Considering becoming a DVC member...

[DisneyMom2MJJA]

Hello. This is my first post. I have been reading lots of great posts and have learned so much! We have 4 children ages 10, almost 8, 5 1/2, and 2 1/2. We just traveled to WDW in January 09. I have been bit by the Disney bug. I would love to go at least every other year. Having a large family limits where we can stay, therefore I have been researching DVC. I have been trying to decide if we truly would save money. I think over the course of our lifetime we would, especially if we go every other year. My husband isn't crazy about traveling, but the kids and I somehow get him to travel every year. The kids and I love DISNEY!!

We are worried that we will feel that we have to travel to Disney every year to get our money's worth. We have several other places that we greatly enjoy going...that is why I suggested the every other year plan.

We are considering purchasing 160 pts from BLT. That way we can bank or borrow the year we go in order to get a 2 bedroom villa. And we don't have such a huge initial outlay of cash. Does this make sense? Has anyone else worked their membership this way? I figure we can always buy more points in the future, if we need to. (ie if we decide to go more often)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

DisneyMom2MJJA

 

[DVC Mike]

Your plan sounds fine. I assume you took the tour of the BLT models and decided that's the resort you want as your home resort?

 

[DisneyMom2MJJA]

No we did not do the tour. With 4 kids and 5 days to see the "world" I didn't think it feasible to try. We saw the building and I love the view of the castle and being so close MK, where we spend most of our time. I briefly considered AK. We stayed at the Polynesian this trip and loved being so close to MK and the monorail.

 

[Sandisw]

Many member buy into DVC with a small contract with the plan of going every other year.

Knowing your vacation styles, needs and wants is important! Right now, BLT is the newest resort that DVC is selling and it is my personal favorite. I waited to buy in to DVC until it became a reality. With little ones, if the MK is one of your favorites, it is a good choice.

Having said all that, there are other options available to you, through Disney and the huge resale market that is out there. BLT, even with the incentives will cost you in an upfront costs. The MF, right now, are among the lowest and that helps offset future costs.

But, through resale, you could get points at other DVC resorts for less than BLT. AKV and SSR contracts are going for some great prices and you can get some great deals. There are several great brokers out there. I personally have used the TSS. I bought in through a small contract (50 pts) at VWL, and then added on at BLT at a lower level.

If you have not yet done so, contact DVC and ask them to send you a book. That is what I did and I learned alot about the different resorts.

Have fun planning. This site has so many great and knowledgable people that you will learn a lot!!!

 

[backyardponder]

My standard warning: you have 4 kids. In 8 years or so you will have kids in college. For many years you will have 2 in college at the same time. Ask yourself if getting into DVC, together with the annual fees, makes sense for your family. If it does, fantastic.

There's so much to learn before making a decision. As you read these boards you will find a lot of pros and cons to buying direct from Disney or buying resale. We bought BWV through TSS (sponsor of these boards) and are quite happy. Our resort expires in 2042, which, at our age is not an issue. Newer resorts have later expiration dates. If that is important to you, keep that in mind.

Most people say the most important consideration is Location, Location, Location. I really agree. Epcot and DHS were the important parks to us, so we are quite happy at BWV. BLT might work well for you with young kids, but it is expensive.

If you can, go on a short trip to WDW with your DH and without the kids. Rent a car and visit each of the resorts. I say rent a car since it is kind of tough going resort to resort by bus. Spend a few hours at each one. Get a map from the front desk and wander around. Decide which resort(s) you would really want to stay at so you can book at the 11 month window.

Good Luck.

John

 

[disneynutz]

Most people say the most important consideration is Location, Location, Location.

Let me fine tune the above, if I may.

Buy where you love to stay and rent to find out what you love. Don't get caught up in the Disney moment and really do some research.

I'm sure that BLT is going to be a nice resort, but nobody knows all the details because it isn't built yet. Magic Kingdom views are limited and will be in high demand. Many posted that they were calling to book a MK view and latter posted that they settled for a lake view due to availability.

 

[DisneyMom2MJJA]

thank you all so much. There is so much to think about. I guess my main objective with BLT was the closeness to MK, but I didn't realize til this evening that VWL are right there, too. So now I'm looking into VWL and from what I can see, it looks like a great place. And there are some great resale prices. I'll have to see if I can convince my DH to take me to Disney for a weekend without the kiddos and we can go exploring some resorts. I'm so glad there is flexiblity with DVC, so that even if we become members, we can still try the other resorts. Thanks again!!

 

[disneynutz]

thank you all so much. There is so much to think about. I guess my main objective with BLT was the closeness to MK, but I didn't realize til this evening that VWL are right there, too. So now I'm looking into VWL and from what I can see, it looks like a great place. And there are some great resale prices. I'll have to see if I can convince my DH to take me to Disney for a weekend without the kiddos and we can go exploring some resorts. I'm so glad there is flexiblity with DVC, so that even if we become members, we can still try the other resorts. Thanks again!!

You need to also think about the kids growing up. Today MK my be a good choice but they may decide that they like AK or DHS more. There's a lot to think about.

 

[Joe T.]

I'd like to make a few observations. We purchased at OKW in 1995 when our 3 granddaughters were in the 5 to 8 year old range. We were planning the same as you - a trip about every other year. However with using the better point cost for Sunday through Thursday we have been able to go at least once every year. The flexibility of banking and borrowing has given us the opportunity to have large groups. Twenty-one relatives and friends in 2002. Now our GDs are in college with little time for WDW. By the way, all the grandchildren live in MN. Our daughter has 3 children in the 6 to 10 range. So the cyle continues. By the time they become too busy, perhaps there will be great grandchildren to join us.

