DVC learner

[Kerlynne]

Hi!
First let me start off by saying I'm sorry if I'm not posting this is the right place. I saw that the webmaster said there is a q/a section but I don't see it.
I'm just new looking into the vacation club and have tons of questions. I received the video and today more paperwork about the points, etc., but my 2 major hang-ups are this. The CM told us, that they are only requests now for the new Saratoga Springs. So what if we knew we would never want to stay there. We would primary stay on property with the moderate resorts or the Shades of Green. So would this idea of the DVC not be worth it? Like I'm I wasting money, because I'm "paying" for a resort I wouldn't stay in. We most likely wouldn't benefit from the other areas and hotels around the country.
And another big concern is the annual fees. What does that really come to? I thought the Cm quoted us it would be little over $200 a month to finance the initial $1400 they want to sign up with. So If we are talking about $800 a year, that would need to be financed too.
So lastly my question would be, we aren't annual visits to Disney, but instead about every 3 years. Does the DVC only really benefit and "pay off" if you go more often. Because wouldn't we be paying for annual fees no matter if we go? $800 a year could easily pay for the hotel when we usually stay, but if we choose not to go in a year, I'm still paying for the unvisited hotel stay.
I so hope this makes sense! LOL It's so hard to put in words. Thank you for any guidence and help!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

If you go only once every few years and are happy with the moderate resorts or SOG, then DVC isn't for you. DVC would end up costing you a lot more money than just paying cash for the moderate or SOG.

DVC is really for those who go at least once a year (sometimes every other) and stay at delux resorts. People like my family of 6 who were getting two connecting rooms at the Polynesian during holiday periods are perfect examples of the type of people who save money with DVC.

What you say makes sense. Use the money to pay for the hotel like you suggest.

HBC

 

[BillPA]

Here is a link to the DVC FAQs

http://www.wdwinfo.com/dvc/faq.shtml

To me it does NOT sound like DVC is for you. 1 trip in 3 years, and staying at SOG or the Mods is not a good use of the points.

If you think you want a timeshare, to stay at other places more than Disney, look at somethong else. DVC is most cost effective for stays at Disney's DVC resorts. True we can 'swap' to other resorts but it may not be the best use of your money.

DVC is not for everyone. But if you stay on site at DIsney every 2 years or less, at a mod or higher, it should save you some money.

 

[dianeschlicht]

First of all the Q/A thread is one of the locked ones at the top of this board.

You would not get good value from DVC if you were only planning to stay at a value resort. They are not available for exchange from DVC. In fact, exchanges are not necesarily good values from DVC. You value comes from buying at one of the DVC properties with full kitchens, laundry facilities in the room and amenities like the whirlpool in the room etc. If you are going regularily, DVC can be a savings over staying at other resorts. Every 3 years would not be as great a value as more frequently, but it is doable. You can bank and borrow points every third year to get you accommodations so far above and beyond the value resorts. For example: If you buy 150 points and bank one year, the next year you will have access to 300 points. If you then borrow the following year, you have 450 points at your disposal for a given trip. You don't say how many people, but you could always go for a resale and pay less for a smaller contract that might fit your needs better.

I know you will have other questions, so ask away.

 

[brivers222]

You make a one time original payment (# of Pts x $95* = $one time buy in amount).

* They are offering Magical Beginnings where you have two options to choose from:

a) DVC buys back 1st years points and you pay $85/pt

b) you keep first years points and you pay $90/pt.


On top of this amount is the Due (property tax and maintance fees) which is reoccuring yearly (# of points x $3.8)

All you would be financing is the first initial buy in amount. When that is paid off all you then owe is the dues per year.

So really with me I won't be seeing a real benefit in the money value until after I pay off my original amount. Then you can take a week or 2 down at a Kicking resort for only the price of your dues per year. With hotel running $200-$400 a night right now ($1400 - $2,800 for a week), dropping ~$600/year for my points is nothing.

Not sure about the value but we are planning trips either each year or everyother year so I feel DVC works out for me.

