Did you buy on impulse or planned

[Brancaneve]

We bought into DVC without ever having set foot in Disneyworld(we are from California). Our first trip to Florida was with our new DVC points But it wasn't impulsive as we did quite a bit of research. We then added on points on a Disney Cruise which was a bit impulsive but a great deal that we couldn't pass up.

I love how many say they wish they had bought sooner!

 

[Memorymakerfor4]

I wouldn't call our purchase impulse, but it did happen after only about 3-4 months of first hearing about DVC while researching an upcoming trip. Read as much as I could beforehand then tracked down a guide in a park. He actually stopped halfway through his presentation and just asked if I had any questions because I was so well informed. We had some extra income that year which is what made it possible, wouldn't have considered it otherwise.

 

[robinb]

We visited WDW for the first time together and we took the DVC tour. We were impressed but we knew about buying timeshares on the resale market. We went home, did our homework and bought resale 2 months later with cash. We had the money and desire and just did it.

 

[Sammie]

We went regularly for 13 years before we bought. Finally got the point we needed two rooms so it was no brainer for us

 

[DougEMG]

I spent a large number of time running numbers to compare how we previously vacationed to owning DVC. So no impulse buy.
When we did first buy was in 2010 when resale prices started collapsing. Kept on buying till 2012.

Bought our last contract two months ago at BLT just cause I wanted it, so was pretty close to an impulse buy.

 

[LeslieLou]

I think I would call it an impulse buy but with cash, resale 2011

My husband got back from a deployment in Afghanistan and we took the kids for 4 nights to Disney, stayed POFQ military salute. We saw the DVC kiosks and joked about how great it’d be to live at Disney but didn’t stop and didn’t go on a tour.

On the drive back to Ohio, I researched DVC and we happened upon the resale market. Shared all kinds of different resort, cost, program info with dH on the ride. We decided to buy with money we had saved from his deployment.

Found 2 small contracts we liked and bought within a few months. So glad we made the plunge.

 

[chainkid]

We bought in 1999 after a cash stay at BWV. We had been to WDW in 1996 staying at Dixie landings and could see the BWV being built. I didn't know anything about DVC at that time but when we sold our business my neighbor wanted to do a thanksgiving trip . We needed large accomodations so she was looking into OKW thru her travel agent. I did my own research and noticed the BWV were now open so I splurged and booked two boardwalk view rooms there. I still didn't know it was a timeshare . I was blown away by the view ,the elegance and the location. I heard about DVC on that trip but didn't have time to look into it. I was given a percentage of the sale of the business as mad money after investing 90% for retirement. I called DVC and a wonderful person name Celeste sent me all the info I needed and I bought a 250point contract at BWV and 100point at Hilton Head(which I have since sold). Paid cash and have added on 4 more contracts since then . Best financial decision I have ever made. I would not buy direct at today's prices and bought several contracts on resale for $77 or less per point. My initial outlay was $69 plus incentives so not sure how it lowered it from that but a steal none the less. I normally always stay at BWV but have tried all the resorts for shorter stays but never felt the need to buy anywhere else. I bought a small direct contract at AKV sight unseen but rarely stay there as its too dark and distant for my liking. I will be 92 when my points expire and plan to use them as long as I can get about with minimal help.

 

[CarolynFH]

We took the tour on our first visit in 1994 (my avatar is from that visit - we got ice cream too). We were interested but not in the right position financially and also not sure how often we’d visit WDW. Fast forward to 1997 by which time we had visited every year, a regular hotel room (we were at Poly) was too small for the four of us (DS was 12, DD 8) and we were in financial position to buy. Also we had stayed in a studio at BWV in 1996 and knew we wanted that as our home resort. So we pretty much planned to buy on that trip, after years of contemplation. Unfortunately we didn’t know about resale, but I’m not sure whether we’d have saved much given how new BWV was at the time.

