Dvc???

[jeepsrj]

Can someone or someones please help me with the pros and cons of DVC? have been considering it but not sure exactly how it works....

 

[Shooby doo]

I seem to remember reading an article on www.mousesavers.com but there are plenty along the same lines.Basically it all comes down to what sort of hotel you & your family/friends want to stay in & how long you intend visiting Orlando ( I'm dealing with just WDW here as most articles will say that if you don't intend to use it for that purpose there are cheaper alternatives for the other destinations available). If for instance you normally stay at a budget hotel on or off -site & are happy to do this then stay with that option as it's cheaper. But if you normally stay at a deluxe or moderate then it could be a good option. You then have 2 options with each comes more decisions: Firstly who do you want to buy from? If Disney then your options at the minute would be to "own" at either AKV or the newer Bay Lake Towers,the next bit to get around is how many points your future holidays will require? Disney have allocated each day/week of the year with a certain points total,so you work out how many points you think you will need & then decide how often you would visit? Your next decision is a thing called Use Year,which is basically what month you want your year to start from eg for us it's June,they recommend that you don't go for any later than 8-9 months from your normal holiday month. This is where things get complex,you are also able to bank,use & borrow so in essence use 3 years points at once! We are planning a holiday in Sept 2012,we have 175 points, so we will bank 2011,use 2012 & borrow 2013 basically giving us 175+175+175=525.
Your second buying option is Resale,there are no real cons with this as you are buying the exact same product as Disney are selling but with more options.Firstly Disney will not sell you less than 160 points as a first time buyer,Resale if they are for sale you can buy them!Secondly older resorts are still available,to buy these from Disney you'd have to go on a waiting list.
Some recommend that you buy at the Resort you would like to stay in,the difference being you are able to book your "home" resort at 11 months from your proposed vacation date but it is 7 months for others. The bigger resorts like SSR & AKV this usually isn't a problem but BCV & BWV are smaller a more popular but again it will depend on time of year.
If you decide to buy you own a deed for a certain points total for 50 years from the date Disney opened the resort eg SSR-2054,AKV-2057,BLT-2059 most of the others are 2042 although Disney have just started offering extended contracts.
I hope I've helped some what anymore Q's just ask?
SD

 

[rutgers1]

From what I have gathered, there are some downsides compared to other timeshares that are out there. For starters, as the previous poster said, you don't own it indefinitely, whereas many timeshares are deeded to you and you can pass them down from one generation to the next. Also, although you would think that they would trade very well, I see that the reviews are mixed from those who have tried to trade out to an exchange company so that they could take a vacation somewhere else.

I think the deal is best if you really see yourself vacationing at Disney year after year (or saving points and taking a longer trip every other year) for the foreseeable future. I have several friends who literally could have paid for their DVC already given all of the money they have spent in recent years at Disney's top resorts. For them, it would have been a no brainer. As for us, it was less of a no brainer because we tend to stay at moderates and we were pretty happy going every other year. However, we look forward to the upgrade in facilities as well as the more frequent trips. On top of that, we view it akin to buying a beach house. We are not beach people, but we always admired the connection that families who owned them had to them. We wanted that with our family, and we felt that owning at DVC would give our family a little piece of Disney and a place to call "our" special vacation place. Kind of corny, but that is how we see it. So, even if it only makes marginal economic sense, we are happy thus far.

 

[DVC Mike]

Membership in the Disney Vacation Club is not for everyone. I consider it a luxury purchase. If you are not in a position, financially, to make a luxury purchase, then perhaps you should not be considering DVC.

DVC can make sense financially -- assuming you would always stay in a deluxe resort. If you always stay in a value resort, then it won't -- but that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The DVC resorts offer deluxe amenities and room size.

DVC membership might make sense if you meet most or all of these criteria:

• The cost of membership and dues does not appear to present a financial hardship.
• You vacation at Walt Disney World frequently: ideally at least once every two years.
• You plan to continue vacationing at Disney World far enough into the future to make the membership at least break even.
• You prefer to stay in Deluxe or DVC accommodations and/or you stay a long time (10 days or more per year). If you always stay at a Value resort, or always stay off-site, or you really spend the entire day at the parks away from your hotel, and you don't spend time at the resort itself (other than crashing at the end of the day), then DVC may not be for you.
• You are able to plan your vacations well in advance -- ideally 7 to 11 months out. If you aren't a planner, don't even look at becoming a DVC member. If you can't plan and book your vacations 11 months in advance, and staying at a particular DVC resort is important, then don't join DVC. If you really don't care which DVC resort you end up with, then it's not an issue.
• You can do without daily mousekeeping and room service (of course, you can pay extra and get mousekeeping as a DVC member).
• You desire more space than a typical resort room (such as a 2 bedroom villa, with full kitchen, living room, 2 bathrooms and jacuzzi suite, and even a washer/dryer).
• You’re not looking at DVC as an investment or a way to make money (it’s not). It is a decision to prepay, at today's rates, the next several decades of Disney trips.

