Are you glad you bought?

[carol58]

I am considering buying into the DVC because we LOVE WDW (and would buy resale). I'm analyzing this to death and having fun doing it....but I want to ask you all who are members.......are you glad you bought into the DVC? why or why not? Thanks for your answers.

 

[Granny]

First of all, Welcome to the DIS Boards!

And it's great that you are doing a lot of homework. You probably would get a lot more responses to this on the DVC Mousellaneous board, but it would be the same responses in general.

To answer your question, yes we are happy that we bought DVC 10 years ago. We have made many trips to WDW and stayed in much nicer accommodations than we ever would have been able to afford paying cash.

In general, I think you'll find that people on these boards are very happy with their purchase decision. Let's face it, if they didn't like DVC they probably would have sold their contract and wouldn't be hanging out on these boards. Just wanted you to know that this is not an unbiased group you are polling.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[etemplet]

I am considering buying into the DVC because we LOVE WDW (and would buy resale). I'm analyzing this to death and having fun doing it....but I want to ask you all who are members.......are you glad you bought into the DVC? why or why not? Thanks for your answers.

I'm sure you'll get lots of answers but it doesn't matter what anyone else feels, it's all about your particular situation. My wife and I just bought at BLT because we want to spend time at Disney at least once a year. Since we have purchased, we became aware of friends that are in RADP and came to know other very nice people that teach us new ways to enjoy Disney and cool things to do. We have yet to take our first vacation on points, but we feel like family and we are excited about experiencing Disney on a whole nuther level. I'm having a great time planning vacations, asking questions, looking at pictures, and making each trip an experience to remember. Couldn't have done it without the help of members on this board.

My suggestion would be to purchase the number of points you can afford, at a place where you like to stay. Don't worry and have fun !! Your purchase should enhance your experience and your life, not be a burden to you financially or an obligation for you to visit WDW. YMMV. Just my opinion. Good Luck !!

 

[Boardwalkin]

We are very happy with our DVC purchase. So happy we just purchased more points a few months back. It is really a personal decision whether to buy or not. We found ourselves staying at the Boardwalk and always wanting a BW view every trip. Since we plan to vacation once per year it was much cheaper to buy DVC than to pay cash rates. We get a nicer accomodation for less money. Now I personally don't think DVC is a good deal for non Disney resorts or even booking a Disney cruise. I would only buy DVC to stay at Vacation Club properties. There are much cheaper ways to book those other vacations. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[disneynutz]

I am considering buying into the DVC because we LOVE WDW (and would buy resale). I'm analyzing this to death and having fun doing it....but I want to ask you all who are members.......are you glad you bought into the DVC? why or why not? Thanks for your answers.

I'm glad that we bought, I'm not happy that the value of our contracts have taken a nose dive or that there have been changes to the DVC perks, rules and regulations.

Bill

 

[zalansky]

We bought in 2006 and the first time we walked through the doors to a boardwalk view one bedroom on our very first stay - I told my husband without a doubt, this was one of the best decisions we'd ever made. Two add-ons later, here we are nearing our 6 years into ownership. We stayed at boardwalk again this past weekend. The kids were swimming and I turned to him and said it again - I told you 6 years ago and I am saying it again, this is the BEST thing we have ever done!

I agree its different for everyone, but for us, I absolutely love it.

 

[wdwnut]

We bought in 2000 after numerous trips since 1987. We have 4 contracts. For the last few years we've only been going 1-2 times per year but using larger accommodations. We've also used points to stay in resort hotels a time or two. We just got back from Disneyland Hotel. It's given us the ability to take a larger group of family several times. It's saved us some serious money; but more importantly, it's given us some really treasured memories.

 

[DVCismyhappyplace]

I've owned for 7 years. I am absolutely THRILLED with my purchase. It is not for everyone though. It is a long-term financial commitment. Never look at it (or any timeshare) as an investment. You are prepaying for your vacations.

We travel to WDW 3-4 times a year and couldn't be happier we purchased.

 

[supersuperwendy]

We are thrilled that we joined DVC. It was something I had wanted to do since 1997 and we finally joined in 2008. At this stage of our lives with 4 kids and busy jobs it's our wonderful getaway. We love WDW. For a while we thought about getting an RV since I love that too. But more and more it seemed like I'd want to drive it down to Fort Wilderness anyway putting us at WDW a lot! After comparing the costs RV vs. DVC ....DVC won out! The costs upfront were nearly identical. We have MFs for DVC vs. insurance and storage fees for an RV. Plus...over time we'd have to replace the RV I'm sure ... whereas we have DVC until we're 80 years old!!! (But of course I still want an RV too lol)

 

[ffcheff]

So glad I just bought more points LOL. Yes It was a good deal for me and my family. If we were a family of 4 or less not sure if I would have purchased DVC but I am very happy and so are my wife and kids and thats what really matters to me.

