DVC told mw it might not be worth it but IDK it just might what do you think

[Disneyhenry]

I went to a DVC meeting (not sure what they are called) but the Cast member told me that with us only being a family of 3 it might not be worth it, cuz the special offers would be better for us but.........
Ok here is our family I have 2 older kids ages 25 and 24 (they have pretty much gone every year of their life too, often a few times a year)
DH has 2 older kids ages 26 and 20
Together we have DS age 4.
When DS (4) was born we said that we would go n a Disney trip every single year of his life. My older kids go with us on occasion, they love disney as much as we do. in 2013 my older kids went with us to DLR in cali, they are also going with us on our trip to WDW in November.
DH older kids not some much, his DD has never gone and DS has gone once.
We also love DCL
What do you think? Would it be worth it? I also have a hard time understanding the monthly dues, and to be honest I would probably by from Resale rather then Disney (just looks cheaper)
thanks

*****Edited and added info****
We rented points from a someone and stayed at AKL, loved it. In the past I worked for Alaska Air, so we were annual pass holders for DLR so that is why we went to DLR so much. But honestly the last two trips to DLR was just crazy, the 2 parks were way to crowded and it just made it not very enjoyable. I think we will probably got to WDW almost every year, no plans next year to go to DLR but maybe in 2015. I have heard that DCL was a good option for using points for.
Is it better to buy from Disney? If so why?

 

[chrisaman]

Personally, with as much as you guy, I would say it is worth it as long as you want to stay at the Grand Californian in Disneyland and if you are going to be making WDW trips. It seems you go to Disneyland far more so you may want to look into the GCV as your home resort so you will be able to book during the busy times. However, GCV is quite a bit more than many of the WDW resorts so you have to pay for that early booking luxury.

It really comes down to what you want out of it. If you want to stay at the GCV or at WDW, then by all means get it. If you are fine staying across the street at Disneyland, why join, it is cheaper to stay across the street. My opinion is, if you don't like it, you can always rent out points till you get some equity in it, then sell it. Just my opinion.

 

[wilkeliza]

I have a lot of friends who are single with no plans for a family in the next 5 to 10 years who are DVC owners. Most of them are frequent Disney goers and use DVC as a way to keep costs low for other friends. Also they bought direct so they have the ability to use it for the other Disney resorts as well as the cruises and to trade their points for other vacations. I myself have even thought of buying in but the DBF and I decided the marriage actually needed to happen before we went through with something like DVC.

 

[Dean]

I went to a DVC meeting (not sure what they are called) but the Cast member told me that with us only being a family of 3 it might not be worth it, cuz the special offers would be better for us but.........
Ok here is our family I have 2 older kids ages 25 and 24 (they have pretty much gone every year of their life too, often a few times a year)
DH has 2 older kids ages 26 and 20
Together we have DS age 4.
When DS (4) was born we said that we would go n a Disney trip every single year of his life. My older kids go with us on occasion, they love disney as much as we do. in 2013 my older kids went with us to DLR in cali, they are also going with us on our trip to WDW in November.
DH older kids not some much, his DD has never gone and DS has gone once.
We also love DCL
What do you think? Would it be worth it? I also have a hard time understanding the monthly dues, and to be honest I would probably by from Resale rather then Disney (just looks cheaper)
thanks

I'm presuming most trips would be to DL. I don't think there's enough info here to make a good recommendation. First, buying to cruise is a poor choice, the return is simply not there, it'd cost you more than buying less points and paying cash for the cruise. There are also no guarantees it'll continue but there are essentially guarantees it'll get worse price wise. What you need to do is make your best guess as to when you'd go and how many hotel rooms you'd need. Take your past room types/resorts and compare current prices assuming reasonable discounts (10% min IMO). In general DVC will only save money for deluxe rooms comparing to a studio or 2 BR (2 rooms). It'll be roughly break even (but maybe better value) compared to moderates. I'd also never recommend one finance or buy with other consumer debt (car, CC, etc). IF you buy, I'd suggest buying JUST for DVC resort stays and if DL is a large part of your plan, you'll have to buy points there and plan 11 months out to make this workable.

