DVC vs. Moderates

[luna99]

I have always stayed in moderate resorts when visiting WDW .. now my husband and I (well, mostly "I") am thinking about joining DVC.

What I'm wondering is if I were to do 20 years staying at moderate resorts say one week a year versus buying enough points to stay at WDW for one week (for fairness sake lets say the same exact week) at a DVC resort.. would I end up saving more more by going with DVC?

I know in the moderate the rooms aren't as big.. you don't get all those extra perks.. you aren't staying in a Deluxe resort..

but I really don't mind (and actually enjoy) staying at the moderate resorts too so I'm wondering if maybe it would just be cheaper to stay at a moderate every year instead of going with DVC. Maybe I can say that though because I've never stayed at a Deluxe resort and I'm sure once I did I would never want to go back to a moderate, right?

thanks for any help and/or opinions!

( I hope I worded my question clearly!)

 

[ldo]

it might have been on mousesavers.com. It was a "is DVC for you" type of thing. They did an analysis with moderate vs. DVC studio for 7 days and said that moderate would be somewhat cheaper. But, I would add that if you can shave off 1 weekend night (so sun-sat stay or sat-fri stay), then DVC might come out ahead--only b/c it costs so many more DVC points to stay on weekends. We decided that we liked the pools, ambiance and Community Halls for the kids enough to buy DVC over staying in a moderate---but, you won't find us staying at DVC on a Friday or Sat night or prime Holiday time.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

If you haven't toured them yet, Disney allows you to take a virtual tour of a 1-BR, 2-BR and grand villa. They also show you each DVC resort. I love the moderate resorts, but when we had kids, our needs changed. Knowing, at least at the moment, that we would not take a beating if we went to sell our contract later, the extra room and washer and dryer were big to us. Also, knowing that the points required to stay wouldn't go up (points can only be reallocated, which means if points go up for a specific time frame, like Christmas, they have to go down somewhere else), we ensured that we could stay in a 2-br for a week during the summer for as long as we own the contract.

Bottom line, I don't know that you'll ever justify the purchase. Too many unknown variables...inflation of DVC room rates, interest you could earn had you invested the money, whether you finance or pay cash for your purchase, increases in maintenance fees, retention of value (how low Dis allows points for each resort to be sold for), etc. We thought it made sense for us and bought, but it doesn't mean it's right for everyone. Per the OP, there are great threads on Disboards and other sites that may help you with your decision. Best of luck!

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

Here are a few points to think about:

• The room rates are going up faster than maintenance fees.
• Disney has been offering specials lately with free dining that are very competitive to DVC.
• Resale prices are more competitive than through DVC.
• Consider purchasing less than 160 points resale.
• DVC makes more sense if you pay cash.
• Consider purchasing a small contract for the exact amount of points you need.
• I agree with the previous poster about the weekend nights.
• After joining, you may get sudden urges to bring extended family with you.
• Even if you don't like to cook on vacation, it is very convenient to have a small kitchen, washer and dryer, and jacuzzi tub.

As per another poster, the pictures of the studios are on the DVC website as well, and allearsnet.com also has great pictures of the DVC resorts.

 

[dizney4us]

One of the great things about DVC to me, is that we own a piece of the magic. We brought my parents and brother this year to SSR, which they could not get over. They still think about it and talk about how beautiful it is. Next May I will be bringing them back along with my sister, her husband and my 2 nephews.... all on us, because we just use points for it. It has made large family vacations possible for many people, and more frequent vacations. The studio at SSR is MUCH nicer and bigger than even a deluxe studio, far better than a moderate IMHO (no balconies at the moderates) and we do know, because we've stayed at quite a few. If you can afford it, and you love going to WDW and are sad when you leave, then DVC will be a good fit for you. We love it! So much so that I have to restrain myself from adding on more points.

 

[bblanch]

But, I would add that if you can shave off 1 weekend night (so sun-sat stay or sat-fri stay), then DVC might come out ahead--only b/c it costs so many more DVC points to stay on weekends.

Will this always be the case?
I thought I recall reading somewhere on this board, that Disney will soon be doing the same with all resorts. i.e. have higher weekend rates than weekday rates.