 

[Candace]

Have been a member since 1994 (17 years). Still glad I purchased, and I have added on many times. Just be aware of what it is - it's a prepaid plan for accomodations. It is not an investment (except for an emotional one for your family time together). There are many other costs to go with the "rooms", but it's a lovely way to vacation. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Havana]

Yes, very happy . We purchased our first contract in 2010 and added on more points in 2011. I am thrilled to be able to stay in Deluxe Villas. While the price tag is heavy up front, I love not having a bill at checkout!

 

[PoohsFan1]

We became members in September 2010 and have not regretted our decsion at all. We loved it so much that we just recently purchased more points at another resort just so we are guaranteed to go to Disney twice a year. Before DVC we would go to Disney at least twice a year and stay mainly in deluxes, we now like the fact that we are staying in deluxe accommodations and not worrying about the price of the resort going up each year. We have stayed on points before and are going to be going back in about a month staying on points and we cannot wait. Another thing we love about DVC is the different size villas that we can stay in, and as my girls are getting bigger the extra bedroom, washer/dryer, and full size kitchen is going to help us out a lot .

 

[chunkygal]

We often say it is the best money we ever spent for the best memories that we love to remember and look forward to the next memories

 

[Nancy F]

I'm beyond Glad that we bought at BLT. And I intend to add on as soon as they start selling at GF.
Nancy

 

[Sandisw]

One of the best decisions we made. We love WDW and now that we own DVC it just makes our yearly trip (and soon to be two trips a year) more enjoyable.

We know we will be back every year so no longer feel the need to stress about what we do or do not see.

We have stayed in studios, 1 bedrooms and 2 bedrooms and next summer, a GV and owning DVC made it all possible.

 

[Saratoga Springs Tom]

We are very happy we purchased DVC. We have added on to our original purchase and plan to add again. This has given us the opportunity to vacation every year at WDW. I think several posters have given you great information to consider. Do your homework, give it considerable thought. Good luck with your decision.

 

[walkdmc]

We're glad we bought. We bought in 2009 and haven't regretted it once. We've taken 3 WDW vacations with our DVC and look forward to many more. I just love it and after 3 stays at BLT, I really do feel like I'm "home" when I pull into that parking lot.

We decided to buy when we spent a truck-load of money on two WDW vacations within a 1 year period. We realized it would've been cheaper just buying DVC. Obviously, over time the maintenance fees will add up to a hefty total but if we stop visiting WDW yearly, we'll just sell our BLT (but I will seriously miss the DVC villas....what will I do w/o a kitchen and W/D?).

I don't do any calculating to make sure I'm getting my money's worth so I booked the GF for $95 for a few nights, coming up, using my points. I wouldn't hesitate to use my points to rent a cabin at The Fort when my parents start RV'ing down there, etc.

DH was worried we wouldn't be treated well as DVC members vs. cash customers. However, I have not noticed one difference in how we're treated. Matter of fact, we've had our room requests honored on every DVC trip, not so with our previous cash trips.

 

[walkdmc]

One of the best decisions we made. We love WDW and now that we own DVC it just makes our yearly trip (and soon to be two trips a year) more enjoyable.

We know we will be back every year so no longer feel the need to stress about what we do or do not see.

We have stayed in studios, 1 bedrooms and 2 bedrooms and next summer, a GV and owning DVC made it all possible.

Isn't that true? We've started looking for the odd things to do like the art class at DHS, or tours. I still have a very long list of food/treats/drinks to try and I think that list will take years to complete. Plus, I plan on using my DVC for short trips just to check out things like the Flower Festival in the Spring (or whatever it's called) and the F&W festival. DH and I have started running and look forward to taking long weekends in WDW to run the marathons and see the parks. There's just so much to do!

 

[rock_doctor]

We hate DVC. It is constantly on our minds and we find the extreme desire to talk to others who also own DVC. We like to share tricks and tips with other members and just can't wait to go again. It is totally horrible, we always get a great room and can now stay longer at a deluxe for less money then what we use to spend to stay at a value. And even worst, if something bad happens in our life we can sell our points and recoup at least half of what we spent originally. It is just intolerable, since we are a Disney family it is not uncommon to come across a cousin in a park or at another resort. I suggest your run screaming from DVC like a Disney'fied zombie was chasing you...

(reverse psychology)