Arrrrgh!!! I am SO torn!

[Sammy]

I am soooo torn about what to do regarding DVC. I really want to buy into DVC, but am having a hard time going the final step and signing. As much as DH and I love Disney, I'm so afraid we won't use it to its fullest potential and lose out $$-wise. We are a family of 5 so our regular Disney room choices are limited and with the kids getting bigger, we'll need two rooms anyway. The cost of that alone almost justifies DVC....even if we only use it every other year.

Anyone else get "cold feet" and what was your ultimate deciding factor for or against DVC??

Sammy

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

We are a family of 5 so our regular Disney room choices are limited and with the kids getting bigger, we'll need two rooms anyway. The cost of that alone almost justifies DVC.

We didn't get cold feet but that was the issue that pushed us to join DVC. We are a family of six and getting two rooms at a deluxe resort was becomming very expensive. DVC solved our problem. We now have more room and get more enjoyment out of our vacation.

HBC

 

[spiceycat]

I am a single female and I don't make anywhere near what some of you make.

so yes I was torn - I even say no the first time and cancelled my contract - then I took my brother's family and my mother on a trip to WDW - he couldn't afford it - so I pay for everything - boy on what that trip alone cost I would have taken a big bite out of WDW.

of course if you buy then you might have a problem that is on going here - more trips - in my case - alot more trips - before DVC I was going once maybe twice a year - after DVC 4 times is average, one year 7 times -

 

[dianeschlicht]

We were only going once everyother year before we bought DVC. We "thought about it" for 4-5 years before we bought! OUr only regret is that we did not do it sooner! If we would have done it when we first heard about it (1992) we would have been money ahead, and would have saved the money we spent on our trips between then and our purchase date in 1997. We were spending so much per trip to stay on site!!! We stayed at OKW once, and knew we had to purchase after that! Now we go to WDW at least once a year, and often 2-3 times. I might add that we are empty nesters, so we usually take a lot of guests and our grown kids with us.

 

[Disney Doll]

I think the fact that you have children who are going to continue to grow is reason enough!!!!!

Seriously, though...think ahead. If you really think that you will enjoy going to WDW at least every other year, and obviously you'll be bringing your kids with you, at least for a few more years, then it does make finacial sense to buy into DVC, instead of having to rent 2 regular rooms, which is what happens to a lot of folks as their kids get older and too big to share a bed, or most of the rooms sleep 4 and you have 5 in your family and some of the rooms have trundle beds but a 16 year old boy doesn't fit very well on a trundle bed.

Basically, you do the least amount of point buy in to stay in a 2BR every other year at the resort of your choice during the time of year you like to go. For example, (using totally made-up numbers) if you like to go every other year for a week in May and a 2BR for a week in May costs 300 points, buy 150 points, bank them one year to use the next. If your life changes and you need more points down the line, you buy them. If your life changes and you have to sell your points somewhere down the line , they are usually a pretty good resale value. I don't think anyone who has to resale their points loses money. Maybe folks have broken even, but I htink DVC is a hot enough commodity where it wouldn't be a loss.

Good luck with your decision

 

[crisi]

I think that - when push comes to shove - this has to be more than a financial decision.

Think about the on-site off-site difference. Most people who make that decision purely on finances end up staying off site. But there are those of us that feel that on-site is actually a great deal - and that given you don't need to rent a car or you get access to EE or whatever, that it ends up being a real value.

DVC is close enough that most people who stay at Deluxes (and even some of those staying at moderates) will break even, but like the off-site on-site debate, its hard to compare apples to apples. DVC is going to really, seriously change the way you vacation at Disney (and I didn't really believe this until I got back two weeks ago). Putting the kids in their own bedroom, having easy access to toss in wash, being able to scramble up a few eggs effortlessly. Not to mention the assurance that you will be back in a couple years - so there is always next trip - will give your vacations a casualness.

There are those here that believe that a DVC room is superior to anything you'll find at a Deluxe - and those disappointed that DVC rooms aren't superior in every way (i.e. plastic deck chairs or no access to concierge or lack of daily maid service). I think it depends on what you want in a "superior" vacation. I know I'm not regretting our purchase.

