DVC OWNERS questionnaire. (statistical)

[Noodlez]

1. how many points total and contracts
474 over 5 contract (3 resorts).

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
In full

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
Yes, just!

4. what do you do for a living
Retired.

5. average trip stay and how often
Hard to say really. We intended to originally stay for 2 weeks every year or two but Covid changed that for a few years. Now that we've just retired we will probably do longer stays but less often. The next one is 3 weeks.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
$200 per day (see below) plus flights and tickets.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Fully own

8. any regrets of buying.
None

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
When on our own we start in a studio and move to a 1 bed for the last few days.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
We make breakfast in our rooms every day and other meals occasionally.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
I love them!

12. family size
Direct family is just the two of us. We have travelled with extended family.

13. do your trips have a budget.
The $200 per day mentioned above is a strict maximum. We have always managed to stay below this. We only buy souvenirs if we've have stayed under budget.

 

[primalJ]

1. how many points total and contracts
474 over 5 contract (3 resorts).

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
In full

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
Yes, just!

4. what do you do for a living
Retired.

5. average trip stay and how often
Hard to say really. We intended to originally stay for 2 weeks every year or two but Covid changed that for a few years. Now that we've just retired we will probably do longer stays but less often. The next one is 3 weeks.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
$200 per day (see below) plus flights and tickets.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Fully own

8. any regrets of buying.
None

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
When on our own we start in a studio and move to a 1 bed for the last few days.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
We make breakfast in our rooms every day and other meals occasionally.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
I love them!

12. family size
Direct family is just the two of us. We have travelled with extended family.

13. do your trips have a budget.
The $200 per day mentioned above is a strict maximum. We have always managed to stay below this. We only buy souvenirs if we've have stayed under budget.

thanks for replying

 

[ClaraOswald]

1. how many points total and contracts
3 contracts.
160 pts - VGC
50 pts - BRV
150 pts - BRV

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Full for all.

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
We have a mortgage.

4. what do you do for a living
Stay at home mom. (Husband works in Infosec.)

5. average trip stay and how often
WDW, we plan to go two years in a row (1 week in January) and then 1 year off.
Disneyland, it will probably vary. Trips spaced anywhere from 6-months apart to 18 months apart. Just depends on the year and what other trips we have planned.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
Out of pocket for food, tickets, souveniers, airport parking, Uber, hotels if we drive, gas if we drive, dog sitter, groceries, etc. seems to be around $5500 - $6000 these days.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Own.

8. any regrets of buying.
Not really. Wish we had just gone with a larger BRV contract instead of buying a 50 and 150 just a couple months apart.

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
Studio or 1 bedroom.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Eat out, mostly. Breakfast in the room sometimes.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Love the style, theme, location of both VGC and BRV.

12. family size
2 adults, 1 child.

13. do your trips have a budget
Not really. We just try not to go too crazy with souvenir purchases.

 

[miksicnarf]

1. how many points total and contracts

300 points, 1 contract

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)

financed

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract

No

4. what do you do for a living

I was a SAHM, husband is in insurance

5. average trip stay and how often

When the kids were young it was 1 week, once per year. Now I do a lot of solo trips, usually 10 nights once or twice per year plus random 1 or 2-nighters at VGC (local to us)

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)

Varies wildly. If I'm solo airfare might be $200. If the whole family goes it could be $3000. Same with everything else.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying

Paid long ago

8. any regrets of buying.

Not really

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)

If solo, I've recently become spoiled with 1BR (used to do studios). With the family, depending on how many, it's at least 2BR, often GV + studio.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.

Eat in the room but not so much "cooking"...convenience foods, snacks, etc. During festivals I prefer eating from the booths at Epcot.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at

Not much choice at the time (1997), it was our first time at WDW and we stayed at OKW with cash. Bought on that trip.

12. family size

5 originally, 9+ now (the plus includes a few "almost" family members)

13. do your trips have a budget

No


I think another question that's relevant to this survey is the year when bought. As I indicated, we bought 300 points in 1997 but I can't imagine doing that today!

 

[primalJ]

1. how many points total and contracts

300 points, 1 contract

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)

financed

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract

No

4. what do you do for a living

I was a SAHM, husband is in insurance

5. average trip stay and how often

When the kids were young it was 1 week, once per year. Now I do a lot of solo trips, usually 10 nights once or twice per year plus random 1 or 2-nighters at VGC (local to us)

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)

Varies wildly. If I'm solo airfare might be $200. If the whole family goes it could be $3000. Same with everything else.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying

Paid long ago

8. any regrets of buying.

