one complaint to make it would be the bus transportation from the BW. We share buses and boats with five other hotels (Swan, Dolphin, YC, BC. BC Villas) and sometimes you cannot board a bus because it is full by the time it reaches BW (the last stop).
I have used my points at other Disney Hotels, Vero Beach, and Hilton Head and have had very positive experiences. I would have to say now that I am glad I bought into the DVC. I can't imagine vacationing at WDW without it.

 

[cascadecupcake]

I'm a DVC member and I agree with CarolMN. DVC hasn't saved us a ton of money, but now we have a MUCH NICER vacation. We could have travelled for the same amount that we do now (when you consider the maint. fees and the purchase price) but we would have been staying at the allstars or maybe a mod if the codes were good. Now we pack lighter, have our own master bedroom with jacuzzi tub, treat friends, eat at nicer restaurants more often because of the savings of eating in now and then--I love it. It has turned out to be one of our better decisions!

 

[JeffPort]

It sounds like you have not yet stumbled upon the DVC DISBoards. Follow this link ... http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=28

Over there you can find just about everything you ever wanted to know about DVC, and then some.

FYI: We just bought into DVC last year. For our family (6 of us), DVC will be a tremendous value -- because we were always forced to reserve two connecting hotel rooms; essentially doubling our lodging cost. With DVC, we can economically reserve a 2-bedroom apartment way cheaper than 2 deluxe hotel rooms. As an added benefit, we get the extra family room space and a full kitchen, which goes a long way in reducing our food expenses. We anticipate almost all breakfasts and a few lunches will now be eaten in our rooms, but we will certainly continue to enjoy the wonderful restaurants at DisneyWorld -- just not for every meal of the day.

 

[zurgswife]

FYI: We just bought into DVC last year. For our family (6 of us), DVC will be a tremendous value -- because we were always forced to reserve two connecting hotel rooms; essentially doubling our lodging cost. With DVC, we can economically reserve a 2-bedroom apartment way cheaper than 2 deluxe hotel rooms. As an added benefit, we get the extra family room space and a full kitchen, which goes a long way in reducing our food expenses. We anticipate almost all breakfasts and a few lunches will now be eaten in our rooms, but we will certainly continue to enjoy the wonderful restaurants at DisneyWorld -- just not for every meal of the day.

ditto

 

[disneycrazed139]

Just bought into DVC and I don't think it is going to save me any money. However, it is going to allow me to stay in deluxe accomodations for a lower price than I would otherwise be able to book. If you stay in deluxe accomodations every year or every other year anyway, DVC makes absolute sense, or if you really want to stay in deluxe accomodations frequently, DVC may be a way to pre-pay such accomodations at a lower cost than if you booked deluxe with cash.

DVC entitles you to some restaurant and entertainment discounts, similar to annual pass holder discounts. You can also save money with the kitchenette or kitchens by having breakfast or other meals in your room.

 

[ripleysmom]

Pretty much what they all said. If you don't mind staying offsite in a house then no DVC probably will not save you any money. If you enjoy staying onsite though then you should definitely consider renting some points from a member and doing a trial stay.

While the initial buy in is pricey, once your points are paid off you can stay in roomy comfortable deluxe surroundings for the price of the value resorts.

 

[Lisa P.]

If you would sometimes stay offsite or in Disney value hotels (or maybe moderates), then you'd spend more on DVC than by paying cash and looking for good deals. And cash planning does not require a long term commitment to annual maintenance fees.

The people who benefit, budget-wise, from DVC generally fit this description:

• would stay at a Disney deluxe hotel onsite at least every other year, without DVC
• do NOT normally travel during Christmas/Easter times
• do NOT stay mostly on weekend nights (Fri/Sat) or long weekends
• rarely travel as a party of 5 (one hotel room vs. DVC 2BR points)

Other people may or may not actually benefit financially from a DVC purchase but may still enjoy it a lot, finding it worthwhile as a luxury expense. You asked about budgetary benefit so I would say to consider what you might normally find as acceptable, pleasant alternatives to DVC. Then compare that to the cost for the number of points you would commonly use for your DVC lodging each year. Other people's comparisons are pretty meaningless since their "acceptable alternatives" may be quite different from yours.

Also, do not consider the non-DVC options for using DVC points when considering a purchase... only the DVC resort usage. Then you could have some measure of confidence that it will work out. Sometimes, people buy in, thinking they will use the points for other vacation options... then the non-DVC points charts change and the value decreases. That can be disappointing. The DVC resorts are great... look only at using points at those while thinking about buying. HTH!

 

[dznyacct]

I too am a DVC member. We are VWL owners, buying in 2000. I only have one big regret.... why didn't we do this sooner!! We have been visiting WDW ~ twice a year for the past 10 years. I'm an Accountant and very analytical in nature. I took the DVC tour in 1998 and did a very thorough analysis of the program. I am VERY happy with the flexibility that it has and the outstanding accomodations that it has to offer. I also think of it as prepaid vacation, not an investment.

