DVC for Dummies...m

[5lilfish]

I'm sure this has been posted so I am absolutely fine if it would be easier to just direct me to an apporpriate thread.

We are a family of 7. Me, DH, DS 13, DD will be 12, DD 10 and twin DD's turning 3. I really want to seriously consider DVC but every time I look into it my head starts to spin. I'm worried that we will not like it. My concerns...we have to travel during school breaks. We can't be flexible with that. We like to be conveniently located...all the villas seem further removed from pools/transportation/etc. We also like the flexibilty of staying at whatever resort we feel like staying at (and often book conceirge). I want maid service. I have 5 kids and NEED the break from cleaning up after everyone. We like to cruise as much, if not more, than we like the parks. With a large family (that travels more than once a year), we would probably need a huge amount of points. Is it really worth it to pay that much out ahead.

Can someone walk me through how all of this works in a much more condensed way than trying to read about it on the disney site?

Thanks..
Jess

 

[delmar411]

In your case I'd honestly say DVC is not for you.

It's not for people who want daily maid service (you only get service every 4days)

It's not for people who want to use their points elsewhere (points are only a good value at the DVC hotels)

It's not for people who want concierge (yes AKV Jambo has some rooms but really the odds are low to get them) on a regular basis

It's not for people who want to stay at the regular Disney hotels (waste of points and money to do that)


That's about as simplistic as I can break it down for you after seeing your requirements.

I hope that helps!

 

[5lilfish]

In your case I'd honestly say DVC is not for you.

It's not for people who want daily maid service (you only get service every 4days)

It's not for people who want to use their points elsewhere (points are only a good value at the DVC hotels)

It's not for people who want concierge (yes AKV Jambo has some rooms but really the odds are low to get them) on a regular basis

It's not for people who want to stay at the regular Disney hotels (waste of points and money to do that)


That's about as simplistic as I can break it down for you after seeing your requirements.

I hope that helps!

Thanks. That is what I figured. For our tastes and desires in a vacation, every time I started to read about DVC, I just couldn't figure out why it would be so great. Again, I'm talking about not being good FOR US (not saying it is not good for people that have it). I really wanted to see it as something for us because we are Dsiney nuts. We've been to WDW more times than I can count and we've been on 13 Disney cruises...but I just can't seem to see how DVC would be a good option for us.

Thanks again...
Jess

 

[Sandisw]

I am not sure that DVC is the right program for you as it sounds like there are aspects of it that are not what you are looking for.

While DVC rooms don't come with mousekeeping, you can pay for it daily if you want. I am not sure exactly how much it is but I believe for a 2 bedroom unit (what you would need with 7 people), it is around $60.00 or so a day.

There are DVC resorts that are convenient. BLT is within walking distance to MK and BCV and BWV are close to Epcot and DHS. EAch has its own pool, but you can't beat BCV for that.

The only DVC resort that you can get conceirge services is AKV and even that is hard to get unless you call right at 9:00 am on the day your 11 month window opens.

Right now, until you really research it some more, I don't think that DVC makes sense based on what you have as preferences for your WDW trips.

 

[5lilfish]

I am not sure that DVC is the right program for you as it sounds like there are aspects of it that are not what you are looking for.

While DVC rooms don't come with mousekeeping, you can pay for it daily if you want. I am not sure exactly how much it is but I believe for a 2 bedroom unit (what you would need with 7 people), it is around $60.00 or so a day.

There are DVC resorts that are convenient. BLT is within walking distance to MK and BCV and BWV are close to Epcot and DHS. EAch has its own pool, but you can't beat BCV for that.

The only DVC resort that you can get conceirge services is AKV and even that is hard to get unless you call right at 9:00 am on the day your 11 month window opens.

Right now, until you really research it some more, I don't think that DVC makes sense based on what you have as preferences for your WDW trips.

Conceirge is not a deal breaker...it's just convenient when you have 5 kids. It's nice to just grab them a drink and/or a quick breakfast before hitting the park, but it isn't something we get every time we go to WDW.

The maid service is definitely a big deal. As is not being able to stay at the normal Disney Resorts.

Thanks again...
Jess

 

[disneynutz]

With Spring Break being a popular time, that could be a problem unless you book at your home resort.

A positive that wasn't mentioned, is that with a growing family, a 2 - bedroom Villa would be great for a growing family.

Bill

 

[RobDoc]

Conceirge is not a deal breaker...it's just convenient when you have 5 kids. It's nice to just grab them a drink and/or a quick breakfast before hitting the park, but it isn't something we get every time we go to WDW.

The maid service is definitely a big deal. As is not being able to stay at the normal Disney Resorts.

Thanks again...
Jess

Daily housekeeping service is available for an additional fee, but is otherwise included only every 4 days with a full clean (including fresh bedding) every 8 days. Still, if you go frequently (at least every couple of years), DVC can be very economical providing you stay at DVC resorts. Using DVC points for other WDW resorts is NOT economical.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[cg1200]

If you have 7 in your family, you'd need about 250 points (roughly) for a 5 or 6 night stay during the busier times of year in a 2BR. Not sure what your budget is but if you wanted to buy 250 BLT points you'd need 28K. That's a pretty substantial investment for most.

 

[DenLo]

Only you can determine if the DVC is for you. However, since you do have a large family, I believe I can safely say you always have to reserve two hotel rooms or a multi-room suite. If you belonged to the DVC you could reserve a 2 bedroom which means you have three rooms. And with the two newest resorts of AKV and BLT you get a third bathroom. As your children grow you might find more room is desirable and that will mean three rooms, but you'll only have two adults and regular hotel rooms require an adult in each room. Also you'll have a master bedroom that will give you and your DH some time alone. With a DVC villa you still could pay for daily maid service which is expensive, but still it's your vacation and that makes sense to spend the extra dollars to give you a break. Having a kitchen means there's a full size refrigerator in which to store drinks and milk and a selection of cereals can be obtained from the market in the hotel. Or if you want more variety you can order grocery delivery from a couple of companies in Orlando.

Using your DVC points for cruises is not really a good value though, so I can't recommend anything there.

You could always rent some DVC points and stay one vacation at a DVC resort with your family and see it you like it.