DVC is Insanely expensive

[jockotaco]

So my wife (and 3 kids) and I joined DVC and we love it but we take friends, family, stay longer and rent bigger units than ever before. Our disney hotel room vacations have turned into 2 bedroom villa vacations with full kitchens that last longer than any vacation prior. Our disney cruise is know going to be supplemented (as if it needed to be) with a 4 day stay at vero beach. We need more points!!!! Although we are saving a ton of money we are spending more than before, holy moly this is confusing. Travel habits change, for the better, with DVC. I am already looking at renting points, can't get enough.

 

[Sammie]

So my wife (and 3 kids) and I joined DVC and we love it but we take friends, family, stay longer and rent bigger units than ever before. Our disney hotel room vacations have turned into 2 bedroom villa vacations with full kitchens that last longer than any vacation prior. Our disney cruise is know going to be supplemented (as if it needed to be) with a 4 day stay at vero beach. We need more points!!!! Although we are saving a ton of money we are spending more than before, holy moly this is confusing. Travel habits change, for the better, with DVC. I am already looking at renting points, can't get enough.

I would definitely rent before adding on. As you and your children age, you will find that your travel habits change and you might not need more points later on.

Plus you don't want to saddle yourself with all those dues in your golden years.

 

[jockotaco]

I agree we are adding on a small contract and will be renting as needed. We have realized that add on contracts could be never ending. I love my DVC.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Good for you!

We have added on. I like having the control over the reservations. DH and I are of one mind on this. Have fun! I'm also doing a 4 night VB stay after a cruise! This will be after the Member Cruise in January!

 

[dreamlinda]

I agree we are adding on a small contract and will be renting as needed. We have realized that add on contracts could be never ending. I love my DVC.

We love ours also, and with the time and money commitment for plane tickets from DIA we like to stay for a minimum of a week, happier with 10 days, always wanted to try 2 weeks.....

 

[dzorn]

So my wife (and 3 kids) and I joined DVC and we love it but we take friends, family, stay longer and rent bigger units than ever before. Our disney hotel room vacations have turned into 2 bedroom villa vacations with full kitchens that last longer than any vacation prior. Our disney cruise is know going to be supplemented (as if it needed to be) with a 4 day stay at vero beach. We need more points!!!! Although we are saving a ton of money we are spending more than before, holy moly this is confusing. Travel habits change, for the better, with DVC. I am already looking at renting points, can't get enough.

That's why we limit our family and friends trips. I feel no need to pay for others vacations.

Travel habits to change so I would look into renting or taking a year off.

Denise in MI

 

[AllieV]

I was thinking of finding a small 25 pt add-on for my new 100-pt contract, but when I did the math, I figured that I could rent/transfer any extra points I needed and be ahead for about 10 or 12 years vs buying a 25 pt contract (they cost more per point and the closing fees jumps the price by $13-15 per point; direct is almost cheaper). Or I could just go fewer days

 

[disneynutz]

So my wife (and 3 kids) and I joined DVC and we love it but we take friends, family, stay longer and rent bigger units than ever before. Our disney hotel room vacations have turned into 2 bedroom villa vacations with full kitchens that last longer than any vacation prior. Our disney cruise is know going to be supplemented (as if it needed to be) with a 4 day stay at vero beach. We need more points!!!! Although we are saving a ton of money we are spending more than before, holy moly this is confusing. Travel habits change, for the better, with DVC. I am already looking at renting points, can't get enough.

That's why many call DVC a luxury purchase. They sell it to you as a money saver but you spend more money!

Gosh the Mouse is smart.

Bill

 

[kylmac]

We have added on as well and always look to Disney for our vacation requirements while the kids are young (10 and 13). We just got back from a week in AZ (Grand Canyon, Sedona-love those red rocks!, Lake Powell, and Phoenix) and while the kids had fun they could not wait until we got to Disneyland for Carsland. So Disney plays a huge roll in our vacations as of now and we always wonder if we should add more points. Right now we are sticking to our guns and not buying! Good luck!
Elizabeth

 

[dzorn]

I was thinking of finding a small 25 pt add-on for my new 100-pt contract, but when I did the math, I figured that I could rent/transfer any extra points I needed and be ahead for about 10 or 12 years vs buying a 25 pt contract (they cost more per point and the closing fees jumps the price by $13-15 per point; direct is almost cheaper). Or I could just go fewer days

Dont forget you can buy one time use points from DVC at the 7 month window.

Denise in MI

 

[Fatalbie]

Totally agree!! The expense of the points themselves (at least for the the # of points I have) seems insignificant when you start adding all the other stuff in. That being said, we have some great memories over the last five years that I wouldn't trade for a couple grand in cash!!!

I try to justify it by comparing the price of a rental on the beach at the Cape for ten years.


We also get a few vacations out of 10 no expire tix so the dollar cost average goes way down.


That's how I justify it, not sure DW is buying it!!!

Jim

 

[joeyrose]

i believe the op's "dilemma" is dvc's objective....very clever mouse in getting the moolah from us.

 

[Dean]

So my wife (and 3 kids) and I joined DVC and we love it but we take friends, family, stay longer and rent bigger units than ever before. Our disney hotel room vacations have turned into 2 bedroom villa vacations with full kitchens that last longer than any vacation prior. Our disney cruise is know going to be supplemented (as if it needed to be) with a 4 day stay at vero beach. We need more points!!!! Although we are saving a ton of money we are spending more than before, holy moly this is confusing. Travel habits change, for the better, with DVC. I am already looking at renting points, can't get enough.

You might also consider a non DVC timeshare option for other locations, might be both cheaper and give you more/better options long term.

 

[rock_doctor]

It is an addiction. We started with 200pts now up to 600pts...

 

[sweetdana]

I transfer in points every yr. I pay about 2-5$ premuim over buying with any resort I want for the yr, and with however many extra points I need for the yr.

Based on I know we will not always go as much as we do, it works great. If I took family (not sure I would really pay for them), I would just find a bigger transfer for the yr.

...Now for the record the resale for SSR in the 50s is a toughy to pass.. ha ha.

 

[BestDadEver]

I would phrase it "WDW is expensive" .

Everything you listed is a by product of dvc giving you a good deal , so you can go to WDW so much . And spend so much money at WDW .

At my dvc pitch session, they specifically mentioned the reason for DVC is to get us back year after year to spend money on WDW . Am I the only one that they told this ?

 

[Mokat76]

DVC IS expensive, but only because it has changed my behavior from occasional WDW goer to full-fledged addict. I blame the DVC membership since I never have to factor the cost of lodging in my vacation budget calculations. Did my first DCL cruise on DVC points, too, so my addiction just continues to worsen. I've been tempted to add on but have resisted...so far.

All that said, I love my DVC membership. It's the best expensive thing I've bought. It brings repeated joy. It has given me the opportunity to be a kid every single year. When the CM says, "Welcome home," I'm beaming because I'm just so happy to be home again.

 

[disneychic]

We have realized that add on contracts could be never ending. I love my DVC.

Honey, aint that the truth! We joined in 2000 by purchasing our initial contract at BWV. 1 year later....a larger contract was purchased at HHI - we thought -- wow! This is A LOT of points..... a few years later we added on an other big contract at SSR. Then a smaller add on at BLT, and then 2 years later added on at AKV and oh yeah - last fall some more points at SSR and, I still don't have enough (all though if you ask my husband he probably thinks we have enough for right now) but I have a very very bad case of "addonitis". You'll find that a lot of DVC owners suffer from this disease!