 

[ldo]

weekend rates at WDW hotels that I looked were $10-25 higher for 2008, while at DVC, you need at least double the points, sometimes even more. I think, if you can stay sun-thur, DVC is a very good value (for me at least).

 

[covereddish]

Well, I think that once you do the Deluxe Or DVC, you will be hooked.

We have always stayed at the Value Resorts, but after staying at the DVC with a friend, we joined that day! All of the extras really made it worth it for us!

 

[shellbelle1971]

In our analysis, using DVC for a studio for a week per year was very close to the same cost as staying in a regular room in a mod every year.

For our family, though, there's NO comparison because with our big family, the extra space of a 2- or 3-bedroom, full kitchen, and washer/dryer are absolute necessities. Can you imagine trying to take 7 kids to restaurants for every meal?? Seriously, the kitchen makes DVC great for us.

Of course you probably don't have 7 kids, but the comfort and amenities of the DVC rooms versus a mod may make it well worth the minimal price difference.

On the other hand, once you start staying at the DVC resorts, and especially if you ever stay in a 1-bedroom (versus a studio) you may suddenly find DVC becomming an expensive addiction with an ever-increasing *need* (okay, maybe it's really a *wish*) for more points to allow you to go to WDW more frequently and stay in better villas while you're there.

 

[luna99]

Of course you probably don't have 7 kids, but the comfort and amenities of the DVC rooms versus a mod may make it well worth the minimal price difference.

wow! seven kids... I'm looking like just thinking about it ... let alone taking them to a restaurant! haha. congrats though.. if we had the money we would probably have a bunch ourselves.. and you're right.. at the moment it's just me and my husband but I am looking into the future as well and know that I want to take my children to disney the way my folks took me and share it with my extended family.. that's why I'm thinking about DVC.

I'd love to have the freedom to call my parents and sister and say "get yourselves to disney and you can stay with us and our family in a two bedroom villa for free"... how awesome would that be!

I think my husband and I will end up only having two kids at the most, so we could probably swing the four of us staying in a studio at DVC all the time (unless we just felt like upgrading)... so it probably would end up costing about the same as staying in a moderate all the time.. but honestly I just would like to experience the deluxe resorts.. and I know how I am.. I"m a HUGE hotel person and LOVE stayin in nice resorts/hotels.... so I really think DVC would be the way for my family (or at least me!) to go!

thanks for all your replies an help everyone... It might take me a few years to get it... (even if I have to save up all the money myself!) but I'm pretty sure eventually we'll buy in.

 

[luna99]

Can you imagine trying to take 7 kids to restaurants for every meal??

btw shellbelle.. your kids have great names! My sisters name is Naomi and I have a good friend named Levi! I think those names are a little unusual but gorgeous!

 

[Dean]

Comparing a moderate room to a studio (or 2 rooms to a 2 BR) should be roughly the same in long term cost with variations depending on specifics. If you can go S-F many time, DVC will actually compare favorably to the values. For weekends mostly, the moderates should be a better cheaper choice. I think most would agree that the DVC resorts are overall nicer than the moderates and that the studios are larger with more amenities than a regular hotel room. So anyone who has a track record of moderate stays, will cont. to go routinely and not do long weekends is a perfect candidate for DVC. A 1 or 2 BR will not fare as well in comparison to a single moderate room but will for a deluxe. There are other benefits to DVC such as no Tax (currently), kitchen amenities, limited discounts, some protection against inflation and the ability to stay at other DVC resorts. As with anything else, the devil is in the details.

 

[covereddish]

Wow! 7 kids! That must be the funnest time around the holidays!

Just thinking about it, y'all probably fill the entire Small World boat!!!

How fun!

 

[shellbelle1971]

I'd love to have the freedom to call my parents and sister and say "get yourselves to disney and you can stay with us and our family in a two bedroom villa for free"... how awesome would that be!

I think my husband and I will end up only having two kids at the most, so we could probably swing the four of us staying in a studio at DVC all the time (unless we just felt like upgrading)... so it probably would end up costing about the same as staying in a moderate all the time.. but honestly I just would like to experience the deluxe resorts.. and I know how I am.. I"m a HUGE hotel person and LOVE stayin in nice resorts/hotels.... so I really think DVC would be the way for my family (or at least me!) to go!

