Convince me to buy!!

[Luv2trav]

The "Best thing about DVC" thread got me thinking. I am seriously considering buying into DVC this fall. However I have some hesitations... Please convince me to buy...

Reasons I want to buy.
-Love DisneyWorld
-Love Deluxe accomidations and we don't have the income of Kings and Queens to afford them every year.
-We have a 2.5 year old and a 2 month old. So we should be visiting a lot in the next couple years.

Reason I am hesitant.
-When you add the whole cost up are you really saving money? Yearly dues, Total costs involved.
-Wondering how long of a loan can you take out on 200 points. We cannot afford too high of a payment...
-Not very interested in Saratoga Springs. We love the BVC but that contract only have 38 years left. Should be buy Saratoga and hope we can stay at BCV at the 7 month mark?

Please help convince me...

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Originally posted by Luv2trav

Reason I am hesitant.
-When you add the whole cost up are you really saving money? Yearly dues, Total costs involved.
-Wondering how long of a loan can you take out on 200 points. We cannot afford too high of a payment...
-Not very interested in Saratoga Springs. We love the BVC but that contract only have 38 years left. Should be buy Saratoga and hope we can stay at BCV at the 7 month mark?

If you are going to buy, buy where you want to stay. You will hear that piece of advice more than any other given on these boards.

You don't save money all of the time with DVC. If you visit once a year and stay at the All Stars in one room, DVC is not a money saver. As a matter of fact, it will cost you more. It was a money saver for my family because we need two rooms for our four children and we always stayed at the deluxe resorts. It also depends on when you go. If you can go during a discounted time of year, that saves a lot of money too. Again with four kids, we go only during the high priced vacation periods so DVC made sense.

With Disney you can take out a loan for as long as 10 years with as little as 10% down or for as little as one year with 50% down.

If you buy SSR then you can go through Disney. If you buy a resale, you would not be able to finace through Disney which may make the purchase more costly since you would have to find some other financing, if you can't pay cash. The 50 years that SSR has to its contract is a big draw.

I know I'm not talking you into anything here but I'm trying to be realistic. You need to know everything up front in case you decide to take the plunge. If you do purchase DVC (as long as you can afford it) you will not regret the decision. DVC is a lifestyle, as much as it is a vacation decision.

HBC

 

[tinkgrl]

Originally posted by Luv2trav
The "Best thing about DVC" thread got me thinking. I am seriously considering buying into DVC this fall. However I have some hesitations... Please convince me to buy...

Reasons I want to buy.
-Love DisneyWorld
-Love Deluxe accomidations and we don't have the income of Kings and Queens to afford them every year.
-We have a 2.5 year old and a 2 month old. So we should be visiting a lot in the next couple years.

Reason I am hesitant.
-When you add the whole cost up are you really saving money? Yearly dues, Total costs involved.
-Wondering how long of a loan can you take out on 200 points. We cannot afford too high of a payment...
-Not very interested in Saratoga Springs. We love the BVC but that contract only have 38 years left. Should be buy Saratoga and hope we can stay at BCV at the 7 month mark?

Please help convince me...

Hi,

You've come to the right place for answers!!! I can help with a few!

1. You should buy where you want to stay the most. So if you really like BCV, you should buy a resale. Disney is only selling SSR right now/If later on you like SSR you can always get an add on later, so you can have 2 home resorts @ the 11 month booking window. You can get add ons as small as 25 points (brought with cash) & 50 and above to finance it through Disney. If you buy a resale add on there isn't a limit of points you can start with.

If you go the resale route you will have to pay closing costs & fees ect. It can cost you more. Others know more than I do.

2. You can finance through Disney for up to 10 years. With 10% or even 20% down.

3. Getting a reservation @ the 7 month mark can be difficult depending on the time of year you want. Like the 1st 2 weeks of December is very difficult (low points used.) Lots of people here like to conserve points so they try to go with as little of points being used. Any holiday too, I think can be difficult, but you can always try. I've heard of people having success with the 7 month window!!! It just depends!

4. As for saving $$, not too sure. After you pay off your mortage you will just have your dues so that does help. All of the $$ you usually spend for you room is taken care of by the points so all you have to worry about is travel $$, food down there & fun $$$! Everyone wins really because we all get better accommendations & we can go down there more often which Disney happy. Also we spend more $$ in parks etc. Does that make sense? Good luck!

