Considering...

[JCandKT]

Hello all –

Our latest trip to WDW has sealed the deal that we need to start seriously considering DVC membership. We tend to travel every 12-18 months to Disney and prefer deluxe resorts, so it seems like a good idea for us to look into DVC. We were there last week and had a great time (despite the cold) but did not participate in an open-house. We’re thinking about renting points for our next vacation (maybe September, October of this year, probably next) just to try the system out.

We ran into a few DVC members at various places during our trip (the couple at the Biergarten, the girls at the GF Tea) and they had nothing but praise for DVC. We just need to crunch the numbers to see if it would indeed work for us and our future travels. I plan to look over all the boards and research what you’ve all already figured out…and hopefully, we can come up with a great idea and plan for our little family.

Looking forward to hearing any advice you may offer…

 

[5forDiz]

Look over points charts ( link is upper right of this page under egret ) to figure out what season(s) you would most likely travel / how many nights /what size villa / resorts you'd most want to stay at to get a better picture on amount of points you need. Use 2010 points charts; btw 2011 charts have not been released as of yet and many here are anticipating another reallocation of points ( perhaps weekday points may be increased again and weekend points lowered as was case in 2010 reallocation ).

If your plans are every year - year & half then you can probably do with half amount of points you calculate because with banking ( or borrowing ) you can have double your allotment of points to use every other year. You can always do add-on contract(s) for more points if you find that you want to have more as time goes on; jmho I would ease into DVC - get what you think you need rather than going too over board with lots of extra points because doing an add-on is easy enough if you find that you love it so much that you truly do need more.

Just want to point out that DVC doesn't have daily maid service as in deluxe resorts/regular hotels ( it can be paid for out of pocket but it is pricey ). On day 4 after check-in you get fresh towels, trash emptied & soaps, paper products replaced. If you are staying 8 nights or more, then you would get a full cleaning on day 4 and towel/trash service on day 8.

Check out dvcnews.com for latest pricing on purchasing DVC directly from Disney. And, research well the resale market because you can often save a significant amount of $ compared to purchasing directly through Disney & via resale you may buy into DVC at less than the minimum amount of points required on a direct buy ( your membership will not be treated any differently so no worries there ). Myself and many others have used the board sponsor, The TimeShare Store, they are an excellent & knowledgeable resale agency.

Best wishes to you & hope to welcome you home real soon

 

[Coach81]

Good luck with your decision! I can tell you, it is the BEST INVESTMENT we ever made for our family!

 

[DizGirl20]

I am new to posting links to threads, so I hope this works. You might be interested in reading this. It talks about what to consider when choosing your "home resort":

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2152512&referrerid=228346

We sound just like you. Stayed at many deluxe resorts before we realized all the money we were spending could be put towards DVC. We researched DVC for about a year and finally bought in a few weeks ago... to say I am excited is an understatement! Best of Luck - there is alot of info. here on these boards!

 

[AirGoofy]

You will find a lot of info on these sites. The only other advice I would suggest would be to not finance your purchase, whether you go through Disney or re-sale. We went re-sale through the TimeShare store and really enjoy DVC. Unfortunately, we lost out with the weekday point re-allocation and have to be creative. Good luck in your decision.

 

[Louiepipbgeeco]

Good luck with your decision.
Take your time and do a lot of research.
You are very wise to consult the DIS> a got a TON of info here. I finally took the plunge after Years of trying to decide after reading countless posts on here.

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I bought in June last year at AKL. We needed to finance through Disney for our points. It was a great way for us to spend our money. We were going to Disney once a year for 10 days and thought it was time to buy when we got the 2008 points and referral incentive. I was the one who really wanted to "own a piece of Disney". DH happily went along with it, although he was fine staying in values. At 41 I wanted a bit of luxury.

Our first trip was 10/28-11/06 at AKL SV studio...and it was every thing and more. Just having that bit of extra space. Beacuse we had a balcony with chairs and could actually come back and ENJOY the room. So much for "just sleeping there" mentality. DH could just take pics of his "pets" off the balcony.

I had been researching for about a year when we decided to purchase. THe economy was bad and no one was financing so we went through Disney. It is now in the budget and planning our yearly trips has become a hobby.

Best of luck with your decision....we did not make a mistake.

 

[Crystal_27]

You are on the right track with researching all aspects of DVC. Check these boards, dvcnews.com, review point charts and also try and find out as much information about each of the resorts as you can. After doing your research, if DVC is a right fit for you and your family, you will go into your membership knowing all the ups and downs. Good luck!

 

[JCandKT]

Thanks everyone! I love the encouragment. JC and I are having fun researching...and hope that a "Welcome Home" is in our future.

 

[mgroshans]

Good luck and have fun exploring everything. We are so glad we joined, it is worth the money!

 

[Quilter007]

I now find it annoying with maids/housekeeping coming into my rooms everyday when I'm forced to stay a regular hotel for business.....

I put up the "leave me alone sign" and then they leave me a packet of towels the 1st day, the 2nd day I get another packet of towels and message from the manager, the 3rd day I get another packet of towels a message from the manager and a note.....I'm a platinum member so they don't want me to be mad at them.....it's a bother!

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

If you travel to WDW less than once a year it might be cheaper to buy a smaller initial contract. Say if you buy 100 points. That lets you have 300 points every few years if you bank and borrow. That will give you a taste of DVC ownership until you decide to make a larger financial commitment. If DVC is not for you, its easier to sell a small contract.

 

[Crystal_27]

Remember to consider going resale too. Unless you want BLT (or unless DVC is offering 2008-2010 points at AKV plus a good incentive), resale would probably save you some money. If you have any questions as you go through the researching process, just post away. This board is a great resource!

 

[sperk99]

You can get into DVC with only 100 point contracts right now...this is a HUGE savings for someone wanting to get their feet wet! So, in AKV, it is 112 - 15 off per point ($97) for a total capex of $9700! Not too bad!