Considering Buyin into DVC and am looking for some information.

[mbrittb00]

We just returned from our latest trip to WDW. While we were there we took the tour at SSR (Saratoga Springs Resort).

Typically when we have traveled to WDW in the past we have stayed at the value resorts and on one occasion in a moderate resorts. We have never stayed at any of the WDW Deluxe accommodations, but have stayed in similar quality timeshares (my parents) off-site a couple of times. The quality and space of "Deluxe" level accommodations was very nice however, we would never book a Deluxe or DVC room, simply because of the price tag. If I were to compare DVC to a single Value or even Moderate level room, it would take years to equal out, and that doesn't even take the maintenance fees into account (which alone are equal to a value room for a week). We currently have two boys and have a 3rd child on the way. With that 3rd child it becomes very difficult (if not impossible) to fit into a most of the standard WDW hotel rooms, not to mention as the children grow, it will be come much more crowded. So we are probably looking at two Value or Moderate rooms. This is when DVC starts looking more attractive. Our typical trip consists of a 7 to 10 day stay, taken about every 2 to 3 years.

I think that is enough background. Here are my questions:

1) How may points do you think would be necessary to allow us to stay in a 2-BR every other year, and still sell enough points to cover most of not all the maintenance fees?

2) Are their Real Estate Taxes that are charged to the DVC members?

3) How hard is it to sell DVC points?

4) I have read on this forum about buying re-sale points from "sold-out" vacation clubs. What are the "End Years" of the other existing DVC resorts?

5) Does the fact that they "Expire" bother anyone? Sounds kinda like a scam.

6) When "Renting" points can you rent from several people for your trip, or do you have to rent them all from a single person?

7) If you book a trip and have to change your plans for some reason, how hard is it to make changes? Is it even possible?

8) What are the advantages of DVC over off-site timeshares?

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions, but this is a good starts.

Thanks,

Britt

 

[carolina_yankee]

We just returned from our latest trip to WDW. While we were there we took the tour at SSR (Saratoga Springs Resort).

Typically when we have traveled to WDW in the past we have stayed at the value resorts and on one occasion in a moderate resorts. We have never stayed at any of the WDW Deluxe accommodations, but have stayed in similar quality timeshares (my parents) off-site a couple of times. The quality and space of "Deluxe" level accommodations was very nice however, we would never book a Deluxe or DVC room, simply because of the price tag. If I were to compare DVC to a single Value or even Moderate level room, it would take years to equal out, and that doesn't even take the maintenance fees into account (which alone are equal to a value room for a week). We currently have two boys and have a 3rd child on the way. With that 3rd child it becomes very difficult (if not impossible) to fit into a most of the standard WDW hotel rooms, not to mention as the children grow, it will be come much more crowded. So we are probably looking at two Value or Moderate rooms. This is when DVC starts looking more attractive. Our typical trip consists of a 7 to 10 day stay, taken about every 2 to 3 years.

I think that is enough background. Here are my questions:

1) How may points do you think would be necessary to allow us to stay in a 2-BR every other year, and still sell enough points to cover most of not all the maintenance fees?

I think you would have to look at ponts charts and determine that for yourself based on your preferred resort and travel times. There's a link to point charts on the top right of this page. I would assume a conservative $10 per point for rental, though you can charge more under a vareity of conditions.

Remember that the more points you have, the higher your member fees, but I'm sure there's a sweet spot for you.

2) Are their Real Estate Taxes that are charged to the DVC members?

They're a part of your member fees.

3) How hard is it to sell DVC points?

Renting or selling your contract? Contracts seem to sell pretty easily as resales. Renting points? Depends, but most people seem to be able to rent them out. Law of supply and demand. REnting is a good value for the customer, so it usually works in the owner's favor.

5) Does the fact that they "Expire" bother anyone? Sounds kinda like a scam.

That's the way time shares work. You buy an interst for a specific time period. In DVC's case 46 - 50 years (SSR v. AKV). REsale contracts may be shorter because if they're from one of the older resorts. Not a scam because it's valued accordingly. If you want a permanent vacation home, buy one!

6) When "Renting" points can you rent from several people for your trip, or do you have to rent them all from a single person?

You can rent from as many different people as you like, but each one would be a separate reservation. Owner A and Owner B can't combine their points to rent Customer A one reservation.

7) If you book a trip and have to change your plans for some reason, how hard is it to make changes? Is it even possible?