 

[melk]

I'm not so sure DVC is right for you if you're not planning to stay at DVC resorts. But I would check into resales, see if there is something there to fit your needs. Also, you can always rent out your points in a given year and that should cover your annual dues for that year. But we try to go once a year/two years and DVC works for us. Also, once you try a DVC resort you really are spoiled and don't want to go back to a regular hotel room. We figure we save $ because we're a family of five and we eat every breakfast plus a couple of lunches/dinners in our room.

 

[brivers222]

Originally posted by melk
Also, once you try a DVC resort you really are spoiled and don't want to go back to a regular hotel room.

You got that right. We just did the whole 4 in a room for 6 nights at ASMv and 3 nights at AKL.

The last day we went on our open house and I about fainted when I walked into the demo rooms... Oh my gosh, the size the ammentites and the price difference.

I was annoyed because I could of at least put our hotel portion of the trip towards our recent DVC purchase had I know about this club before we went.

 

[Pluto4Pres]

Wow! There is a ton of information on this board that addresses your concerns. You could spend hours researching previous threads. I'll attempt a quick overview. I know that there are others who can give you exact dollar figures and comparisons, and I'm sure they'll chime in. Here we go:

Originally posted by Kerlynne
Hi!
First let me start off by saying I'm sorry if I'm not posting this is the right place. I saw that the webmaster said there is a q/a section but I don't see it.

You're in the right place.

I'm just new looking into the vacation club and have tons of questions. I received the video and today more paperwork about the points, etc., but my 2 major hang-ups are this. The CM told us, that they are only requests now for the new Saratoga Springs.

If you want to buy direct from Disney, SSR is the only place selling right now. However, you can buy at any DVC through the resale market. The link above for the Timeshare Store is a great place to start that search.

So what if we knew we would never want to stay there. We would primary stay on property with the moderate resorts or the Shades of Green. So would this idea of the DVC not be worth it? Like I'm I wasting money, because I'm "paying" for a resort I wouldn't stay in. We most likely wouldn't benefit from the other areas and hotels around the country.

The mantra on this board is, "Buy where you want to stay." You'll never go wrong if you do that. If you are buying DVC with intent to opt out of your home resort and stay at an onsite hotel, this will not be cost effective. These options are costly in points and are mainly there to add variety and let members see other resorts. You can stay at another DVC besides your home resort without the inflated point total. The catch here is that you get an 11 month window to make reservations at your home resort and only 7 months for others. These reservations are subject to availability.

And another big concern is the annual fees. What does that really come to? I thought the Cm quoted us it would be little over $200 a month to finance the initial $1400 they want to sign up with. So If we are talking about $800 a year, that would need to be financed too.

Annual fees are used to maintain the resort. They are subject to increase when circumstances arise requiring expense. This is done at an annual meeting for members. Your personal fee is based on the number of points you own.

So lastly my question would be, we aren't annual visits to Disney, but instead about every 3 years. Does the DVC only really benefit and "pay off" if you go more often.

There are wide variety of styles on this board. Some go only once every three years. You couldn't make it any longer than that without losing (or selling or giving away points) because of "banking" and borrowing. Some people on this board go several times (8-9) per year. You need to have enough points to do this though. So... you can make the judgement on how many points to buy based how many times you expect to use it

Because wouldn't we be paying for annual fees no matter if we go?

You get the points...You pay the fee.

$800 a year could easily pay for the hotel when we usually stay, but if we choose not to go in a year, I'm still paying for the unvisited hotel stay.

You only lose if you don't use the points.

I so hope this makes sense! LOL It's so hard to put in words. Thank you for any guidence and help!

I hope this is helpful. I'm sure you'll get some responses with more detail.

