Convince me to do it!

[Ashley24]

Can anyone simply explain to me why I should join the DVC? I go to Disney World every 2 or 3 years and we have 3 Disney Cruise vacations booked for next year. Would I be saving money by joining or what are the benefits? Any info is greatly appreciated!
Thanks! Plus, what are the costs to start and yearly?
Ann

 

[PamOKW]

what are the costs to start and yearly?

I've lost track whether the price is currently $80 per point or will be going to that amount on 7/1. In any case, 150 points is the minimum making the cost $12,000. Sometimes Disney offers incentives that brings down the cost of your down payment by "buying back" your first year's worth of points. You may also get a better price buying on the resale market.

Every year you pay dues which cover the cost of maintenance, real estate taxes and putting money into a capital reserve for major projects (roofs, etc.) These vary from resort to resort but run roughly $3.00-$4.00 per point. At BCV the dues are $3.77 per point so, on 150 points, you would pay $565.50. This can be paid once a year of spread out over 12 months with direct debit.

There are several current threads on here discussing the pros and cons of joining. You can look those over or I'm sure others will respond directly to your thread. Here's a link to one of the threads. Convince Me

The best value is to use DVC resorts. Many people use points to cruise as well but that is not always the most economical choice

 

[Granny]

Going to WDW every 2 or 3 years is a start, but you'll need to ask yourself more questions, among them:

Do I always stay on-site? Often that means paying a premium but DVC members pretty much feel that being on-site at WDW is the only way to go.

Do I stay at deluxe, moderate or budget Disney resorts? If you are happy to stay at All Stars then the financials may not make sense for DVC. If you stay at moderates it seems to pay out. If deluxe resorts, it's kind of a no-brainer in savings while getting even better accommodations.

We are going to WDW more often and staying in accommodations we would never afford by paying cash. Hard to put a price on that, but to us it is the main reason we joined. No regrets!!

 

[lodgelady]

I have only been a member since 2001. We bought only 150 points at VWL.
So far I have been on a 10 day vacation which included 3 nights in an ocean front room with a private balcony at a top notch resort, and 7 nights at a deluxe Disney resort.
This week we booked a cruise for 2003 for 4 people for 7 nights ( we chose to keep our 2004 points untouched) for only $1,800 dollars in a deluxe ocean view room. To me, this is heaven! What else can I say?? This is a good value as far as I can see.....

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Have you seen this FAQ?
http://www.wdwinfo.com/dvc/faq.shtml
If your just exploring DVC, they have some nice information to start with. The banking and borrowing items will be helpful as you consider 2 to 3 year cycles.

The timeshare store icon in the upper right lets you know that you can always sell down the road, so it's not a permanent 40 year commitment if you don't want it to be.

 

[ripleysmom]

Don't buy DVC to take cruises. Do buy DVC if you want luxurious on-site accommodations .

 

[Ashley24]

I would love to stay at deluxe resorts. So if I would like to plan a very nice one or two week vacation each year to Disney World, what price should I expect to pay to stay at the VWL, for example? What does it work out to be monthly?

 

[PamOKW]

To figure out your minimum needs, narrow down your desire a little and we can come up with a rough idea for you. What size accomodation and what time of year are two keys. Of course, you can always vary these but if you have a rough idea what you'd be using now that would be a starting point.

 

[Ashley24]

Unfortunately, I would need to go at peak times such as Christmas and Easter because I'm a teacher and can only take breaks when the students do. Florida during summertime doesn't sound like fun to me. There are four people in my family so that would decide how much room I need. I have never stayed in a Disney suite so I wouldn't know what I was missing. Is this enough info to get some general prices? Again, I would be interested in about 1 week a year or two weeks every two years. Wilderness Lodge or Beach Club looks appealing to me. I know that VWL is one of the resorts included in DVC but not sure about Beach Club. Pool sounds great there!
Any info is appreciated!
Thanks!
Ann

 

[RLevy29]

I am a teacher also and have gone to DW many times in the summer. Actually, if you stay out of the parks during the afternoon, it's not too bad. You need to get up early to avoid both the heat and the crowds. Usually we are out of the parks by 11:00 and on our way to either another resort for lunch or back to wherever we are staying for some R&R at the pool. Then the nights are usually cooler to enjoy being outside watching the fireworks, Illuminations, or whatever you want to do. It is hot but I wouldn't rule it out entirely if the summer is easier to plan. The points are less than at the holidays, also.

