Does anyone regret buying DVC?

[rnorwo1]

I am considering purchasing into DVC. With the annual dues and the likelihood that I will probably want to stay at DW only once every couple of years, I'm not sure it's the right thing for us. I really like the idea of owning a piece of the magic, so I'm willing to pay a little more than I would if I just paid for each trip, but I don't want to waste a ton of money either. Has anyone felt like they haven't gotten their money's worth?

 

[rfj1020]

Yes. Unfortnately, I have not been satisfy with the membership.

If you do not plan to go every year you may be better paying cash for each visit. At least that way you have a chance that Disney will respond to your concerns when you raise them. With the DVC I get the impression they view members as "stuck" and could care less about you.

I am not saying not to buy, just really think about if it fits your lifestyle and what your expecations are. No matter what they say, this is not a "private club" and you are not "family", the DVC is a mass market time share and you will be treated that way.

 

[Ohana 4]

I don't have a regret, just wanted to share our experiences.

We joined in June 2004 after our first visit to WDW. I had requested the info for DVC a few years back but at the time we decided it wasn't for us. When we went in 2004, we stayed in a moderate resort (thanks to a friend who works there and got us a discount, otherwise we would have stayed at POP), and when we went to the information meeting, we signed up right away and haven't regretted it since.
In 2005 we did a huge double Disney vacation to Disneyland, using our points at DLH and then flew straight from there for a week at WDW, again using our points at the Beach Club, a hotel we could NEVER do without the points. To us, the hotel is part of the experience of Disney. If you like to stay at the better accommodations, or if you go frequently enough, then I say go for it. You can always use your points for other non-Disney (gasp!) hotels as well. We were thinking about using some of our points for the Coronado hotel in San Diego, but decided against it. In 2 weeks, we're staying 5 nights at the Grand Californian and looking forward to it.
The money financed gets paid to Disney through automatic payments, and we don't even notice the couple hundred dollars each month. The yearly fees are a bit tougher to swallow, but we always save in a separate account monthly so that this expense won't be so hard, especially right after the holidays.
Sorry so long-winded, but we have NOT regretted it at all. Make an informed choice. Good Luck

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

DVC was the right decision for us because we went to WDW at least once per year and always stayed in deluxe resorts. When you go every other year, what type of resort do you stay at? If you are happy at the All Stars or PC, you may be right that DVC isn't for you. Even if you stay at a moderate every other year and you enjoy it, DVC may not be for you. It is an expensive way to own a piece of the Magic.

HBC

 

[lizziepooh]

I would guess that most people who regretted it have sold and moved on and probably don't hang out on the DVC boards.

We have been happy with our purchase and have had several nice trips. It has allowed us to stay in deluxe accommodations that we would never have paid the cash rate for. You really have to evaluate it carefully to see if it fits with your plans.

 

[rnorwo1]

We always stay at a moderate resort, and it has been ok so far.... I would like the kitchen in the deluxes though, because I do get tired of the breakfast and lunch choices in the parks. I am planning on having a 3rd baby though, so once that child is over 2, we will have to get two rooms or pay for the ones that will accommodate 5. My oldest will also be starting kindergarten in the fall, so now we're going to be limited to school holidays for travel.... so if I'm stuck going in the summer, I would like a nice room and pool area to spend the hottest and busiest part of the day in!

 

[Didney Daddy]

There will always be folks who regret buying into DVC. DVC has over 100,000 members so there is no doubt that some are disgruntled.

However, the DVC membership for us has been nothing short of sensational. We own another timeshare and it does not compare to the flexibility of DVC plus it cannot compare to having access to the best properties at Disney if we use the system to our advantage.

The basic rules are 1) Love all things Disney 2) Stay at premium resorts on Disney property 3) Intend to vacation at those resorts at least every other year 4) Have the financial wherewithall to afford DVC 5) Possess advance planning skills to take advantage of the windows.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[HUFF590]

This was the best move we have ever made, but keep in mind most people here will say no regrets and there was a poll not to long ago that suggested many of the DVC owners go several times a year so that has a lot to do with being satisfied with DVC.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Nope, love it.

I wish we bought sooner, bought more points and bought at BCV instead of VWL. Other then that, LOVE IT!

Really it is the best $12 or so I have ever spent in my life (besides money towards my house and education.)

 

[ACDSNY]

My only regret is we didn't do it sooner. I love the flexibility compared to other timeshares.

 

[taurus8012]

Yes. Unfortnately, I have not been satisfy with the membership.

If you do not plan to go every year you may be better paying cash for each visit. At least that way you have a chance that Disney will respond to your concerns when you raise them. With the DVC I get the impression they view members as "stuck" and could care less about you.

I am not saying not to buy, just really think about if it fits your lifestyle and what your expecations are. No matter what they say, this is not a "private club" and you are not "family", the DVC is a mass market time share and you will be treated that way.

With my "Westgate Timeshare " but you must understand that the Flexibility that Disney provides compare to other cant be touched and Disney Time shares are the easiest to re sell and rent out ................I must say that I am still on the fence on purchasing an interest but my trip in Oct. should take care of this my familiy will spend 7 days 1st 3 at VWL and next 4 at BCV so will likely breakdown and purchase because I LOVE EVERYTHING DISNEY so I might as well stop fighting it ..........We are flying down the last week of Aug with our Westgate Timeshare and renting points in Oct. so we will be flying down again for my son birthday thank goodness for S.W.A. and their Ding rates.