Changes are possible based on cancellation policies. It gets very dicey within 30 days of the arrival date. Outside of 30 days, the points return to the current use year. What you can do with them depends on where you are in the use year. You can rebook as long as their is availability. Usually, there's something somewhere, but not necessarily what you want.

8) What are the advantages of DVC over off-site timeshares?

For us - it's Disney! On property, and where we want to be. I think that's also a personal question. Depends on what you're looking for. I would buy DVC if I was more interested in staying elsehwere (unless it was Hilton Head or Vero Beach).

I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions, but this is a good starts.

Thanks,

You welcome!
Dirk

 

[mbrittb00]

Renting or selling your contract? Contracts seem to sell pretty easily as resales. Renting points? Depends, but most people seem to be able to rent them out. Law of supply and demand. REnting is a good value for the customer, so it usually works in the owner's favor.

I was actually talking about Renting out the points. Sorry about the confusion.

That's the way time shares work. You buy an interst for a specific time period. In DVC's case 46 - 50 years (SSR v. AKV). REsale contracts may be shorter because if they're from one of the older resorts. Not a scam because it's valued accordingly. If you want a permanent vacation home, buy one!

I thought most time shares were "in perpetuity".

You can rent from as many different people as you like, but each one would be a separate reservation. Owner A and Owner B can't combine their points to rent Customer A one reservation.

So if I wanted to rent points to cover a week long trip, but no member was renting enough points to cover the whole time, I would have to rent and have several different reservations from different members. How do you work out the details so that all said reservations had you in the same room the entire week so you didn't have to change rooms. Partially I am asking this question from the perspective of wanting to rent out points if I become a member. Do I need to / is it a good idea to have enough points to rent out to cover an entire week?

For us - it's Disney! On property, and where we want to be. I think that's also a personal question. Depends on what you're looking for. I would buy DVC if I was more interested in staying elsehwere (unless it was Hilton Head or Vero Beach).

Confused. Are you saying that you would only buy into DVC if you WERE interested in staying other places, or if you were only/primarily interested in staying at WDW.

Thanks again.

Britt

 

[mikesmom]

Regarding the "in perpetuity" type timeshares - those scared me! If Disney pretty much is getting back what we own, it is in their best interest to keep the place up. I've seen way to many developments where basically the timeshare people sell it through and it's "OK, it's yours, good bye and good luck". Those are the ones you see for resale at 20% of the buy in.

Also, frankly, I don't want to still own an out-of-state property when I'm 80 years old. Walking away really looked like a pretty good idea. We'll have had our value out of it, the kids don't have to worry about selling it if they don't want it, and if they do want DVC they can buy a new one!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't purchase DVC with the intent to rent out your points. From all the stories, it isn't that easy all the time. Non-members don't know all the ins and outs of DVC membership and point usage. They want a cheap vacation in a deluxe resort with all the same terms as CRO including payment and cancellation.

DVC is a prepaid vacation program. Purchase only the number of points you can afford including the annual membership fees.

DVC can be used for non-DVC vacations, but it's not the best use of points.

 

[Dean]

I wouldn't buy extra points with the idea of renting them out long term. Since it appears that cost is paramount in this situation I'd only buy enough points to get a 2 BR Sun-Fri EOY, maybe 100 points or so at the most, maybe even less. Then stay in lower cost options for weekends or even off site. There are maint fees and taxes, think about approx $5 per point currently but they will go up over time. DVC is currently fairly easy to sell but there are no guarantees and I would not buy if you think you are likely to have to sell in the future.

The expiration of the RTU doesn't bother me but you should take it into account, esp if you're thinking you might have to resell later. Given the experience of other timeshares you could expect the values to go down when you get to about 26-28 years remaining. However the fact that SSR and now AKL will have a later expiration will likely bring this cost decline sooner as well as both lowering the value of the 2042 resorts starting NOW and increasing the rate of decline over time.

DVC vs Off site. The ONLY advantages to DVC are the fact it's on site and the inherent flexibility of the system. Those that are just as happy staying off site, many actually prefer it, should never buy DVC. One can stay off site for pennies on the dollar compared to on site. And if you do it it right, you could even trade in to DVC for part of the time assuming you buy somewhere other than Orlando or a system that allows non Orlando deposits and could make do with a 1 BR.

 

[jgus]

That's the way time shares work. You buy an interst for a specific time period. In DVC's case 46 - 50 years (SSR v. AKV). REsale contracts may be shorter because if they're from one of the older resorts. Not a scam because it's valued accordingly. If you want a permanent vacation home, buy one!

