Considering DVC....is it worth it??

[DWjunkie]

We just got back from a very magical week at WDW. I stopped by one of the DVC desk to see what it was all about. They were offering open house at SSR, but daughter was sick and I couldn't go. They are going to mail me a package to review.

What are the advantages of being a member of dvc? Whats been a "plus" for you?

TIA
Kristin

 

[unixadm]

You really have to evaluate it for yourself. If you plan on staying at DVC resorts a lot, then, Yes, it is worth it. If you plan on trading out a lot, then you have to look at what value you are getting.

You get the best bang for your buck staying at DVC resorts. Probably the next good value is the Cruises, and even all the other "trades" are good, just not as much value as the DVC resorts.

There are several reasons we purchased:

1. We LOVE WDW.....my parents live an hour and a half from there, so we have even more incentive to go down and visit them now.

2. We are spoiled by Villa style resorts....having a 5 YO and 3 YO, we want to have our own bedroom, a TV with DVD player, a FULL kitchen, etc.

3. We didn't want to be locked into a single resort, a particular time of year, etc that comes with many other TimeShare type purchases. Actually, I was totally against time shares until I talked to a couple of co-workers about DVC.

4. I like the point system. Very easy to understand and use.

5. We LOVE WDW....oh, did I say that already????

6. Once the kids get older, I want to be able to to other vacations. DVC is very flexible that way....of course, many of the things we want to do in the future use more points, and we will probably add on more in the future to cover those.

We just went on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise using points and LOVED it....even more than WDW in some ways.

Here is a thread where I did my math....Doing the Math - The Real Cost/Savings

 

[browniemtb]

Is it worth it???Good question.
Well first of all it all depends are where you stay when you visit WDW. If you stay at the value resorts like the All Star it may not make sense. If you go to WDW every once in a while it may not make sense. But if you are like me a go almost every year and enjoy being in a deluxe resort then it makes a lot of sense. To give you a rough idea, and others may agree or disagree, a 1 bedroom at the BWV for a week may run you upwards of $4000 to $5000 for a week. DVC membership gets you into that room for less than half that, thats calculating payments and dues. Its a great way to invest in your family and prepay for great vacations every or every other year. DVC works even if you go every 3 years depending how you manipulate your point allottment.
Brownie

 

[1000th happy haunt]

It's worth it if you go to WDW at least every other year and stay in moderate to deluxe resorts.

It's also worth it if you can plan your vacations in advance. I have friends who wait until the last minute for everything, so DVC wouldn't be good for them. That's not to say you can't get a reservation on short notice, but your choices will be more limited.

One of the biggest perks is a hefty discount on annual passes, but again, it depends on how often you plan to go. You also get discounts at restaurants, spas, for tours, shopping, golf, etc.

 

[westjones]

This is a board for DVC members, so you will probably get all positive responses.

We love it, but I will say the one thing that I am SO glad we did was only buy 150 points. Here on the board you will hear others saying to buy more points.....buy more points.. . I got that feeling after our first visit too! My DH was stronger and smarter than me. Now I see that our 150 point is a nice luxury without being overwhelming to our budget (our dues are under $60 a month) and we can skip a year and not rack up too many points that we have to use up! (So far, this has not been a problem).

I think the advice about:
1. If you go to WDW at least every other year
2. And if you stay in a Moderate to Deluxe resort

THEN it is an easy answer.

For us, we didn't do this UNTIL we bought into DVC, but we love it now. If we were in DVC we would stay at the value resorts and only go once in a while. Now we know we have a vacation once a year that is almost paid for (just need food, transportation and entertainment money--gee is that all? ). If money is tight, we will go to HH which is closer for us to drive and you don't spend much money there because you don't need park tickets.

Everyone has to figure this out for themselves. I spent 2 years thinking it over (of course prices went up and up during that time). Now I am glad we bought it. It is a big decision, so read up on it and really talk it over and give it a lot of thought.