At least once a year we take g'ma & g'pa or aunts/uncles with us just as you describe. It improves the adult-to-child ratio considerably, and they're happy to go along!

As for the 4-in-a-studio scenario...that's a whole different can o' worms. If you never try a one bedroom, you'll probably be fine. But once you "splurge" on a bigger villa--well...who said "a luxury once sampled becomes a necessity"??

It does sound like DVC might be a great choice for you. Good luck with your decision. Maybe you & your DH could rent points for a trip. For lots of guys all it takes is for them to experience the difference once and they're sold.

 

[shellbelle1971]

Just thinking about it, y'all probably fill the entire Small World boat!!!
How fun!

We DO fill a whole boat sometimes. And around the holidays, the inside of our house is crowded enough with all the cousins to BE the Small World ride!

 

[nunzia]

Will this always be the case?
I thought I recall reading somewhere on this board, that Disney will soon be doing the same with all resorts. i.e. have higher weekend rates than weekday rates.

I believe this is so. Our stay at DGC next May has different rates for the weeknights and the weekend. Previously you paid the rate based on your first night, but that's no longer the case. The rate was quite alot higher for our Friday stay over the Wed and Thurs nights.

 

[kikiq]

I'd love to have the freedom to call my parents and sister and say "get yourselves to disney and you can stay with us and our family in a two bedroom villa for free"... how awesome would that be!

As we did for my family for our first trip "home" next summer. My family has so many happy memories of Disney that to be able to say "get yourselves to disney..." was the final piece of our decision to buy DVC.

We were not financially able to buy DVC in the 90s. We crunched a lot of numbers earlier this year in deciding to buy DVC, but the final reason was the ability to bring my family (especially my dad) whenever we wanted.
When we were on our anniversary trip at WDW this summer, we realized that we have had the most beautiful memories when we've been at WDW or DLR.

The Dis DVC board helped us with the money analysis only you can decide if and when the time is right for your DVC purchase.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Just to play a little bit of the devil's advocate here...If you are only looking at studio stays, I'm not so sure DVC is the best deal. DVC works best when utilizing the WHOLE program, and that can only be done with a the typical timeshare amenities and enough points to use ALL the options. If my goal was to stay in a hotel type room for less, I'd probably do the values. That, however, is NOT my goal. I like the full kitchen, jacuzzi, in room laundry and extra space too much. If I didn't want those things, there would be no real reason to own DVC. It's kind of like why we own most of our points at OKW. We LOVE the extra space there, and feel the smaller accommodations at BWV, BCV, VWL, and SSR cramp our style. Now we did buy a small add on at AKV to use every 3 years with banking and borrowing, but the unit size was not the dominant factor there....the animals were.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

Just to play a little bit of the devil's advocate here...If you are only looking at studio stays, I'm not so sure DVC is the best deal. DVC works best when utilizing the WHOLE program, and that can only be done with a the typical timeshare amenities and enough points to use ALL the options. If my goal was to stay in a hotel type room for less, I'd probably do the values. That, however, is NOT my goal. I like the full kitchen, jacuzzi, in room laundry and extra space too much. If I didn't want those things, there would be no real reason to own DVC. It's kind of like why we own most of our points at OKW. We LOVE the extra space there, and feel the smaller accommodations at BWV, BCV, VWL, and SSR cramp our style. Now we did buy a small add on at AKV to use every 3 years with banking and borrowing, but the unit size was not the dominant factor there....the animals were.

depends on each circumstance

no reason to look beyond a studio if you dont need to

 

[nunzia]

I plan on only using studios for the most part. However, I like the option of being able to get larger rooms if we have someone coming with us. The big factor for me is having a Disney room paid for, for the rest of our lives. It's amazing at how high the room rates have gotten already, I can only imagine what the next 20 years will hold. It is, to me, a security thing. When I retire I may not have enough money to justify a yearly vacation..but if the room is paid for, it's just the getting there and in the parks and that's not bad.
It's the long term appeal that got me in.