DVC Members

[skinsfan2878]

What is involved with the DVC? I saw this several times last week, and got to talk to one guy about it. He was very vague and wanted me to go on a tour, but I had way too much to do. Any ideas as to how much it is and what does it do for you?

 

[d1gitman]

This will probably get bumped to the DVC section, but here is my take on it. For 5 yrs. now I have been running the math on DVC and for us, it just isn't worth it. You can buy at rack rate from WDW or buy used on the DVC resale market for a reduced rate per point.

Bottom line is this, i have run the costs in today's dollars to purchase the points and the annual dues in current dollars. It's important to remember that the annual dues can be adjusted by WDW each year and this is their safety net to insure they generate the profit they need.

So, by adding up the cost for minimum entry points thru DVC direct and extending out the annual dues till the year 2054, you would be spending the average of $900+/- per year. The amount of points (120 i believe, it's been a year since i looked into it) would get you about 10 nights (Sun-Fri) in a studio room per year, during value seasons. So this means you are spending around $90 per night for a room. The catch is this, you are on the hook for that $900 per year till 2054. That's a big commitment for something you can already get without being on the hook. We love Disney to death, but I am pretty sure that we won't be going for 45 yrs. in a row.

Also, the point cost for Friday and Saturday night stays is way higher than Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs night stays. If you look it up on point charts and calculators on line, you will see that Fri + Sat night cost almost as much as Sun+Mon+Tues+Wed+Thurs nights combined.

The selling point that DVC points can be used for offsite stuff and Disney Cruises is also a mute point in our book. The points required for offsite stays and Disney Cruises is astronomical.

For us we just don't see any value in the program. Furthermore, we don't see it as a wise use of our money to be committed to vaca expenses for 45 yrs to come.

Trust me, I have wanted the math to come up in our favor and I keep crunching numbers year after year after year, but i keep coming to the same conclusion.

For our next trip, we will be renting DVC points from another owner and saving a bundle on Deluxe accomodations.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

It works for some people and for some people it doesn't-
That being said it works wonderful for us! We are a family of 7 and already have big expense when it comes to accommodations, food, tickets, etc- It saves us a bundle over the years and we can also invite friends of the kids, our friends, family, give a trip as a gift, etc and not worry about cost anymore- Disney is able to raise dues yearly by 15% max if they deem necessary, this has not happened to my knowledge at all but we are still fairly new DVC members- At the DVC boards you can get more info from those hwo have been members much longer- We played with the idea for awhile and I researched everything I could, the DVC boards gave us the deciding factor. Our Guide was low pressure and great too- no pushy sales speel just all the info I needed to make an informed decision!
Research it and run numbers as d1gitman mentioned...
We will always want to vacation at Disney so no issue about trading out for us- If we decide to go to another destination one year we can use our DVC but we would likely pay OOP.
Prices on accommodations are going to continue to go up (If you can remember staying in a nicely equipped hotel, even 5 star for about $35- a night and what prices are now...) We have a large family w/ 5 kids and can't get one hotel room- vacation last year we had to have 2 hotel rooms and for 3 nights I paid over $900! that did not include meals either other than a small continental breakfast in the a.m.- We didn't get discounted AP's for parks in the area or have the additional discounts to outlying sources of entertainment- Disney's "extra" perks for DVC can also change at any time but what we pay to stay in a 2 BR Villa for a week with full accommodations by far passes the Hyatt IMO- For my DH & I the HYatt and others are very nice for a quick stay but I love a seperate sitting area, large bathroom w/ whirlpool tub, laundry, full kitchen, etc- We can't wait to stay at our DVC resort! & AP discounts are great if you get to take advantage of them!
Good Luck!

 

[ryanmcin]

This will probably get bumped to the DVC section, but here is my take on it. For 5 yrs. now I have been running the math on DVC and for us, it just isn't worth it. You can buy at rack rate from WDW or buy used on the DVC resale market for a reduced rate per point.

Bottom line is this, i have run the costs in today's dollars to purchase the points and the annual dues in current dollars. It's important to remember that the annual dues can be adjusted by WDW each year and this is their safety net to insure they generate the profit they need.

So, by adding up the cost for minimum entry points thru DVC direct and extending out the annual dues till the year 2054, you would be spending the average of $900+/- per year. The amount of points (120 i believe, it's been a year since i looked into it) would get you about 10 nights (Sun-Fri) in a studio room per year, during value seasons. So this means you are spending around $90 per night for a room. The catch is this, you are on the hook for that $900 per year till 2054. That's a big commitment for something you can already get without being on the hook. We love Disney to death, but I am pretty sure that we won't be going for 45 yrs. in a row.

