CA gays or CA DVC owners here?

[Longhairbear]

We are a bear couple,and DVC owners. We know one other gay bear DVC owner,and a few non gay bear DVC owners, and lots of Disney bears and non bear Disney gays. So I am just putting it out there,any other California gays here?

 

[M4travels]

....So I am just putting it out there,any other California gays here?

Michael and Marc here, just down the road in Reseda.

Michael

 

[Longhairbear]

Frank and John here in Agoura Hills. Did we meet you guys at DLR with Steve?

 

[M4travels]

Frank and John here in Agoura Hills. Did we meet you guys at DLR with Steve?

That's us, Frank! Gay Days last year is where we first started chatting with you and John about DVC (we always work backwards... buy first, ask questions later!). We'll be at F&W the week after you and John (and Stephen as well, I guess) doing the DVC cruise and then 3 days of frivolity!

From a VERY hot Reseda (the air conditioning has decided to go on the fritz!).
Michael

 

[Longhairbear]

Yes, Steve is staying at SSR, I think for the first part of the week, and waitlisted for a studio at VWL. He moves into our one bedroom at the end of the week at VWL.

That's us, Frank! Gay Days last year is where we first started chatting with you and John about DVC (we always work backwards... buy first, ask questions later!). We'll be at F&W the week after you and John (and Stephen as well, I guess) doing the DVC cruise and then 3 days of frivolity!

From a VERY hot Reseda (the air conditioning has decided to go on the fritz!).
Michael

 

[elwise1966]

Eric and James here......

Not yet DVC owners, but seriously considering buying in.......just need to take the plunge and do it.

We'll be at DL for Gaydays in October. Planning on having lunch with the bears on Saturday.

Say hello if you can find us......we'll be wearing red

 

[Longhairbear]

Eric and James here......

Not yet DVC owners, but seriously considering buying in.......just need to take the plunge and do it.

We'll be at DL for Gaydays in October. Planning on having lunch with the bears on Saturday.

Say hello if you can find us......we'll be wearing red

Darn, we'll be wearing red also. And also planning to have lunch with the bears. I've got long hair if that helps in spotting us. Maybe I'll wear my DVC ballcap too.
I'll talk you into a DVC membership, it's the best thing we ever did for our Disney vacations. We go every year, and been members for 3 years. 2 more years, and it will pay for itself, and almost free lodging for the rest of our lives.
Frank and John

 

[SpectroMan71]

Not a bear but a bear lover here in Riverside...at DL all the time...
Not yet DVC owners but have wanted to for 3 years. OKW for sure when the time comes. I just don't want to finance anything - if I can't pay it all at once it's gotta wait.

P.S. Agoura Hills huh? Grew up in Woodland Hills and mom still lives there. See you soon?

 

[mdburd]

I grew up in CA but moved away years ago... I live in Southern Colorado now..

But I have a question for you all; is owning DVC a good vacation investment?? I ask because I am seriously considering it--I have a nephew who's going to be 4 next month, and am taking him to Disneyland for his first trip this year. (Think Auntie Mame without the feather boa)

This trip alone has cost me $4000++, and we're not even there yet; I figure, if I purchase some points, it will at least help out with the hotel-type costs....

I do travel quite a bit; I just filled out a Russian Visa application and had to list every country I've been to in the last ten years--I came up with 20 countries since 1997--so the flexibility I've read about is very important to me.

What do you all think???

Thanks!!!

 

[mickeyfan1]

DVC is currently WDW only, but you can trade points for many very nice non disney and Disney properties, inclusing the Grand Califonian. For many people DVC is great, but do your homeowrk and make sure you will be able to get the points you need for the places you want to stay. Currently minimum poits are 150 and DVC is only selling SSR new. Add on are available throught DVC at many properties, but if you want OKW, you will need a resale. ANd due to so many members wanting add on points, DVC is exercising it's buy back rights on a lot of resales. I have looked into it and it isn't right for me, but I have many many friends who can't say enough good things about it.

