Does anyone regret buying DVC?

[bobbiwoz]

We don't regret our purchase. Our vacations using DVC points on site, on a DCL cruise or at VB have been some of our best.

DH is not as happy as I am to invite guests, but that's the only difference with our ownership. We recently cancelled my spring break cruise, not DCL, just to stay at VWL the whole time.

Bobbi

 

[pouncingpluto]

I don't regret buying DVC, but I do wish instead of 200 SSR points we had gotten 150 SSR and 50 BWV. Or possibly even all 200 at BWV... we'll see how I feel in a few years.

 

[lsutigger2]

Did not take the time to read all the replies, but here is my 2 cents -

No, no, no, never have I regretted buying our DVC points !!!!

We have 240 VB and 140 SSR. Sometimes I wish I had 240 VWL but have not ever had problems getting reservations with the VB points at the 7 month window.

 

[jgreenedc]

Does anyone have a method for calculating whether or not it makes sense economically.... I can afford it, but I don't want to waste money on the dues unless it will, at the very least, break even while considering the dues. I've estimated the cost of a stay at these resorts and divided the cost of the points by that cost of the stay.... It will take me about 6-7 years just to get the cost of the points back, not including the dues. After that, I'll basically be staying for free, plus the dues... is my reasoning right on that? Lots of people also refer to this being a great deal because of the rising costs of rooms each year.... .

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out if it made sense for me and did all kinds of different calculations to look at it from different angles. You can find several different analysis on the web and I still don't know what's best. However you do your calculations, though, if you are comparing buying vs. booking, look hard at whether you would pay the rack rate for the same DVC unit. Maybe you'd stay at a moderate resort. But even if you're going to stay at the same DVC unit, you can still pay a lot less by borrowing points. Once I learned about borrowing points and succesfully did it, I knew I'd never book direct through Disney again - I'd always borrow points because you can get the exactly same unit for 60% the price. This stretches out how long it takes to break even.

A countervailing consideration, though, is the value of the points. If you don't plan on owning them until the end, they'll have resale value. There have been different threads about when the value will begin to decline, but my guess is that it's at least 15 years away - and probably longer. So if you buy, use the points for 15 years, and then sell for what you paid (even less the 10% commission) you have done pretty well. Unless you're Warren Buffet, the value of the stays you had in those 15 years will likely far exceed any return you could have gotten had you invested the money you spent to buy the points. But even if you do hold on, virtually every analysis I've seen says that if you use them every year until the bitter end , you will come out far ahead.

In the end I decided it made sense for me - young family, we all like Disney, enjoy staying in a Disney property, 3 kids so we would need 2 hotel rooms anyway, and we can plan far in advance. Bottom line is that it's definitely not for everyone, but for those who expect to visit WDW regularly and can plan ahead, it can work very well.

 

[shantay1008]

An earlier poster pointed out that most people who were not happy with DVC probably sold their contracts and moved on and aren't hanging around the DIS boards to answer these types of questions. The Timeshare Store says that they've sold more than 4,500 DVC packages since 1994. And of course there are other companies selling, as well as individuals who take care of their own transactions. I don't know what percentage that is of total sales, but 4,500+ is a fairly substantial number, wouldn't you say?

But I don't think that the fact that people sell their DVC contracts necessarily means they felt it was a bad purchase. Yeah, a lot of people might have realized that increased trips to WDW cost extra money above and beyond the hotel room, not to mention extra vacation time to take. Maybe their job changed or they moved farther away from WDW or school schedules made it harder to break away. Or maybe they just wanted to travel to lots of other places not covered by DVC and partners.

The whole "should I buy DVC thing" almost comes across as this big moral dilemma on here. But what's the big deal, really? Unless one has bankrupted the family to purchase DVC and take subsequent vacations, if you decide later that it doesn't work out, why can't you just sell it and remember happily the vacations you took while you did own it? Go for it and see what happens, I say.
Shannon

edited to ask who in the world was that crazy masked SSR people hater? He was yanking our chain, right? I hope?

 

[Luigi's Girl]

Regrets? No way! We love our DCV!!!

 

[codyody]

Members since 1997 (finished paying for contract and addl points this year-wahoo!). We have no kids and don't always go to the Parks. We do dearly love HH, VB and OKW. Next Sepember...cruise to Alaska! We've also been to Edisto Island, Williamsburg (3 times to Ford's Colony) and The Mandarin Oriental in D.C. Our bank balance? We surely could not afforf the MO or the Alaskan cruise without our wonderful points! Or a quick weekend (thank you, Southwest!) to Orlando in February.

 

[crisi]

I don't regret it, but there are a few things I think you should know....

