Cons of dvc?

[Sandisw]

I've got to ask, is it DVC that is priceless or Disney/WDW and the way that Disney/WDW makes you feel?

Bill

For me, its Disney...and owning DVC just makes it more convenient..once money is spent, its spent...initial cost of DVC is gone at this point so we vacation for the cost of dues...that's what we have to build in to our budget ever year from this point forward in addition, obviously, to all the other expenses that go along with trips to Disney..

But, I love it there...I love the way I feel when I am there...and I am perfectly content with going for 3 or 4 nights at a time, a few times a year...

My DD 18 and I are going on our first extended summer trip--2 weeks--since DD21 is there for her internship..We are taking a 3 night Disney cruise as part of those two weeks, but so looking forward to just "soaking it all up".

 

[McCrae]

We're not owners but I have looked into it pretty thoroughly and decided it's not for us, for several reasons. Some of these are things that people use as selling points, but for us they're really not. Take them out of the equation and there's less and less reason to invest.

* We don't vacation at Disney every single time. We like to go other places, do other things too. And as others have said, you really only get full value using your contract at Disney resorts.

* We do like the daily housekeeping. Some don't, but we do!

* We take advantage of free dining every trip. Not for everyone, but for a family of 4 Disney adults it's a HUGE savings for us. We like to do a TS meal every day--it's part of our vacation experience--and the free plan lets us do that and not worry about what we're spending. You're not eligible for any kind of discount--whether it's free dining, stay/play/dine, etc.

* We started off doing Value resorts and now do Moderate. We're not hang around the resort people. We're go to the parks, go back and sleep people. Not worth it to us to spend the extra $$$$ on deluxe accommodations. DVC pricing is really more comparable to deluxe level prices.

* We don't care about a kitchen! Last thing I'm going to do is cook on vacation!

* And one thing when people talk about the money you save and how cheap DVC is. Many (not all, but many) only take into account the annual dues. They conveniently neglect to mention the huge initial investment. Or they'll say something like "Oh, we paid that off right away." Or, "We recouped that price in the first X number of visits." Well, if you did, then you drastically overpaid for those first visits. And if you finance that, it's even more! If you're really thinking about it, be sure you include every penny you'll be spending over the course of your ownership.

All of your points for why you decided not to buy in your case are good reasons apart from your last point which is just factually wrong.

If you do the math, taking account of the annual dues and the capital cost of your investment you do save money with DVC v cash price for similar rooms.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

All of your points for why you decided not to buy in your case are good reasons apart from your last point which is just factually wrong.

If you do the math, taking account of the annual dues and the capital cost of your investment you do save money with DVC v cash price for similar rooms.

What I was saying was I see a lot of people who say, "Oh, my vacation only cost X dollars this year." And they're talking about ONLY the annual dues. They neglect to factor in the initial investment, which is huge. My point was just that you need to factor that in over the course of your ownership and include it when you're calculating your true cost. Just because it's been paid already doesn't mean you can ignore it. If you want to assume you go once a year, every year, for 50 years, using the exact number of points you have each time, then you need to add 1/50th of your initial investment (plus interest if you financed) to your annual dues to come up with your true cost for that vacation. Or there are other ways to figure it, but my point is it needs to be included somehow.

Edit: And what I meant by saying they overpaid for the first few visits was this. Some people do say they paid off the initial visit within, let's say, the first 5 years. So they no longer count it towards their annual cost. Well, if they paid off their entire contract in 5 years, they paid a lot of money those 5 years! If you take one-fifth of a contract plus annual dues each year, it will add up very quick!

 

[disneynutz]

All of your points for why you decided not to buy in your case are good reasons apart from your last point which is just factually wrong.

If you do the math, taking account of the annual dues and the capital cost of your investment you do save money with DVC v cash price for similar rooms.

Similar rooms is the important wording here. Many DVC owners move up to rooms that are bigger and more expensive than what they were getting before. Some will post that they couldn't book a studio so they got a 1 bedroom.

The other major thing is that owners tend to take more Disney vacations than non-DVC owners. We aren't spending money, it's only points!

Bill

 

[CMOORE185]

I've got to ask, is it DVC that is priceless or Disney/WDW and the way that Disney/WDW makes you feel?