 

[JimMIA]

I agree with Dean's points above, and I want to add to the point on cruises.

Not only is DCL often not a great value, owning DVC points does NOT allow you to book with points any time you want. DVC availability is apparently negotiated with DCL, and there have been at least two recent long periods (e.g. 10 months) where no DVC points reservations were allowed.

So while DVC/DCL may be an attractive sales point for timeshare salesmen, the reality for owners has been quite different on several occasions. Considering that the growth rate of DVC is much greater than DCL, I would expect that reality to get worse over time, just because there are more people vying for limited availability.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't think there's enough info here to make a good recommendation.

Agree with this also. The value of DVC (or anything else) depends largely on what you compare it to. "Value" is also extremely variable from family to family. You need to look at your needs, not our experiences.

If you are staying offsite and are satisfied with your accommodations, there is no way DVC is going to save you money. In that case, I would not change a thing you're doing -- it ain't broke; don't try to fix it.

If you want to get into timesharing, there are other timeshare systems which will save you money if you buy them right, and those will probably offer you many more options than DVC. There is also the option of renting a reservation from a timeshare owner (either DVC or other timeshare), and of course, simple cash reservations.

If you are staying onsite in value resorts, DVC will cost you more but you'll have better accommodations if you are in a one-bedroom or larger DVC unit. You should get better accommodations for about the same price compared to mods, and probably a savings (but slightly down-scaled accommodations) compared to deluxe.

The most important considerations to me are your family's historical patterns and anticipated future plans. Once you have a clear picture of that, I would look at ALL of the options -- including the option of doing nothing.

 

[auralia]

The real question is where do you usually stay, what size room, are you happy with it, and how much are you paying for it.

I bought OKW resale for about 65$ per point ...maybe 70$. Calculated out I pay about what I would to stay in a value room to stay at DVC resorts. I always stay in studios, well almost always, to make my points stretch further. We have never actually stayed at OKW despite being member for the last 4 years because we have always had luck at the 7 month window moving where we want... we even got BLT during the first week of december once... but that was just pixie dust.

Anyway, if you put answers to the above questions here people could answer your question better.

 

[crisi]

In California there isn't really the immersive experience like at WDW. The onsite resorts are nice, but there are LOTS of hotels in the area walking distance to the parks.

The Villas at the Grand California are really nice, but they book up quickly - you will need to own there to book them - and you'll want to make your reservations far in advance - you can make them as early as eleven months - you will be locked out shortly after the seven month window opens for other members - if not before. So you need to be able to book in advance - and can't be changing your mind.

If you decide to buy a WDW resort, don't count on being able to use those points at Disneyland - very few villas in California and people who bought there tend to use their points there. There may be years you get lucky, but it won't be the sort of thing you can count on.

You cannot cruise on resale points - not that you'd want to for the reasons stated above.

If you LIKE getting bargains - you can travel for "free dining" and you like it - you may be disappointed with DVC. Traveling on points isn't going to get you discounts on rooms or upgrades (there are a few discounts, subject to change, on things like Annual Passes and restaurants) - and there are very vocal members who are disappointed by this.

DVC is unlikely to compare favorably with an offsite or value room - and might compare favorably over time with a moderate.

DVC studios are different than hotel rooms, they are laid out differently and more importantly, timeshares are different than hotels. Understand the difference and decide it that adds or detracts from the value for you.

For us, where DVC shines is the ability to go with our two kids and put them in a different bedroom - that is NOT cheaper than an ordinary hotel room - even if we'd stay Deluxe, but its made our vacations more pleasant.

 

[Breyean]

What do you think? Would it be worth it? I also have a hard time understanding the monthly dues, and to be honest I would probably by from Resale rather then Disney (just looks cheaper)
thanks

On the dues question, currently they are $4.58 per point at VGC. So if you owned 200 points there, each year you'd have to pay $916. The dues go up each year, max increase for a year is, I believe, 15%. It's usually less than that though.

