DVC Members

[GRUMPY D]

we love DVC this will be are 2nd trip in 7 months just 4 of us it only going to run us about 2200 bucks ( flight , park tickets , food ) and were at a deluxe resort , on are 1st trip we took are oldest son down for his honeymoon and had a 2 bedroom and in may 2010 we are taking my sister -in -law and Friends of ares ( 12 people ) down and the savings with the rooms are Worth it just flight and tickets and food is all they have to pay

 

[PatsMom]

DVC has worked very well for us. As already mentioned, the DVC board on this site has some very knowlegeable people and is a great source of information.

We started with 150 points and have since added on another 200. For us it is a way of prepaying vacations. If the points are there, I will take time from work and go on vacation. Other than that I tend to be a workaholic and DH has a hard time getting me to take a break (he is already retired). We bought the DVC before he retired when our income was higher and we didn't have to finance. Although our youngest DD is 17 and heading to college in the fall, my step daughter who is almost 40 has a son and we are looking forward to trips with our grandson. We also plan to take my brother and sister with us for their 25th anniversary in the fall of 2010. And my best friend has 6 grandchildren - she and I will probably take them one at a time, staying in a studio, since her husband really isn't interested in Disney.

The points have a definite resale value right now. Disney maintains a right of first refusal so if the resale price were to drop too low, they would exercise the right and buy the points. Then they can re-sale them to people looking to add on to existing contracts. If you see resale prices that are really low, check to see if the contract has been stripped of points. I know that if I were going to sell my points I would use all of the current use year points and borrow the next use year. If I couldn't use them myself, I would rent them. So you could be buying a contract that will not allow you to take a vacation for a little while. I would hope that if you are buying from a reputable resaler they would explain all of this to you.

DVC is not for everyone but it works for us. If you vacation of Disney frequently and stay at a moderate or better I think it is worth taking the tour. Even if you opt to go re-sale the information you get on the tour could be helpful as far as understanding how the points and use year work, etc,. They are very accomodating when scheduling - they picked us up at our Fort Wilderness Cabin and then took us to the park we were going to when the tour was over.

 

[CruznLexi]

In Jan we had the nephews from Europe here for holidays so we took them to WDW for 8 nights. I was waiting at TOT and traded pins with the DVC and got into going on a tour the next day. We had just spent $3000 on the vacation. We live in Florida and go several times a year. You can buy just 100 points. Which is what we did. Yes it is a for a long time. But we think it is worth it.
Lexi

 

[Cinderella1122]

You don't have to make a commitment to DVC to try DVC. Many members are willing to rent out their points to those who want to try DVC accomodations. Most renters will charge about $10 a point.

During summer season a studio at OKW for a Sunday-Friday stay is 55 points or $550.

A stay at a value standard room during the same time frame will cost you about $647 with taxes and fees. A moderate standard room about $997.

You can't knock it till you try it and as you can see its alot less costly to try it.

 

[jpeka65844]

DVC member here....and I will concur with all that DVC is not for everyone. BUT, our use of membership over four trips since March 2007, if paid rack rate, would've totaled $12,990. Our initial investment was $15,500. One more large trip and we've broken even on our large contract at Wilderness Lodge.

Could we have stayed at POP for way less? Sure. Paying rack rates for values is far less than paying for DVC at deluxes. But DH and I are hotel snobs and LOVE staying at deluxes. This is just the best way for us to do it!

And don't join DVC for trade-outs and cruises. They're nice but not the way to get the most value out of your membership. The best value is when you stay on-site at WDW.

 

[jdb1232]

We are fairly new members of DVC. We bought a VWL resale in 2008. We travel to WDW everyyear and have been for the past 9 years. Early on we stayed at some moderate resorts, the past seven we stayed at either the Polynesian or the Wilderness Lodge (last five times was the WL) For us, DVC makes sense.

DVC is worth it for those that normally stay at Deluxe Resorts. If you normally drop a couple or a few thousand in WDW alone, (excluding airfare) it could be worth it. Other things to consider are your travel habits. If you are only able to travel certain times of the year (like around kids school vacations or holidays) then maybe DVC is a stretch. Look at the point charts hard before making a decision. Peak times suck the life out of your points. Or you can get a lot of bang for your buck (or points) by traveling during off times or during the week. Next, DVC is not cheap. But for those that love Disney and everything about Disney its a no brainer. Lastly, don't put a strain on your budget with a time share. If you can't swing it don't do it. We waited several years until we could pay at least half in cash. We have a home equity for the rest.
--Another point: If you are dining plan families this is a plus: Booking thru WDW requires you do buy a package (tickets and room) to get the dining plan. With DVC that is not the case. Most people travel for 5 or 6 nights at WDW. With DVC you can buy 10 day unexpiring tickets and the dining plan. So every other trip your tickets will be pretty much paid for. Hope all this mumbo jumbo helps...

