Confused and Feel Uneasy...

[snowbunny]

its just not the right time.

Good for you. DVC is not going anywhere. Step back, find out all you need and want to know, and then you can make an informed decision when you are ready without rushing into a major financial commitment.

 

[tecodis]

I have a similar story as other DVC members.
I started visiting WDW in 1994. That visit became an annual visit. That annual visit became multiple visits per year. And that is where I'm at these 15 years later.

At first, I stayed off-site. Then the second year I stayed at the Polynesian and off-site. I got hooked! The off-site portion of that vacation just couldn't compare. It's been Disney Resorts only ever since ranging from values (infrequently) to deluxe (most of the time).

Back around 2000, passed by a DVC booth at the Caribbean Beach and was lured in. I was an AP many years over and staying on passholder rates by that time. Signed up for the tour but chickened out before going (not into sales pitches). My main concept of DVC was you pay alot of money and have to keep paying year after year. With regular reservations, you can just stop going/spending the money if life changes - not with DVC.

Fast forward to 8 months ago...
Found these boards! Started reading up on the whole DVC thing and got a very good understanding of the program. Once I felt I knew alot about it, I decided to visit the DVC store in Chicago last June (with a might/might not buy mentality). Got a tour of the AKV model - OMG! It was just like the feeling of being at WDW! I was excited!! Met with our guide, Diane M., and she was such a joy to speak with about WDW. Needless to say, a week later I was a member!

Once I understood the program, I knew my vacation habits were a perfect fit for DVC. I prefer deluxe resorts, visit 5 or more times a year and spend fair amounts of time at the resort (i.e. it's not just a room). When I looked at the amount of money I spent on Disney rooms over the years, I could have had a bazillion points. I am definitely in the "why didn't I join years ago" camp. I could have really saved a chunk of money.

One of my "unease" feelings with DVC stays was the lack of daily housekeeping. After years of enjoying not having to make the bed, clean up or worry about towels, it was apprehensive. I have so say, I find I don't miss it that much. Not worrying about whether the maid has been there for the day when I come back at 1pm or so actually outweighs having it.

DVC is alot of upfront money and definite commitment. It requires above average levels of vacation planning in advance and can be a bit overwhelming with all the restrictions and deadlines. But, once you pay the purchase price, deluxe room accommodations can be had just for the amount of annual maintenance fees. In my case, that is thousands of dollars less than what I was paying for AP room rates each year. With the current economy, I think it's even more of a plus. If something happened to change my income level, I should still be able to enjoy at least one visit a year because my accommodations will essentially be prepaid.
(fingers crossed)

For me, DVC fits perfectly and I can't wait until my first real stay on points at my AKV home resort (only been using developer points so far). That's what I will celebrate in May!

If I hadn't gotten a good understanding of it before the sales pitch...err, tour, I mean...then I would have felt the same as back in 2000 when I chickened out.

BTW, two months later I doubled my points!

 

[Dean]

Our biggest mistake was waiting 25 years to buy DVC BUT one of our greatest decisions was waiting until we were sure. Here are some things we went through in our 25 year quest:

DVC is only a little over 17 years old.

 

[tecodis]

DVC is only a little over 17 years old.

It just seems like 25 years when you realize you should have done it long ago!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Our biggest mistake was waiting 25 years to buy DVC BUT one of our greatest decisions was waiting until we were sure. Here are some things we went through in our 25 year quest:

Was that 25 "dog years"?

 

[kikiq]

Have you seen an official DVC presentation at WDW, DLR or Chicago? And have you visited any DVC resorts while at WDW? And how did you come to buy resale?

I'm confused at a more basic level that you thought you were getting daily housekeeping service at a timeshare without paying for it.

 

[Golden Rose]

I'm not that surprised the OP didn't realize that he wasn't getting daily mousekeeping. People who are new to the timeshare world don't have a clue about such things... I know we didn't. (I found out here on the disboards before I bought, but asking questions here was how I learned.)

The mousekeeping thing was almost a deal breaker for my DM. She had never before been on a vacation that didn't include daily housekeeping. She was worried that sharing a villa with Hurricane Golden Rose (that would be me) would be absolutely crazy making. As it turned out, none of us missed mousekeeping at all. Or at least, not much. It was a little startling to come back to an unmade bed in a room on vacation, but that was about the extent of our reaction. We even ended up enjoying the feeling of privacy and knowing our things would be exactly where we'd left them.

As far as "other surprises" the OP might be in for... Hmm, let's see. It isn't as easy to get other resorts at 7 months as you might hope or believe after talking to a guide. Your annual dues will go up every year, so your DVC will cost you a little more every year. Any perk you've been looking forward to could go away at any point.

