Ayone else get comments for being DVC members??

[jboysen]

I laughed when I read the first post. My DH and I don't tell too many at home, his co-workers think he's nuts though. Our friends think we are in debt up to our eyeballs. My parents have owned for 12 years now, so we get it out of our system with them. My story goes like this, our last trip end of March/begining of April I was in the Dumbo line w/ DD3 and the woman in front of me asks if this is our first trip. I said no, this would be my DD's 4th trip. She asks if we live around here, I said no, we live in MN. She gives me a look of surprise, then I say we are DVC members. I guess she didn't like that answer because she turned around and didn't say word the next ten minutes in line to me, but chatted with the lady ahead who said it was there first trip. Even at WDW you find people who think your nuts for owning DVC!

 

[cyndixo]

I hear the same thing all the time to so I really dont discuss it. Work, family, neighbors all say the same thing oh my gosh you have to be rich to go to away so much......then i hear how can you go to Disney so much doesnt it get boring...... My DD and I LOVE our DVC and I am so proud to be an owner but yet I find it very difficult to discuss with people. It was funny though, I was in a training class and the instructor asked if anyone was ever on a cruise or going on a cruise and some thoughts about it or why its so special then he polled the class and my answer was going and its free. He asked me why and I said because I added on points to my DVC vacation club. He had no clue BUT to my surprise there was someone in the class who was also a DVC member so him and I sat talking about it the whole time.

 

[Lost in Neverland]

The look on my MILs face when we pulled up outside Wilderness Lodge on arrival was absolutely priceless.

I know exactly where you are coming from on this. My DH has family that bought a timeshare at a property close to WDW. My MIL went with the "family" to this place and could not wait to call and tell us how wonderful it was. I looked at DH and he knew what was coming . I "suggested " they go to Bomas for diner one evening. She called to say what a beautiful place it was and she wished that someone she knew could afford to stay there. You could hear a pin drop when we told her we had just returned from that resort and could go whenever we wanted without having to pay cash.
We also get the must be nice to be rich speaches everythime we mention going to WDW even before DVC. What people do not tend to get is if they go the beach rent a house,pay for gas to get there and food they could go to WDW and get the DDP.Hmmmm wonder who is smarter about spending their money.....

 

[FOXFIELDZOO]

Same comments here, from must be nice to have money, to what are you crazy taking all of you to disney every year? All that matters is that with 8 of us driving down every year is what we want to do, its an adventure for us and who cares what everybody else thinks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We did it because we wanted too and will use it and enjoy every minute of it.

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

I ain't skeered, and I ain't rich.

I let anyone know, don't care how they react!

Still have family that are "over us" being DVC members, and some that really want to join that don't have the means yet. We're proud and happy DVC owners! We let friends and acquaintances know just as well.

 

[tay72699]

We just became members in May after tossing around the idea for over a year. We are lucky enough to know a few people that were already DVC members (quite a few at our DD's school actually), so they are more excited than anything and want to compare notes. The other's that know are not surprised since we have gone yearly for the past 8 years and when I explain how much we were spending on accomodations they understand perfectly. We do have friends that opted for Wyndham's Bonnet Creek a few years back instead of DVC, so we get a little flak from them and the sales calls from Wyndham though...gotta love caller ID!

 

[MrsNick]

When my DM would ask where we were going on vacation and we would tell her Florida, she used to ask "Again?"

When I explained to her that it was the cheapest vacation that we could take, I don't think she really understood.

When I booked the THV's for a family get together next year and showed her the video of the THV's on allearsnet, she wanted to know how much they go for per night if paying cash. When I told her aprx. $700 per night plus tax her jaw about hit the floor.

I was honest and told her it was possible to get 25% discount as a member (if the discount is available) but she still said it was really expensive, and she didn't think my DSis + family would have been able to go if they had to split the bill with us.

I think she "gets" it now

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I actually consider owning DVC to be our dirty little secret. What I mean by that is that I consider it to be crazy expensive and I personally am not sure we made the right decision to buy. We own another timeshare that we bought for $1500 (a repo) that gives us access to Interval International exchanges and getaways. I see the value in that! I personally do not see the value in DVC but also have not used it yet. We are going on a 7night cruise in September with 2 years worth of points. I don't get what the big deal is with DVC (someone tell me!) but DH thinks it's awesome lol.

I know this is a long shot, but...we met some really nice Canadians while looking at the BLT and AKV models in March. They had just purchased BLT points and were going to use the points for a cruise.

Was that you?? If so, you guys are really lovely people.

 

[photobob]

It's amazing though when these people who scoff at you decide to take a trip to WDW, they come to you for advice. That has happened to me on multiple occasions and really don't mind helping people because I really do want them to have a good time and enjoy it the way we do.

We've talked about how guarded we can be about our beloved DVC, but isn't it great to be able to open up to people who are "Disney friendly" and share experiences and tips?