 

[cobbler]

No regrets at all. Had a fantastic stay on our first trip home last October and LOVE being in the one bedroom with the kids.

 

[Dean]

I am considering purchasing into DVC. With the annual dues and the likelihood that I will probably want to stay at DW only once every couple of years, I'm not sure it's the right thing for us. I really like the idea of owning a piece of the magic, so I'm willing to pay a little more than I would if I just paid for each trip, but I don't want to waste a ton of money either. Has anyone felt like they haven't gotten their money's worth?

No regrets but our situation, choices and knowledge has changed so I plan to sell off many of my points, keeping on a very small contract, maybe 25-50 or so. DVC makes sense for one group and one group only. Those that feel paying to stay on property has increased value and plan to use all their points at DVC resorts light or neutral on weekends. There is no other usage scenario one can objectively justify. You could always just buy enough points for your every other year trips and look for other options for the off years, maybe even other timeshares.

 

[rigsby25]

We stayed at the Contemporary for a vacation to end all vacations. We bought a styrofoam cooler for milk and juice and we bought peanut butter and bread, etc., warmed hot dogs in the food court microwave, etc. to save on food. When we took the tour, the studio looked so spacious compared to the expensive Contemporary room, and with the plus of a sink, microwave, full coffee pot and refrigerator we were sold. We bought our 210 point contract through a resale not through Disney. While our sale was going through, we stayed at Carribean Beach. The moderates now have a refrigerator, if that helps. Once we stayed at our home resort, Old Key West, we fell in love. We always tried for an "afternoon break" and it is so much easier staying on the property. And the room charges for the Disney resorts are just getting higher and higher. Then we bought annual passes with the 100.00 discount we get for being DVC members. Once we got the pass, we felt compelled to go more to get more value out of the pass. This year we have stayed in an SSR studio in January, an SSR grand villa in May, we are staying at a 1br at VWL in October, and ??? again in January (I'm going to try for either BWV or BCV but any one will be fine). We are hoping to take about a year off with maybe a small vacation next year. That is the beauty of this plan. It is so flexible. And if it doesn't work for us anymore at some point, I will not hesitate to sell and rent the points I would need.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I'm sorry I didn't buy DVC sooner, and I have been a member since 97, when prices were $56 a point! The only problem with DVC is that it's not the type of timeshare to pass on to your kids, due to the cost of the dues. I am giving 150 pts to one DD, because she can afford the $600 a year in dues, but the other one can't, and right now neither one could afford the second contract! I think once I am too rickety to make it to Florida, I will just sell the second contracts, and give the kids the cash to pay for the dues on one contract. I also have two Marriott's, which I also wanted to give them, but that's a similar deal, with $700 in dues.

 

[Tigger031266]

No regrets at all

 

[BigBlueMan]

Eleven years..

And after..
Countless stays at Old Key West..
Other DVC Stays at Boardwalk, Vero, Wilderness Lodge..
Concierge stays in Maui and DC..
Use of the points to stay in a bunch of WDW Hotels..
A couple of trips to Disneyland..
3, 4 & 7 night DCL Cruises..
and wonderful friendships made with couples both domestic and foreign..

No regrets!

 

[las3888]

We probably felt along the lines that you feel now and really tossed the DVC idea around for probably 5 or more years until we finally bought. Friends who owned just couldn't believe we didn't buy sooner. In a way they were right, however, at that time discount codes of close to 50% off the deluxe resorts were not unheard of and were in decent abundance. Plus we love Swan and Dolphin and often found really good deals there. Those days are somewhat past and deals are harder and harder to find, plus when you do find a deal, it is skimpier than what it used to be.

We bought a small resale contract to get started. Needless to say, we bought more points through the years. We used to go maybe 1-2 times a year. We now go 2x a year and this time for the first time we will go 3x. We're quite happy with that though. We don't keep going because we need to use our points, we keep going because everytime we go, we just love it even more (hence the reason for buying even more points).

DVC resorts are nice -- maybe not quite as magical to me as staying on the monorail, but we're very happy with the location and amenities. We have a little one now and we are really happy to have the kitchen and extra space.

 

[CarolA]

I'm sorry I didn't buy DVC sooner, and I have been a member since 97, when prices were $56 a point! The only problem with DVC is that it's not the type of timeshare to pass on to your kids, due to the cost of the dues. I am giving 150 pts to one DD, because she can afford the $600 a year in dues, but the other one can't, and right now neither one could afford the second contract! I think once I am too rickety to make it to Florida, I will just sell the second contracts, and give the kids the cash to pay for the dues on one contract. I also have two Marriott's, which I also wanted to give them, but that's a similar deal, with $700 in dues.

I think you make a VERY good point. I keep reading about how "you can't pass on DVC" With any timeshare you aren't really giving your family a "Freebie" ALL of them have costs so the heirs just inherited an asset that will cost them money and that they MAY not be able to sell at any price. While right now DVC has a great resale value as it nears the end of it's contract it might not hold that value. Same goes for Marriott and to a much greater extent things like Westgate. (I mean Westgate resales for next to nothing NOW what do you think it will be like as the properties age?)

 

[drakethib]

None Here.

I wish the points would be on a more even scale to stay at other Disney resorts but I am quite happy with my 200 pts at OKW.