DCV vs off-site stays

[firedogemb]

Hi!
I'm new here and need some info.
I am having our 5th child in late Fall and am considering a DVC membership because the rooms are getting sooo expensive with each child we have!
We need to be in a room with a kitchen because we find it works out best with the young kids and for our budget. Also, we need a room to fit 5 kids and 3 adults. Our oldest is 6 so we also need to stay together.
We have stayed in a villa off- site for as low as 129/night and it worked out great. Quick ride to Disney and all. How much difference do you guys notice, budget wise, between this kind of arrangement and a DVC?
Also, since park tickets eat up a bunch of money, how much difference is there between a park hopper staying off-site and a length of stay with 10% DVC discount?
Any help, opinions and info wouyld be great because we are on a limited budget and buying one of these memberships would be a big expense.

Thanks!
Leslie

 

[crisi]

There is no DVC discount for LOS passes any longer. There is no LOS passes any longer. DVC members get discounts on APs, but that is it.

You can do much better financially offsite with a timeshare. You do pay a premium - both buy in and dues - for DVC. Look for a nice Orlando timeshare resale.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

My advice to you would be look for a 3 or 4 bedroom offsite timeshare. Since you are at 8 already and some 2 bedrooms sleep only 6. If you are happy staying off site, then that is the route I would go. Check out ebay, myresortnetwork and bidshares to find great deals on offsite timeshares.

The timeshare users group website, http://www.tug2.net/, is filled with lots of information.

Also, if you don't plan on heading to Orlando during prime holiday weeks, you may also want to consider a timeshare not located in Orlando. Florida timeshares tend to have higher maintenance fees than non-Florida ones. Also, sometimes if you purchase a timeshare near your home, it may come with year round on site privledges. Of course, then you would need to trade into Orlando and that adds on a few more fees.

One more thing, if having the chance to trade onto Disney property is important to you, then chose a non Orlando timeshare that trades with Interval International. The chance of a trade in is slim, but A chance is better than NO chance.

You are a head of the game because you are doing your research up front to determine what works best for your family.

Feel free to email me privately if you have any more questions that I can help you with.

We love DVC plus we own other timeshares that we use for different purposes. DVC is definately an expensive timesharing option, but for those of us who are only happy staying onsite, it does save money from that aspect.

 

[rinkwide]

We have stayed in a villa off- site for as low as 129/night and it worked out great. Quick ride to Disney and all. How much difference do you guys notice, budget wise, between this kind of arrangement and a DVC?

Unless your willing to pay more than twice as much for Disney's themeing, hospitality, and proximity I'd suggest an off-site resale. You can probably pick up a decent one for dirt-on-the-dollar. (That said, rent some points to try DVC first and you'll probably be hooked like the rest of us.)

 

[Deb & Bill]

I love my DVC, but it in no way saves me money. I should just send the money directly to Disney each month instead of using a credit card or debit card when we go. I already have a direct withdrawal from the checking for my dues and DVC loan, what's one more?

 

[Daitcher]

Hi!
I'm new here and need some info.
I am having our 5th child in late Fall and am considering a DVC membership because the rooms are getting sooo expensive with each child we have!
We need to be in a room with a kitchen because we find it works out best with the young kids and for our budget. Also, we need a room to fit 5 kids and 3 adults. Our oldest is 6 so we also need to stay together.
We have stayed in a villa off- site for as low as 129/night and it worked out great. Quick ride to Disney and all. How much difference do you guys notice, budget wise, between this kind of arrangement and a DVC?
Also, since park tickets eat up a bunch of money, how much difference is there between a park hopper staying off-site and a length of stay with 10% DVC discount?
Any help, opinions and info wouyld be great because we are on a limited budget and buying one of these memberships would be a big expense.

Thanks!
Leslie

Don't buy a timeshare in Orlando. The timeshares there are a dime a dozen. There are deals all the time for as low as $400/week for a decent timeshare. Check out www.redweek.com for deals. Why pay the buy in money and dues when there are so many deals out there? Even a top notch place like Marriott Grande Vista is cheap. We paid $150 a night for a 2 bedroom 2 bath. They go for much lower off season. Again anybody buying into that location is out of their mind. Those fools must have not done the research to see the going rates at that location. Also it has little trading power. Now Marriott timeshares in Hawaii or Aruba is another story... great traders. Marriott and other Orlando timeshares are devaluing there own product. The reason is simple..... Orlando is such a competitive market. They have to lower the price oin cash rooms to fill them up. Why do we all own DVC...... we love to be onsite and Disney just doesn't offer deals anymore. Try getting a 2 bedroom DVC room for less than $400 a night ANY season. DVC has a proven track record of maintaining it's value. All others drop as soon as you buy. People try to sell and recieve pennies on the dollar. DVC has increased in value over time. ONLY DVC can make this claim. Now does DVC save you money in the long run.... I don't know and guess what I don't care. I did not buy in with the idea of it saving me money. We simply love the Disney product for our family. All in all if you don't mind being off site then DVC isn't for you. Good luck.

DAVE

 

[Lisa P.]

...a villa off- site for as low as 129/night and it worked out great... How much difference do you guys notice, budget wise, between this kind of arrangement and a DVC?

