Buying in

[scottishtom]

Hello, would appreciate your thoughts.

My partner and I are considering buying into dvc (currently on our 5th visit in 4 years). We have been to the preview tour three times now, asked loads of questions and think we have gotten to grips with the overall system. However, there is some things we would like opinions on, if anyone on this forum can advise?

Firstly, we have little interest in copper creek so would ideally buy akl. This is because we love Ssr and don't mind staying there frequently at the 7 month window. We will only ever stay in studios. Current prices for direct sale appears to be around about £116 per point (obviously exchange rate fluctuations influence this). We are thinking of 175 points, largely because that gives us around 2 weeks in a studio each year (give or take a day) at many resorts.

According to our math we would stand to save about £9000 over 30 years by using an annual pass 11 months apart each year, this perk is not available with resale. Does this match people's real world experience? If it doesn't we should buy resale and save around 7k on the membership.

Second, dining plan: we use it. We like it. We know it doesn't make huge financial sense but its its item which alters the calculations quite substantially. If Disney ever stopped providing free dining to UK guests it makes dvc instantly better value. Are there any times in recent memory when free dining for UK bookings hasn't been available or will this promotion go on for ever? (If so it makes dvc less attractive)

Third we are in the fortunate position to be able to buy in more or less outright. We are considering though taking the Disney finance with a view to using it for 6 months or so, because we are hoping the Brexit situation may have been cancelled or somehow stabilized and the exchange rate might improve.

Any advice (or general opinion) would be greatly appreciated!

 

[zavandor]

Today money are worth more than "30 years from now" money. So the 2k difference over 30 years doesn't seem enough to justify to buy direct. Especially so if paying 7k more now means you have to finance it, even for a short time.
Why AKL? Booking there is not difficult most of the year and you said you like SSR; so you could buy SSR for an even cheaper buy in and cheaper MF. If you travel in the summer, a very slow time for DVC, it shouldn't be difficult to book other resorts. I've been pretty successfull during my 6 years of membership, even if booking a studio is getting more and more difficult as time goes by.

Another possible approach is a mixed purchase.
Buy now a 100 points resale contract. It is on the smallish size, so you might have to pay a bit more per point, but not as bad as 25 - 50 ones. Then start using it, maybe borrowing for the first stay so you could have 200 points to use. Or even better search for a loaded contract with banked points.
Then, after you've saved more money, buy 75 points direct, which are enough for the direct perks.
You would save money twice because you would buy most of the points resale and would not finance the purchase. You would have to pay double closing and a premium for the small-ish contract, but it's still worth it.

 

[Wakey]

Of you like SSR buy that resale. Buying on 10% finance in the hope the currency gets better seems like a bad idea to me, but hey ho, your gamble could pay off I suppose.
Annual pass discounts are in no way guaranteed to be around forever. Also on the Gold one there are lots of blackout dates.

 

[Cyberc1978]

Annual pass discounts are in no way guaranteed to be around forever. Also on the Gold one there are lots of blackout dates.

IMO the blackout dates aren’t that bad. You can’t go 14 days around Easter and 14 days around Christmas/New Years.

 

[Woodview]

Do you think that after about 12 years doing the same thing every time you will be " Fed Up " and wishing

to go and explore somewhere different ?

 

[finchy3]

The majority of us are Disney crazy so thats not really an issue

 

[Chuck S]

There are some things to consider...

1) The end dates for AKL and SSR are different, AKL is 2057, SSR is 2054, if that makes a difference to you.

2) The financing and hoping for Brexit is like any other gamble...it may work, it may not. If you plan to pay it off short term, your interest expense won't be huge, and that is really all you're gambling on...if it works out,great, if not, you haven't lost a lot.

3) As with any promotion, free dining isn't guaranteed. No one knows what the future will bring. I personally think a lot depends upon how all the new park attractions impacts tourism over the next few years. If DIsney sees long term that tourism is stable or increasing, they may kill free dining on Euro packages (if UK packages is anything like the US, free dining really isn't free, you give up other discounts to book a full price package to get "free" dining)

4) I've owned DVC for 27 years. I have not tired of going to DIsney, usually twice per year, and as a US based owner, I can tell you it has saved a lot of money. In 1992, Mom and I paid $2000 for a week at the Contemporary in a tower room. That was a LOT of money back then. In June, friends and I are staying in a 2 bedroom unit at OKW for a week. With initial buy in (which was much less back then) plus my maintenance fees, I am paying just a little less than $2000 for that week...in today's dollars.

5) If you do purchase, you can always sell later if it doesn't work out...yes, you'll likely lose a little money, but not nearly as much as cash travel packages would've cost you over that same amount of time.

6) Remember that discounts and perks of ownership are not guaranteed. But the AP discount (basically the same as FL resident prices) has been around for a while, and likely helps Disney sell DVC...that doesn't mean it won't disappear, but it is a perk that likely benefits DVC sales, so I am guessing it will be around for several more years, at least.

7) Remember that Disney is currently selling Copper Creek, so if you truly want to own at AKL or SSR, you will likely need to go on a waitlist to buy direct. And remember that ONLY direct purchasers get the perks and discounts.

8) Also remember that AP and direct DVC purchasers currently get 10% off most table service dining, and in park merchandise...so that will slightly off set your loss of the UK free dining travel packages.

 

[starry_solo]

It doesn't look like @scottishtom is even around anymore. She posted once and that's it?!

 

[Chuck S]

ALso remember, that ESPECIALLY for studios, early booking is crucial. If you can't plan and book during your 11 to 7 month home ownership priority menu, you may not be able to get a studio. If you can't plan early, DVC is NOT a good option for people wanting mostly studio stays.

 

[Chuck S]

It doesn't look like @scottishtom is even around anymore. She posted once and that's it?!

It is possible that they're just really busy, or are traveling without great internet access. And the info I gave is valid for anyone considering a purchase.