dvc vs hotels

[brajfamily]

My husband and I go to Disney every year and are thinking about looking into the DVC. We figure there must be some benefit to it for people that go every year. We are going in April and are planning to talk to someone there but we wanted some non-Disney salesperson insight. We go every April and have 4 kids so would need a minimum of a 1-bedroom. Any idea how many points that would be and how much does a point cost?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Metsoskil]

Click on "DVC points charts" on the top of the page. Everything you need to answer your question is there. It certainly can save you money if you go every year, but it depends on your vacationing style. You really need to run the numbers to see if it makes sense.

 

[WALTSAGOD]

You won't find any bad responses about DVC on this board, I've trying hard!

 

[crisi]

My husband and I go to Disney every year and are thinking about looking into the DVC. We figure there must be some benefit to it for people that go every year. We are going in April and are planning to talk to someone there but we wanted some non-Disney salesperson insight. We go every April and have 4 kids so would need a minimum of a 1-bedroom. Any idea how many points that would be and how much does a point cost?

Thanks for the help!

You'll need a minimum of a two bedroom. One bedrooms have a king bed and a full sized pullout sofa in the living room. Some AKL units will also have a pullout chair, but you'd still be a bed short.

 

[Chellymouse]

Hello and welcome! I can tell you honestly that DH and I looked into DVC 4 1/2 years ago and waited because the timing wasn't right for us. We bought in several months ago which is better for us. We were going to Disney nearly every year and at the very least every other year. While you will see pros and cons to using your points elsewhere for travel, it is more cost effective for us to use our points to travel than to travel on our own to some of the other destinations. You purchase your points based on your travel needs and accomodations that you would like as well as the time of year you travel. We bought in at 225 and are planning on adding on in a couple of years. (I went back to school so we had to finance for right now) Remember that this is not an investment, you are pre-paying your vacations for many years to come. I highly recommend our guide Todd Bearden! He is wonderful and does not believe in high pressure sales. Good luck with your decision!

 

[crisi]

You won't find any bad responses about DVC on this board, I've trying hard!

If you want a more 'objective' look - go over to the timeshare users group. You might have to pay to post, not sure, I don't go over there. They'll be excited about timeshares in general, but they'll know the pros and cons of DVC over other companies. You can also try the budget board here, which has a few DVCers and a few people who are more pro-hotel, or the Resorts board - who tend to be pro-hotel. Let's face it, people who own DVC tend to like it - since you can generally resell it if you don't like it and get pretty close to what you put into it.

(I'm actually pro-hotel. I like DVC because it affordably allows me to put my kids in another room - making our vacation a lot more enjoyable than four of us in one hotel room. I like daily housekeeping, more booking flexibility, no committment and some of the other aspects of staying in a hotel. When the kids leave home, not sure we will continue to own. I seem to be the exception around this board, though.