Cost of WDW Vacation with DVC

[MICKIMINI]

Food is the worst expense IMO. Allears.net has menus. Doing some advance menu planning, bringing snacks like dried fruit/nuts, PB crackers is helpful. It's cheaper to let your little eat off your plate rather than buy a kids meal. Leave a buffer for those treats you didn't know you needed LOL!

EPCOT France has a great bakery and now crepes which are both inexpensive and can be split. Norway has very large sandwiches that are delicious and yummy almond pretzels that are huge.

MK Pecos Bill is our fav. Snacks at Sleepy Hollow are large and can be split.

AK we don't have a favorite anymore. Our last trip to Flametree BBQ was gross.

BOMA is our favorite buffet. Captain Cooks at Poly Tonga Toast which eaten mid morning powers us all day.

Sounds like a great trip - ENJOY!

 

[hhisc16]

Food is the worst expense IMO. Allears.net has menus. Doing some advance menu planning, bringing snacks like dried fruit/nuts, PB crackers is helpful. It's cheaper to let your little eat off your plate rather than buy a kids meal. Leave a buffer for those treats you didn't know you needed LOL!

EPCOT France has a great bakery and now crepes which are both inexpensive and can be split. Norway has very large sandwiches that are delicious and yummy almond pretzels that are huge.

MK Pecos Bill is our fav. Snacks at Sleepy Hollow are large and can be split.

AK we don't have a favorite anymore. Our last trip to Flametree BBQ was gross.

BOMA is our favorite buffet. Captain Cooks at Poly Tonga Toast which eaten mid morning powers us all day.

Sounds like a great trip - ENJOY!

Thank you! We look forward to our upcoming trip!

Our one park day is to MK, so we plan on eating at Pecos Bill and Sleepy Hollow for sure!

We are staying at AKV, BRV, and Poly. Each one night studio stays, so we plan on eating at the resort.

Overall, our trip cost is not too high because of our DVC and we like to eat!

 

[kilik64]

I wasnt a big fan of pecos bill, id vote for Columbia Harbor House for a qs meal in MK. (provided you like seafood)

 

[MICKIMINI]

We live in NH with 11 miles of coastline and more lobsta's than we can eat LOL!

 

[bumbershoot]

Bought in 2009, bay lake. It's been paid off for 4 years now (yes we financed). I now think of it as dues, just like someone else said.

We would NEVER have paid to stay in the places we have stayed at WDW, or even the one time we stayed at GCV (my least favorite hotel at Disneyland, and my least favorite, overall, DVC stay). Not ever. So I can't use rack rate to compare, because it wouldn't hae happned.

But we were going to Disneyland all the time when we bought, and we were looking towards WDW. Since we financed it was a monthly cost, and that monthly cost was *less* than what we were already spending on off and on-site Disneyland stays. The opportunity cost was being spent on those stays. So we bought in. And have had some amazing times with extended family.

Post-divorce it's just mine, and it's mainly been cousin trips with runDisney in the background, and it's still awesome. Well worth the past costs and the dues.

Apart from that, it's airfare, which I can usually get a decent deal on. Food, which is expensive, but I also tend to not be overly hungry when I'm there. Depending on the sort of stay we can cook in the villa, obviously. Rental car costs.

I've been inside of two parks since 2016ish, and those were DVC parties. Universal has gotten some money, but not in Orlando since 2018 and my divorce. I hope that my upcoming trip will allow for some park tickets, as it's been too long.

But still, my trips are not hugely expensive anymore, and really never were before. (especially since when I was married the flights were often paid for with miles from his work trips)

What's funny is that I'm *now* becoming an accountant, so I'm sure someday I'll look at this and wonder who this person was, but for now, it works. It's all been worth it, even all the interest paid from financing it (when I paid it off I totaled up what had been paid towards interest, faced that number, added it to my per point cost, and moved on)

 

[la1037]

Thank you all for the great posts. I LOVE Vacation Cost analysis and savings strategies. I geek out on it.

As has been said, Disney is expensive. No way around that. But I love it. My family loves it. For those like me who think its worth the cost we are then are left with how do it in a way that maximizes the experience and get the most value possible. That is where I really geek out. Keep in mind I am a humble regular Dad guy who happens to be a hotel snob. I hate crappy hotels even if I am just sleeping in them.

