Besides Fiscal, what other value does DVC have?

[DisOrBust]

Don't Flame Me !
But... for us, a family of five, I figure it will take 15-20yrs to break even. so I ask
why is DVC so great???

My family, due to points limitations would stay in a 1 BR. ONe DD would not have a bed. There isn't Maid" service." So I would be making beds, washing towels etc...

Kitchen??Do I really want to cook????

Again, I am trying to convince my DH that DVC is in our future since we vacation to WDW so much .....


TIA!
Sue

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I won't flame you if, you don't call me corny!
For us, one of our favorite things about DVC is just being member of the club. Yes, we are proud to be associated with a company such as Disney.
Of course, that is on top of all the other benefits.

The money for many folks will be a faster break even than yours.

At first we thought we would miss the maid service. The good folks on this forum said we probably wouldn't, and they were right. I now couldn't imagine my morning being rushed or interrupted with maid service.

We don't cook a single meal in the villa, but we still enjoy the kitchen. The fridge comes in handy, as well as the micro. The glassware is nice for wine and drinks. The coffee maker also gets used.

The laundry is a real benefit. At first I was saying "who the heck wants to do laundry while on vacation?"
Well, I found that's is easy to put a load in before leaving for the day, then putting it in the dryer when getting ready for dinner. This allows us to pack a lot less stuff.

Oh ya, did I mention the "WELCOME HOMES" ?

MG

 

[JimC]

Ditto Maistre Gracey's comments.

We believe we get good value -- one bedroom villas at the price of moderate resorts, soaking tub (my wife loves this feature), laundry in room (a carry on for a week's trip), full kitchen (no more overpriced or hurried breakfasts), discounts on AP (recent but very worthwhile addition to our benefits).

And as MG said membership and Welcome Home are both part of our enjoyment.

 

[Pa@okw95]

You are going to need enough points to rent a 2 bedroom, 5 is against the rules in a one bedroom. I would suggest you get aquainted with the rules before buying. With a 2 bedroom you will have a full laundry, 3 beds enough for the 5 of you, a kitchen, and a nice living room. Like others have said, once you get used to no maid service, you really find regular maid service a pain in the neck. At most hotels you either have to find a coin laundry or pay for their service which runs in the hundreds of dollars to do a full load for 5. My wife and I pay well over $100 for such service at other hotels. The laudry is a big plus. We do not eat in the units but I do find the kitchen handy for snack foods.

 

[lsutigger2]

Another ditto to MG's comments: He said them so well!!

 

[bcvillastwo]

Having stayed at GF, AK, CB, All Stars, and Off-Site two times what we like is the size and convenience of the 1Bdrm and 2Bdrm units. Frankly, there is just more room to spread out and relax and like others have said there is the washer and dryer and the kitchen to use how ever (or if) you want. We also like the large whirlpool bath tub in the bigger units. (We think the studios are bigger than standard rooms at the on site resorts and they do have a small kitchen area as well.) All in all, given the fact that we were traveling to WDW at least once a year it's been both a good financial and comfort decision.

By the way, we own at BCV and our per point cost is right at $6.00 per point. I've found that calculating you cost per point helps to better evaluate and compare DVC room costs to the cost of other resorts. Another thing to consider in your analysis is how much the cost of the other resorts will grow over the life of your DVC contract. The cost growth for your DVC contract will be dues which probably average 3-4% a year. Oh and don't forget to caluculate room tax for the regular WDW resorts (or for places you might stay out in town).

By now I'm sure you've heard that if you are traveling to WDW at least once a year and staying at a moderate or better resort then DVC may be for you. "May" of course is the operative word. One word of caution, we were averaging one trip a year (sometimes two) now we average two trips a year (sometimes three) so our WDW costs have actually grown some but our accomodations are already taken care of since we didn't finance.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[jennypenny]

We didn't really do DVC to make our vacations *cheaper* but better. Here are some of the reasons we like DVC 1/2 bedrooms:

1. having a room to ourselves. Hubby travels a lot for his business and we like our cuddle time on vacation. Especially since our kids are younger and go to sleep before us--we have someplace to go and chat/watch tv/have a drink/take a dip in the tub, etc.
2. Oh that tub. We like it. I know you can take a bath at home, but WDW is the only place I can take an hour long bubble bath with a beverage of my choice and not feel a bit of guilt. On the last trip we could actually see fireworks from our room so I got to watch them from the tub! Definitely a DVC-only experience.
3. The kitchen. Even if you don't cook *meals* (we do) we use it for breakfast, snacks, a quick sandwich, drinks, and happy hour. We love setting up happy hour in the afternoon when the kids are cleaning up after the pool. And no matter where we eat dinner, or at what time, when we get back to the room my son says "I'm hungry."
4. We like not having maid service. We don't really like people coming in to our room.
5. We love having laundry in the room. Especially when we travel off season and temps can vary between 40-80 degrees. You only have to pack 1 of everything. Also great when it rains alot. And when your kids look like the stars of a Tide commercial.
6. We like being DVCers. DVCers just get it. They take it easy on vacation. They don't go commando because they know they are going back. They actually take a break in the afternoon and swim and do happy hour. They don't look at you funny when you say you are going to WDW *again*. (Your family will make those comments, but then they will want to go with you. Ours did, and now they are DVCers )