Bill

I think for some owning part of Disney in the form of DVC is priceless. To have a small part of such a successful, well run, and storied enterprise is special for some. This is the only timeshare I would even consider to buy.

 

[Dean]

All of your points for why you decided not to buy in your case are good reasons apart from your last point which is just factually wrong.

If you do the math, taking account of the annual dues and the capital cost of your investment you do save money with DVC v cash price for similar rooms.

That's just it, you qualified it to cash price for similar rooms (DVC or suites). While I think most take into account the base up front cost, many incorrectly leave out the time value of money as a consideration. My view is savings is based on what you would spend if you didn't own DVC (not what you might spend if you stayed at something different) and value is what you get extra. IMO you need to save or get added value at least at a 20% discount to make DVC a reasonable investment. I think it's a poor choice to use cash rates for DVC but even if you do, I think you need to use a 20% discount on average unless you routinely go at times that are not discounted (Easter, Xmas) and even then I'd use 10% min. We have two 2 BR at SSR coming up in a couple of months for a week each, total cost around $1300 for both, the point being there are many other options and approaches besides CRO for cash or buying DVC. As a rule you'll come out reasonably for a studio compared to a moderate or 2 studios compared to a 2 BR looking at cost. For a 1 BR you have to add in the added value comparing to a moderate, it's easier to make the numbers work for a deluxe. Off property timeshares can be both nicer and much cheaper in many situations.

 

[bakerworld]

Con: owning too many points and being unwilling to part with any of them while discussing purchasing more

 

[McCrae]

That's just it, you qualified it to cash price for similar rooms (DVC or suites). While I think most take into account the base up front cost, many incorrectly leave out the time value of money as a consideration. My view is savings is based on what you would spend if you didn't own DVC (not what you might spend if you stayed at something different) and value is what you get extra. IMO you need to save or get added value at least at a 20% discount to make DVC a reasonable investment. I think it's a poor choice to use cash rates for DVC but even if you do, I think you need to use a 20% discount on average unless you routinely go at times that are not discounted (Easter, Xmas) and even then I'd use 10% min. We have two 2 BR at SSR coming up in a couple of months for a week each, total cost around $1300 for both, the point being there are many other options and approaches besides CRO for cash or buying DVC. As a rule you'll come out reasonably for a studio compared to a moderate or 2 studios compared to a 2 BR looking at cost. For a 1 BR you have to add in the added value comparing to a moderate, it's easier to make the numbers work for a deluxe. Off property timeshares can be both nicer and much cheaper in many situations.

Your way of looking at it does not compare like for like. DVC is not a cheap option, but owning DVC will though get you a discount on the costs of staying in the same rooms.

We have just stayed in a 2br at. Bay lake tower for 20 days... We priced up the vacation through Disney and it would costs us more than $20,000 just for the room. Our costs, annual dues, costs of capital etc for the points we used is in the region of $10,000 max.

 

[Dean]

Your way of looking at it does not compare like for like. DVC is not a cheap option, but owning DVC will though get you a discount on the costs of staying in the same rooms.

We have just stayed in a 2br at. Bay lake tower for 20 days... We priced up the vacation through Disney and it would costs us more than $20,000 just for the room. Our costs, annual dues, costs of capital etc for the points we used is in the region of $10,000 max.

That was my point in large part, that there are a number of ways to look at it and that only looking at DVC cash vs owning DVC is one way and not a realistic one (esp rack rates) for most people who would otherwise consider buying DVC. A few years ago we had 9 villas between BCV & BWV all through exchange, no way we could or would have done that on cash or even using DVC points. There are a number of ways just to potentially stay in DVC villas, not including other alternatives both on and off property. These include:

• Cash through CRO
• CM discount for some.
• Renting from an owner
• Renting an exchange (against rules but it does happen)
• Exchanging in through RCI points.
• Exchanging in through RCI weeks.
• Exchanging in through BVTC participants.
• Owning a timeshare or other travel club or reward situation that allows the purchase of cash options including Disney.
• A direct trade with a DVC owner.

I probably missed a couple but you get the idea. Wyndham's Bonnet Creek is in an on property type location though without the insider options.