 

[dmccarty]

I just happen to have what we spent on our last trip handy since I used it in another post recently. We don't go out to eat at home very much and when we do its fast food. We really like good quality food but with work, kids, chores, etc there is little time for us to do fine dining. When we go to WDW the DW and I get our fine dining fix in.

Looking at our room charges almost 70% of the bill is for eating at places like Jinko's and California Grill. Part of the 70% is for the restaurant the other portion is for child care at Simba's club house. We do eat breakfast in the room to save a little money and to save time getting to the parks. Just microwave stuff. After the kids tire out around mid day its back to the resort so they can rest and hit the pool.

We try to put everything on the room charge and we spend very little cash as a result. So our expenses are pretty accurate. We spent $383 on stuff at the parks. That includes lunches, pins, etc. I splurged on pins last trip as keepsakes for the kids. A big part of the park expenses are on pins which will not be repeated.

If DVC cost 16K and last 50 years that is $320 per year. Then you have to pay a fee which for us at AKL is around $800. Which is total of $1,120 a year. But if you get annual passes that saves at least $376 if we use the passes on one trip. If we can schedule more than one trip on the pass its more money saved. So $1,120 - 376 is $744 a year. And there are other DVC savings that do add up and reduce your expenses.

Obviously if we had invested the money we spent on DVC or if one has to take a loan to buy the DVC points then the cost goes up. On the other hand if we had invested our money in the stock market how much would 16K be worth at the moment?

$744 spread of a seven day trip is a bit over $100 a day to stay at a deluxe resort. Our first trip to WDW to stay at CBR required a stop overnight at a hotel that cost around $80. It was a nice place far better than the Three Penny Inn I stayed in once but it surely was not a Deluxe resort.

DVC allows pretty cheap trips to WDW.

Later,
Dan

 

[Sandisw]

DVC is a great program for those that like to visit WDW on a regular basis and forsee themselves doing so for time to come. If someone just doesn't see going to WDW that often, then many are correct when they say DVC is not for you (or, if you are perfectly happy in a value resort).

But DVC is and always will be a way to commit to prepaid vacations. The great thing about it being a points based system, you can make it work for you , even if you do not go every year. A 50 point contract can be bought these days for around $4000.00. With banking and borrowing, that could get someone a week in a studio, every 3 years. Even with MF's, that brings the cost of the room to only around $900.00--an average of $128.00 per night.

Here is how I analyzed it, for my family, when deciding if buying in would be worth it:

Cost to buy at BLT with 165 points--enough to get me 8 nights in a studio during Magic Season (summer--2nd highest season) EVERY year. $17,120.

Yearly MF's are $3.67/ppt or 605.55 per year. Contract length is for 50 years. So, averaging it out, I am paying $948.55 per year for my room costs to stay in deluxe accommodations.

Using today's room costs (at a 35% discount), a garden view room, for 8 nights at the Contemporary (where I like to stay) would cost me $1631.00 per year.

Based on this, I am saving over $600.00 per year. Now I realize that MF's will go up, but so will room rates and as far as I am concerned, this can be considered a wash.

Granted, I am investing my dollars now and I am basing this on paying upfront (no interest charges). I am also not calculating on lost investment interest because personally, my vacation dollars are spent every year on vacation. If I find that I have extra money, I use it for more vacation or something else special. It is not put away and invested (I have other money that I use for that!)

Even if I decide to sell in 10 years and get only $67.00 per point, I will recoup $11,000 of my initial investment. So, for 10 years worth of MF's and $6000 for the contract, I would still average yearly room costs LESS (about $1300) than what I am currently paying. For me, this was enough for me to know it would work.

For my family, we love WDW and see ourselves going for years. My children love it as much as we do and even though they are getting older, they also are excited about the prospect of having it available to them when and if there comes a time that DH and I don't want to go.

But DVC really is an individual decision and everyone has to look at it from their own situation. Good luck in your decisions!!!

 

[bmtta2003]

I love DVC, but it is not a money saver for me. I now take more vacations and visit Disney more often than ever. If I wasn't a DVC member I could sit home, be miserable and count my money. Oh yeah, since becoming a member I spend most of my free time lurking around Disney posting sites and reading everything I can about Disney, dreaming of my next vacation.

So please, if you value your wallet and your sanity, resist all attempts to join DVC!

We are all a group of people who have a great time and spend most of our thoughts (and money) in fantasy land.