 

[ksmom]

I'm also a teacher so we only go in summer. Never did plan on visiting DW very much but we were there in '93, '97, '01, and '02. Last year we stayed at the Beach Club and we all (4 in our family) fell in love with it. This year we were able to fly free with vouchers from our messed up Continental airplane trip from last summer. We stayed outside the park and really missed the disney feeling. Looked briefly at DVC while we were there and now are considering it. I'm confused on a lot of issues so I'll read through everything I can find and then ask some questions. My main concern is the money. If we go every 2-3 years is it worthwhile. After one more year both our kids will be in college and I don't know if they will be able to go to DW with us. One is already at the Air Force Academy so she couldn't go this time. Another thing to consider is that with her being in the military we would be able to stay at Shades of Green with her. Is this a better deal than the DVC?

 

[PamOKW]

I'll give you a rough idea based on your info --

BWV (preferred), BCV and VWL all have the same point requirements for stays. OKW and BWV (standard) will be slightly less points.

Travel during Christmas Week (12/24-31) and the two weeks surrounding Easter each year fall into the most expensive category, Premiere. Thanksgiving, mid-February and the parts of March/April not near Easter are in the next step down, Magic Season.

A family of four could stay in a studio, like a deluxe resort hotel room with the addition of a kitchenette area (frig, microwave, coffeemaker, wet bar, toaster) or a one-bedroom which is quite luxurious and the real benefit of DVC. You can also mix it up, using a studio some trips an one-bedroom others.

Sun-Thurs nights are less expensive than Fri-Sat nights. Some members make alternate plans for the weekends -- staying offsite or in a less expensive Disney hotel. Others just look at it as part of the cost. Do what works best for you.

Back to the basics -- Premiere Season the weekdays in a studio are 19 points and the weekends 43 or 181 points per week. A one-bedroom is 40/75 or 350 per week.

Magic Season runs 14/32 for the studio or 134 per week and the one bedroom is 30/60 or 270 per week.

150 points is the minimum purchase from Disney. You don't necessarily have to purchase the exact number of points you need because you can "borrow" and "bank" points. This would work if you went every other year and/or avoided some weekend nights.

150 points at $80 per point is $12,000. The yearly dues at BCV are currently $3.77 per point. You can figure it will stay roughly around this amount for at least the next few years. That would be a cost of $565.50 per year. You can pay it lump sum or over 12 months ($47.13 per month). The monthly cost for your initial purchase would depend on how much you put down, if you use a Magical Beginnings (sell back your first year of points), how long you finance, if you direct debit, etc., etc. Maybe a recent purchaser can give you a better idea of what the payments run.

 

[Dean]

Everyone's habits and situations are different but it seems you can do well with DVC. Even if you're looking at spring break or Xmas, the numbers should work out to your advantage. You should know though that Easter and Xmas are roughly 135% the cost of summer and almost twice as many points as the lowest season. DVC could save you money and/or it could give you much better accomodations than you might get otherwise, depending on the choices you would make otherwise and how you use it.

The best comparision is a hotel room vs a studio and for staying at the moderates, it looks like you would come out ahead over time, but not by that much. You would however have a larger nicer room at a more upscale hotel for around the same price. Compared to the deluxe/premium options, you would come out ahead in this comparision. If your family is of such a configuration where you do or would later need 2 rooms, all of the above applies to a 2 BR as well. Even with a family of four, needing large or multiple rooms sometimes happen when the children are different genders or when others travel with you. The other benefits are the amenties such as laundry and a kitchen. Depending on choices and usage, these can be the difference. If you always eat out every meal, you savings with DVC will be less than otherwise.

If you're going for one week every year or 2 weeks every 2 years, you will need a lot of points. It will vary with specifics but in general you're looking at around 180 points per year for a studio every year for a week and 460 for a 2 BR. You would cut the number needed down to the 150 minimum and the 2 BR cost down to only about 350 by staying 6 days and avoiding one weekend night. Likewise, avoiding both Friday and Saturday nights would cut the cost to around 60% of the full week price. Obviously you'd need to make some decision and sit down with the points charts to decide what's best and how many points.

You're original note sayid you went every 2-3 years, that would change my thoughts and recomendations somewhat. It doesn't mean it's not worth it, just that there are different considerations and the chances DVC will work for someone every 3 years is far less than every year to every 2 years. Many have joined with the idea of going every 2-3 years and now go more, as much as 2-3 times a year. Good luck.