DH still isn't "Sold" on DVC...help!!....FINAL DECISION #48

[dmoore22]

Thanks! I was looking for some of the perks...you know, ANYTHING to sway DH my way We would also be paying cash upfront, so we won't have to worry about finance charges.

We LOVE, I mean the DDP. We would never buy those meals OOP. We eat at the most expensive possible restaurants & order the most expensive possible meals (that we like!) to get the best value. I do have questions about the TIW...what is it & how does it work? I don't see me ever really using a kitchen/kitchenette b/c that's MOMMY's part of the vacation---NO COOKING!

Tables in Wonderland is a discount program that takes 20% off of all food and beverage purchases at the participating Disney restaurants. It is a membership program with annual fees. It cost $75 for AP holders and $100 for Florida residents that are not AP holders. Just one member of your party need have the card which provides the discount for all members of your party that are dining with you at that time. It also discounts libations. If you are dining at a Disney Resort with valet parking and are using your TIW card, they will waive the valet parking fee. For us that has been more cost effective and less restrictive than the DDP.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Tables in Wonderland is a discount program that takes 20% off of all food and beverage purchases at the participating Disney restaurants. It is a membership program with annual fees. It cost $75 for AP holders and $100 for Florida residents that are not AP holders. Just one member of your party need have the card which provides the discount for all members of your party that are dining with you at that time. It also discounts libations. If you are dining at a Disney Resort with valet parking and are using your TIW card, they will waive the valet parking fee. For us that has been more cost effective and less restrictive than the DDP.

Thank you! Does TIW include all of the normal restaurants? I know you say "participating restaurants." Our must do's are: Le Cellier, Hoop Dee Doo, O'hanas for breakfast, & CRT. I guess I can search that info somewhere on DIS. We realized a couple of years ago that we weren't really "saving" money on DDP since they got rid of the appetizer & tip. But, it was a sacrifice we were willing to make to have the convenience of "prepaid" food.

Okay, here's another dumb question that I can find out for myself....how many days does it take to "pay for" an AP? Chances are: we will never be able to take more than one trip per calendar year. So, we'll only use 10-14 days per year/per person. Does the AP include water parks?

 

[dmoore22]

Thank you! Does TIW include all of the normal restaurants? I know you say "participating restaurants." Our must do's are: Le Cellier, Hoop Dee Doo, O'hanas for breakfast, & CRT. I guess I can search that info somewhere on DIS. We realized a couple of years ago that we weren't really "saving" money on DDP since they got rid of the appetizer & tip. But, it was a sacrifice we were willing to make to have the convenience of "prepaid" food.

Here is a link to the TIW Restaurants: http://allears.net/din/tiwlist.htm

Okay, here's another dumb question that I can find out for myself....how many days does it take to "pay for" an AP? Chances are: we will never be able to take more than one trip per calendar year. So, we'll only use 10-14 days per year/per person. Does the AP include water parks?

The general rule is any stays over 10 days the AP is more cost effective. The regular AP does not include the water parks. However the PAP (premium Annual Pass) does plus DisneyQuest. Here is a link with information about the AP and DVC AP discounts: http://allears.net/pl/apass.htm

Depending upon your travel habits and the ability to "stagger" trips you may be able to get by with purchasing an AP/PAP every other year as opposed to getting a renewal each year. For example, If this year's trip is the last two weeks of July then schedule next years trip for the first two weeks of July or last two weeks of June. That way you've managed to get two years out of one AP/PAP before it expires.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Here is a link to the TIW Restaurants: http://allears.net/din/tiwlist.htm



The general rule is any stays over 10 days the AP is more cost effective. The regular AP does not include the water parks. However the PAP (premium Annual Pass) does plus DisneyQuest. Here is a link with information about the AP and DVC AP discounts: http://allears.net/pl/apass.htm

Depending upon your travel habits and the ability to "stagger" trips you may be able to get by with purchasing an AP/PAP every other year as opposed to getting a renewal each year. For example, If this year's trip is the last two weeks of July then schedule next years trip for the first two weeks of July or last two weeks of June. That way you've managed to get two years out of one AP/PAP before it expires.

What an AWESOME IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for this! We are looking at November this year & next year will probably be summer or September. That would work out perfectly!

Another question...are you all saying that you pay for the AP after 10 days WITH the DVC $100 discount? Or does it pay for itself in 10 days WITHOUT the DVC discount? Thanks for all the help

 

[lucyem]

What an AWESOME IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for this! We are looking at November this year & next year will probably be summer or September. That would work out perfectly!