 

[BrettCo]

I am not upset over the fact that there is no housekeeping, I merely was stating a fact that I just was not told about having to pay for it if we wanted/needed it. I am more than able to clean up after myself, just came to me as a surprise because the time share rep in disneys contemporary resort told me, during the pitch, that I buy points, book the trip, and get that reservation every year with no problems whatsoever and no strings attached and it would be just like my annual vacations I take to Polynesian and Grand Floridian. And it pretty much follows those guidelines, other than a few things here and there. I am very content with what DVC offers. I just wanted to know a few other things that may have come to a surprise to others such as the housekeeping, unable to successfully book every trip each year to a desired location, etc...Like many others on this site, it took me to sign up and ask a few questions to get the information I comfortably needed, and no, I was not 100 percent comfortable during the timeshare presentation because I wanted to hear from real people who werent selling me anything, like you all who have so far helped me out very much. I am only 24 years old, and I can most certainly afford DVC, and I feel as if it truly is a good thing for me to do at this point in my life since I enjoy traveling and especially love disney, I just want to wait till I make a little bit more (and when the economy doesnt suck) so I can COMFORTABLY afford and enjoy DVC, which I know I very much will when that time comes. And I'll be perfectly honest with you all who disagree with me on this one...I most certainly am surprised that Disney cant have housekeeping for the timeshare owners. If I had decided to keep the timeshare I bought, and took my first trip and found that no housekeeping came with the package deal...then yes, I'd be most certainly surprised and disapointed. It's Disney. They should do that for you all. They can afford it, and you all pay good money for your timeshares, faithfully every month. I think they should even do a little more for everyone. Call me crazy, thats perfectly fine, but I believe that a bit more could be offered along with the timeshare package, which would hardly put a dent in disneys pocket. Even when i went on my "90 minute" timeshare meeting, It actually lasted 3 hours (I had it almost up to where I signed a contract), Disney offered 3 fast pass tickets which brought me to the fast pass line immediately...Really could care less about that to be quite honest. If I had signed, that would have been my gift...My *** could have been flying around fast track 8 times in the 3 hours it took to listen to the talk. Haha, anyhow, I am truly thankful I have found DVC and I am STOKED to join. Just wanted to share my opinions and ask a few questions, which is what keeps this board running. Thanks everyone for your responses, and have an incredible summer full of great vacations. I'll be sharing mine with you all soon.
-Brett

 

[Dean]

I am not upset over the fact that there is no housekeeping, I merely was stating a fact that I just was not told about having to pay for it if we wanted/needed it. I am more than able to clean up after myself, just came to me as a surprise because the time share rep in disneys contemporary resort told me, during the pitch, that I buy points, book the trip, and get that reservation every year with no problems whatsoever and no strings attached and it would be just like my annual vacations I take to Polynesian and Grand Floridian. And it pretty much follows those guidelines, other than a few things here and there. I am very content with what DVC offers. I just wanted to know a few other things that may have come to a surprise to others such as the housekeeping, unable to successfully book every trip each year to a desired location, etc...Like many others on this site, it took me to sign up and ask a few questions to get the information I comfortably needed, and no, I was not 100 percent comfortable during the timeshare presentation because I wanted to hear from real people who werent selling me anything, like you all who have so far helped me out very much. I am only 24 years old, and I can most certainly afford DVC, and I feel as if it truly is a good thing for me to do at this point in my life since I enjoy traveling and especially love disney, I just want to wait till I make a little bit more (and when the economy doesnt suck) so I can COMFORTABLY afford and enjoy DVC, which I know I very much will when that time comes. And I'll be perfectly honest with you all who disagree with me on this one...I most certainly am surprised that Disney cant have housekeeping for the timeshare owners. If I had decided to keep the timeshare I bought, and took my first trip and found that no housekeeping came with the package deal...then yes, I'd be most certainly surprised and disapointed. It's Disney. They should do that for you all. They can afford it, and you all pay good money for your timeshares, faithfully every month. I think they should even do a little more for everyone. Call me crazy, thats perfectly fine, but I believe that a bit more could be offered along with the timeshare package, which would hardly put a dent in disneys pocket. Even when i went on my "90 minute" timeshare meeting, It actually lasted 3 hours (I had it almost up to where I signed a contract), Disney offered 3 fast pass tickets which brought me to the fast pass line immediately...Really could care less about that to be quite honest. If I had signed, that would have been my gift...My *** could have been flying around fast track 8 times in the 3 hours it took to listen to the talk. Haha, anyhow, I am truly thankful I have found DVC and I am STOKED to join. Just wanted to share my opinions and ask a few questions, which is what keeps this board running. Thanks everyone for your responses, and have an incredible summer full of great vacations. I'll be sharing mine with you all soon.
-Brett