Not really

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)

If solo, I've recently become spoiled with 1BR (used to do studios). With the family, depending on how many, it's at least 2BR, often GV + studio.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.

Eat in the room but not so much "cooking"...convenience foods, snacks, etc. During festivals I prefer eating from the booths at Epcot.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at

Not much choice at the time (1997), it was our first time at WDW and we stayed at OKW with cash. Bought on that trip.

12. family size

5 originally, 9+ now (the plus includes a few "almost" family members)

13. do your trips have a budget

No


I think another question that's relevant to this survey is the year when bought. As I indicated, we bought 300 points in 1997 but I can't imagine doing that today!

the year question is a good one. we did not buy our first one until 2018

 

[primalJ]

1. how many points total and contracts
3 contracts.
160 pts - VGC
50 pts - BRV
150 pts - BRV

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Full for all.

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
We have a mortgage.

4. what do you do for a living
Stay at home mom. (Husband works in Infosec.)

5. average trip stay and how often
WDW, we plan to go two years in a row (1 week in January) and then 1 year off.
Disneyland, it will probably vary. Trips spaced anywhere from 6-months apart to 18 months apart. Just depends on the year and what other trips we have planned.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
Out of pocket for food, tickets, souveniers, airport parking, Uber, hotels if we drive, gas if we drive, dog sitter, groceries, etc. seems to be around $5500 - $6000 these days.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Own.

8. any regrets of buying.
Not really. Wish we had just gone with a larger BRV contract instead of buying a 50 and 150 just a couple months apart.

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
Studio or 1 bedroom.

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Eat out, mostly. Breakfast in the room sometimes.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Love the style, theme, location of both VGC and BRV.

12. family size
2 adults, 1 child.

13. do your trips have a budget
Not really. We just try not to go too crazy with souvenir purchases.

thanks for responding. I never buy souvenirs but my wife does a little bit if its really something unique. She
has a vast collection of Disney mugs. Also we get stuff for our grandson, and last trip he did get a lot of stuff. LOL

 

[Maistre Gracey]

thanks, thats a lot of points to now 65. are you thinking of getting out completely?

I was actually out completely for a number of years.
Now I just wanted a few nights for F&W. If the festival goes downhill anymore, I may get out.

 

[ClaraOswald]

thanks for responding. I never buy souvenirs but my wife does a little bit if its really something unique. She
has a vast collection of Disney mugs. Also we get stuff for our grandson, and last trip he did get a lot of stuff. LOL

We have started buying mugs as well. Mostly we buy pins. They may be small but the price really adds up!

 

[Akck]

1. how many points total and contracts
410 in 4 contracts

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Paid in full, but used Disney Visa to spread it out

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
No

4. what do you do for a living
Retired, was in finance

5. average trip stay and how often
Usually stay for a week, but will bookend a cruise

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
$1,000-3,000. Have AP and usually rent a vehicle.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Own outright

8. any regrets of buying.
Only regret is we should’ve bought our points in fewer contracts

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
Mainly studios, but recently have been planning trips around 6 months out and booked 1-2 bedrooms due to availability

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Might reheat food in room

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Bought at Riviera because we like the compactness of the resort. Don’t have to take a bus or walk for miles to get to services

12. family size
Just the 2 of us now, but we also take our granddaughter (her parents too)

13. do your trips have a budget
No specific budget, but we do plan out some of the costs. For instance, with airfare increases, we plan multifunction trips, such as including a cruise or family visit. We look at number of days to see if AP is cheaper option.

 

[DVCPAT]

You could have anonymized this by having individual survey questions. By putting it out where people identify themselves with their answers, you're creating a security risk for those people. Disboarders already put a lot of information out there. Combine that with the information you've requested about finances, and now scammers can target people easier.

I work for a company regulated by the US government in regards to how information we collect is used and distributed. If I told you the name of the company, you'd immediately understand why I'm super paranoid about information leakage. Not only would it be a black eye for the company, but we'd likely be on TV at a Congressional hearing and the front page of the newspaper, if we put out a public facing questionnaire like originally posted where anyone could read answers.

Yes…. No lien on property make an easy deed to steal. You only have to be burnt once to become cautious. A German friend once told me you carry money in your pocket where nobody can see it. You don’t carry it in your mouth.