 

[BestDadEver]

* And one thing when people talk about the money you save and how cheap DVC is. Many (not all, but many) only take into account the annual dues. They conveniently neglect to mention the huge initial investment. Or they'll say something like "Oh, we paid that off right away." Or, "We recouped that price in the first X number of visits." Well, if you did, then you drastically overpaid for those first visits. And if you finance that, it's even more! If you're really thinking about it, be sure you include every penny you'll be spending over the course of your ownership.

I never see people neglect the original purchase price . I do see them say it's free after that neglecting the fact they pay MF yearly .

What I do see people neglect to include in there comparison pricing , is the 12% tax you pay when you book a room OOP . Which is likely less money then the MF you pay per year on the points you used as a DVC member .

I also never heard anyone mention free dinning a better deal then DVC .

 

[ziravan]

I know this is a con thread, and there are several, including expense. I closely evaluated those cons, and recently bought (passed ROFR July 9th!)

Here are the two biggest reasons I bought.

1. Size of room. DVC will allow me to routinely stay in a one bedroom, and that is just something I wouldn't have justified doing on cash.

2. I researched this board extensively. I'm a park commando. We're going this Sept (on a DVC reservation I already rented), and our planning is commando-style. Many owners report that DVC changes they way they stay. Its a different experience doing Disney when you're an owner. It's very appealing to me to consider taking future vacations in commando-free mode. For example, after reading a few threads about the mayhem going on at the Dark Side's newest attraction, I've pretty much decided to wait until next year to go see it. I can do that because I know I'm coming back. (If I hadn't bought into DVC, I would have felt compelled to go see Diagon Alley this year, because who knows when I'll be back. Being an owner gives me the luxury of saying, "I'll do that next time.")

I've stayed on and off Disney, and I prefer onsite. I like mid afternoon breaks and being close to the parks for that reason. I also like the perks, like 60 day FP booking.

DVC has the potential to change the way I do Disney. I'm very excited about those possibilities. With DD6 and DGS1 living with me, those possibilities will be generational.

There is a financial component to buying DVC, but it ultimately wasn't a financial decision for me. It might save me money. It might be a poor time value of money purchase. The money part of the equation for me was two fold: can I afford it, and is it worth it. Ask me again in five years but right now, I obviously felt those answers were yes, and yes.

 

[BestDadEver]

I know this is a con thread, and there are several, including expense. I closely evaluated those cons, and recently bought (passed ROFR July 9th!)

Here are the two biggest reasons I bought.

1. Size of room. DVC will allow me to routinely stay in a one bedroom, and that is just something I wouldn't have justified doing on cash.

2. I researched this board extensively. I'm a park commando. We're going this Sept (on a DVC reservation I already rented), and our planning is commando-style. Many owners report that DVC changes they way they stay. Its a different experience doing Disney when you're an owner. It's very appealing to me to consider taking future vacations in commando-free mode. For example, after reading a few threads about the mayhem going on at the Dark Side's newest attraction, I've pretty much decided to wait until next year to go see it. I can do that because I know I'm coming back. (If I hadn't bought into DVC, I would have felt compelled to go see Diagon Alley this year, because who knows when I'll be back. Being an owner gives me the luxury of saying, "I'll do that next time.")

I've stayed on and off Disney, and I prefer onsite. I like mid afternoon breaks and being close to the parks for that reason. I also like the perks, like 60 day FP booking.

DVC has the potential to change the way I do Disney. I'm very excited about those possibilities. With a one and six year old at home, those possibilities will be generational.

There is a financial component to buying DVC, but it ultimately wasn't a financial decision for me. It might save me money. It might be a poor time value of money purchase. The money part of the equation for me was two fold: can I afford it, and is it worth it. Ask me again in five years but right one, I obviously felt those answers were yes, and yes.

As an ex park commando also . This is very nice feeling to have . I did utilize the mid day naps with the kids and it works great , plus extends your night which is great with young kids

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

IMO once Disney locks you into your ownership, they relax and only do what they have to.

Telephone hold time can be a 40 minute wait to talk to member services.

When they do clean the rooms they often don't do a quality job and room maintenance is sometimes lacking.

The resort treatment for cash guests and DVC is different.

DVC can and has changed the rules and policies as they see fit, as owners you have no input.

Bill