DVC experts please help I'm a newbie

[firsttimer2007]

DH and I were thinking of purchasing a DVC. I have read on allears.net about the disney vacation clubs.

The cost is $101 x (# of points) 160 = $16,160.00

Is this the total cost? Am I doing the math right? This seems like to good of a deal. If we go in off season we could go twice in one year at 80 points per week. The cost would be less than $500.00.

This seems to good to be true. WHAT and I doing WRONG???

I must be missing something.

Thanks for your help!

 

[kmintheville]

YOu are close....and there is a lot of "it depends..." on what you say. There are also annual dues, that run around $4.00 on average. They are more at some places adn less at others. Also, your cost per point depends on which Villa resort you buy into. So, the annual dues on 160 points, at about $4.00 each point take you to $640 annually. This, plus the $16,000 annualized out, is still a great deal on great rooms at a great place. The annualization of the point investment up front also depends on which resort you buy into, as some have shorter life-spans than others, but all are over 32 years, which, I assume, is where you are getting the $500 per year. So, basically, add that to the annual dues, and it is still a good deal.
I suggest you look around these boards more, and even talk to a guide to get your questions answered, as it is tricky to understand at first. You are basically paying for the bulk of your annual Disney trip or trips up front, and you can use the points for many other places, too. And if you plan to go twice a year, it is most probably for you!

 

[Donald is #1]

Are you looking at purchasing at one of the new resorts (AKV or BLT) or one of the sold out resorts?

If you are looking at one of the sold out resorts, then if you decide to purchase resale, then you can buy a contract from less that $101 per point from one of the reputable resalers. There will be closing costs, but some of the resorts are selling for under $80 or $90 a point.


Please feel free to ask us as many questions has you have. We have all been there.

 

[firsttimer2007]

Keep in mind I have not seen any of the DVC resorts.

I like to know EVERYTHING before I buy. So when I walk into a place I am ready to buy right then. Unless something goes wrong of course.

Which resort is the nicest for a family of 4 with 2 pre-teen boys that LOVE golf. Is it better to buy resale points or straight from disney?

I looked at allears.net the resale site and found it to be confusing. Some had banked points. Some had 2007 and 2008 points. Some had 2008, 2009 and banked points. Am I ONLY buying 2008 and 2009 points? If I do this, I want it to last longer than two years.

Also, does it cost extra to make reservations? Does it cost to save points for the next year? Can I stay someplace other than Disney or is it just Disney resorts? Can you pay your fees upfront and never have to worry about them again?

 

[Deb & Bill]

You probably need to find out a whole lot more about DVC because there is a lot of understand to make it work. Try checking out the Disney website and click on DVC. Then you can order a package from DVC with all the info.

 

[Donald is #1]

Keep in mind I have not seen any of the DVC resorts.

I like to know EVERYTHING before I buy. So when I walk into a place I am ready to buy right then. Unless something goes wrong of course.

Which resort is the nicest for a family of 4 with 2 pre-teen boys that LOVE golf. Is it better to buy resale points or straight from disney?

I looked at allears.net the resale site and found it to be confusing. Some had banked points. Some had 2007 and 2008 points. Some had 2008, 2009 and banked points. Am I ONLY buying 2008 and 2009 points? If I do this, I want it to last longer than two years.

Also, does it cost extra to make reservations? Does it cost to save points for the next year? Can I stay someplace other than Disney or is it just Disney resorts? Can you pay your fees upfront and never have to worry about them again?

Deb & Bill offered some great advice. Check out the DVC website and order their info material.

If your boys are in to golf then OKW and SSR are right next to a golf course. However, these resorts are also the most spread out. If you have an up-coming trip, then I would recommend visiting some of the resorts so that you can get the feel of them.


On the points, each contract has a Use Year (UY). This is the month when the points expire/renew. Each year on the first day of your UY, you get that year's allocation of points. For example, I have an August UY. This means that my 2008 points are valid from 8/1/08 until 7/31/09. I will get my 2009 points on 8/1/09.
If you don't use all of your points in a given year, then you can bank the remaining points (with some restrictions) into your next UY. Once they have been banked, they have to be used. So in my example, if I bank some of my '08 points, then I have to use them between 8/1/09 and 7/31/10.

Let's say that you have a 160 point contract with an August UY. Then every Aug 1, you will get 160 points. The points expire in this example on 7/31 unless you bank them.

You can make reservations 11 months prior to your trip at your home resort so matter where you are in your UY. It is when you take the vacation that matters. So let's say that you have the August UY above. You want to take a trip in September 09. You can book the trip in Oct 08. The points that you use for the trip however, will be from your '09 points not your '08 points.

 

[bmalonef45]

First off you are in the right place to find out the information you need. BUT if you can afford it, I would go down for a couple days, take the tour of the models and then go look around at all the other resorts.

An earlier poster mentioned that some resorts are spread out. This is true, and others share their existence with other Disney resorts. They all have similar rooms but are very different in their own way even if its just the location at WDW.

This isn't even taking into account the other two existing resorts at Hilton Head, and Vero Beach or the new planned resorts at Disneyland and Hawaii.

I know it sounds like a lot to think about and its a lot of money. But if you really love Disney World and feel like its something you'll enjoy visiting multiple times over the next 30-40 years and have family that share this view take a good hard look. There are many people here that will agree that DVC is the best choice they've ever made. Good luck with your search.

 

[disneynutz]

DH and I were thinking of purchasing a DVC. I have read on allears.net about the disney vacation clubs.

The cost is $101 x (# of points) 160 = $16,160.00

Is this the total cost? Am I doing the math right? This seems like to good of a deal. If we go in off season we could go twice in one year at 80 points per week. The cost would be less than $500.00.

This seems to good to be true. WHAT and I doing WRONG???

I must be missing something.

Thanks for your help!

Here is my recipe for becoming a satisfied DVC owner.

Read
Ask questions
Do the math
Read some more
Ask more questions
Rent where you want to buy
Put away your emotions
Buy where you love to rent

 

[christa112]

OP--I see you are leaving for the POP in 3 days set aside some time and get a DVC Tour, they can definately answer any questions you have. We also got Fast Passes for your time (if that is still the promo going on). They also give you a great hardcover book and pamphlets with all sorts of info and pictures of all the resorts and how many points each resort and rooms are worth.

 

[chalee94]

Is this the total cost? Am I doing the math right? This seems like to good of a deal. If we go in off season we could go twice in one year at 80 points per week.

this is true at OKW for a studio during january, september and early december, but not for the other DVCs. OKW's studios with 2 queen beds would work for a family of four, but other resorts' studios have 1 queen bed and 1 pullout sofabed...which may be a tough fit for 2 teen boys.

if you ever try a 1BR and get your own separate room (not to mention that 1BRs at OKW are around 1000 sq ft), you might get spoiled and have to add-on more points...

there is definitely a lot to learn. hang out here for a while...learn to use the search function and scan through a lot of threads to find out answers to questions you haven't thought of yet...then ask questions if something is unclear. it can take a while but all of the information is around here somewhere...

 

[Coach81]

Read and research this board, the answers will come.

Good luck with your decision!