DVC - Help me decide!!

[melchar]

Hi,
I'm currently in WDW on visit number 15. I visited the open house at SSR and am considering entering in to the DVC. I would like opinions as to whether it is worth it for UK residents. We are a family of 4 and would need to travel in school holidays. We tend to stay in moderate resorts although have done deluxe a couple of times and would love to do more. I'm thinking maybe 100 points with a trip every 2/3 years. By the time you factor in flights, tickets etc would I save money or am I better booking when there's free dining etc and continuing as is? All thoughts welcome. Thanks

 

[CarolMN]

Given the very recent dip in the value of the pound vs the dollar, you may want to wait a few months to see how that settles. Unfortunately, DVC (and visits to the U S in general) just got a lot more expensive for members of the UK

 

[zavandor]

One of the few good financial decisions I did was to buy DVC a few years ago when $ was weak and DVC prices low. Now with the recent £ plummet and direct prices so high, I doubt I would buy.
It could still make sense for you, however... information is power! Are you sure you know all the ins and outs of DVC? It can be a complicated programme and to get the most out of it you really have to know well all the details. Which Use Year is the best for you? When will you travel will it be a high or low demand period for DVC (availability patterns do not match WDW high and low seasons)? Are you confortable with cancellation policies? Do you know about the resale market? How many points do you need? And so on...

It took me 5 months to study the system and decide to buy. I'd suggest to not buy while on vacation (and while intoxicated by pixie dust), but come back, take the time to read the DVC boards and then make an informed decision. DVC can be great, but it's not for everyone.
Your guide will be happy to sell you the same contract in a few weeks even from home (DVC is licensed to sell also in the UK).

Long story short: if you really want to stay at the Poly every trip for the remaining 50 years, then buying direct at the Poly can make sense.
If you want to try different resorts over time, buy a resale contract at SSR. If you want a Magic Kingdom resort, then BLT resale is just slightly more expensive over the lenght of the contract. If you usually travel between the end of September and Marathon week end in January, then considering another resort via resale can make sense if it's where you want to stay and you would be disappointed otherwise.

 

[Elise79]

Based on the current exchange rate issues and the fact you usually stay at a moderate I wouldn't buy.

Even best case it would take 10 years to get your money back and that doesn't really take into account the value of free dining.

Also take time at home to fully research DVC and understand it. It will be there later if you decide it's right for you.

 

[Minniesgal]

I love my DVC but I agree with the above now isn't a good moment way too much uncertainty in the exchange rates and UK jobs etc. I'd wait a while.

We would not have bought from Disney at current prices. It is worth spending a good long while calculating what you will spend over life of contract and really thinking about whether it is worth it

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We bought in at SSR in 2008 never regreted it. We are also from the UK. The guide said it would take 10 visits to break even, but as the exchange rate was good and we got last years points with the direct contract we did it in 4 trips. Like you we stayed in moderates. It has saved us lots of money. We started coming every other year niw we come once a year, buy an annual pass make it work for 2 years. Use a Virgin credit card to put all purchases home and get flying miles for flights. We rent a car direct from Alamo using Alamo brits. The cost of our accomodation is now just the dues. We have bought more add on contracts since at VGF and SSR. We plan on buying VWL when it gets released.

The dollar rate isn't great but I would not let that put me off. It is a long term purchase DVC. I believe it's worth it. But as others have said crunch the numbers and do much research. We dine a lot off property so DDP has never appealed. We already have a ticket also.

 

[pinklotusflower]

As other posters have already said you need to do some reading up on how it all works, I'd go on to the DVC forum and have a read through some of the posts on there. This is a good starting point http://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-resource-center.3516203/ I'd also look at resale unless you want to stay in a studio at the Poly, we own at BWV which is difficult to get in to at seven months at certain times of year as can other resorts. While your there take the opportunity to visit some of the resorts and then come back and find out more.

 

[melchar]

Well we took the plunge! Opted for 120 points at Polynesian. Spent as much time as I could researching it and guess only time will tell as to whether it was right for us. Was I intoxicated by Pixie dust......most probably! It was certainly a difficult decision and my love of all things Disney most definitely played a part be it for right or wrong reasons. Thanks for all the advice.......I would imagine there will be plenty more posts from me in future!

 

[AnnaS]

Congratulations and Welcome Home!

 

[CarolMN]

Welcome home!

 

[pinklotusflower]

Welcome home

 

[Nickunited]

Well we took the plunge! Opted for 120 points at Polynesian. Spent as much time as I could researching it and guess only time will tell as to whether it was right for us. Was I intoxicated by Pixie dust......most probably! It was certainly a difficult decision and my love of all things Disney most definitely played a part be it for right or wrong reasons. Thanks for all the advice.......I would imagine there will be plenty more posts from me in future!

Congrats - might be joining soon as well. Tough decision for sure but just have to know its right and not kill yourself down the road.

 

[Mdktf]

I love my DVC but I agree with the above now isn't a good moment way too much uncertainty in the exchange rates and UK jobs etc. I'd wait a while.