I don't claim to save money. We go more often and as someone astutely noted, that means more airfare, tickets and food. What we do "get" for that "more money" is enforced vacations, and since my husband and I both have challenging jobs, that's a nice thing.

Although I never really planned to use it, I wish I had really understood up front that the value of DVC is at DVC - not necessarily in the Conceirge Collection or cruising or anything else DVC pitches.

I wish more people understood what they are buying - and it isn't an obligation for Disney to give them discounts to reward their loyalty. Perks come and go - and I'm really impressed we have both the AP discount and the ability to buy the dining plan right now. But if the perks go away, they aren't part of the contract. Don't buy for perks, and don't expect more than you get.

I wish I had known upfront that DVC is more like a timeshare than like staying in a Deluxe Disney hotel. Lack of mousekeeping DOES bug me. I DON'T feel that the rooms are kept up to Deluxe standards. I'm content with this, and feel like my dues are well managed.

I wish I had really understood the seven month window thing. We are content with our home, but I think I believed it would be easier to stay where I wanted on a whim. Normally, we plan well in advance, but my family is currently doing one of those "family things" where they drive you nuts with planning - and that isn't making it easy.

 

[skoi]

I don't regret it, though I did have buyer's remorse after putting out the money for our points. We have a slightly larger family- now 5, hopefully 6 by next fall. DVC allows us to stay in very nice accomodations, to spread out, and to allow oldest dd to get away from the younger siblings.

For us it was a good decision. We'll probably make bad decisions with our points in the future-like trading through II to go different places. But without DVC, whether it's economically "correct" or not- we wouldn't feel that we could go to Disney as often as we do. We've also used our points at HH and the kids loved it.

 

[bigsmooth]

No regrets, although we have not used our purchase yet, will this October. I think what allowed us to purchase and be happy with this is that we did get burned on a timeshare purchase once before. That experience led me to be a bit cautious with this purchase, which prompted more research (which led me to these boards) before signing up. We also refused to buy on the spot, instead waiting a couple months after the tour before buying. It also helped us set the right expectations to make sure we signed up for how we want to vacation. Originally we were thinking we'd go every other year, and bought enough points to do that by banking every other year. We'll see how it works out.

 

[shantay1008]

Thanks crisi and bigsmooth for weighing in with such commonsense advice.

The OP wasn't concerned about the cost of DVC so much, I think, as if it would really be worth the $$. So this may be a bit off-topic, but the threads that always make me cringe are the ones that ask "can I afford it?" on the DVC boards. It's like someone going to the country club and asking "Can I afford a Lexus?" And everyone there saying "Yes, we love our Lexus, it's the best thing ever. You should definitely go buy one."

I can think of a few specific posters who would tell me that people need to manage themselves and if they can't afford it, too bad, but who wouldn't want to stay at the BCV instead of an All-Star Resort? Bongo says DVC is a luxury purchase, and despite really scrutinizing the money threads, I just haven't seen any evidence to the contrary. Nuts.
Shannon

 

[corpcomp]

Just joined two months ago and wish it was 4 years ago. Go there every year and stay at a moderate resort for about $900 for 5 nights. The maintenance costs are about equal to that for the points I bought and I will stay and a much nicer location within walking distance to MGM and Epcot, as well as a great pool.

Only time I regreted anything was the one minute I was writing the $19,000 check, now looking forward to our first trip a a DVCer.

Nothing is ever perfect and there are hundreds of decisions I might have made differently. If you have that much concern and are weighing the costs, it probably is not the right time.

Good Luck

 

[rnorwo1]

[COLOR=DarkSlateBlue]The OP wasn't concerned about the cost of DVC so much, I think, as if it would really be worth the $$. So this may be a bit off-topic, but the threads that always make me cringe are the ones that ask "can I afford it?" on the DVC boards. It's like someone going to the country club and asking "Can I afford a Lexus?" And everyone there saying "Yes, we love our Lexus, it's the best thing ever. You should definitely go buy one."[/COLOR]

Thanks Shannon, this is exactly what I meant.... I don't want to write a check for $20k if I can take the same # of vacations and spend the same amount of money (or less) paying cash each time, and have greater flexibility paying cash. I know I can afford it, but that certainly doesn't mean I want to throw money out of the window.

I checked out that website you recommended (thanks!) for the calculations and it was similar to what I had conceived, plus a few additional variables I hadn't thought about. If life goes as I plan (ha ha), I do think it will be a good deal for us, so I am going to tour the properties in Novemeber and make a decision then. I'm just hoping that if, for some reason, we are ever not able to vacation as often as we are now that I can sell and not have lost very much.

Also, I love Hilton Head... is the resort there about the same as the WDW resorts, in terms of quality and points required?