People say that timeshares, in general, are a bad use of your money. I would generally agree. However, DVC timeshares have something that most timeshares don't have -- a great location that is in extremely high demand. Also, resale values for DVC contracts have remained fairly high, especially when compared to your typical timeshare.

DVC is not the least expensive way to go. In fact, as timeshares go, DVC is a bit expensive. If the only consideration is whether it was the cheapest, then you should be staying offsite and only eating offsite.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

I would only add a couple of comments to Mike's post.

1) I would not purchase DVC if my plans were to trade out often. Based on buy-in price and dues, you will get more for your money staying at WDW. Also, don't buy to trade out for non-DVC resorts at WDW either (e.g., Poly or Grand Floridian). The points are high, plus they charge a $95 fee when you book. You can book at all DVC resorts without any type of charge. The only difference is the point structures at the various resorts (e.g., it costs more points to stay at BC for a week than it does at OKW for the same size room).

2) Booking at the 7 month window is very doable, and we've had great luck. You just may need to be a little flexible. For example, I called to book a standard view, 1-BR at AKV for Easter (spring break) at 6 1/2 months. It wasn't available, but a 1-BR value was. So, I booked that instead. I also called for our first DVC stay to book a standard view 1-BR at BWV at 4 months out. It wasn't available, so I booked a pool view. The AKV villas cost less points, but the BWV pool view cost more.

We have found DVC to be a great value for us. We take 1 - 2 trips to WDW every year, and love the flexibility it offers. We can reserve any size room, any time of the year.

 

[NJ Mets fan]

To add to the previous post, I would also add that if you have a big family it might make sense as well. I have 6 in my family and in most cases we'd be looking at having to rent two rooms. While it might be cheaper to rent two rooms at the values (been there done that), you still feel pretty cramped and the full size beds are very uncomfortable. After very careful consideration and spending a few months reading these boards I decided to purchase a resale - enough points to go at least every two years even though this summer we will have gone 5 times in the last 4 years. I have kids ranging in age from 15 to 1 so I'll be going at least for a number of years and I have always been a Disney lover so I could see getting use out of it years after.
I just had a conversation with some people at a birthday party today about DVC today and I advised a family of 4 against it based on what they told me about their room preferences and finances. It would make more sense to rent at special rates and when there is free dining. Disney vacations are not cheap if you have to purchase airfare and then you have park tickets and food. Discounted rates can be very attractive.
A few of the reasons I purchased besides what I noted above;
A washer and dryer in the room will allow me to pack a lot less. With 6 people, I feel like I'm bringing the whole house with me and hauling all those suitcases to and from the airport is a pain especially with the young kids and strollers.
Having access to a full kitchen allows us to prepare breakfast in the room and this gets us out earlier to spend more time at the parks. It also allows us to store larger quantities of snacks and water.
Just plain more space and privacy.
The biggest con is laying out all that money up front assuming you pay cash which I would suggest. I personally would not finance something like this.
You will also hear a lot of people that complain that they can't get free dining when it's offered or other perks although there are some limited perks for DVC members that can change at anytime such as annual pass discounts, some dining discounts and free in room internet. These would not be reasons to buy.
If you decide to buy, research the resale market. With the economy the way it is, prices seem to be dropping while Disney's prices to not. If you can find a contract with banked points, it makes up for the developer points being offered. I bought a contract with 2 yrs of banked points so I was able to take a trip in January and another one this July using 08 points and some of my 09 points. Like I said, spend a lot of time reading these boards before deciding to buy. Don't buy on impulse and really make sure you can afford it. Good luck with your decision.

 

[calgarygary]

a great location that is in extremely high demand. Also, resale values for DVC contracts have remained fairly high, especially when compared to your typical timeshare.

This arguement is really only valid if you are comparing resale to developer purchases. If you are comparing resale to resale, and if the op or others, are content with staying offsite, then DVC is not a good choice. You can vacation many more times at WDW, stay in superior or comparable quality resorts, and spend much less money by exploring resale offsite timeshares.

