DVC - Gotta Ask "WHY" join??

[KLR-wlv]

The other thing that has been great for our family is being "forced" to take a vacation. My husband is in medical school and we have 2 young kids. We bought 2 years ago and have been on 5 vacations using our points. We have also brought our parents on 3 of those and friends on another. We would have NEVER been able to do that - or thought to do it - without joining. None of our friends even go on family vacations outside of visiting relatives. They all think we're decadent nuts! But with a 5 and 7 year old, there is really nowhere else I'd want to go on a family vacation right now than a disney property. I have been to all the dvc properties except BCV (which we're going to in October) and they are all terrific and we've always had a great time. You'll hear it all over this forum - but besides our houses, it's the best thing we've ever bought.

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by RJake1
Two 150 pt contracts. That's a good suggestion. Would it be a problem to split between resorts. Would I be able to book 12 month window at both even if I had to "borrow" some points from the other contract?

Currently home resort booking is at 11 months (unless I missed another change thread!). If you don't mind the possibility of moving mid-vacation you can book 1/2 at one resort, the other at the second. Then, at the 7 month window you can see if you can stay at whicever resort you prefer for that trip.

Another possibility if you want is to use the bank and borrow concepts so that it works out you have 300 points at resort A one year and 300 points at resort B the next. My brains is too fragged dealing with these stupid viruses and worms to go into explaining banking and borrowing, but I just wanted to point out that its another way 2 resort contracts can be 'done'.

-Joe

 

[pwoodham]

You'll need enough points at your home resort to book your entire stay if you want to do so at the 11-month window. Points borrowed from another resort can only be used at the 7 month window.
We own at both BWV and BCV. I'm very glad we do, but in order to ever get enough points, say, to book a BWV GV, I'll have to bank/borrow 2+ years worth of BWV points. I'd have enough with both contracts (plus a little more) to do it in one year, but there's little chance a BWV GV will be available 7 months out for a 10 day stay.
IMHO, owning at 2 resorts is great, but remember to get enough at each place to provide you with a wonderful vacation experience without having to borrow from your other account. Otherwise, you'll miss the benefits of your home resort 11 month window.

 

[N.Bailey]

Here is my take on why I think DVC is right for us. Keep in mind that I am in the process of trying to convince DH that we should buy in, but as of right now, we do not own. (keeping my fingers crossed for the near future though)

We like to vacation over Thanksgiving because we can take the kids out of school for 3 days (hunting season is a major holiday in Pennsylvania LOL) and have an 12 day vacation. To stay in a 2 bedroom over the period we would need 409 points(Nov. 26, thru Dec. 7th), so say 410 points at OKW (resale). Keep in mind too that there are many times you can go where the points wouldn't be as high, but there are times when it's more too. I'm talking over the week-end mainly. Friday, Nov. 28th would be 73 points alone.

So, we'd need 410 points at what? $72 per point? So each point would cost $1.90 per year for the next 38 years. You then would need to add maintenance fees of I believe $3.49 a point for OKW. (this will go up through the years). $1.90 + $3.49 = $5.39

So, each point will cost $5.39 at OKW right now, or pretty close to it. Multiply that amount by the 410 points that we'd need and we'd have $2209.90 and divide that by the 11 nights that we'd be staying and you come up with $200.90 (no tax) per night in a 2 bedroom home. Now, you won't get mousekeeping (unless you pay for it), but the other amenities IMHO more than make up for that.

In the future, we could really spread those points out a LOT further than we're looking for right now. Yes, I realize that I can get accommodations on site for less than $200 a night, but it wouldn't begin to compare to the 2 bedroom homes.

If it's a studio you're looking for, I think you'd be hard pressed NOT to save money if you decided DVC was for you.

 

[RJake1]

N.Bailey, thanks for the reply. I'm also from PA and I've tried to work out calculations like you've done.

We love cruising and just completed 4 day DCL which cost about $2500 for 3 of us (included taxes).

In DVC points, the same cruise would've cost us 341 points. At $5.39 per point thats $1837. Taxes would be extra but I can see some serious savings there.

I am getting convinced its the way to go. Now to convince wife. Tough to do with holidays coming up and this cruise to pay off.

Have you considered SSR for 50 years? I am leaning to VB resale.

 

[WDWguru]

While your cruise may have been a great deal, it may not always be. Keep in mind that the points to stay at non-DVC resorts and to take the DCL cruise (and to do other trade-outs) are NOT locked in like the DVC resort points charts. Those rates are negotiated annually by DVC and can and do go up. There is also language in the contract that those options can go away at any time. Not that it's likely to happen, but if you plan to use a significant chunk of your ownership for those options, consider these things before you purchase.

 

[jmminarik]

Originally posted by RJake1

Have you considered SSR for 50 years? I am leaning to VB resale.

If you're leaning toward VB because the initial buy-in seems to be lower, keep in mind the maintenance at VB is higher and eventually you'll wind up paying more (assuming a stable maintenance cost inlfation across the board). A corrosive environment plus property taxes not as easily controlled as in WDW is part of the reason VB has higher rates.

If you're leaning toward VB because you like the resort and plan on going there more often than not (Santa Goofy visiting while you swim in the pool at Christmas is way cool, even if it is chilly) then go for it.

We've never had an issue getting an on-property room with our VB points though our first choice onsite resort is OKW so it's fairly easy at the 7 month window...hopefully the non VB owners continue to learn how nice VB is and how wonderful the resort can be after a long WDW stay so the rooms onsite continue to be as available.

