Did you buy on impulse or planned

[Mikamarii]

we went to a presentation on a cruise during our honeymoon. We both loved Disney and knew we would be going for many years. We went back to the room, crunched some numbers and pulled the trigger. Financed through Disney then moved it over to our bank when we got home. Paid maybe 1ish thousand in interest and paid it off early. Out of fun I ran the numbers as to what it would cost today and between the cost of points today (vs what we paid) and poor Canadian dollar (vs when we bought) we 'saved' about 35k and have had 8 years of great use of our points.

 

[Bearval]

Been going to Disney every year since daughters were 6 and 3 which was 2013. Knew about DVC from 1st trip but didn’t think we would go every year. Researched and decided to buy minimum direct points last year just incase they increase those benefits and have added resale points so we have enough for a week in a 2 bedroom at AKL.

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Total impulse buy in 2001. We were at Downtown Disney and were really hot. We signed up for a tour so we could get a fast ride back to the Boardwalk area. Did the tour and bought 300 points at $62. Best impulse buy ever. A year later we added on another 100. No regrets. Well, I do wish we had bought more of course.

 

[PoohsFan1]

I had wanted to buy in for a long time but DH wasn't sure of the whole point system (we own another time share where it is a fixed week and he liked that idea better) even though our family always stayed in Deluxe resorts and vacationed to WDW at least twice a year, I just knew that this would be a good fit for our family. Still DH would either roll his eyes or shrug his shoulders every time I would bring up the subject. The first time I saw him kind of cave on the idea was when I ordered the DVD and he sat down with me and watched it entirely, and as he watched he took note of the different answers to his questions. Finally a couple years later (September 2010), we were staying at the Contemporary, I happened to walk up to the DVC Kiosk to just thumb through the book and to also strike up a conversation with the CM (which was a norm for me even if we were in a park), the CM asked if we would like to take a tour. I immediately looked at my DH who then gave the OK since the next day was a day off from the parks and we didn't really have much plans. So after our tour was over and we talked to the guide for a long time, the guide asked would you be interested in BLT or AKL as a home resort and to my surprise DH said BLT hands down (which I knew since he loves the Contemporary), then before I knew what was going on, our guide and DH were talking about refinancing and we were signing our very first contract. As we were leaving I asked DH if he had that planned or was it an impulse buy, and DH admitted that he had been thinking about it for awhile, and knew that we were going to buy in this trip. And since then we have have bought into SSR and have added on multiple times...DH admitted that it was the best thing we ever did and he was sorry that we didn't do it sooner .

 

[Jkpark]

We had another timeshare and RCI membership. Back in 2011 we were able to trade our timeshare into a 1BR at SSR. It was our first time staying onsite for an entire week and we loved it. By the next year, our timeshare no longer had the same trading power and kids were in school, so we were realizing it wasn't the best option for us anymore. We then received an invite for an online tour and a $40 Disney gift card. I really thought I was just doing it to get the gift card - but I had just received a nice bonus at work and so we discussed for a couple of days and then paid cash for our first 100 points at SSR. We knew we were happy to stay there, our girls were small and a studio worked most of the time. It would be a bonus if we got to try out other resorts, or go every few years and book a 2BR to spend time with friends/family. We have since added 60 (later that same year) and then 40 last year.

 

[CoensFamily2009]

We sold our rental home (was our 1st home) during a local real estate boom and used it to purchase a resale at okw and direct at bwv. We are currently in rofr for our next contract at SS. Was all fairly planned out and researched.

 

[Disneylvr1971]

We did a last minute tour on our last day of vacation. (Kids wanted to hit a couple of more rides). Didn't know anything about DVC. Had absolutely no intention of buying. Talked about it a lot on the way home and signed up about 2 weeks later for AKV. Have NEVER regretted a day. Have taken a 2 week vacation every year since. And 2 years later added another 25 pt contract onto AKV.

 

[E2ME2]

Since we bought onsite, at the DVC tour, I would say impulse. We had, however, spent the few months prior considering options towards preparing to "SnowBird" when we retire in 2020.
We looked at RVs, RV Parks, Mobile Homes & Mobile Home Parks, Condos, Villas, Retirement Communities, and any other option you can think of. All the financial numbers were fresh in our heads, swirling around a bit, when we found ourselves in Downtown Disney two nights before we were due to return home in October 2011. The DW was in Once Upon A Toy, and I was waiting outside, and had leaned on the desk at the DVC Kiosk. The rest is history, for us .
A very nice young man struck up a conversation with me, and gave me the basics about the DVC. When my wife came out from the store, I introduced her to the CM, and shared the information and I remember her exclaiming "A Timeshare!?; I'm NOT interested in a Timeshare presentation." To his credit, the young man was undaunted, and revisited all the issues I had tackled with him regarding our reluctance over timeshares and, long story short, we made an appointment for the next afternoon. We found the experience very informative, and no-pressure, as compared to some terrible timeshare experiences we had been through in the past. We definitely could have been out of there in 90 minutes or less, and were not obligated to purchase on-the-spot, like many other Timeshare sales. I kept our guide working for about 3 hours; we toured every model, and even got access to a real-life Grand Villa at SSR, to see it first hand. I was crunching the numbers on my PDA the entire time, and we bought 210 points that day ! Our only regret was that we did not buy more at that price point, as we have been infected with Addonitis since. So, again, I would guess that would be considered impulse, but I felt comfortable then that it was a good idea for us, and we still feel comfortable about DVC now, 8 years later!
P.S. - we just booked a3BR-GV at SSR for the first time, and our family of 9 (DD/SIL/3Grands/DS/DIL - joining us) are going to be there in January of 2020!