 

[ILuvMulan]

I agree with NJ Mets Fan. The thing that made DVC such a good deal for us is the fact that we have 3 children, all of which will be considered "adults" by Disney on our next trip. That means two rooms in most places. The ability to cook and do laundry in the villa is also a real time and money saver for us. My DH and I consider our DVC purchase our mid-life crisis and are happy that we had it together It is also an investment in our family... the time we spend at Disney together will never be forgotten by our kids.

 

[Shan-man]

I'm beginning to understand how points work but, I'm still not at all clear about what the real costs of DVC are. Can someone post (or point me to) a real-world example, with figures, as to what the buy-in is and what the recurring fees are? I haven't seen such info anywhere and can't imagine how you can figure your break-even without it.

 

[ILuvMulan]

There is a per point purchase price. (It varies by the property). You need a "Dream" book to be able to look and see 1st which resort you would like to purchase, 2nd what type of villa you would like to use when you stay and then 3rd how many points you will need for the stays. Then after the initial purchase price there are yearly maintenance/dues fees.

Here is the history of DVC annual fees at all of the resorts:

Year OKW BWV VB VB(sub) HH VWL BCV SSR AKV

2008 4.56 5.04 6.04 4.71 5.16 4.87 4.80 4.21 4.71
2007 4.40 4.85 5.63 4.39 4.98 4.73 4.63 4.12 4.62
2006 4.24 4.69 5.27 4.12 4.34 4.61 4.48 3.98
2005 3.86 4.41 4.87 3.84 3.86 4.35 4.27 3.83
2004 3.68 4.25 4.67 3.67 3.70 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 4.11 4.37 4.37 3.69 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.92 4.17 3.33 3.49 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 3.83 3.98 2.70 3.32 3.63
2000 3.16 3.94 4.07 2.87 3.25 3.62
1999 3.16 4.02 3.99 2.82 3.18
1998 3.17 3.94 ---- 2.76 3.20
1997 3.14 3.84 ---- 2.90 3.16
1996 2.99 3.70 ---- 2.82 3.16
1995 2.84
1994 2.70
1993 2.63
1992 2.56
1991 2.51
(The above is the per point price.)

That should be it.

Good Luck

 

[crisi]

I wouldn't consider DVC resorts Deluxe - and I think its a bad fit for people who like some sorts of Deluxe amenities. The big one is housekeeping - housekeeping is not daily at DVC (you can pay extra for it, but that would really impact savings). There are only a few conceirge rooms available DVC at AKL - so if you like conceirge, it probably isn't a good deal.

They are timeshares that in many cases, share facilities with the Deluxe resorts. But in the end, its a timeshare - they are maintained in a fashion that keeps dues reasonable, not refreshed as often as the Deluxe side of the resort.

Check out the resale list at the top of the page for some information on buy in costs - you can buy direct from Disney for somewhere around $100 a point (a little north of that I think currently). Then you pay yearly dues. There is no tax on a DVC stay, and many DVCers leave without any additional room related charges. However, you will still end up buying park tickets, food, etc. - it can make a Disney vacation cheaper, but it is still a luxury thing.

 

[kristenrice]

I'm beginning to understand how points work but, I'm still not at all clear about what the real costs of DVC are. Can someone post (or point me to) a real-world example, with figures, as to what the buy-in is and what the recurring fees are? I haven't seen such info anywhere and can't imagine how you can figure your break-even without it.

Here is our actual figures from our resale purchase in September 2008:

100 point contract at AKV-Jambo @$92/point, Feb use year with all 2008 points available $9200

Closing Costs: $397

Annual Dues paid for 2008: $471

TOTAL COST: $10,068

Now, with a resale, you can negotiate the price per point and who pays what portion of the Annual Dues and closing costs. Then, once all your terms are agreed upon, the deal gets sent to Disney. They have the Right of First Refusal (ROFR) which means they can choose to buy the contract at the terms you've agreed to. If this happens, you lose the contract (but any money paid is refunded) and you have to start over. We really wanted our contract to pass ROFR so we paid all of the closing fees plus all of the annual dues for the 2008 points.

Now, until the year 2057, the only additional fees we have are the annual dues. For 2009, they were $4.85/point. They will most likely increase every year. I am budgeting for a 5% increase even though 3-4% is more likely.

Here's some more numbers for you to consider...
The initial point cost plus closing fees essentially gets us 4900 points (100 points per year from 2008-2057). That breaks down to about $1.95/point.

We are taking a vacation in June 2009 using 95 points and staying a Saturday night in a value studio and Su-We nights in a value 1BR. This stay would cost about $2360 if we booked the same rooms/dates from Disney. These 95 points cost us $185 for their buy-in cost and $447 for 2008 annual dues. So, our 5-night vacation "cost" us $632.