I bought DVC AKV membership in 2007. For my family this was a great decision. I bought 180 points for $95 a point for a total investment of $17100. Divide that by 9000 points over my 50 year contract and its $1.90 a point. I know this is a big advantage over current costs but I believe you will see a similar value over time. Costs will not go down. I agree and like the 4% cost of current money concept. But after thought I decided 4% lost of current money is still a savings vs the 5%+ inflation rate of Disney stays. Cost of money vs inflation is probably in your favor but for simplicity I call that a wash.

DVC Member Plan
Luxury Accommodations Plus semi frugal plan: Initial Buy-In cost = $1.90/pt fixed cost (see above)
Variable costs or Maintainence fees avg average about $1200 a year divided by 180/pts is $6.67/pt.
$1.90/pt fixed cost + $6.67/pt maintenance = $8.57/pt x 130 = $1,114. 5 nts Dec. Kidani Village 1 brm villa w/ savanah view.
Tickets: (no park hopper or memory maker) for 5 people for 5 days = $2750 (varies a little depending on days used)
Food: for us $250 a day avg. for 5 people = $1250 for 5 day trip. 3-4 sit down meals, others quick serve, breakfasts in room.
TOTAL: Accommodations plus tickets plus dining: $5,114 total cost for 5 days late December/Christmas.

Non DVC
Luxury Accommodations: 1 bedroom Villa Savanah View with cash would cost you around $1,350/nt x 5 nights = $6750
Tickets $2750
Food $1250
Total: $10,750
You save about $5,600 a trip in accommodation costs in 2021 and that is just for 5 nights (we usually stay for 6 or 7 nights and use our full 180 points). Lets say over 50 years you average $5,000 savings over rack rate for luxury digs. That is $250,000 vs $17,100 upfront cost. And I could argue that is a conservative estimate.

But You Can Save More! I understand this doesn't work for everyone but maybe you can use some of these ideas?
AIRLINE: I use SWA points for all my airline costs. Typically I get 4 of 5 paid for on points. I watch the release dates on flight on SWA like a hawk and I book the flight the day they become available to get the best point value.
Disney VISA: I use a DVC Visa for work expenses. I typically pay for about 75% of my ticket costs each year.
AVOID THE DINING PLAN: Use DVC discounts and Disney Visa discounts. Dining plan is nice but you end up paying for more food than anyone can possibly eat especially for young adults and women. You can eat well and enjoy a few nice meals and awesome snacks for a lot less than dining plan.
USE ALL PERKS from Disney Visa and DVC to have fun and save money.
AIRPORT HOTEL STAY OVER: Late night arrivals and early morning departure from Orlando are more affordable (cash or points). Why waste a night at a Deluxe Resort to arrive late or leave extra early. We often stay at the Hyatt in the airport or at a nearby close to the airport hotel on points to extend our time in the park a day or two without the expense of the resort.

With these savings the $5,114 trip costs me out of pocked about $2,500 - $3000 for my family of 5 for 5 to 6 days with top notch on property accommodations.

Hope this helps. Playing the system is really worth it for the Disney crazies.

 

[Akck]

Thank you all for the great posts. I LOVE Vacation Cost analysis and savings strategies. I geek out on it.

As has been said, Disney is expensive. No way around that. But I love it. My family loves it. For those like me who think its worth the cost we are then are left with how do it in a way that maximizes the experience and get the most value possible. That is where I really geek out. Keep in mind I am a humble regular Dad guy who happens to be a hotel snob. I hate crappy hotels even if I am just sleeping in them.

I bought DVC AKV membership in 2007. For my family this was a great decision. I bought 180 points for $95 a point for a total investment of $17100. Divide that by 9000 points over my 50 year contract and its $1.90 a point. I know this is a big advantage over current costs but I believe you will see a similar value over time. Costs will not go down. I agree and like the 4% cost of current money concept. But after thought I decided 4% lost of current money is still a savings vs the 5%+ inflation rate of Disney stays. Cost of money vs inflation is probably in your favor but for simplicity I call that a wash.

DVC Member Plan
Luxury Accommodations Plus semi frugal plan: Initial Buy-In cost = $1.90/pt fixed cost (see above)
Variable costs or Maintainence fees avg average about $1200 a year divided by 180/pts is $6.67/pt.
$1.90/pt fixed cost + $6.67/pt maintenance = $8.57/pt x 130 = $1,114. 5 nts Dec. Kidani Village 1 brm villa w/ savanah view.
Tickets: (no park hopper or memory maker) for 5 people for 5 days = $2750 (varies a little depending on days used)
Food: for us $250 a day avg. for 5 people = $1250 for 5 day trip. 3-4 sit down meals, others quick serve, breakfasts in room.
TOTAL: Accommodations plus tickets plus dining: $5,114 total cost for 5 days late December/Christmas.