It’s been a wonderful deal for our family, and we’ve never regretted the purchase!

 

[Disney_Alli]

I inherited some money so I sold my condo and bought a house. After I put down about $100k for my house I had $13k left over that happily covered a 150 point resale contract at VWL perfectly after the exchange rate. We used all our initial points and a bunch of transferred points to put my in-laws up for 8 nights in a two bedroom for our wedding. I finally got to stay on my ("our") points our first anniversary DL trip.

 

[cmarsh31]

After years of reading here and then renting points in Feb 2017, I thought we were all set to come home from that trip and buy our own resale contract... instead DH lost his job (after 15 years), and we had to regroup. 6 months later we were both working full time (I went back to work as soon as he got laid off), he got a better job, and we had severance pay on top of our salaries. So, instead of taking one big trip to celebrate, we bought our resale contract for may years of trips in Dec 2017. So it was planned for many year, then dropped... then picked up quickly. Added 25 points direct in Jan 2018 (or Feb?) right before the change to 75 point min.

 

[carlbarry]

I received in the mail a coffee table type book about DVC. I saw a picture in there of a woman sitting on her balcony reading a book, as giraffes walked by. I thought that was the greatest thing ever. Then I looked up how much it cost per night to stay at AKL. There was no way I would spend that. So I decided to by the timeshare instead.
I kicked around the idea for almost a year, looking at every financial angle. Finally I decided to do it, and kept looking at resale offers until I found one I liked.
I had only visited one DVC resort at that point--SSR--when I visited my DVC salesman. I bought at OKW without ever setting foot there.

 

[MaryKM]

I was a DVC sales rep's dream come true. It was definitely an impulsive decision for us. We had been twice & stayed at moderates and had great vacations. On the third trip, we got a deal on AKL and stayed there. I was totally in love with the place. We did the tour, read tons online over the last day or two of the trip and talked at length to a friend who also owns DVC, then bought in on our last day. We had family that recently moved to FL so I felt that buying in would ensure that we had some time with our immediate small crew to supplement the other, bigger family visits. We bought a small contract by the standards of most folks, but for us, it's perfect (for now - muahahahaha).

 

[bumbershoot]

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?

Lol

We were spending scads going to Disneyland. We knew we would be heading to WDW soon enough, and the Dvc resorts looked good. I’d taken a tour with a group of women from the Disneyland board, saw the GC villas. Went home and talked to my then-husband. I kinda wanted to do resale. After a bit HE jumped at the chance to buy direct after a meeting with my friend’s guide on one of our many Disneyland trips.

No financial planning. Got a loan from DVC, which felt reasonable at the time even with 10% interest bc we had a 25% interest used car loan at the time. Yep, painful. Pretty sure the deposit went on credit.

But the monthly payments were about a night’s stay at a nice Disneyland area hotel, and we would be able to seriously upgrade accommodations at WDW.

Just after the 10 days were up, we found out about a department layoff. Uh oh.

Although the whole thing was insane, the totality of it was to help us realize the razor’s edge we were on. Paid off the car loan early. Then paid off the DVC loan early (but not as early as intended). Etc

I don’t regret it.

(Alas the financial clarity didn’t last and it was one of the reasons our marriage ended last year, at least from my POV. Not sure what his reasons were. And I got the DVC.)

 

[keishashadow]

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?

Bought in small, resale @ BWV, sight unseen after sharing resorts with cheerleaders & twirlers. Used cash on hand

Added on thru direct WDW within a year at another resort, via saving up for it. First @ AKC another 5 years down road, then once youngest out of college bought our ‘last’ DVC there.

Not one to 2nd guess anyone’s financial strategy, but just not comfortable financing vacation expenses

 

[rg35]

I was familiar with DVC because my grandparents were owners and I stayed at OKW several times while in high school.

When I bought in 2012 it was planned and I did enough research to know that buying resale was a great deal and there was limited value/benefit in buying direct. I presented all the information to my wife and she was all in favor of the purchase and we've had a bunch of vacations with our kids since.