At the same time, DVC is making a committment. Renting two regular hotel rooms, you can just decide not to go if money gets tight. You can go somewhere else if the family decides "Disney again?!" Once you buy DVC, you are committed (and perhaps commitable) - you can rent out your points (and do more than break even) if money gets tight or the family would rather go to Cancun, but that may be too much of a hassle.

We do the every other year thing and it works great.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Think of it as pre-paying for a lifetime of family vacations!

 

[Patricia721]

I passed on buying into BWV the first year they opened. Our son was an adult and we were looking for more relaxing vacations than our typical "go, go" WDW vacations (we went about 20 times though so we obviously enjoyed it).

Three years ago, my son and his fiance did buy BWV and now we have a 5 month old grandson. I just bought 160 points at SSR and they will be willed to our grandson. I wonder if he's the youngest DVC member??

Moral of my story - I bought with my heart!!

 

[korzmom]

we are also a family of 5...and yes there were cold feet, but we did it! signed the papers yesterday...our kids are getting older also, 20-16-13...but they all love disney and we go 2 times a year sometimes 3...like this year....should have done this awhile ago, but sometimes good things come to those who wait...we will get to use our points in june so I cant wait to see how things go....go for it, if you love disney and go often and plan on going again and again, go for it!

 

[DeeP]

I had a little bit of cold feet when I bought my orginal DVC contract because of the financial impact of the whole thing. When I had to write out the check for my orginal contract my hand was almost shaking because it seemed like a lot of money for something that was not a necessity.
But, like many, many others will say.....it is the best decision I have ever made. We have already gotten so many wonderful vacations from our DVC membership and we still have 38 more years!!
If you go to WDW on a regular basis, you can't beat DVC. You will be able to stay in beautiful villas with so much more than 2 rooms provide. Don't get me wrong I love the WDW resorts and still stay at them on a regular basis for a couple days during many trips but there is nothing like a DVC villa! However, as others have said..you will find yourself going to WDW more often since your room is already pre paid and if you get APs it really makes for reasonable trip costs to a very top of the line vacation destination. Many DVC members also cook in their villas to even further cut costs, but this is where I draw the line though! LOL! I am a room service and sit down restaurant type person on vacation, and the good thing about DVC is there is something for everyone!
BTW, the cold feet only comes with the orginal DVC contract, after the first one the add ons are a breeze, LOL!!

 

[Sammy]

You guys are really fabulous.....I knew I posted for reason!! I thank all of you for replying, you've given me some good points to consider. I'm so glad to hear that even those of you who had cold feet and second thoughts didn't regret your decision once you bought in.

I'll let you know what I finally decide!

Thanks again!
Sammy

 

[tjkraz]

Some questions to ask yourself:

If you don't buy DVC, where will you be spending your vacation dollars in the forseeable future? WDW? If not, is it some other destination that can be booked through DVC's World Passport or Concierge Collection?

When you stay at WDW, will you be satisfied with All-Star or Moderate accommodations, or do you prefer the amenities provided by a DVC resort (or Deluxe)?

In your position, I would consider a 150-point purchase to get your feet wet and go from there. I suspect you'll be adding-on before you know it.

 

[Mouse Ears]

We are a family of 5 and own the minimum 150 points. Our plan is to stay 5-7 nights in a 2bdrm for 2 out of 3 years (off-season). This allows us to get the Disney experience and still have some time to do other things. We have only made infrequent visits in the past and now have a trip next month (woo-hoo!) and already planning for next fall so that we can use season passes twice. Then, we will take a year off and repeat.

Of course, there's always the chance that we won't be able to stomach the idea of taking a year off, but that is what add-ons are for...

Don't forget to consider other costs. For example, even though DVC is an economical way to pay for a room, I know that it will result in more long-distance vacations for us, meaning additional airfare, car rentals, and food. Obviously, we decided that it was worth it (or even desirable since it forces us to get away), but something to at least acknowledge. On the other hand, being able to cook in the room can save vacation dollars that might be spent at 'normal' resorts.

Good luck with your decision and don't wait too long to decide. The prices continue to climb.

 

[vicandmick]

I think our purchase has been great. Our kids were I think just the right age to buy. 19,18 13
They were old enought to enjoy disney on their own, with checking in now and then. Also..grandchildren in another 10 years, we can share with them!