Also, the point cost for Friday and Saturday night stays is way higher than Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs night stays. If you look it up on point charts and calculators on line, you will see that Fri + Sat night cost almost as much as Sun+Mon+Tues+Wed+Thurs nights combined.

The selling point that DVC points can be used for offsite stuff and Disney Cruises is also a mute point in our book. The points required for offsite stays and Disney Cruises is astronomical.

For us we just don't see any value in the program. Furthermore, we don't see it as a wise use of our money to be committed to vaca expenses for 45 yrs to come.

Trust me, I have wanted the math to come up in our favor and I keep crunching numbers year after year after year, but i keep coming to the same conclusion.

For our next trip, we will be renting DVC points from another owner and saving a bundle on Deluxe accomodations.

A few things to consider...

Starting in 2010 the point charts have been revised to bring the Friday and Saturday costs closer to the weekday costs.

You are correct that the offsite (Cruise and Adventures and exchanges) are a poor value.

Renting points is a good option, it just depends on how long you intend to do it for.

When calculating the actual cost of the membership you need to keep in mind that it isn't a zero sum game. I often see calculations looking for the 100% pay back period based on savings vs rack rate. The membership has a cash value that has been fairly well established over the years. Purchasing a membership through the resale market is the most cost effective solution at the moment and will help to offset or eliminate the initial drop of value (like driving the car off the lot).

DVC isn't for everyone, but if your long term vacation plans involve Disney Parks then this can be very good for you.

 

[d1gitman]

...We are a family of 7...

that's a good point to note. We are only a family of 4 so we can always stay in a single room. With a larger family, you are forced into multiple rooms or suites. I can definitely see where the math could work in the favor of a family needing more room.

Also, i concurr that the DVC salespeople are not pushy, just very accomodating. That was one thing that i noticed right away. Interestingly, when i started going through my math with them, they didn't debate or argue or even try to bring me around in any way, they totally let me have my viewpoint.

So, as soon as i can make the math work for our family, trust me, i would love to justify jumping into DVC.

 

[d1gitman]

one thing that is interesting to note is that whether you buy directly from WDW or buy on the resale market, your ownership is exactly the same. one of my complaints with DVC is that it doesn't throw in any freebies like dining or passes or even pass upgrades.

maybe a distinction between direct DVC ownership and resale DVC ownership could be that direct owners could get perks that non direct owners can't get. something like 2 free MYW base passes for lenght of stay or 2 free DDP's for lenght of stay. this would also force the guest into buying additional DDP for anyone in the party over a headcount of 2.

it just seems to me that DVC should offer something substantially more than just the lodging.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We have an entire DVC section on this board, as already noted. We are not a bunch of kool-aid drinkers. We see it, for the most part, for what it is. You really owe it to yourself to post your question over there where the expertise really is. While my barber thinks he knows a lot about cars, my dad, the mechanic, is my authority.

As has been noted already, this thread is likely headed over to the DVC Operations or Misc forum anyway, just as soon as a mod sees it.

 

[HayGan]

one thing that is interesting to note is that whether you buy directly from WDW or buy on the resale market, your ownership is exactly the same. one of my complaints with DVC is that it doesn't throw in any freebies like dining or passes or even pass upgrades.

maybe a distinction between direct DVC ownership and resale DVC ownership could be that direct owners could get perks that non direct owners can't get. something like 2 free MYW base passes for lenght of stay or 2 free DDP's for lenght of stay. this would also force the guest into buying additional DDP for anyone in the party over a headcount of 2.

it just seems to me that DVC should offer something substantially more than just the lodging.

DVC members do receive special discounts. The most significant one is the discount on annual passes. You save $100 on a regular annual pass and $125 on premium annual passes. For my family of 4 that is a $400 savings which is the cost of my annual dues on one of my contracts! We were able to get 2 big trips out of 2 of our passes and 3 trips out of the other 3 (Non expire passes for those number of days would have cost me soooo much more!)There are also dining discounts available.

We bought because we wanted to own at Disney. It is like owning a piece of the magic. I want to know I can get my 2 bedroom savannah view for anytime I want to go to WDW. Being able to spend my vacation in a nice comfortable room with the abilitity to cook our own meals if we so choose is another very important aspect. I can feed my entire family breakfast AND lunch for what it cost others for just one breakfast TS! It is benefits like that which others do not figure into their calculations when deciding the true benefits to ownership!