Another example: April 2010
--> (2) standard studios for Sunday and Monday night at AKV (68 points)
--> (1) standard 2BR for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights (138 points)
--> Initial cost of 206 points: $402
--> Annual Dues on 6 banked 2009 points ($29), Annual Dues on 100 2010 points, with 5% increase factored in ($509) and Annual Dues on 100 2011 points, with 5% increase factored in ($535) Total for Annual Dues: $1073

So, for Spring Break (Easter week) in 2010, we will be bringing my parents along and staying 5 nights at AKV for a "cost" of around $1475. Booking the same rooms from Disney at 2009 rates would cost almost $5600!

This is where you have to look at where you would actually stay if you did not own DVC. For us, we would never pay $1000/night to stay in a 2BR at AKV over spring break. So, it's not really fair for us to say that we are "saving" $4000. In reality, we'd probably stay in 2 rooms at a moderate resort. That would cost us about $2300. So, in a "real life" comparison, we'd be saving about $1200. If we did our June trip at a moderate, it would cost us about $1000 so we are "saving" about $370. But...this is considering the rack rate for the moderate resort. There are frequently special offers that come out. Even with only a 20% discount, our savings would shrink to $30.

There are so many comparisons you can make and numbers you can crunch, but it really comes down to what you want out of your vacation. If you are content in value or moderate resorts, you might be better off booking through Disney when special rates come out. When we stayed at Pop Century for 2 nights, we liked it, but we also knew that when our kids get older, that room would not be to our liking. Now, with DVC, we can have bigger rooms/villas for about the same price. Luckily, we had the money to purchase the contract in cash. Everyone has their opinions on financing. We do not take ANY vacation until we have all of the money we will need for it saved up and expendable. This included the initial buy in cost for DVC. Our trips will probably be every other year because it takes us that long to save up for the other expenses. If we had to save up another $1000 for a room, we'd go even less frequently.

Good luck with your decision. This board is a great place to find a lot of information.

 

[mecllap]

jeepsrj: lots of good info on this thread. You might want to go on the DVC tour while you're there, but don't agree to buy right away -- you can always make a direct purchase from DVC. You can check lots of DVC info and resale availability here, and on other boards (like DIS, ***********, etc.) before you go, so you'll have a better idea about DVC. Also read the resort reviews on here for DVC and lots of off-site timeshares.

There are tons of factors to consider, beyond the "break-even" thing (it's very hard to figure that, because once you get into timesharing, you will likely be taking more vacations, and probably at more overall cost -- even tho having the laundry and kitchen sort of helps you save money).

One small thing that tipped the scale for me in deciding between an on-site DVC purchase, and an off-site TS that might have more amenities and room space, is that I'm getting older. We're a 3-generation family on most of our trips, and we're not always on the same schedule for the time(s) we want to be in the Parks (sometimes I have more stamina that the "kids"). Being on-property gives us a lot more flexibility for coming and going, without being tied together for transportation to an off-site property. And, I really want the extra space, the kitchen and laundry that DVC gives us, as opposed to a hotel room onsite. (And if I get feeble, I can just relax at the resort and gaze at the view from the balcony, or cruise around in an ECV).

So, I did weigh all the rational pros and cons (I don't have to finance it with my resale purchase for enough points to go every other year), along with emotional ones, and decided it's right for me to get into DVC now. You certainly need to feel that it's okay financially in the long run (the break-even factor), but that may not be the total picture for making the decision.

Try to wait until you feel comfortable with your decision (I had a lot of buyer's regret after my first TS purchase, but have really enjoyed it and even tho I know I probably could have spent less on the initial purchase, I'm glad it got me into the world of timesharing (which is not for everyone by any means -- Suze Orman totally disapproves)).

 

[BLT_BobbyComics]

I just married in Disney last week. The entire time of the planning of the marriage (my now wife) asked many people their opinions here on the boards. She got MANY different ideas, opinions, suggestions. I kept saying the whole time "Ask Disney".

I would say the same thing here. We bought into BLT this past Saturday. I dont have A LOT of money. But I have enough to take good vacations when I want. I have stayed in the Value Resorts in the past. Those here who said DVC is not Deluxe are just living with blinders on.

So you dont get room service everyday. Yet you can for a SMALL fee. (37 dollars) The perks you do get far outweight the negatives. I dont get how if thise is a "bad idea" then why did some of you join in the first place. I might be new around here but Im just not sure what the deal is.

