DVC, doesn't appear to be for us

[zmanandshan]

We attended a presentation on the Wonder, seems like it's not for us right now. We always felt that you could vacation at any resort. Bay tower just isn't for us because we love the pop century, all stars, and was told that old key west isn't being sold right now. Our daughters are younger 2 and 4 and the cheezy resorts we seem to have more fun....and we seem not to do deluxe well. Any suggestions? I get the value it offers but I just cannot get into the resorts that are being offered. Thanks For anything anyone can offer.

Hey Scuba,
Go with your gut. Obviously, you had heard the presentation, getting some good info from these boards, and for the mere fact that you dont feel it is right for you, it probably isnt. It doesnt mean that it wont ever be right for your family. I'd suggest placing it on hold. Go to disney again, stay at your favorite resort, if your children seem like they would like a change, reconsider it. A quick story, one that is probably relevant to many of the people here on these boards: When I was a kid (I'm 36 now), my parents took me to WDW, but they didnt have enough $$ to stay on Disney. We didnt know any better, and still had a great time. I've been to WDW many times since that first time and until 2 years ago, have always stayed offsite. We stayed at a Deluxe and loved it. Now I am in the midst of buying my first DVC because we know we would like to go every year or at least every other year, like a more deluxe setting, and have the financial means to do so.

In short, dont be pressured into thinking that you HAVE to get into DVC. Your thought process is not flawed. If I were you, I'd wait a bit. Make a mental note to reconsider after your next WDW trip. The saving money issue behind the decision is complex and extremely variable taking in account your FUTURE travel habits.

John

 

[JenSop]

I agree with so much of the other posters. Go with what works for you. If you love the values, then stick with that for now. (We didn't like the values at all - just one stay and we knew we wanted DVC.) Maybe in a few years you'll be ready to look at DVC again.

We did not buy right away, as we couldn't initially afford it. But we have no regrets. We LOVE being DVC. There are trips we can take that we'd NEVER have been able to afford. Our first DVC trip was in a two bedroom at Beach Club and we took my parents and grandmother. (We don't have kids.) The memories from that trip alone made it all worthwhile. We've stayed twice at our home resort of AKV and nothing beats having those animals right outside your window. (We're big animal lovers!) Plus we feel that AKV has some of the best restaurants in WDW.

I'm going twice this year, once with DH at BLT in the summer and once with some of my girl friends at AKV in October.

Then in 2012, we're going to do a Grand Villa with my parents, grandmother, sister, BIL, and their two little girls. I can't wait to be able to give my nieces the best first Disney trip ever!

My point of all this rambling is just to say that DVC lets us do things we could never afford otherwise. I think rack rate for that 2BR at BCV on our first trip was over $6000. That's more than a third of our buy in price!

Good luck with whatever your decision may be. If you're not ready now, just visit us here again in a few years to get more info on all the new DVC stuff that will be going on then!

 

[JimMIA]

I was told by several folks including a DVC representative on the wonder that there was NO old key west DVC timeshares available......

I can understand "several folks" not realizing OKW is readily available both directly from Disney and through the resale market. There is a ton of misinformation out there about DVC.

But there is no way a DVC guide doesn't know.

If you end up buying DVC, I would certainly make sure you don't get that guide who lied to you.

I also agree with others that if you are happy with value resorts, DVC is probably not a good choice for you right now. Later, when your kids get older, maybe -- but not now.

 

[disneynutz]

The only way to know if DVC is a good fit for you and your family is for you to learn as much as you can and then do the numbers. I also suggest that you rent points and stay at one or two DVC resorts to see if it's a good fit.

Good luck and have fun.

Bill

 

[JenSop]

The only way to know if DVC is a good fit for you and your family is for you to learn as much as you can and then do the numbers. I also suggest that you rent points and stay at one or two DVC resorts to see if it's a good fit.

Good luck and have fun.

Bill

Totally agree - rent points from someone and stay DVC to see if you like it.

 

[katied]

I think it is completely a personal choice. For us, I see huge value in DVC with a young child (DS is almost 3, and we are expecting our second). I love have a washer/dryer in the room- packing is a breeze even when DS was an infant because I didn't have to worry about going through clothes with all the little accidents. I also love having a kitchen. It is so easy to eat breakfast in the room, and we generally have dinner in the room too. I find it far more relaxing than worrying about how DS will behave (and eat) while we're out.

For us, I don't care so much about the atmosphere at BLT either. What I care about is the 10 min. walk to MK. It's so nice to have such an easy walk back and forth - no collapsing the stroller, no bus, etc.

Going with older kids in the past (DNiece and DNephew) we didn't care so much about the room because we hardly spent any time there. With the little one, we spend far more time in the room (we take afternoon breaks every day), so having the better accomodations, more space for him to run around, being able to put him to sleep in one room and stay up in the other, etc. all leads to a far more relaxing vacation for me. For us, that makes DVC the best choice.