 

[crisi]

I can think of a few specific posters who would tell me that people need to manage themselves and if they can't afford it, too bad, but who wouldn't want to stay at the BCV instead of an All-Star Resort? Bongo says DVC is a luxury purchase, and despite really scrutinizing the money threads, I just haven't seen any evidence to the contrary. Nuts.
Shannon

DVC is definately a luxury purchase. First off, vacations are a luxury. Everyone needs time off work, so it the strictest sense, vacations aren't a luxury. But going somewhere, that is a luxury. It may be a luxury your family prioritizes above other luxuries - like dining out, or driving a newer car - but its a luxury.

Then there is the luxury of a travel vacation every year, or every other year (potentially every third year). A committment to annual or biannual travel is more luxury. I grew up in a family where "vacation" meant a week with Grandma or the cousins. Once again, maybe you can afford to travel every year - maybe you choose to afford it by giving up something else.

If travel vacations are a luxury, then there are stages of luxury to them as well....we have friends that camp every year - for a few hundred dollars in gear and an annual park pass, they have a great time. Staying at the All-Stars is a different level of luxury than staying at the Poly Conceirge.

There are cheaper ways to do WDW than DVC - staying offsite, staying at a value. And, frankly, there are more expensive ways - staying at a Deluxe hotel year after year.

 

[shantay1008]

I do think it will be a good deal for us, so I am going to tour the properties in Novemeber and make a decision then. I'm just hoping that if, for some reason, we are ever not able to vacation as often as we are now that I can sell and not have lost very much.

Also, I love Hilton Head... is the resort there about the same as the WDW resorts, in terms of quality and points required?

It sounds like you would get your money's worth out of DVC, especially since you'd be paying cash for your initial purchase. The next bit of advice you'll hear a lot is "buy where you want to stay," but that's a-whole-nother topic.

I have read so many great things about Hilton Head that I can't wait for our family to go there someday. Definitely laid-back from the sounds of it, and lots of opportunities for enjoying nature, golf, shopping, etc. Again, I'm just going by what I've read here, but I've had the impression that it's as nice as the other DVC resorts. Maybe someone else can chime in about the resort's quality and how the points compare to other DVC properties.
Shannon

 

[landiscarrier]

No regrets at all!

We joined in March of 05' with 200 points and just bought 75 more 3 days ago! We absolutely love Disney and the upscale resorts are great!

One benefit we foundout in May was, there are less people at the upscale DVC Resorts so getting a seat on the bus at closing time is pretty easy! When people are standing and pushing on the All Star Busses we can sit down and relax on our way HOME!

 

[hoopsrob]

Do you think it is a reasonable strategy to buy in to SSR, hold for 15 yrs, then sell?

We will have received value by breaking even after 7 yrs and being able to vacation the way we want during a critical time for our kids...but then, we might not want it as much.

With 32 yrs left on the contract, we should still get some value for it in re-sale.

Any thoughts/opinions??

 

[crisi]

Do you think it is a reasonable strategy to buy in to SSR, hold for 15 yrs, then sell?

We will have received value by breaking even after 7 yrs and being able to vacation the way we want during a critical time for our kids...but then, we might not want it as much.

With 32 yrs left on the contract, we should still get some value for it in re-sale.

Any thoughts/opinions??

I think its reasonable. Traditionally DVC has held its value. And if you use it for fifteen years and figure you break even after seven, then anything you call sell it for it upside.

We've owned ours for four now, and go back and forth about how long we will own it. Sometimes I don't think it will last through the kids in high school. Other times I think we will own it well into retirement. I sort of figure that even if we can't use it, I can let other people use the points for the cost of dues - my nephews are five and seven years younger than my youngest - respectively (well, the newest one will be, he hasn't quite been born yet) - when my kids are fifteen and sixteen, my nephews will be eight and ten - and still Disney Age. So if my kids Disneyophile doesn't survive teenage hormones, we can get through college treating my sister's family.

 

[debloco]

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, we have never felt like we haven't gotten our money's worth.
DVC is some of the best money we've ever spent and we've never regretted the decision to purchase. We pay less than we used to for better accommodations and we love the flexibility.
We do regret not purchasing sooner!

HTH!

 

[tinytink]

We just purchased our DVC on our last Disney Cruise (DD to CC) and we are very excited to use it. We've (DH-28, Me-29, DSx3-11,8,1, and DD-3) been on Disney Cruise line twice and we would have basically paid for our DVC after the cost of two cruises with Disney. With 6 of us now it is really worth it and our very large family members could use it too. That was really the selling point since my cousins are close to the same age as my kids. We purchased 200 points and the DH has talked about buying more at a later time.
It's true $20k is alot to put down at one time but in the long run it will be well worth it for us with 4 young kids.

We sure do love our Disney Cruises.So we DO regret not purchasing earlier.