I'm not saying ownership is perfect but for our family it works very well

 

[glovelsu]

the usual motto is dvc is worth the cost if

1) you go to disney at least every other year- and see yourself doing this for at least the next twenty years
2) you use deluxe accomodations- otherwise as said above rack rates are probably better
3) you don't have to finance
4) you can plan vacations at least 7 months in advance

a couple things to remember- the benefits are more space, a washer and dryer and kitchen in the room.

the downside- cost--- plus everyone who tries it tends to decide they wnat to go MORE often and eventually buys more points

lastly- this is NOT an investment. it is prepaying disney vacations. when your contract ends you have no monetary value (though the memories will be priceless

 

[Kurby]

we are a family of 3 and it works for us.

we based how many points we would need on a studio - since that's what we figure that's how we vacation and don't need 1 or 2 bedrooms - even if we have a second child it still works for us.

so a stuido for 10 nights in the months we normally go - which is off season.

for us 210 points did that. if we wanted to invite family and needed a larger room then we wouldn't go every year and borrow or save from one year to the next.

also - for those years where we want to take a vacation to see family in england or go somewhere else we just rent out our points and that money goes towards paying that trip.

for us - we often stayed in the value resorts or mod resorts and never stayed in the deluxe ones. being dvc members allows us to stay in the deluxe accomodations.

for example we are going this spring and staying 4 nights at WL and 7 at OKW on

yes there is the innitial out lay and the annual dues but that's why you need to do the math - we didn't go on any tour either - we had them mail out all the information and i sat for a while calculating how much, based on our current travel habbits, we would spend over the same number of years.

and if we find that in 20 years we aren't going anymore we can then sell our membership

there are also a lot of other benifits members get. discounts on ap's, restaurants, and others i can't think of right now

i'd suggest getting the info sent to you and reading through everything

 

[d1gitman]

...Being able to spend my vacation in a nice comfortable room with the abilitity to cook our own meals if we so choose is another very important aspect. I can feed my entire family breakfast AND lunch for what it cost others for just one breakfast TS! It is benefits like that which others do not figure into their calculations when deciding the true benefits to ownership...

for those who like housekeeping and cooking on there vacation, this is definitely a selling point. there are certainly many different vacationing styles out there for folks. for us, housekeeping and cooking are items we do not wish to do on our vacation , we get to do that the other 50 weeks of the year

we prefer to stay at values or moderates and eat at restaurants, free DDP or no free DDP. that's just our preference.

 

[DisFlan]

We enjoy our DVC, but we bought it for one reason - prepaid accommodations at DVC resorts through 2042. (It's through 2057 at the newer resorts.) You need to do the math to see if it works for you, and you need to take your own preferences and travel habits into consideration. If you're happy with value resorts, don't want to pay yearly dues/maintenance fees or don't do Disney vacations on a regular basis, it may not be the best decision for you.

DisFlan

 

[Tom Kurowski]

My wife and I are members and it definitely works for us. We have no children so when it came to vacations we would usually talk ourselves out of it until we joined dvc, now we take atleast 2 vacations a year. We do not spend our vacations cleaning or cooking but it is nice to know we have a fully equiped kitchen if we wanted to do so. Since we have no kids we have taken family and friends quite often on vacations they would normally not be able to afford. My in-laws have two children and we took all four for their first trip to disney, we are bringing 4 couples in Oct 2009 for a week at the food & wine festival, and we have taken other firends and family on trips they would not have taken. So it enables us to share good times and memories with others as well as makes my wife and I sit down and plan what we will be doing on future vacations. As for going to "just" disney, well yes we do disney atleast twice a year. But we have been to hilton head, martha's vineyard, vermont, as well as other places using our points. Actually we are planning a trip to ireland through disney for our 25th anniversary. And if we don't use it all before 2054 we can sell it or will it to our neices and nephews so they could finish the contract out. For us it is nice to know that we have future vacations paid for already.
tom

 

[dmccarty]

What is involved with the DVC? I saw this several times last week, and got to talk to one guy about it. He was very vague and wanted me to go on a tour, but I had way too much to do. Any ideas as to how much it is and what does it do for you?

How much does it costs depends on which resort you buy into and when you buy. We bought into AKL in August 2007 and it cost around $15-16,000 for 160 points and we received 320 developer points. With the economy I would expect that the incentive to buy into DVC might be better. AKL is a bit more expensive for its member dues since we have to pay for the animal upkeep. The dues are $700-800 a year.

Each night requires a number of points. These points vary depending on the time of year and the day of the week. Fridays and Saturdays cost more than Sunday to Thursday. January is cheaper than Christmas week.

Friday/Saturday at AKL in 2009 costs 23 points for a view of the Savanah in January and other "cheap" times. The same room at Christmas would be 40 points. During the week the room is 11 and 20 points. How many points you need is based on how long you will stay, the type of room, and when you visit.

DVC gives out some discounts for annual passes, kids club houses, and some eateries. I think they should give out more discounts for DVC members. When you buy into DVC they often offer incentives to buy. The 320 free points we were given helped jump start our WDW vacations. Buying an annual pass will save money. The savings on an annual pass and kids club house pays for half of our DVC dues.

