Does anyone regret becoming a DVC Member?

[Suzi Q]

We've never regretted our decision to buy into DVC. Our only regret is that we didn't look into it in 1991 when we first heard about it. Instead, we waited until 1998. We began with 210 points and felt that that was all we would ever need since it is now just my DH and I. Then, when BVC became available, we decided to add 100 points more, agreeing that that definitely was all we would ever need. We took our son and his family with us and had such a great time with the grandkids that well.....we just sent out papers back for 100 more points. Now I will never say "never". I realize that DVC isn't for everyone, but it has been great for us!!

 

[CarolA]

I think any response you get here will be biased. This group thinks it was a good idea or they probably would have sold and quit hanging around here LOL!

Don't know where to send you for "unbiased" thoughts.

 

[RayJay]

My only regret is selling my 210 BCV points 3 years ago, I don't why I did that.

Now buying again.

RayJay

 

[jodifla]

I think, particularly for folks who go as often as the OP does, there would be no regrets.

We bought in 97 and have loved every minute of it. I grew up going to Disney, and have been to the parks 50 or more times. I now have a DS, so the magic is renewed by seeing it through his eyes.

I also have a TOTAL weekness for nice accommodations, but not the desire to pay the outrageous prices they cost. Since we just have our dues now, it's very reasonable.

 

[WDWLVR]

No regrets here, but then we researched it and talked about it for a good 3-4 months before buying. We still love WDW and plan on going every year. If we ever get to the point where we don't love WDW there is always Vero where we also own points or at that point I could see staying at OKW or SSR.

DVC isn't for everyone and I've read a number of posts over the years from people who weren't happy and sold. Of course sales also happens due to death, divorce and many other reasons.

For me I love having a one bedroom villa when I go down. Much better IMHO than even a deluxe hotel room.

 

[kathyseb]

Regrets? Yes we have some. We first looked into DVC in 1996. We took a long hard look at our financial situation and came to the conclusion that we could not justify buying something neither of us thought we could afford.
Plus, back then we were going once every other year for two weeks.

Fast forward to 2003 and we are now going three times a year for a total of 4 weeks a year.

We bought in the fall of 2003 at SSR. We bought 313 points as that is what we needed for the four weeks.

In 2004 we did a small add on of 50 points at BW. That way, using the 11 month booking window, we can definitely stay there either every other year or every third year.

Regrets? Yes, I wished we did not use common sense back in 1996 and bought then. But we could not afford it then and we can now. If we had bought in 96 we might have had to sell it as we could not afford to make the payments.

 

[thelobstershanty]

I do not regret buying DVC at all, I love my membership. But I am also very glad that I did not get too caught up in the "add on fever", that happens to many members. I think a good number of contracts for resale are add ons that people bought and then realized they did not need that many points. I have an orginal contract and several add on contracts, but I am glad I stopped at the point amount, that I did. I have been tempted several times to add on again because it was a "good deal" like the recent SSR add on for members. But in all reality, I have plenty of points and usually roll over at least 25+ pts every year. I love WDW and have been going since it opened, it will always be a special place that I visit at least 2x a year. But there are also many other places where I like to vacation, and where using DVC pts is not the best point usage. The more points you have, the higher the dues are, and this can be a substantial amount depending on the # of pts, and it gets higher every year. I would rather spend that additional dues money on trips to places, other than WDW.
But I will always love WDW and DVC, it really is like going to your "vacation home". It is relaxing, familiar, comforting and you can do as much or as little as you want, while staying in beautiful resorts.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We bought a resale with enough points to go to WDW every other year and then either rent the leftover points or use them elsewhere. We had to be realistic and understand that our family enjoys other things and we would need to have an even mix to avoid Disney "burnout".

On a side note, we bought our resale from a family that had gone a few times and then the kids just weren't interested in going on a regular basis anymore.

Also, for us, we would never use DVC as a destination resort and not go to the parks as there are many other locations that are much closer if we just want to get away for a few days. If we started feeling this way, I am very confident that we would sell our membership.

 

[DrBond007]

Yes. We should have invested in our own condo on the beach instead of a timeshare. The point values for trading for cruises and offsite non DVC properties is too high. The point values for Disney hotels at WDW is also too high. The high point values for the cruises is especially dissappointing. DVC is growing to be too large and it's trading value is diminishing.