 

[Kerlynne]

Thanks so much for your insight.
I guess that maybe this may not work for us. It's so hard to decide. We have a 10ds now. And in the process of adopting a newborn now, so that's why I have to weigh this carefully.
In the past we stay at Shades Of Green, since it was in the middle of everything, but cheaper since dh is in the military. Since we have been married we went in 1997, and then in 2001. But this past year we went in July 2003 (last minute stay) and stayed in Yacht Club. Although we really enjoyed it, we normally wouldn't be able to stay there, but Disney was giving us military folks 40% the hotels, so it worked for us. And since Universal (I know Hiss Hiss) was offering even better deals we went back (first car ride down), December2003 to Orlando for a week, but stayed at Lowes Hotels. Plus got my Disney fix again, but going to DTD.
We would love to visit more often, but time you get the tickets, and pay for a way down, ugh, we can't do it every year. So that's what perked my interest with DVC, since the Cm said it pays for itself in 5 years. But our thoughts have always been, with (futuristic here) only 2 kids we probably don't need a studio, and are fine with bringing our own snacks down, to try to save $$. And do lunch/dinners at the parks. But then my brain starts to think again, and wonder do you save $$ in long run, if you can make your own dinners(by having a kitchen in your room). But then the other half of me thinks that we hate to leave the parks, to go back to hotel (to cook meals). I want to be selfish and say, heck I'm on vacation, last thing I want to do is cook. But if it would help to save $ and get down here more often.
Gosh, think my head will explode?!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Your dilemma is what all of us went through at one time or another. We used to go to WDW about every other year. We always stayed off site, and then one year we decided to splurge and stayed on-site. We decided right then that we could NOT go back to staying off! We looked at DVC back in 1992, but decided it was too costly. Then about 1994 we stayed at OKW in a studio (yep, paid cash that time) and completely fell in love with it! By the time we actually got around to buying, BWV had also been built and we had a choice to make. We looked at point costs etc, and bought at OKW, since we knew that was where we wanted to be. Our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner! I just cringe when I think about all the trips and free tickets we could have had if we would have done it back in '92!

We felt it did in deed pay for itself in abut 4 years. Of course, now we travel to WDW at least once a year, and sometimes 2-3 times!

Yes, you can save money by cooking in the unit. Bear in mind that the 1-2 bedroom units will give you a true vacation home type of accommodations, so you can cut food costs etc that way.

Also, it is important to look at DVC as a prepaid vacation. Just because you are vacationing at Disney World, does not mean you have to spend all your time in the parks. Each DVC resort is a true RESORT in its own right, and can be enjoyed as much as any other timeshare.

Good luck in making your decision!

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you decide to look at a resort other than SSR, you would have to look at the resale market. While those points often cost less, not all contracts are the same value. Some will have banked points, but others will have points borrowed against them. Look at all of the DVC resorts and think which will work best for you. Bear in mind that some have lower point structures than than others and annual dues will be less at some and more at others. SSR is somewhat in the middle for point structure and low dues like OKW. OKW will have the lowest points structure and dues, but is a bit more off the beaten path (which is why we love it). BWV & BCV will be in the heart of the action between Epcot and MGM, while VWL is another more laid back location, but easy access to Magic Kingom. These three all have higher point structures and dues cost than SSR or OKW.

 

[Ksp]

Don't count yourself out of the DVC family yet! My answer is entirely too long winded, and I'm sorry for that, but we waited to buy in and really regret the time lost to us. So, here you go...

A philosophical answer.... from a formerly stressed-out family....

As a DVC'r who (before joining) used to only stay at the value resorts....while buying in to DVC was an upfront cost, we looked at it as a real promise to our family (the 4 of us) that we would take a vacation together every year. Don't know about the rest of the world, but life seemed to keep getting in the way of taking vacations. (or maybe it was that we just kept visiting relatives for all our vacations...and that can be fun, but is also a source of stress!)
I can't even place a dollar value on DVC. We plan our vacations - can't wait for them to come around - and we know we'll always go on vacation because we've already spent the money. And I can't beat both my kids saying how much they enjoy our time down at WDW. Mom & Dad are relaxed, and the kids just enjoy themselves more.
Yes, we spend more than we did at value resorts; but that's because we go more often. I really enjoy checking out and only paying for whatever food/souvenirs we've purchased.


My non-philosophical answer....$$$:
(Here's a number disclaimer...I never sat and figured out how many visits it would take for us to break even!!)