 

[primalJ]

We have started buying mugs as well. Mostly we buy pins. They may be small but the price really adds up!

she loves the mugs, problem is when we can't find certain ones when we are there I end up buying on Ebay so she doesn't miss out. I just got the norway and DVC from last year on Ebay for V-day and for those two it was $80

 

[primalJ]

1. how many points total and contracts
410 in 4 contracts

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Paid in full, but used Disney Visa to spread it out

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
No

4. what do you do for a living
Retired, was in finance

5. average trip stay and how often
Usually stay for a week, but will bookend a cruise

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
$1,000-3,000. Have AP and usually rent a vehicle.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
Own outright

8. any regrets of buying.
Only regret is we should’ve bought our points in fewer contracts

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
Mainly studios, but recently have been planning trips around 6 months out and booked 1-2 bedrooms due to availability

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Might reheat food in room

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Bought at Riviera because we like the compactness of the resort. Don’t have to take a bus or walk for miles to get to services

12. family size
Just the 2 of us now, but we also take our granddaughter (her parents too)

13. do your trips have a budget
No specific budget, but we do plan out some of the costs. For instance, with airfare increases, we plan multifunction trips, such as including a cruise or family visit. We look at number of days to see if AP is cheaper option.

thanks, we love Riviera so much. we did split the points there in two contracts. Copper & Saratoga just one big one each

 

[Pens Fan]

1. how many points total and contracts
1660 points, 9 contracts

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
all paid in full at time of purchase - did use the Disney Visa for our direct contracts to get the Mickey bucks (all paid off immediately - did not use the 6 months financing offer)

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
nope

4. what do you do for a living
retired engineers

5. average trip stay and how often
varies wildly - our son and his girlfriend sometimes go on their own for long weekends, 2 - 3 nights. But my husband and I typically go for at least a week to 10 days to WDW with the kids often joining us for a portion of that. But we also use our membership to get the H E double hockey sticks out of PA in the winter for 4 - 6 weeks, combining HHI, WDW, DCL and other destinations

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
varies

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
own outright

8. any regrets of buying.
Never!

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
1 BR if it's just my husband and I, or 2 BR if our son and his girlfriend come - though I did just book a GVF resort studio for them for a short weekend to celebrate their anniversary - first studio booking

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Varies - at WDW we mainly eat out, though we do use grocery delivery for snacks and quick breakfast items. We also make great use of the microwave for reheating leftovers - Disney portions are huge! I do cook a few simple meals when we've been on our extended snowbird trips, though.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Originally bought CCV direct as that was what they were selling at the time and didn't want Riviera due to restrictions. We fell in love with it and added on resale from there due to just how much we like it and the length of contract. We did add on two resale contracts at HHI and BWV because we adore those resorts and wanted the 11 month booking window even if it's only for 17 more years.

12. family size
3 (plus our son's adorable girlfriend)

13. do your trips have a budget
Not really - we have AP's so that's all paid in advance. We are mindful of what we spend, however. We don't go crazy on merch, but do love some nice TS meals throughout our stay. We also pick a few days throughout the trip to add on whatever form of paid skip the line service they are offering (not the premium version though).

 

[primalJ]

1. how many points total and contracts
1660 points, 9 contracts

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
all paid in full at time of purchase - did use the Disney Visa for our direct contracts to get the Mickey bucks (all paid off immediately - did not use the 6 months financing offer)

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
nope

4. what do you do for a living
retired engineers

5. average trip stay and how often
varies wildly - our son and his girlfriend sometimes go on their own for long weekends, 2 - 3 nights. But my husband and I typically go for at least a week to 10 days to WDW with the kids often joining us for a portion of that. But we also use our membership to get the H E double hockey sticks out of PA in the winter for 4 - 6 weeks, combining HHI, WDW, DCL and other destinations

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
varies

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
own outright

8. any regrets of buying.
Never!

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
1 BR if it's just my husband and I, or 2 BR if our son and his girlfriend come - though I did just book a GVF resort studio for them for a short weekend to celebrate their anniversary - first studio booking

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
Varies - at WDW we mainly eat out, though we do use grocery delivery for snacks and quick breakfast items. We also make great use of the microwave for reheating leftovers - Disney portions are huge! I do cook a few simple meals when we've been on our extended snowbird trips, though.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Originally bought CCV direct as that was what they were selling at the time and didn't want Riviera due to restrictions. We fell in love with it and added on resale from there due to just how much we like it and the length of contract. We did add on two resale contracts at HHI and BWV because we adore those resorts and wanted the 11 month booking window even if it's only for 17 more years.

12. family size
3 (plus our son's adorable girlfriend)

13. do your trips have a budget
Not really - we have AP's so that's all paid in advance. We are mindful of what we spend, however. We don't go crazy on merch, but do love some nice TS meals throughout our stay. We also pick a few days throughout the trip to add on whatever form of paid skip the line service they are offering (not the premium version though).

thanks for answering, and WOW tons of points. not sure we could you that many in a year LOL

 

[VandVsmama]

Ok, I'm going to try this again and hopefully won't have the technical difficulties I did the other day.