 

[stacy6552]

learn from us!

We dragged our feet for 3 years, since then the price per point has gone up from $67/pp to $89/pp.

If we had bought back then and decided to sell it now, we'd be making money on it.

Stop draggin! Buy today before thr price goes up tomorrow. literally! the price is going up tomorrow, or rather the discount is going down.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Originally posted by Sammy
I am soooo torn about what to do regarding DVC. I really want to buy into DVC, but am having a hard time going the final step and signing. As much as DH and I love Disney, I'm so afraid we won't use it to its fullest potential and lose out $$-wise. We are a family of 5 so our regular Disney room choices are limited and with the kids getting bigger, we'll need two rooms anyway. The cost of that alone almost justifies DVC....even if we only use it every other year

As long as you go to any of the DVC properties at least once every three years, this should pay for itself in roughly 7 years, less if you pay for it up front, longer if you finance it at the 9.75% or higher offered by DVC. I know at some point that my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification would help my family some day, so when we were considering the purchase, I ran the numbers and found that compared to paying cash (or credit card) at Disney resorts we would stay at (Deluxe on sale basically), DVC payed for itself in 5.5 years paying cash, 6.5 yrs using our home equity line and just under 8 yrs at DVC rates. After I did my time-value calculations, of course I found other finance geeks had done similar calculations comparing DVC ownership plus fees to Disney Moderate resorts, and found a payback period of 7-10 years depending on financing option (forgot the thread references, but here somewhere).

So even if you only hold it for the payback period while your kids are young, you sell out afterwards and break even on the transaction, having enjoyed first class accommodations during your delightful visits to DVC resorts. Furthermore, if you should you find yourself unable to utilize all of your points, you can always sell them on the secondary market (aka Rent/trade board), and if you should need a few additional points, these can be had fairly reasonably at the same place.

If you do end up deciding to join, be sure to mention the name of a DVC member living in a state that allows referral bonuses (like mine, Massachusetts); the referring member gets a minimum $200 bonus for referring new members (but only those who buy directly); Some of us pass part or all of the bonus on to the new DVC member who mentioned us.

In my family's case, the decision was only partly financial, however: our 6 yr old son is severely disabled (severe CP), so a place that is warm, totally handicap accessible where DS is treated like a king is a place we're gonna be going back to again and again. Being able to reserve 11 months out at our home resort (BWV) was another big plus, since you can actually get a 2 BR when you want it if you reserve 11 months out. These factors plus the very short payback period made the purchase decision much easier.

 

[Lisa P.]

Sammy, with a family of 5, what would your plans be, without DVC? These are some possibilities:

Look for cash discounts to stay in:
--- 1 Disney deluxe hotel room (only 1 bath) together
--- 2 rooms at a Disney value hotel
--- 2 rooms at a Disney moderate hotel
--- 2 rooms at a Disney deluxe hotel
--- a cabin at Fort Wilderness
--- Home-away-from-home 2BR

Other options:
--- DVC points rental from a member for a 2BR
--- Rent an offsite pool home or villa
--- Offsite suite hotel
--- Luxury timeshare villa (2BR or 3BR) offsite
--- Priceline for 2 hotel rooms (4 star) offsite, risking the chance that you would not be given connecting rooms
--- Discount for 2, connecting deluxe hotel rooms offsite.

Eliminate all of the above options that would not be satisfactory or pleasing for your own family. Then compare costs for the remaining options with DVC points for 2BRs.

I think DVC is a pecularly uncertain value for families with 3 kids. Larger families would primarily compare a DVC 2BR with 2 hotel rooms. Smaller families could consider a DVC 1BR, compared with 1 hotel room. But a family of 5 may consider a DVC 2BR vs. 1 hotel room, if it would suffice for their needs.

Our family of 5 was not satisfied with 150 DVC points. We prefer many more vacations per year than are possible with just 150 DVC points. Given the limited value for us (and the inability to buy up to the number of points we would have needed), we sold our DVC. However, for us, offsite timeshares do provide wonderful accommodations. If offsite is not a good solution for you, it should be eliminated from the above options. DVC is really best for those who strongly prefer onsite accommodations.