-Joe

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Another possibility if you want is to use the bank and borrow concepts so that it works out you have 300 points at resort A one year and 300 points at resort B the next.

You can bank one contracts points and borrow the same contracts points so that you could have 450 point available for the 11 month window for a specific resort one year. Each contract can bank and borrow specific to that contract, like you have two individual ownerships. You probably already know, buy your points where you want to stay most often, especially at peak seasons. Hope this helps.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

I can guarantee you that you will never miss housekeeping at all. You would very quickly find it a welcome relief to know that there will not be anyone coming into your room while you are out and you can leave it just as you please.

It sounds to me as if you are convinced to purchase and now just need to decide which way to go. The one statement you hear on this Board is, "we wish we had done it sooner than we did", so just keep that in mind. You can add me to the list of those that have made that statement.

 

[travelbug]

One mantra you will hear over and over around here is "buy where you want to stay most." As jmminarik said, if you're thinking of buying VB because you love it there and want the 11-month booking window there, great! But be careful if you buy VB thinking that you can easily reserve any DVC resort on property within the 7-month window. That may or may not be true, depending on when you want to travel and how flexible you are on which resort you want to stay at.

SSR with the 50-yr. contract sounds like it appeals to you, since you're keeping your daughter in mind for future. How about a resale at BCV, if you think your daughter (and her kids someday ) might really enjoy SAB?

Whatever you decide, good luck to you! Maybe this thread would be good to show your wife as a good discussion tool?? Let us know how your decision making is going.

 

[Richyams]

If you don't plan to spend the majority of your vacations at VB, buying there is a mistake.

 

[Lisa F]

I know this is probably sacrilege to say here, but since you said that you often stay offsite, have you considered buying a high quality offsite timeshare such as marriott? DVC is a really great deal if you are an onsite junkie but if you are just as happy staying offsite, then you are definately paying a large premium for DVC. We LOVE our DVC but have decided that if we ever decide that we intend to take more vacations, we would go with a marriott resale (and *gasp* see some other places... DVC is for WDW only in our eyes).

Just a thought. I don't want to push you away from DVC but I know many people are just as happy staying offsite.

Lisa

 

[cindercat]

Just talk to any DVC Member. Although it's true that you spent just $139 per night at Vero Beach (assuming that's a studio or Inn room), what will that rate be in 20 years?

The new Disney Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa that DVC is now selling is a 50 year plan. You pay now (or finance it) and your vacations are virtually free (witht he exception of annual dues - about $570 per month) for the next 50 years at over 300 locations on our beautiful planet?

And, you do you really need maid service every day? Don't think that it's free. You are paying for it.

I'd encourage you to talk to some more members, especially those that have taken advantage of the Member Getaways - World Passport program, and see what they have to say.

Have a Magical Day!!

 

[Cruelladeville]

We, too, have a Marriott resale for those "non-Disney" vacations, and it's great, but beware of hidden fees. I thought that all timeshares were like Disney, so I was in for a BIG shock when I bought Marriott. There is a fee imposed for all ressies outside your home resort, you MUST stay for a week Sat-Sat or Fri-Fri at one resort, and then there is the II membership fee. I like Marriott, but before you buy, you need to take these issues into consideration. You will continue to spend $$ after your initial investment. There is also the matter of trying to sell if you need to--non Disney timeshares tend to take a very long time to sell, and many are at a loss.

I like DVC because it is so flexible, the cost to sell still allows me to recoup my investment + dues, and I can rent my points to make money if I decide not to use them. This year I made $2500, which so far I haven't been able to do with my Marriott. These are all reasons why I think that DVC is a better route for buying timeshare, unless money and flexibility aren't important to you. For some people, having so many choices is a pain, so you have to decide which is right for you.

 

[Lisa F]

With DVC you will also continue to spend $$ after your initial investment. Dues on 300 points are approximately $1200/year (just rounding up to $4/point). At $79/point, 300 points is $23,700. Resales at Marriott properties in the orlando area seem to be about half that, with maintenance fees about half of DVC's and unless i'm misremembering, a marriott timeshare NEVER expires. YES, there is the cost of the II membership but at the same time there are benefits for that cost (such as the availability of very cheap getaways). All I'm suggesting is that someone who is perfectly happy staying offsite (except perhaps worried about the quality issue) should check out the higher quality offsite timeshares. There may be a few hidden fees but DVC is much more expensive than the others. DVC may not always support resale prices with ROFR so I wouldn't count on that as a reason for buying in, and lower resale prices work both ways (if you buy an offsite resale, you can get a better bargain than with DVC resales). I'm not saying NOT to buy DVC but personally I like to explore all of my options before plunking down many thousands of dollars. BTW, we own 350 DVC points because we don't want to stay offsite, we just love onsite too much and it's worth the premium to us, but we do know that we are paying a premium for it.

Lisa

 

[HeatherPage]

Cindercat,

Do you mean about $570 per year for dues? I own 200 points at Boardwalk and my dues are only about $66/month.

 

[Lisa F]

I'm sure that's $570/year. With dues at about $3.80 for SSR, 150 points would be $570/year in dues.

Unless you own 1800 points! Then it would be 570/month. ouch!

Lisa

 

[pirateparrot]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
Addendum: Please remember that daily maid service is available for a fee. Also, if a DVC member runs out of points, they can still take advantage of annual passholder rates at the regular resorts.... which very well may become few and far between.

Just curious, does anyone know what the current fee is for daily maid service?