We have always felt that DVC has been our best purchase. In this time of market decline and dividend reductions, we still get our point allotment for incredible vacations.

I'm glad that you are looking at other resorts. While we will probably stay a night or two, the point requirements at BLT are very high. I would suggest that you call DVC and request a packet. They have a wonderful dvd showing all the other places that you can trade into for flexibilty in your vacations.

Good luck. We look forward to saying "Welcome Home."

 

[WendyinNC]

I'm a mother or 4 children who has a DH who doesn't always travel with us. WDW is a wonderful place to take the kids without DH; but I can't imagine going without the convenience of DVC. I love the washer/dryer, kitchen, separate rooms for naps and different sleeping schedules, etc. My kids are now 13, 10, 8, and 3. The birth of our 4th child is what really talked us into DVC. We purchsed at BWV about 2 years ago and love it. While I love the location of BWV it would be nice to have the sleeper chair at BLT since as the kids are getting older they really don't want to share beds. Also, with the sleeper chair the 1BR will sleep 5 at BLT so if you ever travel without DH you could get a smaller room. I would highly recommend BLT for your DVC purchase due to location and sleeping capacity. Good luck with your decision.

 

[bczang]

I'll have to see if I can convince my DH to take me to Disney for a weekend without the kiddos and we can go exploring some resorts.

This is a GREAT idea. At SSR there is a model home for AKV and BLT. Walking around the resorts and surrounding areas, a favorite activity of my wife and I, is a great way to get a feel for where you want "home" to be. We bought at SSR, sight unseen, for 2 reasons - it was less expensive than AKV and had more years on the deed than the other properties. We have since been to SSR and LOVED it. It worked out well that we liked it, otherwise we would have wished we explored more!

 

[firedog83]

As you continue to read you will notice there are a ton of different variables with the DVC. I have figured that out these past few weeks. I was the same as you exept I took the tour at disney and loved BLT. I was contemplating purchasing 160pts at BLT or going resale at SS since its selling so cheap right now and the MF are not that much higher than BLT plus the expiration is 2054 vs 2060 like BLT. These are all things I took into consideration. After it was all said and done I decided since I doubt i would book a vacation 11 months and all the resorts have pros and cons I would purchase resale and just go to BLT whenever it was available it may be a couple years but it is worth the savings to me by going resale. Just keep in mind the only advantage of home resort are the MF dues and booking 11 months out. All the disney resorts are fantastic. I got 270pts for the same price as the 160 disney sells plus I got 261 pts of 2008.

 

[calgarygary]

Hello. This is my first post. I have been reading lots of great posts and have learned so much! We have 4 children ages 10, almost 8, 5 1/2, and 2 1/2. We just traveled to WDW in January 09. I have been bit by the Disney bug. I would love to go at least every other year. Having a large family limits where we can stay, therefore I have been researching DVC. I have been trying to decide if we truly would save money. I think over the course of our lifetime we would, especially if we go every other year. My husband isn't crazy about traveling, but the kids and I somehow get him to travel every year. The kids and I love DISNEY!!

We are worried that we will feel that we have to travel to Disney every year to get our money's worth. We have several other places that we greatly enjoy going...that is why I suggested the every other year plan.

We are considering purchasing 160 pts from BLT. That way we can bank or borrow the year we go in order to get a 2 bedroom villa. And we don't have such a huge initial outlay of cash. Does this make sense? Has anyone else worked their membership this way? I figure we can always buy more points in the future, if we need to. (ie if we decide to go more often)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

DisneyMom2MJJA

Just a thought, is staying onsite really worth spending more than $10,000 extra and hundreds more per stay? If you answer yes, then stop reading. If you answered no or maybe then please visit tug to get an education about timesharing (you should do that whether buying DVC or not) and then look at all the amazing resale options available to you. For example, for aproximately $10K less then that DVC contract would cost, you could have an annual lock out at Vistana Villages that would allow you to trade into Harborside during those non Disney years and would be an annual use. The mf would be about 50% larger but you would be vacationing every year. There are even lower cost ($1) timeshares for sale on eBay that once you have educated yourself, could easily be used to trade into Orlando during off peak times. The absolutely cheapest method though is to buy a ts with the lowest mf fees, every other year use but gives you access to either RCI or II. There are getaways always available to Orlando as long as you are not looking at a specific week. Right now, 3 bedrooms are available for this summer at Marriotts for just over $500. So you could have a week at your home resort, a week in Orlando save $10000 upfront and have an annual cost for 2 weeks close to the same as your DVC.

 

[DisneyMom2MJJA]

Wow!! Thanks for all the great info. I do have a Disney guide, Byron, he has been very helpful and informative. He did send me the official packet and DVD. My problem now is deciding where to call Home. I think my DH is onboard with the whole DVC thing. (He's tired of hearing me talk about it. )I see that we can save a "small" fortune by buying resale, but I love that BLT is so close to MK. I love MK, even if my kids out grow it, I will probably want to stay close. I looked at VWL, but the pool doesn't look as exciting as some others; that's important for the kids. I know we can still stay at BLT in the future even if we own elsewhere, but everyone says, "Buy where you want to stay." I love the look of AKV and it looks like it has an awesome pool area, but it is so far from everything. BCV is tempting, but it's term is so much shorter than the newer places.
Right now I'm considering waiting a little while. See what happens with BLT and resales for it maybe later this year, or next. We aren't planning on going to Disney til 2011 (my plan, anyway), so if we purchased in 2010, we'd still be fine. I'm also curious to see if Disney will offer other incentives due to the economy situation.
Thanks again for all the help.