It makes sense to be certain you understand the product before proceeding. DVC is a timeshare and timeshares generally provide little if any housekeeping. There are only a handful in the US that do but in some areas like MX where wages are low, they often do. As often, the devil is in the details. You asked about potential issues. I see a number of them that might or might not affect you, there are likely hundreds that we could come up with. Things like:

1. Dues could go up, a lot over time.
2. The number of points for what dates you want might increase, I'd factor in a 20% assumption if you're not looking at full weeks. If you are looking at full weeks, you might want to consider a few extra points if you're looking at anything less than Magic season and/or anything smaller than a 2 BR.
3. All exchange options could cease tomorrow.
4. There could be special assessments going forward.
5. The current reservation and other rules might change to your detriment.
6. A given resort could cease to be a member of the club
7. reservations might become more difficult to get, I'd make sure you're comfortable staying at your home resort each and every trip and then count any other options as gravy.
8. A minimum stay up to 5 days might be imposed.

Certainly some are more likely to happen and more of a risk than others. You need to weigh them for your situation. Of the above, I'd say 2, 3, 5, 7 & 8 are real risks, the rest theoretical risks that are not very likely to be an issue. I'm sure some will tell you that 8 is not likely but I think it's a real possibility to happen at some point.

 

[Lynne M]

And I'll be perfectly honest with you all who disagree with me on this one...I most certainly am surprised that Disney cant have housekeeping for the timeshare owners. If I had decided to keep the timeshare I bought, and took my first trip and found that no housekeeping came with the package deal...then yes, I'd be most certainly surprised and disapointed. It's Disney. They should do that for you all. They can afford it, and you all pay good money for your timeshares, faithfully every month.

This is not a case of Disney being able to afford to give us housekeeping. An important thing to understand about timeshares is that as owners, we pay virtually ALL operating costs of the resort. We each pay a piece of it, depending on how many points we own at that resort. That's a large part of your maintenance fees, along with real estate taxes and other stuff. And it includes housekeeping. If they were to go to daily housekeeping, WE would pay for it, and it would result in a significant increase in our maintenance fees.

On the surface, DVC appears to work like a hotel - you call and make a reservation. Operationally, it's very different.

 

[BrettCo]

Completely understandable, and again, Disney did a great thing with DVC and I know how happy it makes you all to have it (I cant wait for mine). I still believe that, if staying on any Disney resort with DVC timeshare, Disney could throw in more for its timeshare owners who make up a big part of the Disney community. In the begining, I was shocked that park tickets were not a freebee for timeshare owners to have (only given to the one whose name appears on the contract). I mean, all they really need to do is open the gate and let one more, out of the thousands of people, inside of the park. My sister works in the park, and for anyone who understands this, is "friends" with Chip! She was told by Disney officials that Disney makes 90 percent of its income off of souveniers from the gift shop, and that, when it rains, Disney makes an absolute fortune on poncho's alone. Anyhow, I am rambling because I just had 5 glasses of coffee and I'm all wound up. I just know that you all put out a lot of money for the timeshare, and you get some incredible memories from it, but I would personally like to see Disney add in some things for its timeshare owners without upping any costs. THEY CAN AFFORD IT. And yes, I am very unfamiliar with the timshare world, but I do strongly believe that, for as long as you all are staying on the Disney grounds with your timeshares, Disney should appreciate that and not just offer a mug that allows you to refill your drinks for free every day for a small price of $19.99. Or how about a nice discount off of DAY park tickets? I dont want an annual pass, I am only visiting for a week to two weeks out of the year! Maybe I am just pissed because I backed out of my contract now, haha. God I can't wait to be a timeshare owner though. I reconsidered my home port for when I am ready. BLT will most likely be my home port, thanks to you all who have told me the importance of the home port. Being that close to the Magic Kingdom is exactly the reason for my interest to begin with. Be right back, I'm going to get another coffee....

 

[WilsonFlyer]

PARAGRAPHS!

 

[Deb & Bill]

First and foremost, Disney is a business. They do not give out anything for free without something coming in to pay for it ultimately.

 

[doconeill]

PARAGRAPHS!

I think Brett needs to lay off the coffee, actually...

 

[BrettCo]

Well I was just making an observation in favor of you all.

