Decision Makers

[WDWorBUST]

This is going to be a long one - when you decided to buy into the DVC what was your main concerns? After you joined which ones did you feel were most valid? And if you can narrow it down to just one what is the "best" thing for your family about owning a part of the Disney Magic. One last question - at what point in your life were you when you bought in? (Before children, after children, after children were grown, etc)

Thanks for any input you can give me....I am really wanting to do this and the incentive makes me want to do it now but I want to be completely educated and make sure it is the best thing for me.

 

[WDWguru]

Our major concern was simply how easily we could book on short notice. DH and I travel a lot and go to WDW at least twice a year, so we pretty much knew right away that the DVC concept was right for us. We were already going very often, with plans to continue to do so, and staying in deluxe hotels every time. With DVC, it will pay for itself in about 5 years, leaving us 35 more years of "free" vacations (well, not counting dues)!

As it turns out, our concern was somewhat unfounded. If you are flexible and don't have to go at peak times, you can generally get some type of reservation on short notice. And we've actually found that owning DVC has changed the way we plan! We have so much fun planning how and when to use our points, we're planned clear out through our 2004 use year! We were lucky enough to be able to afford a lot of points, so we simply purchased enough points to allow for flexibility.

It's just the two of us, in our early 30s and we're childfree. No plans to ever have kids, so we've got 400 points to use all for us! We already have two trips planned taking friends and/or family, so we are able to splurge and take a big group now and then.

 

[HookdonWDW]

Main Concerns:
1) would we really want to go to WDW for 40 years
2) Would we actually save over normal vacation costs
3) Is the Club really flexible

Most Valid
- I would probably pick saving money... DVC is not cheap, BUT... we couldn't do it cheaper any other way. After paying off our initial purchase, there are still dues and annual passes to consider. This said, I still think DVC is a bargain! I only wish we had bought the first time we thought about it instead of waiting.

Best Part
- knowing that we "own" a piece of WDW!
- having a vacation place that is "our spot"... I don't think that our kids will ever forget our many family moments at WDW, and I look forward to one day continuing the tradition with their children

What Point of Life
- we had one teenager, and one preschooler... we still may have one or two more children before all is said and done. We are in our early-mid 30's.

The one thing I can tell you, is that the reality of owning DVC is so much better than the dream - good luck with your decision!

 

[Granny]

Main concern....maintenance points could increase up to 15% each year....no longer a concern when I found that DVD cannot make a profit on DVC maintenance fees. Also not a concern when looking at the 10 year history of maintenance fees for existing DVC resorts.

Valid concern....some of the niceties (perks) like pool hopping, discounts, etc could go away since Disney doesn't have to provide them. I would not be surprised if many of the perks go away somewhere down the road if Disney doesn't need them to lure new buyers.

Best thing for the family....not only locking in the vacation cost, but actually "forcing" us to take nice, quality vacations. Before DVC, we were on an alternating schedule of 1 year nice vacation, 1 year vacation on the cheap. Now we get the "nice" vacation every year, in better accommodations than we could ever afford on a yearly basis.

The other main benefit for the family is the WDW vacations themselves become less hectic....no need to see everything and do everything on each trip. Better, relaxed vacations with more quality time with the family.

I bought when my daughters were 10 & 12. I wish I had bought 10 years ago when it started!

 

[wdwnut]

hi: main concerns were for booking units-we really don't always plan at 11 months out. we have been waitlisted for different units/views (bwv owners) and the waitlist has come through a little over half the time. there were always okw units available for us if the bwv waitlist didn't come through or we took advantage of ap rates for a couple of days during one trip. another concern was the financial aspect- everything is as planned. our youngest is and was a teenager when we purchased; our oldest used our add-on points we purchased prior to bwv sellout for half of his honeymoon there at wdw last summer. our only regret was not biting the financial bullet and buying into okw in 93 although we much prefer the bwv location and are glad we waited in that respect.