Another question...are you all saying that you pay for the AP after 10 days WITH the DVC $100 discount? Or does it pay for itself in 10 days WITHOUT the DVC discount? Thanks for all the help

The 10 days depends on when and how you are going. When I sat down and figured out our stay this year and next we planned to stagger in order to get an AP and a TIW. We are only going to be at WDW 4 days this year and 4-5 next. But comparing an AP with the DVC discount to a non expiring 8 day hopper or buying 4 hopper days this year and 4 hopper days next, the AP was the cheapest. Allears has a list of ticket prices with tax and that should give you a good idea.

 

[heathers4um]

Thanks for this - this helps me too! I am thinking of doing the TIW when DBF and I go in Nov. I am fully committed to utilizing the kitchen in our 1 bdrm but we will be eating out as well and visiting the different lounges in the other resorts when hopping.

And the AP info was just as helpful in determining what we will do!

Here is a link to the TIW Restaurants: http://allears.net/din/tiwlist.htm



The general rule is any stays over 10 days the AP is more cost effective. The regular AP does not include the water parks. However the PAP (premium Annual Pass) does plus DisneyQuest. Here is a link with information about the AP and DVC AP discounts: http://allears.net/pl/apass.htm

Depending upon your travel habits and the ability to "stagger" trips you may be able to get by with purchasing an AP/PAP every other year as opposed to getting a renewal each year. For example, If this year's trip is the last two weeks of July then schedule next years trip for the first two weeks of July or last two weeks of June. That way you've managed to get two years out of one AP/PAP before it expires.

 

[dmoore22]

Thanks for this - this helps me too! I am thinking of doing the TIW when DBF and I go in Nov. I am fully committed to utilizing the kitchen in our 1 bdrm but we will be eating out as well and visiting the different lounges in the other resorts when hopping.

And the AP info was just as helpful in determining what we will do!

I forgot to mention that current AP renewals for Florida Residents/DVC owners is 15 months for the price of 12. This is renewals only. I've not heard any info as to when, or if, this promotion will end. Maybe other DISboard members can help me out on this one.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

First of all, I cannot thank you enough for the great ideas & comments you gave me about DVC. Many of you spent alot of time explaining it to my lil' pea brain I just love the DIS!

I think we've decided against DVC right now. And, to be honest, I was the one that said it may not be such a great thing for us. I am too obsessed with going for the discount codes/free dining, & that would never be available through DVC. I do see where renting points might be a good option for us from time to time.

I even looked at the benefits of APs + TIW. I don't think APs would be worth it b/c we'll only take one WDW trip per year. TIW doesn't even cover our favorite restaurants, so that would definitely be a waste for us.

I read on the Budget Board where someone mentioned buying timeshares in Hawaii (not DVC) because of the huge trading power they have. It seemed to me like they were less expensive (?) than DVC, but I didn't research that to make sure.

We usually take 2-3 vacations per year, & I just hate the thought of putting all my eggs in one basket. It's those maintenance fees that were the final straw! If we did DVC, we might not be able to justify taking more trips during the year. So, thank you again for helping out a fellow disser. I know DVC is wonderful & is perfect for so many of you out there. Have fun & God bless you!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

There is a way you could have the best of both worlds...

I just bought my first DVC contract - it's only 25 teeny tiny points, but it was only a couple grand, and dues are only $128 a year. By using the banked 2009 points, the 2010 points, and borrowing the 2011 points, we have enough to stay five week nights Aug 29-Sept 3 this year. It's not much, but it's a start, and believe me, we are already planning to add on someday.

Five nights is way too short for us, and we love taking advantage of the discounts too. So I booked Aug 25-29 at Pop with the 30/35/40 pin code. A few nights ago, I upgraded that to CSR, and the next day free dining came out, so I changed to that.

Long story short, we are doing 4 nights at CSR with free dining, and then we will move to BCV with our DVC points for 5 nights.

The way I see it, I will have the best of both worlds, and my DVC contract doesn't have to be very big at all, just enough to have a few days of fun every so often!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

Hi! I just saw your posting and know you have made your final decision, BUT I just wanted to comment because your situation seems just like ours before we bought into DVC. My DH is extremely frugal and we always did stuff on the cheap--however, after I convinced him to buy DVC, he has said a million times that it was one of our best decisions ever.