 

[SpectroMan71]

But I have a question for you all; is owning DVC a good vacation investment??
This trip alone has cost me $4000

If you had worded this as just "investment" I would say no, but "vacation investment", yes. DVC is not necessarily a profitable investment. It is, however, a very cost effective way to stay in NICE accomodations both at WDW and elsewhere. You travel a lot. Do you think you'd go to either WDW or DL at least once a year? Or even every other year? That $4000 you're paying for the 6 night Disneyland trip: quadruple that amount, plus around $600 per year in maintenance fees (which is NOTHING per month, really) and you have the ability to stay at Disney for the next 35-50 years, depending where you buy. And not necessarily in a regular hotel room - larger units have jacuzzi tubs, washer and dryers, and kitchens, and are still on property.

So yes, I'd say it's a GREAT vacation investment Oh, and I'd love to hear why your DL trip is costing you 4000 bucks. Are you staying at the Grand Californian all six nights or something? Whew - that's a killer!

 

[Longhairbear]

Our DVC will have paid for itself next year, in room rates, as it will be 5 years we have been members. After that our lodging is basically for free, except for the annual dues.
We're staying at our home base, Villas at Wilderness Lodge next week in a one bedroom. Last June we stayed in a one bedroom at Old Key West. A gay buddy of ours loves his Saratoga Springs home base.

 

[m4travel]

...Add-on [points]are available through[ ou]t DVC at many properties, but if you want OKW, you will need a resale...

Don't be discouraged, potential DVCers who really want a sold-out resort as their 'home,' DVC will sell you a sold-out resort. Sometimes you need to wait for enough points to be available, but it has been our experience that when purchasing add-on points through DVC at a sold-out resort, they have always had more than enough points to sell us a full membership (150+).

With the increase in the number of DVC members, it pays to 'buy where you want to stay.'

 

[mdburd]

Spectro; nope, we're not at the Grand Californian--Penthouse Suite at the Disneyland Hotel (large 2 bedroom). Should be fun with the Halloween decorations, etc for my nephew...

I did choose "vacation investment" particularly so that it would be distinct; I fully expect that vacations of any type will cost and not be a profitable enterprise. I own a condo in the caribbean, and even though I know it will appreciate over time, I don't expect to make a great deal of profit out of it--it is for my enjoyment first and foremost.

Longhairbear; it's nice to know that it can "pay for itself" in a few years--do you visit the main resorts yearly--go on side trips--all of the above???

Anyway... I've been looking at both buying direct from Disney and also from the resale market. The current deal from Disney (as sold at Disneyland) is $109 per point, with perks (i.e. bonus points your first year equal to what you buy, free passes, etc) or forget the perks and pay $91 per--these, as I'm sure you know, are for Saratoga Springs.

In resale; costs seem to vary widely. I've seen Hilton Head and Vero Beach for as little as $70 per point in blocks of 50-300; on-site resorts anywhere from the $80s to the mid-$90s. I figured +/- 200 points would be about my target purchase.

I might actually use a Hilton Head home resort more for myself--as long as my points can be used at the on-site resorts when my nephew looks at me and says "Uncle Mikey, can we go to DisneyWorld??"...

Of course, I also don't want to get caught in Disney's right of first refusal--and lose out on my potential purchase because they would like to add those points back into their own collective from that resale market....

As for the question; would I use it every--or every other--year?? Probably every other to every third year for a park visit. But I might take quick weekend trips somewhere on the system from time to time; so it could work out for me.

Geesh; buying something should not be so thought involved... LOL.

Oh well; everyone-Thank you for your perspective on the purchase--and certainly keep those thoughts coming... Especially buying direct vs resale; that's the one point I'm definitely wavering on. (I'm 98% sure I am going to buy; I just need to figure out which route)...

 

[TinkerbellMama]

We are a bear couple,and DVC owners. We know one other gay bear DVC owner,and a few non gay bear DVC owners, and lots of Disney bears and non bear Disney gays. So I am just putting it out there,any other California gays here?

Your post made me think of Kathy Griffin's show My Life on the D-List. Her parents (who apparently love gays) were on the show talking about how California gays are a lot different than (I believe it was) Cleveland gays. I just thought that was really funny.