Considering Buying but need to know good/bads

[nikmpayne]

Hello- '

My husband and I are just starting to research getting a DVC and would like to know all the goods/bads (like Disney could be anything bad), etc. We have 2 girls, a 4 1/2 year old and almost 2 year old. It is a huge investment and we are really on the fence about it.

All the help would be great, these incentives for the 15 year anniv sound appealing.

Just so you know up front, I am clueless as we only just start looking into it so all of your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Nikki

 

[WALTSAGOD]

You won't find any BADS listed here.

There are MANY threads that go back for years,..read til your eyes blur then start asking questions. There is so much good info here.

 

[Grandbuddy]

You won't find any BADS listed here.

There are MANY threads that go back for years,..read til your eyes blur then start asking questions. There is so much good info here.

For most of what you want to know, you will find multiple opinions, most of them pretty positive, on the various threads under the DVC message boards. You can even use the "search" feature, for terms that interest you. I started looking at this site to see if I could find enough dissatisfied people to dissuade me from buying in. I couldn't...so I now have a contract to buy pending. Good luck.

 

[nikmpayne]

Ah shucks, you mean I need to read all things Disney....how will I survive? Thank you for the advice. I am looking forward to getting lost in the Disney spirit and hopefully we will come out buying.

Nikki

 

[kenny]

We just recently bought our membership. It was always something that we wanted to do but said "WOW that is a lot of money to shell out".

Long story short, a friend of ours came back from disney last month with anew DVC purchase. Well that was enough to push us over the edge and make it happen.

Our reasoning for buying in was as follows:
-We are disney nuts. Both DW and I and our 3 1/2 yo DD just love everything about Disney.
-We have taken our daughter the past 2 years and would love to be able to keep going back year after year.
-Although we generally stayed at a moderate (have stayed at deluxes but mostly moderates), this would be a good way to "afford" and upgrade.
-The flexibility to be able to go when you want and stay how you want. not like other timeshares where you have to go during 1 set week.
-The options. You can use your points to stay at over 500 places world wide. This gives us an affordable way to travel to more places worldwide and compared to some other timeshares the trade value is better.
-Although you don't own it for life our SSR contract will expire when we are 81. So for all intents and purposes we will have it life.
-The memories it will create. We have such great memories of both our pre-child trips (were engaged at disney) as well as our 2 trips with our daughter. This gives us the ability to know that we are creating future memories for our family for a life time.
-and to quote a friend of ours, "Disney is a happy place, and I like to be happy"! There is no place that we feel happier or more "at home" than at disney. It just seemed like the perfect fit.

Our only complaint is we should have done this years ago. It would have been paid off by now!

If disney is a place that you truly enjoy going to, and plan to go to often, you can't go wrong. Good luck with your decision.

 

[ScottakaMickey]

Hello- '

My husband and I are just starting to research getting a DVC and would like to know all the goods/bads (like Disney could be anything bad), etc. We have 2 girls, a 4 1/2 year old and almost 2 year old. It is a huge investment and we are really on the fence about it.

All the help would be great, these incentives for the 15 year anniv sound appealing.

Just so you know up front, I am clueless as we only just start looking into it so all of your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Nikki

The only negative, if you can call it that, is making sure that you want to do a Disney vacation each year as a primary vacation destination. Yes, you can go out of DVC for other vacations, but I wouldn't consider that to be a primary motivator, just an added benefit. As Kenny states below you really need to love it to commit to such a large investment.

Don't look at the incentives as a motivator, as they are short term nudge to get you in, but in general there are always some kind of incentive going on, some more then others.

That said, I 100% agree that we should have done it sooner!!

 

[Mtnman44]

Here is your three minute overview of the decision process:

If you travel to Disney pretty much every year and like to stay at the nicer Disney Resorts, then yes, buying DVC makes a lot of sense and will save you a lot lodging expenses over the long term. However, most find that they simply start "upping" their vacation habits due to all the savings. This translates to buying MORE points and/or traveling to Disney MORE often. Thererfore, be aware that a DVC membership may not necessarily decrease your Net Disney Vacation Expenses.

DVC is not the only way to enjoy regular Disney Vacations. It may not even be the best way. It is simply one way to do it. You could also simply put that cash in a high interest account and draw on it each year and stay wherever you want. You could also buy a much less expensive timeshare in the Orlando area (there are many nice ones, many very bad ones) and use that each year.

If you decide to buy, don't base it on any perks or "incentives", base the decision soley on your intended travel habits and wants for the next couple decades.

Buy from DVC directly if you want a smooth and easy and quick transaction or if you need easy financing (careful with this one, that adds a lot of cost to the picture). Buy from a reseller if you want the best price and don't mind wating 6 weeks or so for paperwork issues.

Buy at a resort that you like. You many not always get in at another resort during your travel dates, so you want to make sure you will enjoy the resort where you have a booking advantage. I would not advise buying at a resort that you would never be happy staying at. However, in general know that except for high demand times or high demand specialty unit types, you will generally be able to use your points at any of the DVC resorts so don't stress too much over home resort.

Use Year is way over thought, especially by new people (I was one). Use year does not determine when you can make reservations. It only sets certain timelines for bankinig and point expiration. In general, you want to have a UY month immediately prior to your normal travel dates. This is so that if you need to change/or cancel a reservation, you still have most of your use year to use or bank those points.

If you have no specific time period as a preferred travel time window, then UY really has no importance as your reservations will be throughout the year. Also, remember that over 50 years your schedule and travel habits are likely to change, so don't stress over UY.