Since we bought and including our next trip this spring we will have spent about 5-6 weeks at WDW. This next trip, or maybe the one after, is break even for us money wise. Meaning the cost of going to AKL and CBR without DVC would have paid for DVC.

So should you buy into DVC? Depends on how often you got to WDW. Do you stay at value resorts or off site vs going to Deluxe resorts? Do you go to the parks early in the morning, stay until closing and then crash in the hotel room? If you stay at a value resort and only spend sleeping time in the resort DVC may not make money sense. Or if you only go to WDW every few years. DVC does have other resorts such as at Hilton Head and Vero Beach. They are also buiding a resort in Hawaii. Does that matter to you?

Later,
Dan

 

[Disneymom2266]

Totally worth it, because if you choose to not stay at WDW, there are many many other places to stay all over the world! IF you decide to not use your points, you may rent them to others wanting to stay at a Luxury resort that may otherwise not be able to pay the price. If you vacation a lot, it is very much worth it. It`s an investment for 40 years, and it`s sellable, and willable. You are not stuck with it forever if you choose not to keep it. Go on a tour if you ever get the chance,and see for yourself.

 

[Colleen27]

The thing that really put us over the tipping point is the other resorts, and they tend to get overlooked a bit here. Not only are DVC points good at WDW, they're also good at Disney's resorts at Hilton Head, SC and Vero Beach, FL and the new DVC properties being built at Disneyland and in Hawaii. While I'm sure we'll use most of our points at WDW, it is nice to have the option to go elsewhere without trading out into the partner program.

We haven't bought in yet because we don't finance, but it was the announcement of the Hawaiian resort and taking a look at the information about the Hilton Head resort that really got DH on board with saving towards the goal of a DVC purchase in the next year or so because he saw that it will cover both our Disney habit *and* his golf vacations.

 

[LovinPooh]

This has summed up all my questions... thanks
For us, a family of 4, going once a year... not worth it to us. We are the crash at a value/moderate people.
Thanks for clearing up my questions!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

This has summed up all my questions... thanks
For us, a family of 4, going once a year... not worth it to us. We are the crash at a value/moderate people.
Thanks for clearing up my questions!

If you go every year for a week or more and you're a family of 4, we have misrepresented something to you somewhere IMHO. You are exactly who DVC is designed for.

Values maybe not but if you stay in moderates+, you OWE it to yourself to investigate further.

 

[DizneyPhile]

This will probably get bumped to the DVC section, but here is my take on it. For 5 yrs. now I have been running the math on DVC and for us, it just isn't worth it. You can buy at rack rate from WDW or buy used on the DVC resale market for a reduced rate per point.

Bottom line is this, i have run the costs in today's dollars to purchase the points and the annual dues in current dollars. It's important to remember that the annual dues can be adjusted by WDW each year and this is their safety net to insure they generate the profit they need.

So, by adding up the cost for minimum entry points thru DVC direct and extending out the annual dues till the year 2054, you would be spending the average of $900+/- per year. The amount of points (120 i believe, it's been a year since i looked into it) would get you about 10 nights (Sun-Fri) in a studio room per year, during value seasons. So this means you are spending around $90 per night for a room. The catch is this, you are on the hook for that $900 per year till 2054. That's a big commitment for something you can already get without being on the hook. We love Disney to death, but I am pretty sure that we won't be going for 45 yrs. in a row.

Also, the point cost for Friday and Saturday night stays is way higher than Sun, Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs night stays. If you look it up on point charts and calculators on line, you will see that Fri + Sat night cost almost as much as Sun+Mon+Tues+Wed+Thurs nights combined.

The selling point that DVC points can be used for offsite stuff and Disney Cruises is also a mute point in our book. The points required for offsite stays and Disney Cruises is astronomical.

For us we just don't see any value in the program. Furthermore, we don't see it as a wise use of our money to be committed to vaca expenses for 45 yrs to come.

Trust me, I have wanted the math to come up in our favor and I keep crunching numbers year after year after year, but i keep coming to the same conclusion.

For our next trip, we will be renting DVC points from another owner and saving a bundle on Deluxe accomodations.

This person has NO IDEA what they are talking about. Please go to the DVC boards where the actual members can give you the scoop. It is honestly the best investment our family has ever made. We paid for our points by the 3rd trip we took.

 

[d1gitman]

This person has NO IDEA what they are talking about. Please go to the DVC boards where the actual members can give you the scoop. It is honestly the best investment our family has ever made. We paid for our points by the 3rd trip we took.

we are all entitled to our own opinions. for us, we formed our opinion based on actual costs. trust me, i wish the dollars and cents of it made sense for our family, but it just does not. for those who are DVC 'owners' and those contemplating it, great. for us it just doesn't work.