DVC is much more expensive than this (offsite). Compare for yourself and decide if it's worth it to you, for the theme, onsite transportation, etc.

Assuming that you will want to travel mostly during school breaks but not at Christmas/Easter, you'll likely travel mostly during Magic season. Weeknights will be 30-40 points/nt. and Fri/Sat nights will be 73-75 points/nt. with a week = 296-350 points. 300 points would cost $21,000+ resale w/annual dues of ~$1,100+.

For the same vacation time (week) in a 2BR or 3BR offsite, you could pay ~$5,000 resale w/annual dues of ~$500-$700. Our timeshare points, owned elsewhere, cost us less and trade easily into beautiful offsite resorts. If you opted to rent from owners or look for resort rental deals onlike, you may be able to find rental weeks for close to the annual maintenance fees (+/- to cover the owners' dues).

Since you've said budget is a concern, DVC is probably not the best choice for you. Other options may be better. When your children are older (able to easily pack up for themselves), you may enjoy adding a couple days onsite to a week offsite. Moving a large family mid-trip is no fun but later you may like to try that, to get the best of both. We've done this.

Also, since park tickets eat up a bunch of money...

Leslie, with a large family planning to return to WDW, consider these options:

1. Get 10 day, non-expiring hopper passes, plus 5 "plus" water park visits. (adult $384 w/discount advance purchase) Use these over 2-3 WDW vacations and remember to take a occasional days off from the theme parks to enjoy the water parks and your resort pool and amenities.

2. Get 10 day, non-expiring passes, plus 5 "plus" visits but w/o the "hopper" feature, to save $33 per ticket. I believe that skipping the "plus" feature would only save about $11 per ticket so they're kind of a no-brainer when the pass is 10 days of use.

3. Regular annual passes are ~$421 for adults. Unless you plan to need more time in the main theme parks than #1 or #2 above within a 365-day period, then the annual pass is probably a more costly option. Even though you get free parking and discounts (limited availability) on onsite rooms with the first AP in the family, buying costly AP's for all 3 adults and several children is probably not a money-saver for your larger family.

In the end, spending quality time with your family in a fun place, is really what you're seeking. So enjoy it within your means and choose what's best for your family. HTH!

 

[della]

I love my DVC, but it in no way saves me money. I should just send the money directly to Disney each month instead of using a credit card or debit card when we go. I already have a direct withdrawal from the checking for my dues and DVC loan, what's one more?

I'd have to agree with Deb & Bill!!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS on #5! I also have 5 children ages 20, 12, 8, 7, and 3. From time to time, we also have a foster baby or two.

We fell in love with DVC, then decided it was too expensive. We rented off site (Cypress Pointe II) for a couple of years and then bought at DVC! Why? Well, although the 3 bedroom at CPII was huge (1800 sq feet), it was not the same as being onsite. The biggest issue was convenience.As my first child started to get older she would often bring a friend and their schedule was not always the same as mine. It became a pain to drop her off/pick her up at the parks. It also meant we had to have a rental car if we flew (not always easy to find if you have 7+ in your party). Also there were times when dh and older kids were still going strong in the parks but I would need to take the little guys back to the villa. Onsite it is so easy. We split up, we meet again-no problems. Offsite-not so great. My oldest travels to WDW with friends. I feel a lot more comfortable knowing she is onsite. For us, it is more expensive but it makes life a whole lot easier. Being the mom of a large family, my goal is all about making life easier...especially on vacation.

 

[Lizardbeth61]

she knows what she's talking about. I only have two kids and I'm really not eligble to speak up, but we love DVC so I'd suggest it, although personally our reaons aren't as practical to your situation as those which Della's spelled out. She's right. The age difference in your brood is small now, but eventually the older ones will be . . . well, older and you will be able to separate and do what each wants a lot more efficiently and frankly more safely if you're on site.

And really,there's nothing like being on-site. The magic is there 24/7 so it's an escape from reality . . . if you can swing it financially. If financially you can't swing it, then I think you've been offered some great advice by others.

Good luck.

 

[Disney Doll]

I never got past the part where you said you had 5 kids in 6 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listen to Della. She can probably most relate to your situation.

 

[NJOYURLIFE]

I never got past the part where you said you had 5 kids in 6 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Listen to Della. She can probably most relate to your situation.

While I personally would not purchase a timeshare in the Orlando area, other than my DVC, there are valid reasons for purchasing there. 1. timeshares are a dime a dozen there, you shouldn't have to pay more than $1000 for a decent timeshare, 2. if you know that is where you are going to go every year for that particular week or even just go to Orlando every year. this way you don't have to deal with the hassle and fees of an exchange company.

As far as trade power goes, if you want to go to the beach with a timeshare, that is a whole nother discussion.

Della brought up a very good point about the ease of transportation when a family splits up. This is something we frequently take advantage of and my 3 are not even old enough to split off from us, but frequently my hubby and I split up when the children's interests go opposite of each other and just meet back at the room. I can imagine a group of 8 may end up being split in more than two ways.

So maybe a combination of both would be good for you. Purchase a very cheap (look for one of the under $500 ones) off site timeshare to use now to get to Disney inexpensively and maybe supplement it with a small resale DVC contract that you can add on to and use to take a DVC vacation every 3 years and of course more often as you add on.