BTW, you unknowingly brought up a very touchy subject here on the boards--room occupancy. Technically, you are not allowed to have 5 in a 1 bedroom unless 1 is under 3. But you are an adult and will decide for yourself what your family will do. I wouldn't mention it again . If you would like to see the debate on this topic there is a running thread on this board somewhere called "max room occupancy" or something like that. Just FYI

Jenny

 

[dianeschlicht]

A 2 bedroom at OKW in the lowest point seasons is 218 points for a week. That is what you would need for a family of 5. It might not be cheaper than staying at the All Stars, but you wont need to rooms, you will HAVE room, and add on the kitchen, laundry, whirlpool tub and large living room and deck, and it is a VERY different experience. If you are accustomed to staying in deluxes, you know that a stay can easily cost $5000 and up for a week. We thought at that price, we can kind "break even" after just a few trips. Not the real finances, but you get the picture. We HATE regular maid service, and this is more of a home. You aren't paying for "a trip", you are paying for a guaranteed vacation every year!

 

[Corinne]

On the last trip we could actually see fireworks from our room so I got to watch them from the tub! Definitely a DVC-only experience.

Ahhhhhhh! How awesome!

We finally became members in 2001, when we knew we could actually afford it. I wish we had joined before, but boy am I just glad we did it! There have been times when a trip just may not be justified (for example, our first son is off to college in the Fall). But, since we already have the accomodations, all we need is spending money, airfare, and every other year, AP's. Pre-DVC we stayed at the YC, and room rates are high!

I, too, worried about the fact that there is no maid service. I should not have been worried. It just is not a big deal. I love being able to the laundry BEFORE we go home, so when we do, we unpack all clean clothes. I do not cook on vacation, but love having the kitchen! We eat breakfast in the room each morning, and as Jenny said, have happy hour every evening. We stopped being commando several years ago, and imo, it is the ONLY way to do Disney!

 

[WolfpackFan]

The way I look at DVC is basically I've prepayed for many years of future vacations in very nice resorts with accomodations much more deluxe than you find in regular hotels. I will be retiring next year (actually I can retire with full benefits in about 3 weeks if I wish ), and I have the comfort of knowing that for many years in the future until DW and myself are in walkers (and even after that ), we will be assured of nice vacations at least 2-3 times a year without it costing alot of money from our retirement income. We are planning a week at HHI in the Summer from now on, plus a week at WDW or use the points for an II exchange. If we had not joined DVC we would not be able to afford such vacations every year. Also, I'm really looking forward to some point when DD25 and/or DS30 might get married and have children and I can take the grandkids down to WDW. This would be my greatest thrill.

 

[SoCalKDG]

You are going to need enough points to rent a 2 bedroom, 5 is against the rules in a one bedroom.

Call MS before you take any persons thoughts on the 5 in one bedroom. According to many on this site, you can get 5 into a 1 bedroom, and they will put this in writing.

Now for your break even, are you comparing apples to apples? What were you staying in? Compare that to a 1 bedroom with either 750 sq. ft or 1050 sq ft(OKW). Were you getting two rooms? One room that had 5 in it? Staying offsite?

 

[JimC]

Call MS before you take any persons thoughts on the 5 in one bedroom. According to many on this site, you can get 5 into a 1 bedroom, and they will put this in writing.

Now for your break even, are you comparing apples to apples? What were you staying in? Compare that to a 1 bedroom with either 750 sq. ft or 1050 sq ft(OKW). Were you getting two rooms? One room that had 5 in it? Staying offsite?

DVC's rules are quite clear -- 4 is the maximum occupancy of a 1 bedroom villa.

 

[SoCalKDG]

Lets see:

MS is putting 5 adults on reservations for 1 bedrooms.
DVC sales people comment that 5 can go into a 1 bedroom as well.
Emails and faxes have been received confirming 5 in a 1 bedroom.

It it talks, walks, and looks like a duck...



Having said the above:

1) I have four so its a non-issue for me.
2) Extra bedding for the 5th is not provided.
3) The actual DVC contract states 4 max.