Good Luck!
DJ

 

[shellbelle1971]

Two thumbs up to what the other posters have said namely:

It is worth it IF:
You go to WDW at least every other year (or more frequently) OR at least every three years for a long trip
AND
You usually stay in deluxe, on-site resorts (or somtimes moderate on-site resorts)
AND
You can plan your trips fairly far in advance (between 6 and 11 months depending on dates)

AND/OR
you value the space/amenities in a 1- 2- or 3-bedroom villa. The ability to cook (even some trips where we have only used the kitchen for breakfast) is a substantial cost savings to us. Ditto laundry.

When you calculate whether DVC makes sense for you, be sure to note that you can often buy a resale contract for less. (Click on the link at the top of this page.)

Hope this helps!
Michelle

 

[DISNEYMOMx5]

You are wise to really think this through. We visited the open house 3 times before finally taking the plunge! Has it been worth it to us? Absolutely! We actually did stay in the value resorts, but that's part of the reason we bought in. We got tired of having to pay for 2 rooms (there are 7 of us) & still feeling like we were on top of each other. In the long run, I think it has & will be great b/c: 1) We treasure our family vacations, & WDW makes all of us happy (even the teens!); 2) I LOVE having a washer/dryer available...saves time & money; 3) We almost always eat breakfast in our room...super easy w/ the kitchen; 4) We have plenty of room to spread out--even with 7 of us!; 5) Did we mention that we LOVE WDW??!!

I hope you can come to a decision you are happy with. As I said, we waited awhile, but when we finally did buy in, I think it was the perfect time for us. We ended up being one of the first to purchase BCV, got in on a good deal, & are very happy!! Best wishes on your decision!!

 

[DWjunkie]

thanks for the great advice.

 

[Groucho]

I was playing with numbers the other day and it seems to me that it's cheaper even if you DO normally stay at value resorts (as I have and probably would continue to.) When I stayed at Pop Century with four adults in January, using a really good discount, it was about $100/night. Using the site, I did some after-tax comparisons of other resorts for four adults, and for a one-week in September with four adults, Pop would cost about $110 a night. Compare that to a studio at SSR (95 pts) at the generally-accepted rate of $6/pt, it works out to about $81/night - for the week, about a $200 savings.

That, plus the various discounts, mean that you should be able to save money even if you never planned to stay anywhere but the cheapest on-property rooms available. Of course, your best value would be if you're thinking moderate or luxury. For a one-bedroom in the same timeframe, you're looking at $156/night - about $22/night cheaper than Coronado Springs and and $329 cheaper than Contemporary! (That seems unusually high for Contemporary but that's what their site is coming up with.) If you really want to compare, that $156 one-bedroom at SSR is going to be $758/night cheaper than a one-bedroom suite at Contemporary!

If you avoid the weekends, you can do even better.

Of course, the numbers all change depending on the week. But the numbers certainly can work out to saving you a good amount of money, and in the worst case, you probably won't lose.

Needless to say, you've got to want to keep going back to WDW every 1-3 years for a long time, too! But I think that covers most people here...!

 

[byoung]

I have 200 BWV points, this year I got 19 nights in a studio with points left over. Not bad to me for a time share.

 

[swich2mac]

In addition to our May trip, we were thinking about going Dec. 31 - Jan. 5. Will the Christmas decorations still be up at this time?

 

[Groucho]

It depends on what you're looking for. When we were there January 7-15th, the park decorations were still up (I think they may have come down in the last day or two we were there) but some of the resort decorations were gone - no gingerbread house at Grand Floridian, etc, no food-created displays like the village by Boma in Animal Kingdom Lodge... but a good number of Christmas trees were still up.

I think that most stuff is still there by Dec 31st, though... until maybe January 5th or so.

 

[magsmom]

I suggest you read this:

http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html

Mary gaves a very good objective assessment as to whether or not it's worth it, but it's really up to you to make that ultimate decision. It's really very personal, IMO.

For us, yes it is worth it. But in reading the DVC assessment we are the kind of people who, at this time in our lives, would get a lot of value from this.