1. how many points total and contracts
1 100-pt contract

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Paid in full

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
No

4. what do you do for a living
Something that pays the bills.

5. average trip stay and how often
Varies. We go to DL or WDW about every other year.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
Varies based on trip length. Do not have APs.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
See answer to #2.

8. any regrets of buying.
No. Wish we could have purchased sooner.

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
At DL, usually stay at a hotel on Harbor Blvd (shorter walk than CR to MK). Usually also sleep the night before at a friend's house in southern CA. At WDW, we've always stayed at Value resorts. Haven't stayed at WDW yet w/our DVC points (just purchased last Dec).

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
eat out but we always bring snacks into the parks each day.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Purchased at Aulani because DH said he doesn't want to own DVC but since I was so insistent, "FINE! If we HAVE to be DVC owners, the only place I'll ever want to use points is at Aulani." That was right after our trip to Aulani last summer & I dragged him w/me on the DVC tour. Little does he know that we WILL be using those points at WDW in a couple of years and once he's been able to stay at a Deluxe at WDW, he'll start saying, "Maybe we should buy some more points."

In fact, I have a whole not-so-secret plan to convert him to the religion of WDW DVC. It'll involve a bunch of non-park stuff, like archery lessons at Ft Wilderness, renting a pontoon boat, going horseback riding, sleeping in and not rope dropping, hitting up Epcot during a Fall Food & Wine Festival. ;-)

12. family size
4

13. do your trips have a budget
yes

 

[primalJ]

Ok, I'm going to try this again and hopefully won't have the technical difficulties I did the other day.

1. how many points total and contracts
1 100-pt contract

2. did you pay in full or finance ( or both)
Paid in full

3. Did you have your house paid for prior to purchasing your first DVC contract
No

4. what do you do for a living
Something that pays the bills.

5. average trip stay and how often
Varies. We go to DL or WDW about every other year.

6. average trip spend ( food, tix or AP, souvenirs, transport)
Varies based on trip length. Do not have APs.

7. do you fully outright own your point as of now, or still paying
See answer to #2.

8. any regrets of buying.
No. Wish we could have purchased sooner.

9. what accommodations do you usually stay in ( example: studio, 1 bedroom etc..)
At DL, usually stay at a hotel on Harbor Blvd (shorter walk than CR to MK). Usually also sleep the night before at a friend's house in southern CA. At WDW, we've always stayed at Value resorts. Haven't stayed at WDW yet w/our DVC points (just purchased last Dec).

10. Do you mainly cook in your rooms or eat out throughout your stay.
eat out but we always bring snacks into the parks each day.

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Purchased at Aulani because DH said he doesn't want to own DVC but since I was so insistent, "FINE! If we HAVE to be DVC owners, the only place I'll ever want to use points is at Aulani." That was right after our trip to Aulani last summer & I dragged him w/me on the DVC tour. Little does he know that we WILL be using those points at WDW in a couple of years and once he's been able to stay at a Deluxe at WDW, he'll start saying, "Maybe we should buy some more points."

In fact, I have a whole not-so-secret plan to convert him to the religion of WDW DVC. It'll involve a bunch of non-park stuff, like archery lessons at Ft Wilderness, renting a pontoon boat, going horseback riding, sleeping in and not rope dropping, hitting up Epcot during a Fall Food & Wine Festival. ;-)

12. family size
4

13. do your trips have a budget
yes

thanks, no issues this time lol

 

[MartyParty]

11. What is your reasons you bought at the resort(s) that you own at
Purchased at Aulani because DH said he doesn't want to own DVC but since I was so insistent, "FINE! If we HAVE to be DVC owners, the only place I'll ever want to use points is at Aulani." That was right after our trip to Aulani last summer & I dragged him w/me on the DVC tour. Little does he know that we WILL be using those points at WDW in a couple of years and once he's been able to stay at a Deluxe at WDW, he'll start saying, "Maybe we should buy some more points."

In fact, I have a whole not-so-secret plan to convert him to the religion of WDW DVC. It'll involve a bunch of non-park stuff, like archery lessons at Ft Wilderness, renting a pontoon boat, going horseback riding, sleeping in and not rope dropping, hitting up Epcot during a Fall Food & Wine Festival. ;-)

May the force be with you! Good luck. Fortunately, my wife and I have aligned albeit she's one for fewer points and I prefer more.