 

[Murron]

We visited every year since Magic Kingdom opened ... I feel old. In 1991, Disney Vacation Club opened (now Old Key West). We visited the preview center and bought into it a couple of months later. Not too impulsive. It just made sense since we visited every year. And the deal with that purchase was free tickets to all parks until 1999. Ahhh the good old days.

 

[.landry]

I was interested for a few years and my wife said "absolutely not" and "I never want to hear you say disney timeshare ever again" ( )

A few years and a few trips later, some on rented DVC points, some in moderate resorts and the last one at CBR I made an actual Keynote presentation with numbers, and pictures of our daughter having the time of her life and MUSIC. After the stay at CBR, which my wife complained about from the minute we got there, i was able to convince her that we would never have to stay there again if we bought a contract.
Her company was acquired and we found ourselves with some "play money". We went into contract about a month later.
so yes. a lot of planning and emotional manipulation on my part and many years of financial planning on my wife's part to get there.

I love hearing everyone's stories!!!

 

[E2ME2]

We visited every year since Magic Kingdom opened ... I feel old. In 1991, Disney Vacation Club opened (now Old Key West). We visited the preview center and bought into it a couple of months later. Not too impulsive. It just made sense since we visited every year. And the deal with that purchase was free tickets to all parks until 1999. Ahhh the good old days.

Really make me feel bad; tell me what the price per point was at OKW in 1991

 

[Castillo Mom]

I planned to make the purchase.

In ‘07, I decided I wanted to purchase DVC after having visited WDW twice. Two years later when I was financially ready, I did the tour in DTD out here in California where I live and purchased my first contract at AKV. Shortly thereafter, I realized I needed more points but it wasn’t until fall of ‘17 that I added on at PVB during our stay there.

I have 320 points and looking to add another 160 in two years. That way I’ll be even Steven with my three sons and their inheritance.

 

[Murron]

Really make me feel bad; tell me what the price per point was at OKW in 1991

I'm old and memory might be foggy....but I believe it was approx $50 per point. For some reason, I seem to recall a price in the high 40's if you went with a pre-offer.

 

[beccasmom]

We took the tour on a trip in 1991 and decided to “sleep on it” (well, the least impulsive one did anyway ). We purchased a month or so later; did not finance it. Back then minimum point purchase was 230 points and the cost was roughly $14,000.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Took the tour in 2008 and enjoyed SSR. Listened to Nancy G. (since retired) and she was so professional about informing us on everything. Gave us to book to look over (still have the book) and said to just think about it, check the internet about DVC, and get back with her if we had any questions. We bought 100 points 4 days later. This way we would have at least one week vacation a year. Well we have over 800 pts. now (SSR, AUL) and enjoy a little time at WDW and a lot of time on DCL.

 

[gharter]

Our first contract was very much planned.
Our second contract, also purchased resale, was more of an impulse purchase. However, it is not one that we regret at all. We enjoy going a second time each year.

 

[Wakey]

6 months of intensive ( lots of browsing in my free time) research. Overkill maybe but I knew exactly what I was getting. Well I thought I did until the 2020 lockoff premium points inflation, that was one risk even that amount of research had missed.
Never been on a tour, never spoken to a commissioned sales person save when I called them up to do a small direct add on. Have multiple contracts.

 

[Murron]

I'm old and memory might be foggy....but I believe it was approx $50 per point. For some reason, I seem to recall a price in the high 40's if you went with a pre-offer.

I took a look back and we paid $51/point. The pre sale was $48/point. And yes, there was a 230 point minimum.

 

[DisneyMotherOf2]

I'm not talking about whether you thought threw it vs. buying immediately after a tour of DVC. More from the financial perspective. Did you get a big bonus and decide, okay we're gonna do it... or was it something you saved up for a long time over years?

My husband researched DVC for a couple years and wanted to buy in. We ended up coming into a little money via a relative and used it to buy a resale contract without ever taking an official tour of DVC. My husband had previously spoken with a DVC rep as well as reps with the various resale outlets. We actually took a tour of AKV when they were selling it AFTER we had already bought in. Good luck!

 

[Sleepy425]

We took the tour in 2012, but waited until 2014 when we had all the cash to purchase (150 points OKW resale).So definitely very planned from a financial standpoint.