#1 He doesn't fret about staying in nice places. We have gone on one DVC trip and have 2 planned this year. Already totalling the "rack rates"without DVC, we would be up to $13,000!!! We would have NEVER stayed this nice or taken so many trips down. (And believe me, the AP is soo worth it! It causes you to plan more trips!!) Our $1100 maintenance fees feel like a bargain. (Our original buy in was paid in cash so we don't have to worry about that.) I understand the concept of being tied into DVC only, but I've actually read about some nice trades with the RCI program and we bought into Boardwalk knowing that it would be a great one to "rent out" on the occasional year that we didn't want a Disney vacation.

For what it's worth, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. Good luck!!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Thanks, Abe We were also going to pay cash for our trip, which took away the headache of finance charges. (We don't usually put anything on credit...both cars are paid for & hoping to have house paid off in next 2-4 years.)

BUT, I have to say, at this point in our lives, a posh resort isn't what we want right now. DON'T get me wrong...I'm the psycho who sanitizes the entire room for at least an hour before I let my family come in. We won't stay in anything nasty (Although you all may classify value as nasty!!) But, we run so much while we're at WDW, that we rarely even see our room. We're just there to shower & sleep.

Several years down the road, I can see us needing bigger, nicer accomodations b/c the kids will be older. They will require their own space & probably won't want to wake up at 7am everyday on vacation! We will spend more time at the resort.

I know the maintenance fees are less than staying at a regular resort, but you've just paid $20,000 up front for DVC!! I looked at our vacation costs for last September & that helped make my decision... We spent 3 days at Destin Beach + 11 days at WDW. We stayed at POP & had free dining. We had 10 MYW tickets + Waterpark & more. We went to MNSSHP. We reserved $1000 cash for gasoline + souveniers & our GRAND TOTAL was around $3500 (and that includes the $1000 for gas + souveniers!!!)

I guess, the bottom line is too important for us right now. We just feel guilty spending that much up front (& then MF) when we could put that on the principle of our house & take years off of what we owe, or in the kids' college funds. I'm not being "preachy." Please don't think I'm saying any of you made bad financial decisions. I think it is FANTASTIC that you all have DVC. I know anyone who has DVC obviously researched it & made a decision that was best for their family. I guess we just see it too much as a financial investment right now, & the ROI doesn't look so hot for our family at this stage in life. BUT....I'm pretty sure I'll be taking the tour just in case!

 

[weHEARTmickey]

There is a way you could have the best of both worlds...

I just bought my first DVC contract - it's only 25 teeny tiny points, but it was only a couple grand, and dues are only $128 a year. By using the banked 2009 points, the 2010 points, and borrowing the 2011 points, we have enough to stay five week nights Aug 29-Sept 3 this year. It's not much, but it's a start, and believe me, we are already planning to add on someday.

Five nights is way too short for us, and we love taking advantage of the discounts too. So I booked Aug 25-29 at Pop with the 30/35/40 pin code. A few nights ago, I upgraded that to CSR, and the next day free dining came out, so I changed to that.

Long story short, we are doing 4 nights at CSR with free dining, and then we will move to BCV with our DVC points for 5 nights.

The way I see it, I will have the best of both worlds, and my DVC contract doesn't have to be very big at all, just enough to have a few days of fun every so often!

Sorry...I didn't see your post while ago. This is a neat idea! We could handle around $2K upfront, then that much in MF per year. We've had 200 points in our head the whole time, but I see how you're making this work! I could still have the "thrill of victory" by getting my discounts + staying a few days at a nice resort. That's something to consider. Plus, it would get our feet wet to see if we'd want anything bigger. Thanks!

 

[Luv2Scrap]

Sorry...I didn't see your post while ago. This is a neat idea! We could handle around $2K upfront, then that much in MF per year. We've had 200 points in our head the whole time, but I see how you're making this work! I could still have the "thrill of victory" by getting my discounts + staying a few days at a nice resort. That's something to consider. Plus, it would get our feet wet to see if we'd want anything bigger. Thanks!

Exactly right!

Im sure that whatever you decide will be perfect for your family!