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

hello,

1. Our main concern was that the maintance fees were never ending and are higher in Florida and DVC than other states. We were also concerned about being able to stay in other resorts (availablitly with 7/11 month rules). Also, My husband was concerned that they would not end up building more resorts, making it more restrictive ( we originally bought at BWV) .
My husband was also afraid we bought too many points (375 in our first contract.)
2. the only one that we feel is valid at this point is that maintance fees are never ending.
3. Before we bought DVC we were staying off site at timeshares given to us by my parents, the all stars several times and the moderate resorts several times. We had never stayed at a deluxe resort and that is the best thing to us, staying at a deluxe resort (and my favorite at that, BWV) with out having to worry about coming up with $3 to 5,000 (for 1 and 2 br 7 nights). Also, I will never forget our first trip, we took my parents who had let us use many weeks of thier timeshare, and the joy of taking my parents was worth a million.
4. When we bought we were in both in our mid 30's and we do not have children. (most likely will never have children.)

We have also added on once, so my husbands worry of having too many points was way off the mark, we added 150 BCV points a few weeks ago. Also, you will read that once you stay in a 1 Br or larger you will never want to go back, that is very true! We expected to go once in a 2 br and take someone with us, then a second time in a studio by ourselves. But, our first trip was with my parents in a 2 br (4 people) and the space does spoil you, so this yr we booked 2 1br and planned to just go by ourselves both times! Then, once we added on we used BC points to get a 2 br. Just be warned, once you stay in the 1 br, the studio is hard to back to!!!

Well, I wish you luck with your decision, I hope I have helped in some small way!!

 

[WDWorBUST]

So is there anyone who bought that really regretted it later? We bought in 2000 at Vero Beach and backed out - which I am glad because I really wanted my home resort on site.....but was so excited I wasn't thinking clearly.....now the points have gone up $10 (without the incentive) and I haven't been there since December and I'm still really wanting to do this - and financially am in a much better place to do it. Everyone I have talked to thinks it may not be a good decision because we are in the childless but hoping not to be much longer and they feel it's the wrong time....but I think it's perfect because I want to almost have to take my children to WDW....any other thoughts? If we are going to do it it almost has to be now before it goes up....if we are sure we are going to there's no reason to wait and a huge reason to move forward.

Thanks!

 

[ceejay13]

We have not regretted it at all.

Biggest Concern - Can we get the accomodation we want without too much wait or pain? Before purchasing, I was concerned that we couldn't get what and where we wanted. This has been absolutely not the case. We purchased in May of 2000 at the BWV. Three times we made our ressies at the 11 month window and got exactly what we wanted. Just a few weeks ago we decided on a last minute trip and wanted to stay at OKW in a 1 bdr. We got the dates I asked for right away. A couple weeks later I needed to move it up a week and this was accomodated, as well. We also used points for a stay at the GC at DL and got exactly what we wanted for that stay, as well.

Best Thing About It - Being able to stay in deluxe accomdations, and doing so a couple of times a year. We would only be able to make a trip every other year before, and we stayed in the moderates. Many friends think we are crazy when we tell them WDW is suching a relaxing place for us to visit. Your stays become very different when you don't feel you have to do the commando park visits.

Place in Life - We are in our mid 40's currently and have not had children. My DH was married previously and has a 15 yo daughter. We usually bring her about every third visit, so most of our visits are by ourselves. Christmas 2003, however, we are wanting to bring my brother, sister-in-law, 2 nieces and their husbands along with my step daughter. We can't wait for our family to experience DVC.

Biggest Regret - We didn't purchase in 1993 when we first looked at it.

 

[SamSam]

We began going to WDW many years ago when our children were 7 and 12. When DVC first started we thought that once the children were grown we wouldn't continue going. WRONG!!!! Our children are now gone and we go at least twice a year for short get away's.
2 weeks ago we bought BCV's as our first purchase. Our biggest regret is that we didn't do it when DVC first started. Over the years it would have saved us $$$$$$. In addition, now that we've finally bought we have a wonderful feeling of 'being home'.

If you love WDW. If you start thinking about your next trip almost before your current one is over, then you definitely have the Disney Bug. and like I said, if I could do it over again, I would've bought years ago.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

Our main worry was the dues increasing too much. We split our purchases into several contracts so we would be able to sell one off it it became too expensive. Also worried about the park pass expense.

After having kids (2 and 4), we realized the importance of the family time vacation. Being away from home, just having fun, I hope they will have many happy memories.