The bottom line is if you have 5 and you call to make reservations and they put 5 on your reservations, then a 1 bedroom takes 5 for that visit no matter how much other owners of DVC state that is doesn't on the disboards.

Which brings us back to my original comment: Ask MS, not disboarders.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Call MS before you take any persons thoughts on the 5 in one bedroom. According to many on this site, you can get 5 into a 1 bedroom, and they will put this in writing.

Now for your break even, are you comparing apples to apples? What were you staying in? Compare that to a 1 bedroom with either 750 sq. ft or 1050 sq ft(OKW). Were you getting two rooms? One room that had 5 in it? Staying offsite?

MS either does not know what they are talking about, that is not familar with the rules or he or she should not be allowing people to break the rules. What people fail to realize is these rules are there for a very good reason. Some day they may start to inforce them for one reson the wear and tear on the units, not to mention way to many people at the pools, buses, restaurants, etc.

 

[SoCalKDG]

MS either does not know what they are talking about, that is not familar with the rules or he or she should not be allowing people to break the rules. What people fail to realize is these rules are there for a very good reason. Some day they may start to inforce them for one reson the wear and tear on the units, not to mention way to many people at the pools, buses, restaurants, etc.

Or they do know what they are talking about and they have a reason for allowing 5 in a 1 bedroom and you and I don't know what that reason is. If I remember, I might ask this week while on vacation. It would be interesting to know why 5 is consistantly being allowed in a 1 bedroom.

 

[DavidRoss]

SOCALKDG,

So you mean all those point charts that give the points for a one bedroom and specifically say "Sleeps up to four", really have no bearing on reservations? You mean that DVC is falsely advertising on all the point charts for every DVC resort for one bedrooms? Or do you mean that the 5th person should stay awake or stand up all night.

Oh, I know - we should call member services and not actually go by what is written on DVC documents for the world to see.

 

[DebbieB]

"Sleeps up to 4" means they provide bedding for 4 people. If you have 5, you have to provide your own bedding & linens for the 5th person. DVC Guides & Member Services have confirmed this.

Maximum occupancy is "discussed" on this thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=673317

 

[SoCalKDG]

Thank you Debbie. I knew that thread was somewhere.



So you mean all those point charts that give the points for a one bedroom and specifically say "Sleeps up to four", really have no bearing on reservations? You mean that DVC is falsely advertising on all the point charts for every DVC resort for one bedrooms? Or do you mean that the 5th person should stay awake or stand up all night.

Oh, I know - we should call member services and not actually go by what is written on DVC documents for the world to see.


Lets see, I believe that would be yes, no, no, and yes.

 

[Laurajean1014]

We "broke even" in 5 years. We also had free passes til 2000, and I did not factor that in on my analysis. Anyone buying now, it would take a bit longer, but no way near 15-20 years.

For us, these are the values that we get:

• The staff knows our family when we arrive
• We love the serenity of OKW but have points in other DVC's as well
• The points are low at OKW and cost effective against the room rates
• I CAN DO LAUNDRY, hence pack less, AND COME HOME WITH CLEAN CLOTHES!
• My family can sit at a table (like a family) and have breakfast or a snack
• I can have a cup of tea on the veranda
• I PLAN MY VACATIONS NOW
• I don't have to think of destinations to go on vacaction - son has been to WDW 21 times and does not get bored or disappointed
• Do not need maid service, daily
• Love the large rooms and beautiful accommodations
• Love the water taxis to DTD and West side
• Love the discounts (AP, etc)
• Love never having to pay for a room on my trip - prepaid
• I can rent points if I need capital
• I can have friends or family stay with me in a villa or 2 bedroom
• I belong to a "timeshare" that is transferrable or wanted by everyone (easy to trade to other destinations)
• Paid 10 years for 47 years of accomodations to any destination I want
• I can go on as many trips as I want
• The plane ride is quick and cheap (unlike other resorts, islands, etc)
• I've experienced two cruises and paid $75 for each
• The MASS flexibility of the program
• The comfort of seeing a long line on a ride and think I can go back later, tomorrow or next trip
• The complete serenity of knowing I made a terrific decision in buying DVC

That's it!

 

[Laurajean1014]

SOCALKDG,

So you mean all those point charts that give the points for a one bedroom and specifically say "Sleeps up to four", really have no bearing on reservations? You mean that DVC is falsely advertising on all the point charts for every DVC resort for one bedrooms? Or do you mean that the 5th person should stay awake or stand up all night.

Oh, I know - we should call member services and not actually go by what is written on DVC documents for the world to see.

So, what's the difference between what DVC does and Sheraton, Marriott, Holiday Inn? Do you travel at all?