We looked into the Marriott timeshares, and they are "for ever". This was a factor when looking. We looked at our ages and where we were in our lives, DVC was a better choice for us. DVC provided more flexibility, and was easier to get into ($$). We were looking at $25K to get into the Marriott program. We just bought 160 points in DVC for less than $15K...

We made a pro / con sheet, and DVC came out on top because of where we are in our lives. We are 30 and just starting a family!

If we were older with our kids out of the house, we would have choosen Marriott.

 

[rinkwide]

Don't purchase DVC with the intent to rent out your points. From all the stories, it isn't that easy all the time...

Oh, those stories. Which is your favorite?

I have so many but these are the one's I used to beg mom to read at bedtime: Goldilocks And The Three Week Nightmare, Jack and The Boardwalk, The Gingerbread Man Trashes A GV, Three Little Pigs in a Studio, Hansel & Rental, Little Red Week Renting Hood and The Three Billy Goats Stuff 7 Kids In A One Bedroom.

Those were good times.

 

[NYMomof4]

Oh, those stories. Which is your favorite?

I have so many but these are the one's I used to beg mom to read at bedtime: Goldilocks And The Three Week Nightmare, Jack and The Boardwalk, The Gingerbread Man Trashes A GV, Three Little Pigs in a Studio, Hansel & Rental, Little Red Week Renting Hood and The Three Billy Goats Stuff 7 Kids In A One Bedroom.

Those were good times.

I think I just shorted out the computer with the coffee that spewed out of my mouth reading the story post!LOL

 

[carolina_yankee]

I thought most time shares were "in perpetuity".

I guess I learned something today. I always assumed they were temporary - my mother was one of the early time share purchasers in the 80s, and her contract was for 45 years. I can see the vlaue of "in perpetuity" if you have kids. We don't - and quite frankly, our contract expires when I'm 90 and my partner is 103, so I'm suspecting someone's going to get the remaining years . . .

I agree with another poster concerned about long-term upkeep. I trust Marriott, but I like that Disney is heavily invested in appearances and quality and has incentive to maintain it - not just for the owner's sake, but for their own reputation and the overall appearance of WDW.

So if I wanted to rent points to cover a week long trip, but no member was renting enough points to cover the whole time, I would have to rent and have several different reservations from different members. How do you work out the details so that all said reservations had you in the same room the entire week so you didn't have to change rooms. Partially I am asking this question from the perspective of wanting to rent out points if I become a member. Do I need to / is it a good idea to have enough points to rent out to cover an entire week?

I would think you find enough points for a full week's reservation, but you'll likely have to start early. Advertise your need on the Rent/trade boards and answer the "points available" threads, too, until you find what you need. Member services can link multiple reservations, but there are no guarantees, and if you're working with multiples owners, that's going to be a nightmare since you can't talk to Member Services yourself unless you're an owner.

Confused. Are you saying that you would only buy into DVC if you WERE interested in staying other places, or if you were only/primarily interested in staying at WDW.

My bad - I wouldn't buy DVC if I were more interested in staying elsewhere. Forgot the contraction.

I've heard people speak very positively of other timeshare programs and resorts, so if Disney's not your target destination, you'll likely have better flexibilty through other programs - but you'll have a harder time getting into a DVC resort, assuming the other program even has a trade relationship with II or DVC.

Dirk

 

[vandy]

As far as points needed, you need to look at your likely travel times and decide ahead of time if you are going every 2 years or every 3. We travel early June and span two different seasons. We purchased 175 pts which gives us a 9 or 10 night stay in a 2BR villa every other year.

I wouldn't rent out points to cover dues. I firmly believe that even with the cost of dues, I am staying in deluxe accomodations for just a few more dollars per night compared to two value rooms. For example: using my June travel time and a purchase price of $101/pt for 175 pts, your purchase price breaks down to $376/year. Annual Dues will run around $721 this year and guesstimated $745 next year. Total price comes to $2218 for two years. Value resort lodging in June with MAYBE a disount could come to $89/room times 2 rooms times 10 nights plus tax equals $1985. For just over $23/night more I get a kitchen which we use for at least breakfast and sometimes another meal, and a washer/dryer (less to pack) and much nicer accommodations.

Renting out points should be one of your last options in case you cannot schedule a trip and need to skip a year. As a DVC owner, you will find yourself making more trips which means more ticket, meal, and travel expenses as well but hopefully you can see with your size of family, traveling every other year can still be of value.

