Breakeven in 06.

[CapeCodFam]

I've been tracking the rack rate cost of all of our trips. If I add up the rack rates we could have paid, our 6th trip home (Nov 06) will be our break-even.

Of course, the 7th trip would probably be the true break-even as discounts would have been available. But, it makes me feel better using the rack rate method.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I've been tracking the rack rate cost of all of our trips. If I add up the rack rates we could have paid, our 6th trip home (Nov 06) will be our break-even.

Of course, the 7th trip would probably be the true break-even as discounts would have been available. But, it makes me feel better using the rack rate method.

Don't you just love DVC math!

As DH and I always say, "think of all the money we are saving on the x number of WDW trips that we wouldn't have even taken WITHOUT DVC or APs!"

 

[Dean]

I've been tracking the rack rate cost of all of our trips. If I add up the rack rates we could have paid, our 6th trip home (Nov 06) will be our break-even.

Of course, the 7th trip would probably be the true break-even as discounts would have been available. But, it makes me feel better using the rack rate method.

Rack rates are only a fair comparison if you go at times where there are not routinely discounts like Xmas and Easter. But would you have paid cash for DVC in the same size unit? Did you consider loss of income on the money paid?

 

[Pa@okw95]

I've been tracking the rack rate cost of all of our trips. If I add up the rack rates we could have paid, our 6th trip home (Nov 06) will be our break-even.

Of course, the 7th trip would probably be the true break-even as discounts would have been available. But, it makes me feel better using the rack rate method.

There has not been any break even point for me, it just keeps moving further away as the expense of going to WDW more than I normally would have hits my wallet. DVC has been one big expense for me, I will never catch the break even point. Like I always have said DVC is not a savings but an expense.

 

[deerh]

By Dean:Rack rates are only a fair comparison if you go at times where there are not routinely discounts like Xmas and Easter. But would you have paid cash for DVC in the same size unit? Did you consider loss of income on the money paid?

Umhhh, don't be so sure about Xmax and Easter. Try to get a "discounted rate" at any resort (DVC that is) during summer. There are some (SSR is one this summer), but not at BWV,BC,etc. You have to really REALLY look to find them, they (if any) are few and far between.

Now "discounts" at value/moderate, yes...
P.S. I exclude "discounts" by AP methods, as you have to buy a AP to qualify...

DeerH

 

[CapeCodFam]

Vacations are indeed a big expense. We do plan on spending for vacations every year. DVC, for me, is a pre-paid expense at a discount to the world that we love. Makes me book more trips to get more discounts..

The math applied isn't meant to be exact. It's merely an exercise in fun approximation.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I know I have had a much higher quality WDW vacation for much less money than I was previously paying.

Used to stay at the moderates, and sometimes off site. The DVC Resorts far surpass any of those, and let me save on food expenses with the full kitchens - we usually go for 2 bedroom units.

Never figured it all out though, lol. Hate number crunching, but loooove WDW trips.

 

[bams50]

While considering our purchase at SSR in 04 (200 pts) I looked at the figures from every angle I could find- including several CPA analyses; and decided to buy...

But the one angle I failed to see was this: We took BIL, wife, 4 little ones for their first trip last Feb.; all stayed in 2BR... we were able to put them up, with us, on-site, in first-class lodging- without ANY cash layout! Made it possible for us to rent a MH so they didn't have to pay for trans. either! Result was that we didn't have to shell out 4K or so for lodging, which was priceless!

You can work the numbers 9 ways till Sunday- but for us, factoring in rack rate, plus not laying out $$ at vac. time, plus being able to put up family in top-notch accomodations on their first trip when they otherwise couldn't afford to go at all, I feel we got almost half our value back on one trip! You might argue numbers, but to me, that's only part of the story... and we're so thrilled, we're going to add 100 more points!

 

[Dean]

Umhhh, don't be so sure about Xmax and Easter. Try to get a "discounted rate" at any resort (DVC that is) during summer. There are some (SSR is one this summer), but not at BWV,BC,etc. You have to really REALLY look to find them, they (if any) are few and far between.

Now "discounts" at value/moderate, yes...
P.S. I exclude "discounts" by AP methods, as you have to buy a AP to qualify...

DeerH

But you're excluding the best discounts if you're not an AP holder or a FL resident. But the question is would you pay for DVC if you didn't own it. I suspect most would not.

 

[deide71]

Actually I suspect many would. Our family of five prefers to stay in ajoining rooms or suites of some form on our trips. We have stayed in rental villas offsite and found it is quite important to us to stay onsite @WDW.

When pricing out various options for suites onsite (rack rate 2006. Reg season, includes tax):

2 rooms @POFQ= $345.66/night
FW Cabin= $311.09
CSR Junior suite double: $384.68
CSR 1br suite: $724.75
AKL 1br suite: $819.00
DVC 1br suite: $450-500

They price out a bit higher than POFQ and cabins, but IMHO the rooms are nicer and larger than theese options as well.

So I think rack rate is not a bad number to use in my situation. Its how I came to my decision to plunk down $15,000.

 

[Cinderella]

Don't forget to factor in the time it would cost you to look for those ap discounts. I used to spend hour upon hour until we got what we wanted. This time, at the beginning of our trip we just wound up paying rack rate at the poly because i figured my time is now worth too much per hour to spend searching for discounts. For me, if it weren't for DVC, we would need two rooms at either WL or Poly and we wouldn't be able to go as often.

 

[manning]

How many times have you eaten in? At the prices Disney charges for meals you may be ahead already.

 

[berly1657]

We figure we met our investment in 4 years. No, we would not have gone to Disney this much and yes we could have saved a lot of money by not going, but these vacations are great to share with family and friends. We are experiencing many other locations too other then just WDW. We have 35 more years to enjoy!

 

[susieh]

We figure we met our investment in 4 years. No, we would not have gone to Disney this much and yes we could have saved a lot of money by not going, but these vacations are great to share with family and friends. We are experiencing many other locations too other then just WDW. We have 35 more years to enjoy!

That's what we think too. We joined in 1996 and have taken friends (2 weeks in 1997), our nephew (Christmas 1998), more friends (3 weeks in 2001 when we reckon we met our investment costs), our sons stayed there with their friends (2002), my brother and his wife got married there (2004) and we've just given more friends 3 nights at OKW in February 2006. There is no way we'd have been able to do all that without DVC.

We'll be 84 and 85 when our purchase expires so we're reckoning on our sons and their partners (wives eventually?) being able to spend time there too. It's one purchase we've never regretted.

 

[Disney Doll]

There has not been any break even point for me, it just keeps moving further away as the expense of going to WDW more than I normally would have hits my wallet. DVC has been one big expense for me, I will never catch the break even point. Like I always have said DVC is not a savings but an expense.

You know, I spend a lot of money on things that don't make me anywhere near as happy as going to WDW and staying in a DVC resort!!!

It's an expense, but a good one.

I look at it a bit differently. I consider the fact that now that our contracts inital buy-in costs are paid off, all it costs us is dues every year. My total dues payment is about $1600/year, give or take $100. That would give me 7 nights in a deluxe hotel room if I could get it for $240/night, which is pretty unlikely most of the time. Instead, last year I spent 2 weeks in DVC resorts in 2BRs and GVs.

That's apretty good trade-off.