Aspects of DVC that aren't so great?

[LightBright]

My wife and I are considering our first purchase at SSR (150-200 points) and the club certainly fits our future vacation expectations. Are there any downsides that we should consider before inking the deal?

 

[OKW Lover]

The "downsides" I can think of:
You have to pay annual maintence fees (currently ~$4/point)
You'll feel obligated to visit WDW annually, or even more frequently - not necessarially a bad thing.
You'll feel the need to add more points - ditto

 

[DVC Grammy]

Also, as time goes by, regret that you didn't buy sooner!

 

[OKW Lover]

Also, as time goes by, regret that you didn't buy sooner!

Ditto

 

[bobbiwoz]

Can you live without daily maid service, or are you willing to pay extra for it? Are paper plates fine for you if you stay in a studio? Can you make do with the allotted towels until you get new ones, or are you willing to wash them yourself? You get 8 sets in a 2 bedroom, and my DDiL asked for and received more new towels (4 sets at no charge), and we then kept washing the ones we had. We had 3 kiddies with us and they had lots of baths and used lots of towels. So there's not always a charge for more towels. Some people don't like reusing towels, and there's only a towel/trash day on day 4 of a 5 night stay.

These are just little things.

We're among the people who are glad we bought in, and sorry we didn't do it sooner.

Bobbi

 

[JimC]

Not really negatives, but worth considering before you buy:

1. You are obligating yourself to annual dues for the remainder of the contract term. You should expect those dues to rise at about 3.6% a year, roughly equivalent to inflation.

2. The best use of the membership is for folks who can plan their vacations well in advance and will spend their points mostly on DVC reservations.

3. You should be able to pay cash for your initial purchase. Borrowing costs greatly reduce the financial benefits of ownership.


That said, we enjoy great one bedroom villas for the price of moderate resort rooms and have flexibility to customize our lodgings to fit our needs for each trip. Our regret, as others have said, is not doing it sooner.

 

[JudyS]

I would say that the only negatives are:
the cost of buying points and paying annual fees
the need to keep track of your points, and use or bank them before they expire

 

[starbox]

One other thing to consider is the annual costs of a Disney vacation above and beyond the lodging portion that DVC covers. Make sure you can afford both the DVC and the tickets/dining/travel expenses associated with your trips. We looked at DVC years ago and could have afforded the points, but would not have had the disposable vacation $$ to pay for "everything else".

 

[Cruelladeville]

You also begun to enjoy the luxury of larger rooms, REALLY enjoy them, and you then feel deprived when you have to "settle" for a studio. You begin to feel that you can take more vacations in a year because your room is already paid for.

I don't regret buying DVC for a minute

 

[Deb & Bill]

For busy times, it really behooves you to make your reservation as soon as you are able whether at 11 months at your home resort or 7 months for non-home resorts.

If you can't make a reservation but 1 month out, you may be disappointed a lot.

 

[DebbieB]

DVC does not run special promotions that WDW resorts have, like free dining or 5 for 7 deals. If you like those promotions, it may be something to think about.

 

[Dean]

Make sure you are buying to stay at DVC resorts. The other exchange options are definitely not a reason to buy due to high cost and/or the unlikelihood of success.

 

[tinkfan]

The only other thing I can think of to add is to make sure you understand exactly how the program works. From reading some other threads it amazes me that so many people don't understand what they are purchasing and then want to blame someone else for not getting the reservations they expect. We have been DVC members for 10 yrs now and have loved every minute!!

 

[roadtripper]

Also, banking/borrowing/cash reservations can be confusing. Don't make the mistake I did and assume that you can take a last minute trip and book a room using points. I had no trouble booking at OKW on cash, but there were no points reservations available. I found myself in a bind and then had trouble figuring out what to do with the points I used to make another ressie that I had to cancel (they were borrowed points). It all worked out, but it made for a few stressful days.
Having said that, DVC was one of the best decisions we ever made!

 

[Mike]

One of the biggest negatives for me is the increased points required for Fri and Sat nights

 

[vascubaguy]

Just a few thing "aspects" of DVC that I don't care for:

1. It expires!
2. Can't check availability or book online (have to make ressies during MS hours of operation.
3. Much higher points for Fri/Sat nights.
4. All the drama about where the next DVCs will be.. (just tell us so we can plan accordingly!!!)

 

[waltfan1957]

Also, as time goes by, regret that you didn't buy sooner!

totally agree

 

[crisi]

I don't think the DVC resorts and rooms (even the ones attached to the Deluxe hotels) are as well maintained as the Deluxe hotel rooms.

Views can be problematic at most resorts - only BWV divides out views - if having a great view makes or breaks your vacation, DVC isn't a great choice.

Some people believe (and I agree) that the incentive to provide pixie dust goes down once you commit to DVC. CMs don't have the incentive to compensate you for minor inconviences, give you upgrades. Towel animals seem more rare (although that may have more to do with reduced cleaning giving reduced opportunities).

I'm saving enough that I feel DVC is a good value - particularly considering its one of the few ways to get your kids to sleep in a seperate room at Disney. But with no kids and throwing frugality to the wind, I'd stay in Deluxes.

 

[dvc at last !]

I also do not like that it expires.
Checking things on line would be great - not always convenient to call MS during THEIR hours.
It is expensive to get in.
Still sorry I could not have purchased it sooner.

 

[3DisneyKids]

This is not necessarily a negative, per se, but something to be aware of. MS (member services) is only open during normal business hours. You cannot book online or check availability online, etc. You need to call and speak with someone during their scheduled time. I only mention this b/c you will often see threads on this board that state, "Help! Have a crisis and MS is closed till Monday!"

Now that I look at this, the fact that I can't reach MS 24/7 is my biggest negative?!?! LOL...things must be pretty good if this is all I can come up with! I will agree with the previous poster, though, the increased points for Fri. and Sat. are my biggest "complaint." But I was well aware of how the system worked before buying in.