You can pay them either in a lump sum in January or have them sucked out of your checking account on a monthly basis. Dues are the same whether you buy resale or from Disney.

Disney is currently getting $165/point for VGC sold directly through them.

Resale contracts, hard to find and they go fast for VGC, being such a small and in demand property, have been on the resale sites with asking prices around $120/point, some up to $130. These prices are negotiable in theory, but lately I'd bet most VGC contracts are selling for very close to or at asking prices because they are often sold within a day of listing.

 

[mopee3]

I went to a DVC meeting (not sure what they are called) but the Cast member told me that with us only being a family of 3 it might not be worth it, cuz the special offers would be better for us but.........
Ok here is our family I have 2 older kids ages 25 and 24 (they have pretty much gone every year of their life too, often a few times a year)
DH has 2 older kids ages 26 and 20
Together we have DS age 4.
When DS (4) was born we said that we would go n a Disney trip every single year of his life. My older kids go with us on occasion, they love disney as much as we do. in 2013 my older kids went with us to DLR in cali, they are also going with us on our trip to WDW in November.
DH older kids not some much, his DD has never gone and DS has gone once.
We also love DCL
What do you think? Would it be worth it? I also have a hard time understanding the monthly dues, and to be honest I would probably by from Resale rather then Disney (just looks cheaper)
thanks

*****Edited and added info****
We rented points from a someone and stayed at AKL, loved it. In the past I worked for Alaska Air, so we were annual pass holders for DLR so that is why we went to DLR so much. But honestly the last two trips to DLR was just crazy, the 2 parks were way to crowded and it just made it not very enjoyable. I think we will probably got to WDW almost every year, no plans next year to go to DLR but maybe in 2015. I have heard that DCL was a good option for using points for.
Is it better to buy from Disney? If so why?

You have heard from a lot of DIS veterans, and they have sent you on the correct course for the most part.
My bride and I are 65+ and I still work, feeds my habits, we joined in 2007 and have gone 2x a year since. We have 5 kids, some love the mouse and some have never even shown a interest in joining us. We have taken our adult kids, grand kids and friends, 2bdrms, grand villas, and to all resorts in both Florida and California. When we look at each other and think of the mouse it makes us both smile, and if the kids want to join us we make room.
So if you join I would suggest doing it because you both want to be there together.
We live in Walla Walla fly Alaska Air on 2 for 1 passes and non stop once we get to Seattle, I personally love that flight, it takes me to my happy place.

We will be in Florida Nov 7-22 this fall, then in Hawaii/California in March, followed by our first DCL on points next November. We never have enough points and will settle down when we/I die.

We have points at OKW, AKV, and now Villas at Grand Floridian, wish I had points at Grand Californian because it's close, but bride wants points a WLV. We will be borrowing the 2015 points to add to trip in 2014, never seem to have enough!

I give you this because it's what we do with our points and we really use them HARD!

So enjoy.

Moe

 

[bwvBound]

You might want to consider adding a new variable to your evaluation: a different timeshare product. Given your location, owning Worldmark might be a better fit than DVC. Worldmark would give you lots of local "drive-to" destinations across the western states, two options near Disneyland, and it trades into DVC at WDW via RCI. We've owned WM for 13+ years and are delighted.

 

[crisi]

DCL is NOT a good option for points - its usually more expensive to cruise on points than it is to pay cash. You can only cruise on points if you buy direct. The cost in points for cruises can - and usually do - go up every year. And finally, DCL only releases some rooms for points - there was a period of over a year a few years ago when it was almost impossible to book a DCL reservation on points - DCL had simply not released any for points.

 

[bumbershoot]

We're a family of 3 and we enjoy owning DVC.