Allison an associate

 

[dianeschlicht]

That was very good, Happy Birthday Cat! I can't add much except to say that you need to look at this as a pre-paid vacation, if nothing else. I really wish we would have had the foresight to have done something similar to this when our kids were young! DVC, of course, was not available then, but any timeshare would have been smart 25 years ago! We had friends who did it then, and I have always wished we would have been smart enough to have done the same.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by Luv2trav
Reason I am hesitant.
-When you add the whole cost up are you really saving money? Yearly dues, Total costs involved.

For us, it definitely costs us more money. Because we go much more often, and stay longer.

We used to go every other year for a week or so and stay at WL. Now we go every year, stay for two weeks in a 2BR!!

For us, it was about investing in the quality of our vacations...not about saving money.


But for many others, especially those who primarily stay in studios....it would be a money saver too.

It's a big investment.....and one we wish we would have made when our children were the same age as yours.

 

[crisi]

We don't save a cent either. We go more often and have more room when we go.

And I'm going to try and talk you out of it. It sounds like you would be scrimping to afford the payments. Vacations in general are a luxury item and should be bought when you have all the other eggs in your basket paid for (or at least know where the money is coming from). DVC is a committment. You will owe dues every year (or monthly if you prefer) - even if the car breaks down and needs transmission work. Then there are the additional costs of a regular Disney vacation. Airfare, if you need it, park tickets, food. Without DVC, if you need to skip a year at Disney and go camping in a state park instead, it isn't a huge deal. With DVC, you'll need to rent your points - perhaps feeling lousy every moment because it drives home that you won't be able to take the trip yourself. And it isn't entirely riskless - if Disney makes a series of really poor business decisions, the parks may not be the destination they are currently (many don't think they are the desitnation they were a few years ago).

Put it on hold and buy DVC when the payments are no big deal. Or even better, when you can pay cash.

 

[rocketriter]

Hmm, "only" 38 years in a BCV contract if you buy it now.

Don't know about you, but that will make me 95 years old, at which point my kids can figure out what to do with whatever renewal Disney does or doesn't offer. In the meantime I'll have stayed a week every year in accomodations that would otherwise cost me my entire annual dues in a single night. It works for me!

 

[Luv2trav]

Thank you for all the wondeful and honest feedback..

I know it's hard to put a price on quality vacations. I personally feel vacations are a very important part of my life and my families life. I wish I could be one of those families who could stay at the all-stars every other year and be happy about it...but I'm not.

We are by no means living high on the hog. I personally would rather cut back on expensive cars and homes and have the "extra" money to splurge on nice vacations and entertainment.

I just have a feeling that when we stay in the BVC this Sept for the first time I am going to be spoiled and what that for every vacation...

 

[BillM]

As to buying at a DVC other than BCV and getting into BCV with the 7 month window, it could be tough depending on the time of the year you want to go. With the ages of your children SSR would seem to be a good fit and buying thru DVC gives you no closing costs, selling back first year points, 50 year contract. SSR is supposed to have a great pool.
At BCV your big advatage is location. I don't see that to be very important with the ages of the kids.
You might take a look at WLV, with access to MK, again thinking of the ages of the children.

 

[Luv2trav]

Originally posted by crisi
We don't save a cent either. We go more often and have more room when we go.

And I'm going to try and talk you out of it. It sounds like you would be scrimping to afford the payments. Vacations in general are a luxury item and should be bought when you have all the other eggs in your basket paid for (or at least know where the money is coming from). DVC is a committment. You will owe dues every year (or monthly if you prefer) - even if the car breaks down and needs transmission work. Then there are the additional costs of a regular Disney vacation. Airfare, if you need it, park tickets, food. Without DVC, if you need to skip a year at Disney and go camping in a state park instead, it isn't a huge deal. With DVC, you'll need to rent your points - perhaps feeling lousy every moment because it drives home that you won't be able to take the trip yourself. And it isn't entirely riskless - if Disney makes a series of really poor business decisions, the parks may not be the destination they are currently (many don't think they are the desitnation they were a few years ago).

Put it on hold and buy DVC when the payments are no big deal. Or even better, when you can pay cash.

Thank you, you have given a lot to think about.