DVC...torn

[TwistGrl101]

So, we are planning our 3rd trip in a row to the Beach Club...am I just plain stupid for not joining DVC??

We do not have the money to pay it all at once...I save all year to go on vacation. But I feel like we are wasting our money, by staying at a deluxe resort every time. I'm so confused on what to do.

 

[jennylyn_b]

Make an appt with DVC and see what they have to say. They will show you based on how you vacation now how long it will take to 'break even' with DVC. You can finance your DVC contract. They will recommend how many points to get the vacations you want, I think its a 160 pt minimum, and remember you can add more points on at a later date. You have to consider the financial aspect and the commitment of owning DVC. Even when its paid off there will be annual dues to pay every year. Also, the mousekeeping is very different. We didn't mind it but for some, not getting their room cleaned everyday, without paying extra, might be a problem. Also, free dining plans are no longer for you if you are dvc. You can purchase the DDP though. If you have any specific questions just ask here or pm me!

 

[chalee94]

here's the basic scoop: DVC works best for people who:

1) go to disney at least every other year
2) prefer to stay onsite at deluxes (or at least moderates)
3) can plan their vacations 10 or 11 months in advance
4) don't primarily want Fri-Sat stays since weekend point costs are a little higher
5) intend to use DVC primarily for staying at a DVC resort at disney (rather than trading out for other timeshares or cruises, etc.)
6) need or prefer larger accommodations than a basic hotel room

OTOH, there are lots of good reasons to balk at buying DVC:

1) thousands of $ upfront plus annual fees require a certain level of financial ability and commitment (and you still need to pay for food, tickets, travel, etc.)
2) commitment to wdw/fear of wdw burnout (sorta - while you can trade out if you buy direct, the best value is staying at the DVC resorts)
3) DVC not as deluxe as deluxe hotels in some senses (limited housekeeping, sofabeds, no room service at some DVC resorts)
4) you prefer stays on weekends as weekend point costs are higher
5) financing a depreciating (sooner or later) luxury purchase is generally a poor idea
6) you are happy with value hotels/offsite
7) amenities like a kitchen and washer/dryer have no value for you
8) you don't/can't plan vacations 6+ months in advance
9) you enjoy hunting for deals/bargains for each trip

If you’ll be upset when other people can pay cash for a room and get a discount or get “free” dining thrown in, then DVC is not for you.

also be aware that if you think you might keep DVC for 6-8 years and then sell it down the road, it may have little to no value as DVC has begun cutting perks that transfer when you sell your contract. resale contracts no longer qualify to trade for cruises and wdw hotels like the GF...(but those trades tend to be a poor value anyway.)

remember that it's not a "membership" so much as a long-term real estate lease commitment with continuing costs. while you can stay in studios that are similar to hotel rooms (only OKW has 2 queen beds, though, and all the rest have 1 queen + 1 pullout sofabed), DVC is a better value if you want to spread out and get a 1BR villa or larger...

if you think DVC might be a good fit for you, hang around the DVC boards and do a little more research. also, consider purchasing a smaller resale contract - 100 pts or so - to start off...

 

[hakepb]

If you want to stay at BCV every year, then you would need to book BCV 11 months out as a BCV owner. If you cannot book that far out, then DVC would be a bad choice for you. Also, will you continue to want WDW trips 15+ years in the future? The payback is around 10 years..

DVC would rather sell you SSR, AKV or Aluani points. If you ask enough, they will sell BCV points. (And you need to be a BCV owner to book at 11 months) But you do not really save anything for a BCV contract that expires in 2042. (I think BCV is $115/point vs $99 for SSR?).
You can buy resale for cheaper than direct, and there are a couple of financing options. I would not buy expecting the points to hold any value.

 

[Granny]

Have you looked at the resale market for BCV? You could save thousands of dollars on a contract through the resale market which might make your investment a little more palatable. I'd have to think that a trip to BC is fairly expensive even if you find codes or discounts.

Lot's of good advice to you so far. Read it carefully, ask questions and make sure you understand the ins and outs of DVC (such as banking & borrowing points, home resort booking advantages, optimum planning cycle, etc) before you make any commitment.

Good luck!

 

[Chellymouse]

We spent several months researching DVC before we purchased, have already done an add on and our only regret is that we didn't purchase sooner. Having said that, DVC is not for everyone. We do purchase annual paases (at a discount) and we do tend to go to WDW at least twice, sometimes 3 times a year, but that's us. We plan to try a cruise one of these years (oh when oh when is Member Cruise 2012 going on sale?) and probably heading to Hawaii. We have not had any problem not getting a reservation (may not be our first choice) as short as 3 months out and so far have been very happy. We also have TIW card for meal discounts (works out better than DDP) and we also use grocery service for snacks, breakfast and drinks, which saves us quite a bit also. I would recommend you take some time out of your next trip and visit DVC and speak with a guide. Todd Bearden is EXCELLENT and I would highly recommend him. There is no pressure to purchase during your trip and even though they say the deal is only good for 10 days after your visit, that's hogwash!!

 

[eliza61]

So, we are planning our 3rd trip in a row to the Beach Club...am I just plain stupid for not joining DVC??

We do not have the money to pay it all at once...I save all year to go on vacation. But I feel like we are wasting our money, by staying at a deluxe resort every time. I'm so confused on what to do.

Do what you are doing now. get information, then more information and still more information.

Disney is not going anywhere any time soon. make sure you are totally comfortable with the purchase. I spent a year deciding before I finally plopped down some cash.
I put down 1/2 and finance the other through my credit union.

 

[taaren]

You've gotten good advice so far, which is mainly: research.