 

[wedance6]

I look at it this way as well........one buys cars for well over $20,000, which end up depreciating within 5 years, and you still pay for car repairs after your warrenty is up(kinda like annual dues),
DVC won't depreciate in the same way, and look how long you'll have to enjoy it.
That's how I also justified getting it. 200 points was under $20,000, and I had just bought a car for $26,000 a year ago, and it's already 1/2 it' s value.
Go for it, if you love to go to Disney!!!!!

 

[PSWGal]

We live near Disneyland but like to visit WDW every so often. We decided to buy just 175 points at AKV and plan to go very 3 years. We don't love flying, but staying on property while there is so much better than off property.

We have grown kids who live to travel with us, so 175 points banked, current, and borrowed give us enough to do a lot. We'll probably buy some GCV points when they're offered to us.

 

[stopher1]

I've got a "bad" for you...once you do it, you'll start getting "addonitis"!!!

Good luck in your research and decision making process.

 

[DVC Mary]

We've never been sorry for a minute that became DVC members.

Do consider how you'll use your points. We go to Disney each year, but plan to go outside Disney when my youngest gets older. Consider how far in advance you can plan your vacations. It can be difficult to get into anywhere except Old Key West & Saratoga Springs unless you plan pretty far out & not at a super popular time. My family is upset about the new $95 booking fee for using non-DVC Disney resorts. When we can't get into our home resort or anywhere other than OKW or SSR, we like to try other Disney resort for 1-3 nights while we wait to get into our DVC resort. We pay high points to do this, but see it as a splurge to enjoy those resorts such as the Poly or GF.

These boards have a wealth of threads you can ready & look at to see how you might use your points. Many people start w/ 150 & then add on more.

You can always start w/ a low contract & then add on.

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[PutnamDS]

I'm a Grandma and love to take my granddaughter to Disney. Now that DH and I have taken her three times, it is the center of our conversation when we're all together. Just this past weekend she was over for a slumber party and we were up most of the night talking and giggling about our Disney vacations past and in the future.

There is NOTHING in the world that can ever replace these precious memories. That's why we decided to purchase our own little piece of the magic.

For us, planning is part of the fun and my granddaughter helps with the planning. She just loves it. If you don't like planning, that could be a down side for you.

If it cost twice as much, it would be worth it to me, just to hear her laughing and reminiscing about our trips. It is wonderful.

deb

 

[blossomz]

No negatives here either! Unless you consider the fact that once you own, the more you want! I ended up buying 3 times!!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We just bought into the AKV last month. We had been debating the purchase of the DVC for several years when we finally took the plunge. I only wish we had taken the plunge before. We have been going to WDW 2+ times every year for years now. We bought 200 points which will allow us to go at least twice a year. We will be able to give it to our kids also when we are no longer alive. We were spending so much money every year on moderate resorts that we just decided this was the best way to go. We will be able to stay at resorts now that we would of never stayed at before.

 

[jimmytammy]

Not much negative from us. We just added on a fourth contract a few days ago, and have only owned for 6 yrs. Kids are getting a little older, so having a 1 bed each trip will help them with a bit more privacy. Before buying the 4th contract, we asked them if they still want to go twice a year. DD15 and DS13 without a hesitant bone in their body said YES. That makes it worth it for us. We know the day will come when one or both will no longer be making those trips, but for now, it is all worth it. Maybe one day we will be taking the grandkids

Knowing what I know now, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Just wish I would have bought sooner. My advice, find a way and make it happen!!

 

[Dean]

DVC is not for everyone, it is a huge investment and one that can often cost you far more than you save. But for Disney trips and staying on property, it can be a great choice if you're comfortable with a 34-50 year investment. $$$ wise it only makes sense if you would stay in moderates or above on property and not go heavy on the weekends. Off property can be MUCH cheaper and there are those that actually prefer to stay off property. DVC is also a poor choice for non DVC stays so I wouldn't buy for that reason or would buy less points, just the number I needed for DVC visits. For the right group it may or may not save you money but what it often does is give you more for around the same money. While those of us that bought years ago may make money on our purchase if/when we sell, that is very unlikely for new purchases going forward. You'd be lucky to keep up with inflation for new purchases or resale on those that expire in 2042.

 

[JimC]

To follow up on Dean's comments....If you want to go to Disney every other year and elsewhere in between...buy half the points you need for your Disney trip and bank/borrow to get your EOY Disney vacation. If you really want a timeshare vacation every year then buy an EOY timeshare for you non-Disney vacations. Outside of Disney there are significant price differences between buying developer or resale so look around and ask lots of questions Finding a good broker is also very helpful.

As to DVC, we enjoy it for DVC vacations on property and now an annual trip to VB. We love the flexibility of the points program for how long, what size, when and at 7 months where we stay. Because of that we get a variety of themed vacations. Financially, over time the one bedroom villas are about equivalent to a moderate resort room. So it is a great value in our view.

 

[a Really Bad Egg]

There is NOTHING in the world that can ever replace these precious memories. That's why we decided to purchase our own little piece of the magic.

The memories are why we bought in as well!

The only negative was we didn't do it sooner.

 

[jgus]

The resaon we choose to buy was a very siple oner. We are now forced to take a vacation each year. So often there are the things we "should" spend our money on. Like a dinning room table, or a bathroom remodel, or, or or.... This list goes on and on. There is always going to be something we "should" spend our money on. For tis simple reason, we now have a vacation that's already paid for when we want to go. A few airline tickets, and we're off to Disney!

 

[nikmpayne]

Thanks for all the great words of wisdom. I am going to receive the packet and DVD sometime this week. I am looking forward to reviewing it.