At what moment was your decision to join DVC confirmed as a good decision?

We knew we made the right choice for us when we stayed at HH for the 1st time. I looked at the information posted by the door with the rack rates. We knew we'd never be able to afford that kind of money for an annual summer vacation-even with discounts. So, we did an add on at HH. While we don't have enough points to stay there 2 weeks like DH would like to do but there is hope we'll someday have enough points to do that.

Our original purchase was at BWV. We have yet to stay there but I'm pretty sure we'll know again we made the right choice when we do.
 
right when we started comparing vacations with friends and they found out the cost of their one week stay at GF (all things included) for four cost about half as much as our entire membership at BWV back in 1998. They could not comprehend the $ amount we paid for our membership was for the next FORTY something YEARS. :)
 
When we walked from the BWV sales area in 1997 after buying into OKW sight unseen ( we had luau resssies and didn't have time for a tour) carrying the tote bag with paperwork in it back to the parking lot we went through the lobby and a cast member upon seeing the bag gave us a big smile and an even bigger Welcome Home! That's when I knew. A close second was when we went home the first time to a GV at OKW and everyone in the group just said WOW as they walked in.
 
I was kind of nervous about my purchase - my family was dead against it - so I went by myself to a studio - one trip and I knew it was a great deal - the service, the buses (and the drivers), parking at your door - well it was great.

When I brought mother later in the year - we stayed at 1-bedroom and she never again try to talk me out of it.

I really love DVC - especially OKW - it is wonderful!
 

We had a one bedroom on our first visit and just standing on the balcony, looking at the view, I said to myself that this was one of the best decision we had made, no doubt about it!!!
 
On our 2 week honeymoon. 1 week and the poly and one week at WL cost half the price of an initial points buy in. If we had bought sight unseen we would have been half paid up for 40 something years of MAGIC! Kicked ourselves for not doing the research and bought that trip. As it was DH 1st trip we our now both DISNEY NUTS and just recently added on to BCV. Buy now before the kids arrive and dream of all the many years of Mickey Ears and Joyful Tears.;)
 
The first time we went home in 93 and the guard at the gate said "Welcome Home". I truly feel I am home everytime we arrive and get the "Welcome Home".
 
After staying off site in 2000 at (The Enclave) terrible, and then in 2001 at Vistana Resort (fantastic) place and going over to BW each time and seeing that area and the prices they charge I told the wife we would never be able to stay here (BW). Then I was planning a trip for 5 days to BW in 2002 and saw what it would cost and didn't care because we were going to stay at BW at least once before we went back to offsite resorts. THEN IT HAPPENED I came across a website (THE DISBOARDS) and after reading a KAZILLION posts about DVC and how it worked WE BOUGHT A RESALE AT BWV IN MAY 2002 over the phone (site unseen) and used pts for our BWV stay in July 2002 instead of cash. When we pulled up to BWV in a towncar in July that was when we knew DVC WAS RIGHT FOR US.

THANK YOU DISBOARDS
 
About a year before we put the money down and joined!
 
Our thoughts were confirmed when the kids(teenagers) walked into our 1 bedroom at OKW for our first DVC stay. They said, "Wow! Do we really get to stay here?" They were used to moderates and All-Stars.

We bought OKW site unseen, after touring Vero. The first thing I did was walk around counting the windows, as it was a beautiful sunny day. 10!
 
When I got home, after making our purchase at BWV I sat down and looked at how much we've been paying for rooms at GF, Poly, CT, BC/YC or S/D and said this was stupid, $200 to $400 per day for just a hotel room. Since we go at least once a year, if not more, it made financial sense and we even did two add ons before we had even made our first trip home. Since that time we've shared our home with a number of our family members, something tha we coudln't have done if we had to pay cash for the rooms. We have another gathering in less then two weeks and if I had to pay the pubished rack rate for the rooms we have booked it would be over $11,000, heck that just about pays for the DVC purchase.
 
On our first night at VWL when we looked back at the villas from our sunset boatride across Bay Lake.....breathtakingly beautiful!
 
Two times...
first on the trip when we joined and then spent the whole trip walking around so relaxed saying "oh, we can skip that...we'll do it next time! Or the time after that!"

Then again on our first trip home( 15 months after joining)....dh was arranging to have our luggage brought up and I took the kids to our VWL one br......I just kept walking around saying to the kids "Wow...this is so perfect! Wait until Daddy sees this!"

Can't wait until Thanksgiving when we return!
 
I knew we had made the right decision when we stayed in a 2 bedroom villa at VWL in September 2001 (cash). We purchased sight unseen, but had already made a cash reservation. First used points for a studio in March 2002, and again in July 2002. Going home again in December and again in March. Can't wait.
 
I knew we made the right decision when on our recent August trip to the VWL our 12 year old DS asked " So Mom when are we buying more points ?".
 
Since the day we joined in "93. We've had wonderful vacations over the years. What a bargain!!!!
 
It was actually confirmed as a good decision the day before we signed the paperwork.

We had planned to fly separately to DVC (I was on a business trip that week), sign up, and then check in on points for a long weekend. Back in 1992 NH was not registered yet, so we had to sign up in person.

My flight was cancelled, and in those days before cell phones all I could do was leave a very short message with our guide's voice mail, not knowing when -- or if -- I would arrive. She and DW arranged for us to be able to stay the first night on points even though we hadn't officially become members yet.

I finally arrived at DVC about 8:30pm. The last straw was the Mears driver insisting that the Disney Villas was DVC :rolleyes: As far as I knew, we had no place to stay because we hadn't signed up yet. It was truly the high point of my "day from heck" to discover that DVC had stretched the rules for us. The next morning we signed all the paperwork.

For me that first night's stay confirmed what a great decision we'd made! :bounce:
 
While staying at WL for our 25th anniversary in 2000, after doing the tour and watching the VWL construction through the fencing, we knew that this was for us.

Sitting on the balcony at WL, watching the geiser and the EWP, we knew this was right for us.

Now that we have experienced BWV, OKW, VB and brought extended family members along who could not have otherwise enjoyed a WDW vacation, we are SURE this was the right decision!!!
 
We were convinced we did the right thing after our first stay; 10 days in a GV at OKW. 8 adults, 1 teen, and 1 child. It was extremely difficult to head home after that stay!
 















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