 

[Bill K]

I am thinking about getting a DVC tatoo!!!

 

[rowbear]

Shoot. I consider people being jealous of me as one of the perks of ownership.

 

[rowbear]

I am thinking about getting a DVC tatoo!!!

The really funny thing is many rich people would laugh at you because they consider Disney to be so common that it is beneath them. Some of my friends that do quite well in life refer to Disney as a trailer trash vacation.

 

[FOXFIELDZOO]

Say it loud, say it proud, we are dvc owners!!!!!

 

[redrosesix]

LOL I've gotten the same kind of comments since we bought a regular TS (we're planning to buy DVC too) last week -- we got it on eBay and it's costing us a total of $800! And we bought it so our trips would be cheaper than ASMusic (so will DVC, by our calculations). The funny thing is, the people who made the comments have stayed at the Poly and CBR.

People just have no idea.

 

[redrosesix]

It's amazing though when these people who scoff at you decide to take a trip to WDW, they come to you for advice. That has happened to me on multiple occasions and really don't mind helping people because I really do want them to have a good time and enjoy it the way we do.

We've talked about how guarded we can be about our beloved DVC, but isn't it great to be able to open up to people who are "Disney friendly" and share experiences and tips?

this is so true -- once in a while I meet somebody who's as into WDW as me, or who has already bought DVC. Their eyes light up as soon as they realize they've found somebody new to talk to about it -- too funny

 

[rutgers1]

The one thing that has surprised me is the number of people who know what DVC is. Granted, I talk mainly to people with young children, and the majority have been to Disney over the past few years, but I think DVC markets itself so well on Disney property that EVERYONE knows what it is by the end of their stay.

For the most part, I have gotten a lot of positive reactions. The negative reactions have mainly come from people who simply don't like Disney. Often, I think, the negative reactions have mainly been in my own head. For example, before I tell someone, I always wonder if they will think that Timeshares are for poor losers who can't afford a vacation home, or that I have too much disposable income (obviously, two OPPOSITE reactions). The thought of getting one of those reactions often dissuades me from telling someone.

Whenever I feel like I spent too much money on DVC, I remind myself that many people in my town have vacation homes on the Jersey shore. When compared to the initial price and monthly upkeep of a beach house, DVC is very cheap. Yet I get the same satisfaction from owning DVC as I would if I owned a beach house. To me, whether owning a beach house or owning DVC, they serve the same basic purposes:
1) quality time with family
2) building a family identity through many shared memories at a common location

Considering I am getting the same benefits of beach house ownership at a fraction of the cost, I am very happy and can deal with the occasional person who makes a negative comment.

 

[rentayenta]

Shoot. I consider people being jealous of me as one of the perks of ownership.

I love it!

 

[MrsNick]

The really funny thing is many rich people would laugh at you because they consider Disney to be so common that it is beneath them. Some of my friends that do quite well in life refer to Disney as a trailer trash vacation.

Aww pshaw! C'mon Pa, I'm fixin' to go to Disney for some alligator pie!
Just call me Bobbie Jo!

 

[MrsNick]

Considering I am getting the same benefits of beach house ownership at a fraction of the cost, I am very happy and can deal with the occasional person who makes a negative comment.

And you know something? You don't have to be bogged down with the hassles of the upkeep of the property. I LOVE that when we go to DVC, the place is ready for us to use without having to "open the house" and that when we leave, all we have to do is pack, and we don't have to "close the house."

I have friends who own a condo in Florida, and they are tired of making sure that the place is taken care of, and they are really tired of paying the utilities on their condo, including electric and cable. They spend $300 per month on utilities ALONE for that condo. They can't wait to sell it and apply the funds to DVC

 

[toniosmom]

We were at the All Star Movies resort in April 2008 and I was not happy with the accomodations. On a whim, I took a DVC tour and was thoroughly impressed. Seeing the whirlpool tub (after a late night at the parks) was enough to sell me, I think. So, after thinking about it and running the numbers, I jumped in and bought the minimum amount of points at AKV.

I was a bit nervous about membership because I am a single mother with a 4 year old. (I adopted my son as a single mother, so there is no father.) The thought of traveling alone with this very active little boy scared the you-know-what out of me. A friend was going to join us this past March as we used our developer points at SSR. Well, the friend had to drop out and we went alone.

IT WAS THE BEST VACATION WE HAVE EVER HAD. I am so thrilled that we went alone. We created so many wonderful memories and my son frequently mentions Disney. This fact alone made all the investment in DVC worth every single penny, plus interest. So, do I care if anyone makes comments? HECK NO!

My son has ADHD, so things are tough in our household. I have to say that reading about everyone's experiences on this board has been a welcome distraction for me. We are going back "home" next March 2010 and it can't come fast enough. However, I have already planned many many future vacations in my mind as I have read about all of your trips.

Thank you, my dear fellow DVC-ers!