DVC allowed us to take friends of ours and their two daughters on vacation with us to Vero Beach and WDW last summer. It was a wonderful vacation and I was so happy to share my favorite places with them. Next summer I'm planning a "girls only" trip for all the females in my family and my husband's family (12 total). I'm using our points to "pay" for all the lodging, making the trip much more affordable for everyone.

We're headed to VWL in July and I can't wait to get back "home" again. It makes me smile just to think about being there again.

 

[westjones]

I am a DVC member, and I wouldn't say that it 'saves' me money because we would never have paid to stay in the DVC resorts. We always stayed offsite or at the value resorts. What DVC does, is make it affordable for us to stay at nicer resorts.

BUT, I must say, that because of DVC we vacation in a different way. We do not feel like going to the parks every day. Now we like to stay at our resort and just enjoy the facilities. Also, we eat in our room so we spend less on food. I never paid for laundry, but it is nice to have it there, and we do not pack as much as we use to (which means less laundry when I get home).

DVC has made our vacations more enjoyable. But we could have visited WDW just as much staying at value resorts or off site and spent less than we did on the DVC.

We love it though. We would NEVER have enjoyed these wonderful resorts without DVC.

DJ

 

[ZerasPride]

Another DVC member here. DH and I love our membership! Our home resort is Hilton Head and that has proved to be a good fit for us. DH is not the biggest Disney fan to begin with but he absolutely loves Hilton Head.

As others have mentioned, I don't know if DVC will save us money but I do know that we not have been able to take some of the trips that we have without it. We are also big travelers with our family. My sister and I will be staying at the Grand Floridian in two weeks, 2 other sisters and their families will be joining us at Hilton Head thanksgiving week and we're doing a big extended family trip in 2006 with whoever wants to come to Disney with us. As I said, I know we wouldn't be able to do this without owing DVC.

We think it's just great but it's not cheap!

 

[mikesmom]

DVC member here, too , and we do think it saves us money. We generally went 2 out of 3 years and stayed offsite in a "suite" hotel like an Embassy Suites or such. DH did not feel like we were on vacation without a reasonable amount of privacy. We own a teenager (or did when we joined DVC) and always got accomodations with separate sleeping rooms anyway.

By the time we totalled the room, the hefty Florida taxes and the constant increases in all hotels, we figured we would be at least even, but probably ahead of the game in a very shirt time.

An unexpected benefit was the DROP in our food expense at WDW. With a full kitchen refrigerator/freezer we saved a ton on the amount of chips,water, fruit, ice cream and snacks a couple of teenage boys could go throughin a week. Breakfast in the room, pizza to pop in the oven, salad and I made up substantial deli type sandwiches and we are all set. With a couple of PS s (and the leftovers can now come back to the room for another meal!) we are happy campers.

Plus it is SOOO nice to be able to come back to the room mid day and not to deal with traffic. We had never stayed onsite and did not realize what a difference in the quality of vacation.,

We just wish we'd done it sooner.

 

[Snow Shoe]

Everything that has been said is right. We are owners at two DVC resorts, Vero Beach and Board Walk.

My reasoning for purchasing DVC. I am helping someone locally make a decission on purchasing a re-sale DVC property. My one argument is this.....Howmany times have you already gone to WDW or will go in the near future? Now tally the total cost of each trip and add them all together. If WDW is going to continue to be a vacation destination for you for many years to come, buying into DVC at a minimum 150 pts, costs around $13000 right now. Now compair the $$$ totals, and could you have or will haved paid for owning a DVC property within the next 10 years? If it comes out to, yes or nearly yes, then I would start seriously considering purchasing DVC.

 

[Beezle2]

We are new DVC members and I have been loving the budget board for well over a year and a half. I planned our first trip with all the good advice I found here (FITS, vouchers, onsite/offsite deals) We had a fabulous 21 day trip last December thanks to the Dis budget board. Now we are DVC members I am planning a trip to give to my grandson as a bday gift. We are going to give the family lodgings and tickets, so I'm back over here looking for bargains. I'm thinking the 3 day plus ticket looks awesome if I can get them.

alisa

 

[momsully]

We are DVC members and I agree with the previous posters. We love our DVC and it has saved us some money although now we frequent WDW a little more often. For example we were able to get great airfares for December ($127 pp) so we are headed back which will make two trips this year.

If you are thinking of purchasing check out the DVC board as someone suggested and ask questions. I lurked on that board for over a year before buying a resale.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC will NOT save you money. We only went to WDW once before we became DVC members. At that time, we thought we might go back in about 5 years. Now it is almost 7 years later and we have made 13 more trips and have two more booked through Jan 05. We spend more of our income on DVC and WDW. We only went on vacations occasionally, maybe to the beach or something. Now we get PAPs, are looking at Universal APs as well, plus we always add a day or two onto our DVC stay. Plus we drive, so we stay in a hotel coming and going, plus buy lots of gas (and with prices going up) we're going to be spending more on gas.

Save you money??? No way.