Considering DVC - but we're bargain hunters...

[TheLittleRoo]

Okay, so I love a bargain and I love Disney. Hmmm... there's an oxymoron, right?

Here's a little background on our family:
DH-42, me-38, DS-12, DD-5, and DS-2

We really don't fit in one standard hotel room, so we booked two rooms at POR for 7 nights at $270/night last September. We also got free Disney Dining when they ran that promotion. DH is a big "space" person, meaning he can't stand being crowded. I'm more laid back, but don't enjoy being around him when he's bugging out with claustrophobia.

We definitely want to stay onsite when we do Disney - all part of the "magic" (read, "suckers") and we'll always want to use Disney Dining, free or otherwise.

We live in VA, but will be moving to TX or TN in the next two years. For now, we can get to FLA about once a year for a week long vacation at WDW, but weekend or short hops aren't feasible due to the 5 adult tickets we have to buy on airfare.

DH won't stay at a value resort, so it's 2 moderate rooms for us. We like BWV or BCV best because of the proximity to Epcot and DQ. We almost stayed there in Sept but DD didn't come with the room at the DVC when they had the free DD promotion.

I adore Disney, the youngest two adore it, my oldest still enjoys it. How long will my oldest like going to WDW and are we a good fit? I figure we drop $1500-2000 on lodging each time we go to WDW for a week, $800 on tickets, $900 on food, and $800 on airfare.

Mathematically, is DVC cheaper than just charging to our card? And lastly, my DH is deployable with almost no notice, so we value being able to rebook at the last minute. I don't mind them keeping my deposit as long as it's credited toward a future stay, but forfeiting the points altogether would STINK... We book at least 6 months in advance, but the cancellation could come with less than 72 hours notice if it came.

Thanks!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Even if you purchase DVC, you will still need to purchase tickets, airfare and food. The money you spent on your most recent lodging would pay for 15-20DVC points. With a family of five, you will need to look at a two bedroom villa or one of the one bedroom villas that sleep 5 at AKV. 160 points would be a minimum to purchase through Disney.

If you don't care where you stay, short term planning might work. But if you have to cancel less than 31 days out, those points become holding points and cannot be used to make reservations more than 60 days out. If you have to go during school breaks, it might be harder to make those reservations.

 

[CarolMN]

I'd wait until your DH finishes his military obligation - the potential last minute cancellations would be a problem. You'd get your points back, but there would be some significant restrictions on reusing them.

If you can't book at least 7 months in advance, it makes no difference where you own. Resort choices can be very limited if you don't book at least 7 months in advance - BCV, VWL and BWV can be difficult to book less than 7 months in advance. For some room types and some times of the year, you really need to book 11 months in advance to get what you want at those resorts. Those who book with shorter notice willmost often find availability at the larger resorts - SSR & OKW.

DVC point stays are not eligible for free dining promotions. I doubt they ever will be.

You really need to visit at least once a year to make DVC a good value and it's even better if you can minimize the Friday & Saturday nights (they cost more points).

DVC is only the lodging - you still have to pay for transportaion, park admission, food & souvenirs. DVC will commit you to a minimum of at least one trip evey 3 years (if yo don't want to lose points).

My advice is to continue paying cash for now (less of a commitment and probably more satisfying than DVC given your likes/dislikes) - maybe even a condo off site for the space.

Hope your DH's deployment ends up to be a short one - saying a prayer for all of our military and their families.

 

[Dean]

If you can do Sun-Fri you will do very well. Of property will be cheaper by far with some properties as nice or even nicer than DVC in many ways. You may want to consider AKV where you can get a 1 BR for 5 people officially.

 

[TheLittleRoo]

So, for us, maybe renting points would be a better idea? Understanding the risk we take in losing our money if we had to cancel, of course....

Half the magic for me is planning the itineraries, the ADRs, etc so we always book 6-9 months out.