 

[DeeCee735]

We bought when our kids were 10. Started going when they were 6. By the time we bought, they too had that - "been there, done that" outlook on things, we bought anyway! We love it so much, my kids could grow up there, and their children as well. For the first couple of trips home, my kids had a good time, they were more into the BWV room, pool and area than the parks -now at 16 - I couldn't get them out of the parks if I tried! They LOVE it! Now when we go, we bring a friend for them, and off they go, park hopping, pool jumping, dining out, and anything else they can do on their own! Gives me and DH a great chance to relax and have some time alone, and my kids are now looking at Disney and DVC with a totally different point of view. They can have their independence, share it with their friends, and call it their own!

No regrets here, none whatsoever! Only wish I had more points and more vacation time! Good luck with your decision.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Another very happy DVCer here with absolutely no regrets.
Strange as it may sound, we have "reverse WDW burn-out". What I'm trying to say is, the more my wife and I visit, the more we enjoy and want to return.

Wouldn't trade my DVC for nuttin'.

MG

 

[RLevy29]

We are very happy with our DVC. We own at both OKW & BCV but we love all of the resorts. We have stayed at all but SSR. So far we have used our points to go to HH, VB, Utah, New York and Disneyland. We have a trip planned for Maui this summer. We are also going to use points to stay at AKL so we can go to the Sunrise Safari. It works for us!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Very happy, no complaints. We bought only after we were empty-nesters - puting DW through college and DS through Cath. HS then UMich sort of tapped our finances . We've been several times, and we love going just as a couple - we've also gone with another couple and had fun, too. We look forward to taking the eventual (we hope) DDIL, and DGC as well as friends and other family over the next 50 years.

As to burn out: I asked about this a year or so ago, and I decided it wasn't an issue for us. Right now, we're in the same boat as MG - the more we go, the more we want to go. However, even if we decide one day that we don't want to "do Disney" on our next trip, there's plenty to do in central Florida. In fact, that's one of the reasons we chose SSR as our home resort. You can't be at SSR, looking at the lights of DTD without feeling like you're at Disney, but it's easy enough to leave the property or just sit around relaxing.

Be well!

 

[musical2]

I have no regrets at all, except maybe that I didn't buy into it earlier. We have used our points for OKW (our home resort) as well as BCV. When we wanted to do something else besides WDW, we even rented one years points to pay cash for a Disney Cruise (a better value than using points for the cruise). All-in-all, it has been worth every penny to us.

Bart

 

[TDC Nala]

I prefer theme parks to beaches, so no regrets here yet.

 

[JamesMorehead]

We purchased a BWV resale for $55/point 7ish years ago and have long since broken even vs. booking an equivalent on-property resort for cash. Could even make a bit on a resale (but have never treated my points as an investment).

Certainly no regrets - and I think the key to no regrets are as follows:

- work out a breakeven point - at the time it was about 5-6 years with reasonable assumptions - which means if you have really young kids and think you are no better/worse off financially going each year vs. a hotel

- realize there is an active resale market and that the on property DVC timeshares have been selling out so the only way in for new buyers is a resale - if you change your mind in a few years it isn't the end of the world

- pace yourself - we are putting a good 1.5 years between our most recent visit and our next one in order to save up points for a 2-bedroom (and bring down relatives) - AND there will be a bunch of new good attractions by then AND we will have recharged our pixie dust battery

-> let me reinforce that point - if your pixie dust is running low stay away for over a year... guarantee you'll get the itch again (assuming you were a WDW fan to start with)

We did use a swap once and it was fine BUT I must say the economics make no sense - the value is using DVC points for stays in a DVC resort - outside of that you are better off paying cash.

Will we own our DVC timeshare for the full 40 years? No idea! And doesn't really matter because as I said we have broken even... if we couldn't resell (unlikely) we could just stop pay dues and let our membership lapse. We'd still be ahead and have a ton of great memories to-date.

So - don't rush into the decision, take your time, and trust your gut.

 

[DVCajun]

Member since 1999, and I want more points!! (does that count as a "regret?")