We would not have bought from Disney at current prices. It is worth spending a good long while calculating what you will spend over life of contract and really thinking about whether it is worth it

Way to much negativity... Im reality you would be a few hundred pounds worse off buying now than 12 months ago - If you go a lot to WDW and like deluxe/moderate DVC is best for you. Buy resale though - some great prices at the mo - even with scare mongering Brexiters!

 

[SianBeau]

Welcome home! Best thing we ever did was buy DVC......twice, whilst intoxicated by pixie dust! We love it and despite having to go during school holidays too, the places we are fortunate enough to stay in, more than make up for the flight prices

 

[melchar]

We're just looking at options for next year. Only stayed in AKL as deluxe before. What would you recommend?

Welcome home! Best thing we ever did was buy DVC......twice, whilst intoxicated by pixie dust! We love it and despite having to go during school holidays too, the places we are fortunate enough to stay in, more than make up for the flight prices

 

[Cyberc1978]

We're just looking at options for next year. Only stayed in AKL as deluxe before. What would you recommend?

That depends on what you would prefer? Close to epcot, close to MK or something different?

Since you bought Poly, Poly would be a good choice

 

[Wakey]

It can still be very good value now if you can get a loaded contract. I sold off my banked points when I got my SSR contract (I wouldn't use them) and immediately made $1800 dollars, reducing a 160 point contract with all current years points coming on it to circa £9k (including closing costs etc). We tend to go end August and stay in 1 beds. As they are the last to book out and it's fairly quiet I'm hoping I can get other resorts OK at 7 months (research suggests I will be OK). Anyway even if I don't, I've crunched all the number's and I will save around $2500 to $3000+ after dues, per trip so should break even at 4 trips. Then it costs me about £70 to the end of the contract at current money, to stay on site in a deluxe resort. Of course, the contracts have always increased on price and whilst I cannot be certain, I'd be surprised if I didn't get back more than I paid in 20 years.
But I paid cash, I would probabky be reticent to borrow for a luxury purchase like this.

 

[Lee Matthews]

My fiancé' and I have just returned from a 2 week trip to WDW and while I've been a few times, he totally fell in love with it too that we are now looking at DVC.

While we stayed at Cabana Bay this trip, it opened my eyes that it's just not Disney. Before I usually stay at the moderates like Port Orleans Riverside. fiancé loves boardwalk and AKL which of course falls under DVC.

We are looking at 120 points at $18,000 based at SS. We will only go in adventure seasons like January and September which at boardwalk is 76 points a week. We'd go probably ever 2 years and that will give us 3 weeks at WDW or 2 weeks and a cruise.

Flights I can find separately much cheaper. Dining plan and tickets are extra but over the 49 years or so, I'm really struggling to see how this is a bad deal?

2 weeks room only at Boardwalk in September is £3,500. 4 trips and DVC is paid for.

Dues of course can fluctuate but that will be paid from work bonus that I don't account as wage so won't notice it.

My only concern is the booking window for somewhere that isn't your home resort. I can imagine they book up instantly by those who's home resort it is..

Appricate any advice

 

[zavandor]

I guess you are looking at prices direct from Disney.
SSR can be purchased much cheaper on the resale market, as well as most of the other resorts, except maybe Poly and Grand Floridian. For example this is a resale broker sponsor of the DISboards:
http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting.cfm
You can find SSR between $70 and $80 per point, saving 50% compared direct from Disney. Later, if you want the perks that come with the membership (no one is guaranteed to remain in the future, though), you can make a small add-on direct from Disney.
To be ready to purchase in my opinion you have to spend a lot of time on the DVC boards here on the DIS to better understand all about the system. I did it for 5 months , but it was worth it, I think I made the right decision.
January and September are the same months when I go and low point period and low demand for DVC, so it's not that difficult to switch to different resorts, but be aware that this may became more difficult in the future as more resorts are added and pressure at 7 months for resort like BWV increase. Are you happy about staying at SSR? I bought it because of the cheap buy in cost and low Maintenance Fees and I've stayed for the first time there this January and I like it a lot. But I like also to change resort every time, so SSR points made sense for me.

You are also looking at the point cost for standard studios: it is almost impossible to get those at 7 months with SSR points for 2 weeks, even in September. I got them for last visit (I did a split stay between 3 resorts), but only with a waitlist, I booked preferred view for only 4 nights (shorter stay are easier to get through a waitlist) and then switched with a bit of luck thank to a waitlist, but I was ok to pay the points for a garden view. But if you buy at SSR do not count on ever getting standard view at BWV, BLT standard or theme park, value or concierge rooms at AKL, studios at VGF. Those are extremely difficult to get every day of the year.

To get an idea which category you can get every time of the year, have a look at this post:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/pr...-some-1-bedrooms-vgc-update-10-21-15.3419112/

 

[Lee Matthews]

Disney told me that with them your not at the same scrutiny as other timeshares when it comes to credit checks. Is that right? And the same case for Resale because whatever we choose, we would be financing it