 

[Dean]

Completely understandable, and again, Disney did a great thing with DVC and I know how happy it makes you all to have it (I cant wait for mine). I still believe that, if staying on any Disney resort with DVC timeshare, Disney could throw in more for its timeshare owners who make up a big part of the Disney community. In the begining, I was shocked that park tickets were not a freebee for timeshare owners to have (only given to the one whose name appears on the contract). I mean, all they really need to do is open the gate and let one more, out of the thousands of people, inside of the park. My sister works in the park, and for anyone who understands this, is "friends" with Chip! She was told by Disney officials that Disney makes 90 percent of its income off of souveniers from the gift shop, and that, when it rains, Disney makes an absolute fortune on poncho's alone. Anyhow, I am rambling because I just had 5 glasses of coffee and I'm all wound up. I just know that you all put out a lot of money for the timeshare, and you get some incredible memories from it, but I would personally like to see Disney add in some things for its timeshare owners without upping any costs. THEY CAN AFFORD IT. And yes, I am very unfamiliar with the timshare world, but I do strongly believe that, for as long as you all are staying on the Disney grounds with your timeshares, Disney should appreciate that and not just offer a mug that allows you to refill your drinks for free every day for a small price of $19.99. Or how about a nice discount off of DAY park tickets? I dont want an annual pass, I am only visiting for a week to two weeks out of the year! Maybe I am just pissed because I backed out of my contract now, haha. God I can't wait to be a timeshare owner though. I reconsidered my home port for when I am ready. BLT will most likely be my home port, thanks to you all who have told me the importance of the home port. Being that close to the Magic Kingdom is exactly the reason for my interest to begin with. Be right back, I'm going to get another coffee....

As noted, members would have to pay for this, can we say an extra $1 a point dues for a timeshare already 50% more than comparable options. Given your unreasonable expectations, it's probably a good thing you're not an owner right now. Certainly none of us would turn down any freebies but all you are buying a place to sleep, no more. I'm guessing you wouldn't be able to deal with changes in the system that were unfavorable to you or goodies Disney offered to regular guests but not to DVC members like free dining.

 

[JimMIA]

As of now, I have not even sent in a deposit and it still going through Right of First Refusal through Disney. It is within 10 days, so if I decided to back out, how do I do so? Who do I contact? This is just in case, and worst case scenerio. Thanks

I can't imagine any broker sending a non-deal to Disney for ROFR. If you haven't paid any deposit, you really haven't even made a legitimate offer yet.

I agree with those who say you should cancel, and since you haven't even actually started the process by making a deposit, that should be easy to do. You really need to understand what you're buying, what it's good for, what it's not so good for, etc, before you go spending a large amount of money.

If you spend some time studying the DVC program and don't understand it, come back here and ask questions. If you still don't get it, don't buy.

 

[BrettCo]

I understand it very well now. I just expressed a few opinions. But I do agree 100 percent with everybody. In fact, your the reason why I did cancel. I signed my paperwork, contract, bank loan papers (which I was approved for through Benchmark), and it was just in the process of being sent to Disney for ROFR. Thats what I was waiting for, which I was told would easily pass. So, once i signed the contract, that left me with 10 days to cancel. Which I did yesterday. The reason why some might be confused with the deposit is because I incorporated the deposit in my bank loan which I was still waiting for to be sent to the store.

 

[Dean]

I understand it very well now. I just expressed a few opinions. But I do agree 100 percent with everybody. In fact, your the reason why I did cancel. I signed my paperwork, contract, bank loan papers (which I was approved for through Benchmark), and it was just in the process of being sent to Disney for ROFR. Thats what I was waiting for, which I was told would easily pass. So, once i signed the contract, that left me with 10 days to cancel. Which I did yesterday. The reason why some might be confused with the deposit is because I incorporated the deposit in my bank loan which I was still waiting for to be sent to the store.

Brett, I doubt you truly are well versed in DVC or timeshares yet. Spend a year or two learning not only about DVC but about timeshares in general. That way you'll know if it is right for you and if you are right for a timeshare lifestyle, not everyone is. And if you do decide to proceed, you'll be in a much better position to get what's right for you and to avoid some of the heart burn that many go through once they've bought into timeshares without a thorough understanding of the product and risks involved.

 

[crisi]

I understand it very well now. I just expressed a few opinions. But I do agree 100 percent with everybody. In fact, your the reason why I did cancel. I signed my paperwork, contract, bank loan papers (which I was approved for through Benchmark), and it was just in the process of being sent to Disney for ROFR. Thats what I was waiting for, which I was told would easily pass. So, once i signed the contract, that left me with 10 days to cancel. Which I did yesterday. The reason why some might be confused with the deposit is because I incorporated the deposit in my bank loan which I was still waiting for to be sent to the store.

You are setting yourself up to be VERY disappointed. How you would like it to work and how it works are too different - without even investing you are already disappointed in the perks given.

Being a Disney fan is like having a beautiful girlfriend during the early dating stages. She is smart, she sits on your arm, she is a great time. Everything is wonderful (and when it isn't, it quickly becomes wonderful again). Buying DVC is turning that girlfriend into your wife. You now discover that she doesn't pick up her socks, and she frankly looks like hell before she puts on her makeup in the morning. And she nags you when you don't use a coaster. There are some benefits - you are never dateless on Friday night, and she does your laundry. But the illusion is gone.