When I look back at our hotel bills from ASMor AS sports...and then compare to our current DVC costs, our average trips of 5 nights at AS music might have cost us - say, around $85.00 to 90.00 a night in 2002, including the resort taxes, etc - for about $425.00 - 450.00 in just hotel bill cost.
For my annual dues of approximately $800.00 - $840.00(200 pts) , I can stay at DVC resort in studio, and save $$ on food costs, for anywhere from 15 to 17 nights (sun-thursday, OKW pts, 5 nts. each Magic, Dream, Premier. BWV & SSR are close, too).
Value resort cost would be closer to $1,275.00 - 1,350.00 for the same amount. (and that's not factoring in any seasonal price changes at value resorts)
With DVC, even staying in a studio (forget the 1or 2BR's for the moment - studios are closer to the value resort's rooms) cuts our food bill immensely. Add in to that the restaurant discounts we get as DVC members, and you can cut down on your bill while you are visiting.

As you can tell from the rest of the posts here....we really like being DVC members/owners. Maybe you would, too!

 

[Pa@okw95]

If you can still make reservations at SOG then I would not consider DVC. SOG has the largest standard rooms in all of WDW, unless the military did something to make them smaller, I doubt it. The price you pay to stay at once was a deuxe resort when it was the Disney Inn is great buy as you know. You can sleep 5 in SOG as you know also. I have been reading your two posts and it seems to me that money may be a little tight for you and you are about to have another child. The salesman told you that it pays for itself in 5 years is really a little of course in this situation. If you normally stayed at a deluxe resort at regular prices DVC might pay for itself somewhere down the road, but not someone that can get into SOG. If you buy a contract for 150 points it will cost you about $14,000 plus interest on your loan, sort of like buying a new car, then you have the annual dues which would run about $800.
DVC is being sold as some kind of savings which I do not agree with by the way, but it is. What you have to think about is how much a trip costs to WDW costs you now with the small amount you pay to stay at SOG compared to what it will cost you to own at DVC. I would never look at DVC as a savings especially for someone that can get into that beautiful former deluxe resort called SOG. I really think you should be careful about buying into DVC. By the way I used to stay at SOG when it was a deluxe, Disney Inn. It was my favorite, there were 5 of us and at the time anyway, the rooms slept 5.

 

[brivers222]

Originally posted by Ksp
My non-philosophical answer....$$$:
(Here's a number disclaimer...I never sat and figured out how many visits it would take for us to break even!!)

When I look back at our hotel bills from ASMor AS sports...and then compare to our current DVC costs, our average trips of 5 nights at AS music might have cost us - say, around $85.00 to 90.00 a night in 2002, including the resort taxes, etc - for about $425.00 - 450.00 in just hotel bill cost.
For my annual dues of approximately $800.00 - $840.00(200 pts) , I can stay at DVC resort in studio, and save $$ on food costs, for anywhere from 15 to 17 nights (sun-thursday, OKW pts, 5 nts. each Magic, Dream, Premier. BWV & SSR are close, too).
Value resort cost would be closer to $1,275.00 - 1,350.00 for the same amount. (and that's not factoring in any seasonal price changes at value resorts)
With DVC, even staying in a studio (forget the 1or 2BR's for the moment - studios are closer to the value resort's rooms) cuts our food bill immensely. Add in to that the restaurant discounts we get as DVC members, and you can cut down on your bill while you are visiting.

As you can tell from the rest of the posts here....we really like being DVC members/owners. Maybe you would, too!

I don't think your number even include sales take and hotel tax of about 18.5% additional to the rooms does it?

We looked over our bills from our last trip (6nights at ASMv and 3 nights at AKL) and we spent a whooping $800 alone on the HOTEL TAX's. JUST HOTEL TAXes.

With our points we purchased our Dues are only $608 so once we pay off the financing part we will be paying about $200 less per year between the TAXes and our DUES.

Finding that out just blew me away!

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

DVC is being sold as some kind of savings which I do not agree with by the way, but it is.

For many people it's a savings. For some others it is not. My family of 6 has saved a significant amount of $ by being DVC members. That's why you have to look at each situation individually.

HBC