Do you miss the resorts?

[jimmytammy]

Are you trying to start a fight

Just kiddin

We had never stayed at any other resort other than All Star Sports and offsite. So DVC was a definite move up for us. My calculations tell me that staying at DVC is more cost effective than the monorail resorts. I will stay at Poly sometime just because we lov the theming and convienience. But WLV is a quick boat away from MK. BWV and BCV are a quick boat from MGM and Epcot. Looking at it in those terms doesnt make it seem so remote for me.

Honestly, DVC has spoiled us. Staying in a 2 bed beats a hotel room anyday for us. Granted we cant do this every stay but its nice to have that option. Even the studios are spacious at least compared to our other experiences.

DVC is a personal choice and a decision that you have to decide is right for you. You wont find many neg posts on here about DVC. Try staying at a DVC resort and see how you feel after. That way you know whether you want to buy or not.

Good luck!

 

[Cruelladeville]

Well, ladies and gentlemen, this was an interesting thread, even at this hour of the AM, and I thank you for it! I would have preferred sleep, but seem to be suffering insomnia...can't wait for that next trip!

I did not buy in 92, as I should have, because I didn't think I liked OKW. I did not think it was themed either...then I stayed there, and, as I have posted many times, my passion has become buying into OKW some day. Some of us need to actually stay somewhere to "get it".

I spend 5 nights in a DVC resort, 2 nights in a luxury resort on Friday and Saturday(when DVC costs twice as much), and then another 5 nights at DVC. Doing Disney this way is an eye-opener, because I found out that the castle view doesn't thrill me like it once did, THANKS TO MAID SERVICE!!! They just never leave you alone--and the last time we stayed there the maid got an eyeful when we THOUGHT we would have privacy It was SO embarassing!

DVC gives me three trips to WDW per year, and privacy, too. There is nothing wrong with expanding your thinking. This year I am spending Friday and Saturday nights on conceirge, never tried it before. DVC allows more options, not less.

And wdwstar, Michigan is cold now, so when you go to Mackinaw Island, bring mostly jeans, not shorts. You will like it a lot more when you are not freezing your *** Are you using points???

 

[dotterson]

We bought at HHI in 1998 when we got a 'free' stay in Nov. for a few days (it was a 2BD, so you can imagine!)

We were planning a huge blow out for our 10th anniversary the next year -- Disney World and a 3-day cruise. We calculated that buying 150 points and borrowing them, we could go on this tremendous trip for 'free' (It would have cost I think over $8K without.) So, we bought...

We've been at HHI three times since, BW, BCV twice, WL, cruise twice. We needed to buy more points to keep up with our plans! (100 at BCV) We've stayed at the Poly on points too.

Is it worth it? Definitely! For one thing, it makes us plan for vacations each year (we hadn't gone on one since our honeymoon!) Financially, it was an excellent investment when the stocks were so bad!

Now, we have nice places to stay until 2042. We can be flexible with the accommodations -- invite others to join us, whatever. Go at any time of the year and figure out when it's good for us to go and the points are better.

Truthfully, we haven't cooked that much in the room (mostly the micro tho we did make spaghetti once). The tub is nice, the room washing machine is the best. I might like mousekeeping, but I can wash the towels, so it doesn't bother me that much...

The best part is "NO BILL." We can go on our way not worrying about paying a bill.

The theming is really cool too. (I didn't like the WL much, but outdoorsy stuff isn't my thing anyway.) BW is awesome and you can't beat the pool at BCV. (Never tried the others because of the location...)

So... yes, it's a great investment for all the above reasons. Now that we have more points, we can really "do it up."

Try it, you'll like it!!!!!

d

 

[wdwstar]

Cruelladeville

thank you, we have been watching the weather for mackinac island, they are showing 74 for the fourth of july weekend, we will keep our fingers crossed. we go every year in the middle of aug.(not on points 71 to 80 points a night for the grand hotel, but you do get breakfast and dinner , lol). and its cool then pants and t-shirt, so we decided to try a little bit early this year. dfil takes his boat up lake michigan(they love ludington & Leeland) and we meet him in mackinac island for the weekend.
we usually stay either mission point or the lake view hotel, but the lake view hotel was booked and the mission point was $400 a night.(i dont even pay that for the poly or GF ,lol.) we are going to try the Island House hotel, they have an indoor pool. thank you for asking. i see you are leaving in a few days, enjoy your trip and pixie dust to you and your family for a safe trip.