 

[ccigliano]

I own both Marriott (Aruba) and DVC Wilderness Lodge Villas. If I had to sell one - it would be the Marriott. Even though DVC expires - it is in my opinion the Cadillac of timeshares. You can pop down for the weekend in a studio or stay for a week in a two bedroom, bank or borrow points to suit your needs. My Marriott is for 1 week and while I pick which week I'd like to stay it isn't as flexible as Disney. With DVC, I now get $100 off an annual pass so it is more cost effective to go twice even three times in one year. For instance, if I buy my pass the 2nd week of December 07, I will use it then for 9 days, I will go back in April 08 for a week and then again right after Thanksgiving in 2008 while the pass is still good and get 25 days or a little over 3 weeks out of it. If you were so inclined to trade it, you could go anywhere as timeshares in Orlando are a dime a dozen but most people who go to Disney want to stay on site, not the Marriott Grande Vista where they rent a car and drive in and out everyday. I tried it once as it was my free bonus week for buying the Marriott. It was nice but it was no Wilderness Lodge Villas and not convenient at all. Good Luck!

 

[Dean]

I own both Marriott (Aruba) and DVC Wilderness Lodge Villas. If I had to sell one - it would be the Marriott. Even though DVC expires - it is in my opinion the Cadillac of timeshares.

I think the Aruba properties have a 60 year lease with a renewal option.

 

[mbrittb00]

I was considering "renting" out some of the points annually to try to cover some or all of the maintenance fees.

Many of our family trips will be to WDW, but we would like the flexibility to use those points at other locations as well. From what was presented, DVC has several other destinations that would suit our needs, at reasonable point values. So I'm a little confused by those who say not to BUY in if you are going to use them at other locations occasionally, or even frequently for that matter.

I do the value of the limited ownership time period, from the perspective of keeping the place up.

Thanks so far, please keep the info coming though.

Britt

 

[mbrittb00]

Does anyone know the "Expire Years" of all the existing DVC resorts. I know that SSR is 1054, but what are the others. One angle I want to explore is purchasing point via resale, and this info is very necessary to judge value.

Thanks,

 

[Dean]

Does anyone know the "Expire Years" of all the existing DVC resorts. I know that SSR is 1054, but what are the others. One angle I want to explore is purchasing point via resale, and this info is very necessary to judge value.

Thanks,

all are 2042 except SSR for 2054 and AKV for 2057.

 

[carolina_yankee]

Many of our family trips will be to WDW, but we would like the flexibility to use those points at other locations as well. From what was presented, DVC has several other destinations that would suit our needs, at reasonable point values. So I'm a little confused by those who say not to BUY in if you are going to use them at other locations occasionally, or even frequently for that matter.

There's no doubt that the Interval Internationale properties look very good and are in excellent locations. We purchased 160 points so we could get 1 week through II in any season in any of their offerings, though we've not taken advantage of it yet.

Our guide kept sayin, "those are the trade values for now" and Disney could always re-evaluate its relatinoship with any outside entity, so there's no guarantee that your purchased points will be adequate for future trading needs or that DVC see will still have a trading partnership. However, I think that latter scenario is unlikely. The plus is that it's likely DVC will continue to build it's own network of places around the country as years go on.

I've also been told if you intent to vacation elsewhere frequently, there are other timeshares out there with better options (less expensive, more places, and such), but I've never investigated them. DVC is what we wanted for our needs.

Dirk

 

[mbrittb00]

Back to the DVC vs. Other timeshares in Orlando question. The main advantages of DVC (other than the fact that it is Disney) are:

Staying on property (although Farifield does have Bonnet Creek with is onsite)
Early Entry to the parks.
Free Parking at the parks.
Minor discounts at various shops.
Disney Upkeep (they do have a reputation to uphold and will be getting them back).

What am I missing?

 

[mbrittb00]

Any suggestions on where to look (websites) to purchase resale points? I figure we will probably buy in, I'm just trying to figure out what would work best for us.

What are the chances of DVC allowing a SSR resale to go through?

Thanks again for all the great info.

 

[LisaS]

Any suggestions on where to look (websites) to purchase resale points? I figure we will probably buy in, I'm just trying to figure out what would work best for us.

Thanks again for all the great info.

There is a link at the top of this page: DCV Resale Listings It takes you to the website of this board's sponsor, The Timeshare Store (referred to as TTS or sometimes as TSS on posts on these boards).