 

[Bryan Burmeister]

I found an excellent spreadsheet online(any large purchase requires a spreadsheet for me ) and was able to convince myself it would give me higher quality vacations for the same or less I was already spending. It's a luxury purchase and not an investment but it still had to make sense to me. I still wanted my DH on board though so I basically became a DVC guide He finally told me "I don't care what you buy just please stop showing me this spreadsheet." .

We financed our 225 points through Light Stream for 36 months at 5.99% and paid off a few months early. My only regret is not buying earlier and not getting more points.

This is pretty much exactly what happened in my family. My wife told me I should just start selling DVC timeshares lol.

 

[blueant315]

My husband mentioned we had more cash than we'd projected and he wanted to put it toward our mortgage. I instead proposed we buy into DVC - we'd just booked a reservation on rented points, but had not yet set foot on any DVC property. He casually agreed and now it's 10 months later and we finally have a BWV contract in ROFR - fingers crossed it goes through. Our 30th day is the day before my birthday, so I'm hoping I get a great bday gift from Disney

 

[LRdismom]

I can't say that I bought on impulse, but I certainly didn't plan on it. I originally signed up for a tour in 2011 as a "newly single parent" on my first trip with my kids. The tour didn't go so well, and once I heard the price, I knew I couldn't afford it. On our 3rd trip back in 2015, a sales guide talked me into doing another tour. The price tag was hefty for me but it made sense since we kept returning year after year. I wish I had done my research though. I would have gladly went on a waitlist for a different home resort. I like Poly, but I'd much rather prefer a different home resort like Animal Kingdom Lodge for example.

 

[ToddyLu]

I knew two nurses I worked with that were members and they talked about how great it was in 2004. Then I heard a lady taking about her tour on a Disney bus a year or two later....I thought, " one day that will be me"...DH and I were traveling to WDW once or twice a year and I mentioned it to him every few months. When we purchased I remember getting $8 off the price because I knew a member ( one of the nurses), and then she got a $200 Disney gift card that she wasn't expecting. So we paid $93 per point. I was already to buy SSR because the resort was a bit cheaper. He said " No!" and my heart sank...then he said, " I only want to stay at AKV, lets buy there"...he and I both had watched the AKL buses pull up and away many times on our trips while staying at the values....never knowing we both were dreaming about staying there. It was 2009 and Kidani was brand new, the economy was bad, it was kinda hard to get a second mortgage so we bought 210 points direct. Paid it off early last year. We had never stepped foot on that property. No way would we pay the prices direct today. We didn't know about resale. Still best decision we ever made and I love the fact he enjoys it just as much as I do. So we thought about it over time, but the time of purchase was an impulse.

 

[blueant315]

I knew two nurses I worked with that were members and they talked about how great it was in 2004. Then I heard a lady taking about her tour on a Disney bus a year or two later....I thought, " one day that will be me"...DH and I were traveling to WDW once or twice a year and I mentioned it to him every few months. When we purchased I remember getting $8 off the price because I knew a member ( one of the nurses), and then she got a $200 Disney gift card that she wasn't expecting. So we paid $93 per point. I was already to buy SSR because the resort was a bit cheaper. He said " No!" and my heart sank...then he said, " I only want to stay at AKV, lets buy there"...he and I both had watched the AKL buses pull up and away many times on our trips while staying at the values....never knowing we both were dreaming about staying there. It was 2009 and Kidani was brand new, the economy was bad, it was kinda hard to get a second mortgage so we bought 210 points direct. Paid it off early last year. We had never stepped foot on that property. No way would we pay the prices direct today. We didn't know about resale. Still best decision we ever made and I love the fact he enjoys it just as much as I do. So we thought about it over time, but the time of purchase was an impulse.

Cute story - so glad DH didn't disappoint!