We didn't buy the Grand at DLR because we don't have an interest in staying there. It's our least fave resort there. Instead we bought a WDW resort because we can be happy in many places in Anaheim, but knew we liked the looks of many WDW DVC resorts. We also knew that having a kitchen, or even just a kitchenette, would enhance our visits quite a bit.

For us it wasn't about saving on what we were doing, but about a good way to get what we were about to want.

 

[cmrdgrs]

On the dues question, currently they are $4.58 per point at VGC. So if you owned 200 points there, each year you'd have to pay $916. The dues go up each year, max increase for a year is, I believe, 15%. It's usually less than that though.

You can pay them either in a lump sum in January or have them sucked out of your checking account on a monthly basis. Dues are the same whether you buy resale or from Disney.

Disney is currently getting $165/point for VGC sold directly through them.

Resale contracts, hard to find and they go fast for VGC, being such a small and in demand property, have been on the resale sites with asking prices around $120/point, some up to $130. These prices are negotiable in theory, but lately I'd bet most VGC contracts are selling for very close to or at asking prices because they are often sold within a day of listing.

Finding a VGC contract before it is sold is very, very difficult. I have been looking for one for several months. I think that within 30 minutes of a VGC coming in for resale -- it is gone (literally) -- at full price if the prices is anywhere between $110 - $120. Over $120 I have seen them sit for a bit -- I have no idea what these contract sell at eventually.

Being in Washington state it seems like DL might be a place you would travel more, but owning there right now (though not impossible) is difficult.

 

[PCMama]

Finding a VGC contract before it is sold is very, very difficult. I have been looking for one for several months. I think that within 30 minutes of a VGC coming in for resale -- it is gone (literally) -- at full price if the prices is anywhere between $110 - $120. Over $120 I have seen them sit for a bit -- I have no idea what these contract sell at eventually.

Being in Washington state it seems like DL might be a place you would travel more, but owning there right now (though not impossible) is difficult.

This is true, it took me three tries to pass ROFR, and the contract I bought was loaded. But listed at $122 ppt back in May of this year. It sold for $108 ppt after sitting on the market for 4 days (first saw it listed on a sat , I made an offer Tuesday afternoon EST, it was rejected initially but accepted that evening.

We look forward to our first stay next June.

 

[DenLo]

. . . .
*****Edited and added info****
We rented points from a someone and stayed at AKL, loved it. In the past I worked for Alaska Air, so we were annual pass holders for DLR so that is why we went to DLR so much. But honestly the last two trips to DLR was just crazy, the 2 parks were way to crowded and it just made it not very enjoyable. I think we will probably got to WDW almost every year, no plans next year to go to DLR but maybe in 2015. I have heard that DCL was a good option for using points for.
Is it better to buy from Disney? If so why?

I think people are missing this part. If you plan to mainly go to WDW, I wouldn't spend the extra money to buy into VGC. If you change your mind you could add on there later when more resale contracts go on the market.

Here is the rule about resale contracts:

Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI® exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.

So you can still do exchanges for some places but not anything owned by Disney (does not include DVC resorts) and the Concierge Collection.

I am one of those that believes in using my DVC points for DVC stays. And if possible we purchase resale as it's cheaper by large amount. And I prefer to buy where I want to stay so I can book as early as possible.

I truly don't know how to advise you on where to purchase (WDW or VGC) because it would depend on how often you might stay at VGC. It is getting more difficult to get a reservation there during certain times of the year. Right now with a 4 year old you could be flexible and go any time of the year. But later you will be going during school vacations or breaks.

 

[calypso726]

We are a family of 2, just me and DH. We have no kids and and won't be having any either. We live in Florida and therefore qualify for the Florida resident discounts that are offered at the Disney World resorts from time to time. I am sure your guide would have said it wouldn't be worth it for us either

Despite that, we own 1000 points between SSR, AKV and VGF. We are still in borrow mode and only use our points for DVC stays. Only you can determine if it is worth it for your situation. Crunch the numbers and compare. We did and still found we would save in the long run and enjoy better accommodations. Not only was it worth it for us, we still need more points