Non DVC
Luxury Accommodations: 1 bedroom Villa Savanah View with cash would cost you around $1,350/nt x 5 nights = $6750
Tickets $2750
Food $1250
Total: $10,750
You save about $5,600 a trip in accommodation costs in 2021 and that is just for 5 nights (we usually stay for 6 or 7 nights and use our full 180 points). Lets say over 50 years you average $5,000 savings over rack rate for luxury digs. That is $250,000 vs $17,100 upfront cost. And I could argue that is a conservative estimate.

But You Can Save More! I understand this doesn't work for everyone but maybe you can use some of these ideas?
AIRLINE: I use SWA points for all my airline costs. Typically I get 4 of 5 paid for on points. I watch the release dates on flight on SWA like a hawk and I book the flight the day they become available to get the best point value.
Disney VISA: I use a DVC Visa for work expenses. I typically pay for about 75% of my ticket costs each year.
AVOID THE DINING PLAN: Use DVC discounts and Disney Visa discounts. Dining plan is nice but you end up paying for more food than anyone can possibly eat especially for young adults and women. You can eat well and enjoy a few nice meals and awesome snacks for a lot less than dining plan.
USE ALL PERKS from Disney Visa and DVC to have fun and save money.
AIRPORT HOTEL STAY OVER: Late night arrivals and early morning departure from Orlando are more affordable (cash or points). Why waste a night at a Deluxe Resort to arrive late or leave extra early. We often stay at the Hyatt in the airport or at a nearby close to the airport hotel on points to extend our time in the park a day or two without the expense of the resort.

With these savings the $5,114 trip costs me out of pocked about $2,500 - $3000 for my family of 5 for 5 to 6 days with top notch on property accommodations.

Hope this helps. Playing the system is really worth it for the Disney crazies.

I agree wholeheartedly with the airport hotel stay. On our last trip, our flight was set to arrive at 11:58 pm. With waiting for luggage and transportation, I figured 2 am would be the earliest we’d get to bed. Why ruin that next day, dragging from a lack of sleep. Turned out that flight was canceled and we changed to a 5 pm flight (required leaving a day early and overnighting in a connecting city). We still kept the airport hotel stay, but now had a good night’s rest and we’re ready to go the next day. Well worth it.

We plan to do the same thing on our next trip. We have the same 11:58 pm arrival, but we’ll still stay at the airport if they cancel it again and we arrive earlier. The DVC stay makes this possible. The incremental cost is comparatively so small matched to a cash stay. Last year, we got Gold AP vouchers early in 2020, in anticipation of a December trip. We ended up using them for 3 trips, so our park ticked cost is comparatively low. We decided to renew our APs, due to the unknowns of their future status at the time. It’s about a break even for our next trip, but we’ll be ahead if we go a second time before they expire.

 

[mlayton14]

You save about $5,600 a trip in accommodation costs in 2021 and that is just for 5 nights (we usually stay for 6 or 7 nights and use our full 180 points). Lets say over 50 years you average $5,000 savings over rack rate for luxury digs. That is $250,000 vs $17,100 upfront cost. And I could argue that is a conservative estimate.

This is what’s called “funny” math which is what DVC counts on from prospective buyers (be careful). Unless you were actually planning on spending that $250k on rooms at Disney which is not what most people would reasonably consider , you didn’t “save” that money. You simply got more for the money that you did spend. By that math, those same people spending rack rate for 50 years would be probably spend well over $1million on total vacation costs to Disney including airfare , tickets, food, etc.

Disney knows what they are doing and what they are selling. Go into this with eyes wide open - appreciate what you bought and enjoy it but don’t buy into the funny math

 

[kilik64]

Eh it’s not really funny math, it’s a true cost comparison of how much same room would cost for same trip if not using points.

If you always stayed deluxe, prior to dvc, that’s a real true cost comparison honestly.

We would never pay rack rate for deluxe. We did Aoa and por the two family trips we’ve taken and for what we paid for those we can now stay in a deluxe resort for roughly same cost. Is it cheaper? Nope. Am I getting to stay at blt and walk to mk for same or less than a moderate resort? Yup and that has a lot of value to me.

 

[mlayton14]

Eh it’s not really funny math, it’s a true cost comparison of how much same room would cost for same trip if not using points.

If you always stayed deluxe, prior to dvc, that’s a real true cost comparison honestly.