 

[littlestar]

Interesting question. We would not have bought the amount of points that we bought if VWL and BCV hadn't come on board. We love the lodge. I actually like staying in the villas side better than the main lodge. It's so quiet. I think the theming is beautiful and goes right along with the main lobby at the lodge. Did you walk around the VWL lobby and take a look at the carvings in the ceiling of the animals and Walt's beloved backyard train on display (on loan from the Disney family)? I think the lobby at VWL is stunning. I love it that I can go back and forth between the two. I like the fact that I can go back and forth between the main pool and quiet pool at the villas. And every time we're there, the quiet pool has never been crowded - peaceful. I think people see the welcome members sign and don't realize they can use the pool.

BWV is a pleasure to stay at also. When you stay on the inn side you run into a lot of business people. On the villas side it's members mostly. It feels like a neighborhood feel to me at the DVC resorts. A sense of belonging and you're with your neighbors. We always end up talking at the pools about how much people enjoy their membership. A lot of people bring their extended family with them (DVC makes that affordable by the way). We just booked a studio for us in the fall and our kids a studio - if we would have paid cash it would of set us back at least $4,000. Instead we used 164 points and got a vacation for us and our daughter and son-in-law. It's really nice to be able to do that for your kids. People wonder how we do it - DVC!

We do stay an occasional weekend at the resort hotels. On our winter trip I like to book on cash for the day we come in just in case of bad weather. But, I have never felt the DVC resorts were an afterthought. We wouldn't go to Disney as much as we do if it wasn't for DVC - it feels like coming home.

That said, if the Poly, Grand Floridian and Comtemporary are your favorites, you'd be better off not joining and paying cash.

 

[joepoe]

Originally posted by rocketriter
We don't come from the same "taste planet" as you. We don't find our BCV home resort to be an afterthought or less magical. On the contrary, it is our first choice for accommodations. At the Boardwalk, it's impossible to distinguish between the villa section and the hotel section. As for VWL, gee, we always thought the grand lobby served both the two standard wings and the villa wing. How could we have gotten that wrong?

Since you see things differently, and might only be happy at a monorail resort, then perhaps you shouldn't join DVC.

What was that about the Boardwalk? Don't be dissin' my crib!

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by joepoe
What was that about the Boardwalk? Don't be dissin' my crib!

I don't think they were dissin' you joe! I think the OP was saying they thought the resorts were nicer & "grander" than the DVC resorts & I think this poster was saying that at the BWV the 2 are impossible to distinguish between - meaning one is NOT grander than the other. I think!

 

[DeeCee735]

No way do we miss the resorts - for us the magic is totally in our DVC resort. The BWV is beautiful, just walking into the lobby brings on the magic, then you get your "welcome home", and your member perks pack printed with all the dvc themes and characters and that's it - I'm home in the heart of the magic. Hidden Mickeys all over the place,an amazing one bedroom with jacuzzi tub to top it off, view of fireworks, all the action of BW, just a boat ride over to two great theme parks, how can one even think the magic is missing/lacking here (IMHO)? Now, for us, visiting the other resorts for a meal or something is part of the fun, but certainly not staying in them does not take away from the magic, we love DVC!

 

[Kewz1]

We love our BWV - theming, location, etc. Everything.

We do still stay at the other resorts though. We were just at POR at the end of May.

We see no reason why we shouldn't combine DVC with all the rest. Best of both worlds!

Kristen

 

[FLYNZ4]

We bought into DVC because we see it as a definate upgrade from the luxury resorts. As a family who has spent many months lin the luxury hotels over the years... we are really looking forward to having the DVC options available to us.

/Jim

 

[mickeys#1fan]

...magic is as magic does." It's why we could have long discussions about favorite parks. or attractions, or restaurants. Disney magic means something different to everyone. Vacation experiences are very personal things. It's not worth the ill will created by criticizing others likes or dislikes.

Among many other things, this board should be an escape from the reality of mean treatment. Not that the original post was intended to be mean. I didn't get that impression at all. This may be Pollyana and all, but can we just keep it magical while we're here?

PS - VWL's lobbies are breathtaking - both of them!

 

[TDC Nala]

I still stay at the resorts - saves weekend points.