If you do decide to buy, definitely look into resale. We have 1 contract direct before our resort was finished being built, and 1 contract resale and saved a lot of $$ on the second one, so I'd go resale if we bought another contract in a heartbeat. I like the board sponsors, TSS, but others have had good experiences with the other resellers as well.

If you decide to buy direct, while you are on this upcoming vacation, I have read from other people that sometimes the guide (in order to close the deal) will move you into your villa while on the trip on which you purchase and let you use the $$ you'd be paying on the hotel room towards your DVC purchase. Not sure if that applies to non-new resorts though. Particularly if you get a UY that is later in the year than your trip, then you'll have the 2010 or 2011 UY points in addition to the points going forward.

 

[jupers]

I'm going to echo what everyone else has said...research! I read every Q and A on DVC I could.

Resale worked best for us...I literally paid 1/2 what I would have if I bought direct. I just got back from my first DVC stay and I am thrilled!!!!

 

[JimMIA]

When you talk to a DVC timeshare salesman, just remember that their job is to sell you a timeshare -- NOT give you balanced, unbiased advice. Their job is to present their product in the best possible light, minimize your objections, and close the sale.

DVC does not generally use high-pressure sales techniques, but they do strongly bias their information in favor of you buying what they are selling. They'll also try to sell you whether you're a good prospect to get good value from DVC or not.

Here on the DIS, you will find numerous "Should I buy?" threads -- most of them are on the DVC Operations board, not here. All of them provide both information and questions you haven't thought of yet., so you should read as many as you can.

I'd also remember that any timeshare purchase is not only an initial cash outlay -- it's also an ongoing financial committment for maintenance fees (which DVC calls dues) and also for the larger other expenses of using the timeshare (air fare, park tickets, food, trinkets, etc.). In the case of DVC, that committment is for 30-50 years, depending on home resort.

 

[Anal Annie]

So, we are planning our 3rd trip in a row to the Beach Club...am I just plain stupid for not joining DVC??

We do not have the money to pay it all at once...I save all year to go on vacation. But I feel like we are wasting our money, by staying at a deluxe resort every time. I'm so confused on what to do.

It's your 3rd trip in what? 3 years? 5 years? 3rd trip in 18 months? How often do you go? We purchased DVC because the resorts were pricing us out of being able to afford to go. Before we purchased we'd already backed down from Deluxe to Moderate and felt like we were being priced into the Value resorts & we didn't want to go there. We knew we'd be returning again & it seemed to make sense for us to have a vacation home. Now we try to go down a couple times a year. It's been great for us to know we always have a place to go!

We live in the DC suburbs where most people vacation at the beaches in Ocean City, MD or Bethany Beach, DE. It's about a 3 to 3 1/2 hour drive (without traffic which is like NEVER around here). So we spend 2 hours & 15 min. flying to our vacation home. To me it's the same idea as going to the same beach destination every year. We also have neighbors & friends who always go to the Outer Banks & Nags Head every year and I just think it's the same idea. We're just flying rather than driving. I think if WDW is going to be a repeat destination for you over & over and if you're already paying the crazy Deluxe resort prices it would be worth your time to look at purchasing.

FWIW we own at SSR & like to resort hop & stay somewhere different every time we go so that each trip is different. Because we travel like this I cannot book until our 7 month window opens up and so far, so good with getting our choice in resorts. If we're traveling at a busy time of year (like over spring break) we always call with a 1st, 2nd & 3rd choice in mind. For this next spring break I went ahead & booked at SSR before that window opened just to be sure we had a ressie then I called right at 9:00 on the 7 month window & switched over to BLT. There were no standard view studios available (but I didn't expect there would be) so we booked Lake View (actually what we wanted). While many say you have to book at 10-11 months I think the BIGGEST trick is to just get your ressie in before that 7 month window opens for everyone else. After this next trip we only need to try BWV and Aulani and we can say we've stayed at all the DVC resorts and we've done them all in that 7 month window or less.

I agree with Granny and would also research sales on the resale market. There are more restrictions now on where & how you can use those types of points but if your primary destination is going to be WDW then you'd be OK with a resale and would save a bundle.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

I just said to my DH last night.. "did you realize we have had our DVC for almost 9 years and we have gotten good use out of it".

We just did an add on this year of 50 points because we found that 160 points was just not enough for us.

It is one of the best financial purchases we have done. Especially living in Ohio where we have long winter months. It is always great to plan a trip to Florida in Feb/Mar. It gives us something to look forward to as we shovel tons and tons of snow.

Just because you buy a Disney timeshare doesn't mean you are limited to vacation just at the parks. There are lots of things off property to see and do. Our favorite is to drive to the gulf coast which only take 1 1/2 hours to get to. We enjoy going to Honeymoon Island state park and searching for shells and walking in the warm waters. Or drive to the Cape again just a little over an hour drive from WDW.
We go to Clermont FL which is 20 minutes from WDW, to pick oranges and other fruits.
So don't think you will be buying DVC that it will tie you down to spending your vacation at Disney.

We have taken Disney cruises as well using points although folks say its not a good use of points it is for us and we really enjoyed it.

You will wish you had done it sooner!

BTW.. We loved the fact that the DVC sales presentation was not a pushy one. We had attended one at the Marriott and those people were very very demanding by bringing in several other sales managers to try and convince us to purchase their timeshare. We stood our ground and left I am so glad I gave them a false phone number so they could not call us.
Anyway back to the DVC experience. Our guide Jeff Jarosz was very informative, professional and not pushy at all! We made an appt with him and he even set the blue DVC van to pick us up at Epcot when it was time for our appt. The van then took us back to our resort which at that time was CBR. We took all the information he gave us and after taking time to think it over we contacted Jeff and made our purchase. It was a VERY pleasant experience!