DVC forces us to take vacations I know we wouldn't plan otherwise. Also, it gives us the opportunity to vacation with extended family. These vacations are easier to plan with the different sized DVC units. We plan on buying an AP every other year and getting 2 to 3 trips on it before it expires. Off years, we will cruise, stay at the offsites, or stay at the onsites and visit other orlando attractions. DVC also saves a bundle in food costs. Good luck ..... Johnnie

 

[MdmMim]

My main concern--the dues increasing. Other than that, I had no concerns. I have always planned my vacations a year or more in advance, so the 11-month window sort of fit in with my planning style.

One regret--I did not buy sooner! I love WDW, but DH does not. I used to ask him all the time--"Want to go to WDW?" He finally said these magic words, "I don't care how often you go to WDW, as long as I don't have to!" Well...what's a girl to do? I started to travel with friends and DD, then finally solo. I looked into DVC because I was spending so much on resorts--DVC just made sense for me. (DH does visit me in Fl. In Jan., I am there for 3-4 weeks; he visits for one week!)

Benefit--I do what I can to s-t-r-e-t-c-h out my points, staying in a studio with a standard view at BWV. I really like the studios, however, sometimes I stay for awhile in a 1 bedroom for a treat! (The 1 bedrooms are wonderful, but I find the studios to be very cozy and quite comfortable.) And next year, I have planned a "girls' trip" with 3 friends of mine and have reserved a 2 bedroom. (The beauty of DVC is its flexibility!!) If it weren't for DVC, my vacations would be much shorter.

Stage of Life--When we bought, our children were grown up and on their own. DD has stayed with her friends at WDW on points--it's great to be able to give your kids a vacation.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[crisi]

This is probably not the place to ask if people have regetted it. I haven't seen anyone on this board who doesn't think this is a pretty great deal - but we are a self selecting bunch. Certainly, there are people who regret it - that's one of the places resales come from.

We are just buying now. Our children are 2 and 3. We are in our mid-30s. We are financially stable (we can pay cash - are choosing a home equity loan so we don't have to sell stock). We are buying 150 points via resale and plan alternate year vacations at Disney not during peak times (I hate crowds).

I do wish I would have bought before our last vacation - we could have saved a bundle - but I'm glad we didn't buy 7 years ago when we went to Disney on our honeymoon - the intervening years have involved a difficult pregnancy, two in diapers, home building, financial stresses, job changes, medical expenses and treatment - things that would have made a Disney vacation more burdensome (for us) than relaxing.

 

[MinnieMe2]

Our only regret is not buying sooner. DH is 66, I'm 53. We have four kids, 22, 20, 18, and 15. We've gone to WDW every other year since the kids were small. The amount of $$ we've spent on accomodations would have paid for DVC.

And though we know we won't be going to the World forever, we can leave our membership to the kids, which made it all the more attractive to us.

 

[WDWorBUST]

Well to be honest - I don't want to hear from anyone who has regretted it However I am trying to find out if there is anything I'm not thinking of. It is a huge decision and although financially it is very feasible debt is something I don't take lightly regardless of what it is for. We owe on our house, one car, and my student loan and should have everything except the house paid off this year and then the house paid off in 2006. Vacations are important to me and this is one way I see of making sure I always take the time and spend the money to do it. The fact that I love Disney doesn't have a thing to do with it If anyone has had any surprises after the bought in that they wish they would have considered them before doing it I would love them to share them with me. You guys are SO helpful.

 

[thepalagis]

We've just recently bought in. We are grandparents who took, when we were younger, their kids ~every 3 years to WDW. Our last trip was in 1992 for our last "nuclear family" vacation. Now we have 3 1/2 grandkids and DVC is our guarantee of extended family vacations. We worked the numbers and didn't think this was going to be a huge cost savings, but it did afford us the opportunity to have everyone together in a relaxing atmospherre every 2-3 years. We are convinced that this is going to be a wonderful future for our family.
pal

 

[DeeP]

Before I bought my membership my main concern was the financial outlay of a large amount of money. But then I sat down and figured out how much I had spent over the years on WDW hotel rooms and very quickly realized I should have bought DVC years before.
My valid concern since I have bought is that I go to WDW 3-4 times a year and do not always have 11 months in advance to book my accomendations and getting into BWV(my DVC home and preferred location) with a shorter booking timeframe has proven to be difficult or impossible on several occasions.
The best thing about owning DVC for me is the wonderful accomendations and super trips I can now take that are already pre-paid and the fact that I have many more years of these wonderful trips to look forward to.
I was in my mid 40's and my children were teenagers when I purchased my DVC membership.