We would never pay rack rate for deluxe. We did Aoa and por the two family trips we’ve taken and for what we paid for those we can now stay in a deluxe resort for roughly same cost. Is it cheaper? Nope. Am I getting to stay at blt and walk to mk for same or less than a moderate resort? Yup and that has a lot of value to me.

You very much just proved my point . You got nicer accommodations for roughly the same cost (your words)
Your math “comp” was a $1300 per night 1 bedroom villa which you admittedly would never pay for with cash. You can’t save money that you never planned on spending in the first place right? That’s all I’m saying.

And would bet that DVC owners will pay Disney more money (via more trips) than they ever would have if they didn’t buy DVC - that’s the extra value to the Disney corporation especially since they are filling rooms and selling tickets and meals 365 days per year as part of this arrangement

 

[kanerf]

As a rule, timeshares are never a good deal. That said, DVC does have some advantages. WDW is not the same as when many bought into DVC and it will not stay the same through the life of the resort we purchased. WDW changes and makes us want to go back again and again. For many traditional timeshares at the beach, the mountain, or the forest that is not the same. Most of those locations stay roughly the same for many years and we may tire of them. Then you have the dilemma of getting out of your ownership which is difficult with many resorts. DVC does not have this problem. It is easy to buy and easy to sell. You almost always get more than you paid for it originally.

 

[mlayton14]

As a rule, timeshares are never a good deal. That said, DVC does have some advantages. WDW is not the same as when many bought into DVC and it will not stay the same through the life of the resort we purchased. WDW changes and makes us want to go back again and again. For many traditional timeshares at the beach, the mountain, or the forest that is not the same. Most of those locations stay roughly the same for many years and we may tire of them. Then you have the dilemma of getting out of your ownership which is difficult with many resorts. DVC does not have this problem. It is easy to buy and easy to sell. You almost always get more than you paid for it originally.

totally agree on everything except your last point , for some yes , I would not count on that moving forward with the price increases and the direction management is taking the theme park experiences

 

[Lorana]

Thank you all for the great posts. I LOVE Vacation Cost analysis and savings strategies. I geek out on it.

…Keep in mind I am a humble regular Dad guy who happens to be a hotel snob. I hate crappy hotels even if I am just sleeping in them.

…Hope this helps. Playing the system is really worth it for the Disney crazies.

I agree wholeheartedly with the airport hotel stay.

We’ve done similarly! Sometimes we do that first night in a Value resort if the price is right and we are arriving late, but due to work I now have a bunch of Hyatt points, so staying at the Hyatt at the airport is so worth it. That said, the Hilton Orlando and Marriott Grande Lakes are right near the airport, can also be booked with points, and both have fantastic lazy rivers. They’ve become my new favorites for late arrivals, or early morning departures, as who doesn’t want to end or start their trip with some lazy river floating? At least, this family does.

I love that you’re a “humble regular Dad guy who happens to be a hotel snob” - DH says that didn’t used to be him but is definitely him now. After a few DVC stays, he never wants to go back to a regular hotel room, and only puts up with the Value resorts because we are literally just sleeping in them (we only book them when our flights are coming in past 10pm). I still find them cute and fun, but agree with him I wouldn’t want to spend a week any more in them.

That’s partly why we bought into DVC. It’s all about min-maxing our experience. We’d normally book Moderate over Value, and now we get Deluxe for Moderate Prices. More importantly, though, we can book 1 and 2 bedrooms, which just makes for a better experience. As we’ve been to Disney many times and the kids are older, we do spend more time in our room, we maximize food savings with the kitchen, and the extra space makes it more enjoyable and more like home. Now if only the internet were good enough to stream videos! ;-)

I also min-max points. I get 2% back on my Disney Visa for dues, and we maximize earning JetBlue points and Chase & Amex points to use for other expenses, such as car rental, airfare, etc. Wholeheartedly agree on maximizing DVC and Disney Visa discounts.

We bought for a similar reasons- I am a total budgeter, and it doesn't matter if I can afford something or not- It is just in my nature to try to save money.
If we didn't have DVC, we would be staying at pop century and squeezing in one room, eating bad food at the food court, going to the parks from sun up to sun set to get the most out of the tickets... etc lol
Having DVC makes me feel like the stay is free.... and we get to stay in nice accommodations, which means it is a much more relaxing and enjoyable trip for everyone involved. It also makes me feel okay with splurging on more meals! I know we are coming back, so we don't have to rush through the parks and feel like everything needs to be crammed into one trip.