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

I think you have really thought this out and the fact that you don't want to stay in a posh resort really is the bottom line. That was probably our biggest factor was to stay nicer. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Sorry...I didn't see your post while ago. This is a neat idea! We could handle around $2K upfront, then that much in MF per year. We've had 200 points in our head the whole time, but I see how you're making this work! I could still have the "thrill of victory" by getting my discounts + staying a few days at a nice resort. That's something to consider. Plus, it would get our feet wet to see if we'd want anything bigger. Thanks!

IF you do go with a small contract...do carefully consider Use Year, and make reservations for early in your UY. It would be heart breaking to save up the 75 points (25+25+25) to finally go on that great Disney vacation...to have to cancel because the kids have the flu! IF your reservation is in the 1st month of your UY, you would then have 11 months to reschedule.

Look at the points charts and decide for yourself. We have 100, and would have been happy with 75, but would still love more.

 

[yankin]

To the OP:

It is a difficult decision. My wife and I struggled with it when we considered DVC ten years ago. Like you we weighed the pro's and cons and still came to no decision. My heart said do it but my head and gut said no. We went with our gut and declined.

Due to circumstances we have not been back to WDW in ten years. In those years we traveled alot in Europe (often more than twice a year) and gained so much in doing so. We are older now and our children are in there late teens. When the kids where younger and we gotten bitten by the Disney bug we could not imagine vacationing anyhwere else. I am so happy we stepped foot out of the safety of the Disney bubble. My kids have experienced so many things and visited places I could only imagine when I was a kid.

In hindsight not buying into DVC was a good decision for us. Sorry for the rambling. In a nutshell you never now where your life will be in a few years time. DVC is a long term commitment which would not have worked well for us.

 

[jarestel]

IF you do go with a small contract...do carefully consider Use Year, and make reservations for early in your UY. It would be heart breaking to save up the 75 points (25+25+25) to finally go on that great Disney vacation...to have to cancel because the kids have the flu! IF your reservation is in the 1st month of your UY, you would then have 11 months to reschedule.

That's a good point and certainly one worth considering. But be aware that if one cancels because the kids have the flu or some other last minute consideration (within 30 days of arrival), the points will go into a restricted category called "holding". In this case use year will not save the points and when and how they can be used will be severely limited.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

That's a good point and certainly one worth considering. But be aware that if one cancels because the kids have the flu or some other last minute consideration (within 30 days of arrival), the points will go into a restricted category called "holding". In this case use year will not save the points and when and how they can be used will be severely limited.

That is a very good point. However, you do still have an opportunity to use your points. When my Dad had his 2nd aortic valve replacement surgery in 2 months, we had to cancel and re-book. We only had 2 1/2 months left in our UY anyway, and were able to book something last minute in Hilton Head. The point is...it is possible!

Our day after Thanksgiving trip to Hilton Head turned into a MLKjr. weekend in Hilton Head. It turned out to be 17 degrees in Hilton Head that weekend. Brrr! We went ahead because we couldn't stand the thought of losing points. If this had all happened early in our UY, we would have cancelled the January trip, and tried for early Spring, and kept trying until something opened up somewhere. DH and I have pretty flexible leave.

BTW, Disney was totally super about our points. If you cancel on the day of your reservation, you are supposed to get nothing. Well, we figured out after MS services closed on Wednesday night that we wouldn't be there on Friday. Well...MS is closed on Thanksgiving Day so we were technically telling them that we weren't coming on the day of our reservation.

We were able to actually call Hilton Head and tell them about the situation, and they gladly removed our obligation. I don't recall what they did about the holding as we were 2 months from the end of our UY. I don't think I thought to ask about a special banking of those points. I think I may have gotten it if I had asked.

Except for the cold, it all ended well. My Dad is finally back on his feet, and we had a nice vacation.

 

[weHEARTmickey]

Thank you for all the responses! One last question...if we want to take a DVC tour, how do we schedule it & how long does it REALLY take? (I mean, honestly!)

 

[dmoore22]

Thank you for all the responses! One last question...if we want to take a DVC tour, how do we schedule it & how long does it REALLY take? (I mean, honestly!)

Just visit any of the DVC kiosks around the parks and resorts. They can be be very accommodating so as not to take too much time from your vacation. When we took the tour they had a van pick us up at a CM entrance between Japan and the America in Epcot. We ended up with an unofficial backlot tour while in transit. At that time the DVC tours were at BW. I don't remember that the tour itself was all that long. The longest part was my DW wanted to keep checking out the display rooms. They gave us coupons worth $50 to be used in the restaurants in the parks. Plus a little grab bag of goodies for the kids.