Let's say we bought 250 points at OKW. From what I understand, those points are cheaper to buy, right? So, how does it work if I want to use the points at BCV? How far in advance can I book at a non-home DVC? Is that the 7 months restriction, so BCV owners can book 11 months ahead, and that's what makes it hard for other DVC members to get in there?

Thanks! Sorry to be asking such basic questions, but DH would NEVER sit through the DVC sales pitch unless he already planned to buy in, so I have to gather bits and peices in forums like this one!

 

[Deb & Bill]

The DVC "sales pitch" is the least hard sell I have ever sat through.

You have the home resort and non-home resort concept down. If you want the BVC dedicated two bedroom with two queens in the second bedroom you really need BCV points. If you want a GV, purchase a resort with GV. If you want BW view or BW standard view, purchase BWV. You'll never get those without the home resort advantage.

If you buy OKW directly from Disney, I don't think there is any difference in price between OKW and other resorts. But if you go resale, you will pay a bit less for OKW.

 

[dunnhorn]

I have an off-the-wall suggestion. Try looking for the smallest contract you can find anywhere... like 25 or 50 points... and then once you have it you are in the system and can get DVC rooms at the 25% off cash rate. You can cancel these w/5 days notice with no penalty. Bank and borrow every other year to use the DVC points for vacations, or rent them out to pay for maintenance fees.

I said it was a wacky idea - but worth considering if you like that King size bed.

 

[JimMIA]

It seems to me the deciding factor of whether this is a good fit for you is the potential for last-minute cancellations. I'd suggest you go back 4-5 years and see how often you've actually had to do that, and then see what impact it might have on DVC ownership.

With DVC, a cancellation 31+ days out might not have any consequences at all. The points just go back in your account. Inside 31 days, however, the points go into "holding," which means they can only be used to book vacations 60 days in advance. Booking 60 days out is certainly not impossible, but availability would be limited.

The other complications with cancellations have to do with your use year. It is possible that a cancellation would make the points non-bankable, and in an extreme case you could lose them altogether if they couldn't be banked and you couldn't go prior to the end of the UY.

The other things to look at are, depending on where you go in TN or TX, whether the WDW trips would be driveable, and whether you and the kids would/could go without DH if he got deployed at the last minute. If you would/could go anyway, obviously there would only be the loss of his airfare to consider.

 

[byoung]

Okay, so I love a bargain and I love Disney. Hmmm... there's an oxymoron, right?

Here's a little background on our family:
DH-42, me-38, DS-12, DD-5, and DS-2

We really don't fit in one standard hotel room, so we booked two rooms at POR for 7 nights at $270/night last September. We also got free Disney Dining when they ran that promotion. DH is a big "space" person, meaning he can't stand being crowded. I'm more laid back, but don't enjoy being around him when he's bugging out with claustrophobia.

We definitely want to stay onsite when we do Disney - all part of the "magic" (read, "suckers") and we'll always want to use Disney Dining, free or otherwise.

We live in VA, but will be moving to TX or TN in the next two years. For now, we can get to FLA about once a year for a week long vacation at WDW, but weekend or short hops aren't feasible due to the 5 adult tickets we have to buy on airfare.

DH won't stay at a value resort, so it's 2 moderate rooms for us. We like BWV or BCV best because of the proximity to Epcot and DQ. We almost stayed there in Sept but DD didn't come with the room at the DVC when they had the free DD promotion.

I adore Disney, the youngest two adore it, my oldest still enjoys it. How long will my oldest like going to WDW and are we a good fit? I figure we drop $1500-2000 on lodging each time we go to WDW for a week, $800 on tickets, $900 on food, and $800 on airfare.

Mathematically, is DVC cheaper than just charging to our card? And lastly, my DH is deployable with almost no notice, so we value being able to rebook at the last minute. I don't mind them keeping my deposit as long as it's credited toward a future stay, but forfeiting the points altogether would STINK... We book at least 6 months in advance, but the cancellation could come with less than 72 hours notice if it came.

Thanks!

If you go each year DVC is for you.