And exactly this! The buy-in cost is a very real cost, for certain, but for us it was also about minimizing our in-the-moment costs. If I’m paying out of pocket, I’m not going to pay for Deluxe. DH can talk me into Moderate hotels but I’m all about saving money. Yes which can seem funny given the buy-in costs, but as we intend to keep going to Disney - and it’s value so far continues to be retained if we change our minds later on or our financial situation changes and we need to sell - it was a good decision for us.

Also, I WANT to splurge for the 1BR and 2BR rooms, but I’d never pay out of pocket. We’re going down over Thanksgiving with my SIL ans family and have a Grand Villa at AKV booked. I would never do that if I were paying cash, and while I still have that urge not to spend too many points, it IS one reason we got DVC. So we can book stays like this and treat family to some great times and make some great memories.

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

We live in NH with 11 miles of coastline and more lobsta's than we can eat LOL!

Now I'm really jelly....lobster is my favorite food!!

 

[DeeBee3]

Like so many said, we ran the math extensively. We knew we liked deluxe hotels but would never pay the out of pocket prices for them. We also knew we would go to Disney many times even when kids are grown.

My biggest thing is finding flights. Of course, the food expenses at Disney are crazy so we do try to get food in the room, but of course we always eat those theme park snacks and it all adds up!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We do a yearly 15 night trip, 3 nights of which are in a universal hotel, usually Royal Pacific and then 12 nights DVC. We do breakfast in room daily but all other meals we eat out. We have 5 kids and even with our room “paid for” (at least the Disney portion of our trip) we still average over $16,000 per trip, and with the new genie that will be getting raised by at least $1050 (the price for 7 people over 10 park days). Our Disney tix are over $4,000 for 10 days, not including the $2000 for 3 day universal tix. We typically spend at least $5,000 on food (usually more) almost $1,000 for the dessert fireworks party, plus souvenirs and other random expenses. Now of course we could cut out universal and drop down to a week and we’d cut out a lot of the cost, but this is how we like our trips. Every year my DH complains “I thought DVC was supposed to SAVE us money” lol

 

[fumanchu2488]

Great replies! A few thoughts.

It isn’t “funny math”. You have to be comparing it to the same thing. If you compare to “do nothing”then obviously the savings isn’t real. But if you plan on taking Disney trips, then this is a significant savings.

Everyone else just confirmed that purchase price is not a significant cost factor for DVC. Not even close. That big initial price is scary, but I think as long as you get your points for around $4.50 to $5 or less, you will save significant money vs rack rates. The things that significantly add to that point price are number of points received and financing. If you buy a sold out 2042 resort direct and finance the whole thing then you probably are paying closer to $14/point and that is where it stops making sense.

Lastly, and the reason I am not buying more points (yet) is all the other costs coming. For our family we are going to do the Genie+ (sorry everyone) which isanother $45 per day. Next time we go we need to pay for airport transfers which is another $100 or so. Who knows what form of AP comes back. And finally, we never get packages. Coming out If 2008, Disney packages were so good that I would bet it was cheaper than DVC. So I want to see how things look coming out of the 50th.

And I do want to be clear with my unpopular opinion. I think this is a long time coming and necessary. I would rather take fewer high quality vacations at a higher price than more frequent vacations that make me frustrated. If that is really where they go I will lock in my points to every other year, which I am fine with.

 

[mlayton14]

isn’t “funny math”. You have to be comparing it to the same thing. If you compare to “do nothing”then obviously the savings isn’t real. But if you plan on taking Disney trips, then this is a significant savings

If you wish to calculate your “savings” to a list price that the poster would admittedly never pay then more power to you. That’s not real money , it’s an “if I would have spent $1100 per night on a room” - hence the funny math comment. DVC has real value for a way to squeeze more comfort out of your vacation budget , that is the correct way to look at it IMO

 

[kilik64]

If you wish to calculate your “savings” to a list price that the poster would admittedly never pay then more power to you. That’s not real money , it’s an “if I would have spent $1100 per night on a room” - hence the funny math comment. DVC has real value for a way to squeeze more comfort out of your vacation budget , that is the correct way to look at it IMO

Which is what I said, not sure if you read the whole post? The only time its a true comparison is IF you were already staying deluxe every time, then obviously that comparison is not "funny" math. And again, i said for the same price basically I can stay at deluxe resorts as the cost of a high value(AOA) or a moderate (POR, CBR, etc). That is again not "funny" math.

I think you just love to say "funny" math really.

 

[mlayton14]

I do love to say that , because that’s what it is . If the poster chooses to use the $1100 per night as the baseline to calculate “savings” , then that’s funny math. I would also suggest that person consult with a financial advisor if they reside anywhere is the middle to upper middle class demographic