I would just say to jeep. If you are thinking about it, "Ask Disney" not the people here. Ask them and then weigh out your options and see if it is right for you. Not from people who bought in and are all over the board here.

You can use your points in MANY locations. Try doing that with another timeshare. 500 locations? Plus guided trips? Cruises? And you can go whenever you want? Not just one week a year that you are locked into!!

 

[chalee94]

You can use your points in MANY locations. Try doing that with another timeshare. 500 locations? Plus guided trips? Cruises? And you can go whenever you want? Not just one week a year that you are locked into!!

you can also trade many other timeshares into hundreds of other locations. most of those cost thousands less than a comparable DVC contract and many also have lower annual dues.

in point of fact, you are usually better off paying cash for the guided trips and cruises than using points, and point costs for guided trips and cruises are all subject to change from year to year. they are not fixed. they are nice to have as an option, but in purely financial terms, they are not a very good deal.

I just married in Disney last week. The entire time of the planning of the marriage (my now wife) asked many people their opinions here on the boards. She got MANY different ideas, opinions, suggestions. I kept saying the whole time "Ask Disney".

I would just say to jeep. If you are thinking about it, "Ask Disney" not the people here. Ask them and then weigh out your options and see if it is right for you. Not from people who bought in and are all over the board here.

a number of the grouchy people on this thread just "asked disney" and didn't bother to look deeper. they trusted the mouse and expected the good feelings and pixie dust would carry over to the timeshare management division. they know better now.

I have stayed in the Value Resorts in the past. Those here who said DVC is not Deluxe are just living with blinders on.

or maybe they just know more about what a "deluxe" hotel experience should be like than you do?

they don't hate DVC, but if you expect to be treated like a guest at the GF (or a real deluxe hotel like the four seasons), then DVC will be something of a disappointment. DVC is definitely "more deluxe" than the value resorts but DVC is still more of a "home away from home" experience than a true "deluxe" option. that's just speaking the truth to those who focus on the DVC salespeople quoting "deluxe resorts at moderate prices."

most of us would still agree that the positives outweigh the negatives, but suggesting that someone "ask disney" to get only the positive spin from their salesperson seems pretty foolish. disney's salespeople are generally very honest but they are still timeshare salespeople who only get paid if they can convince you of the positives.

if you're looking at completing a real estate transaction worth tens of thousands of dollars, i have no idea why someone should ignore the opinions of current and former purchasers to see how the program actually works in practice. many of the complaints may be irrational or not bother you (like the lack of daily housekeeping or occasional dirty rooms) but some may be important to know...

 

[Coach81]

DVC- Cons- Expensive, planning required, best to stay on Disney property. Pros- Pre-paid lodging with prices locked in for 50 years. Priceless memories.. can't put a price on that.


We love our DVC.

Good luck to you in your decision.

 

[BLT_BobbyComics]

Charles, I am not being grouchy by saying "ask disney". Go back and look at all the responses. They were pretty much anti-disney. I just dont get why someone would buy into the program and then tear it down.

I say "ask disney" because there are MANY mis-informed people here on these boards. I say ask disney, feel them out, then make a decision on your own not with a saleperson in the room. But just because you have a million posts on these boards and own the DVC that doesnt make you an expert. Especially since the program does change from time to time. Things have changed from when my Father-in-law bought into SSR 4 years ago, and when myself and wife bought in this year.

 

[chalee94]

Charles, I am not being grouchy by saying "ask disney". Go back and look at all the responses. They were pretty much anti-disney. I just dont get why someone would buy into the program and then tear it down.

point out the negative, anti-disney responses. i really think you are misreading tone into some of these posts.

rutgers1 pointed out that DVC has an expiration date and that trading out can be a mixed bag. all true.

DVCMike is a huge cheerleader for DVC and owns at 5 different resorts. but he understands that DVC is not for everyone. that's not anti-disney...just a fact. if you love wdw but can't plan more than a few months in advance and prefer to stay for long weekends, you may wind up frustrated with DVC. it's not designed to work very well for people like that, and it's better that they know in advance.

from crisi's prior posts, she's not coming from a value resort perspective. she's comparing DVC to elite 5 star hotels, and from that vantage point, it's simply not "deluxe." even compared to "disney deluxe", you won't get the same attention at DVC. if you don't care about daily housekeeping and such (and i don't), then it's a nonissue. but for people used to calling the front desk and getting instant attention...DVC is generally not that kind of "deluxe."

it's not "tearing it down" to point out that there really are tradeoffs for certain people and that DVC is not perfect for everyone. the posters you are reading as negative all seem to think DVC is worth the tradeoffs...but they have enough experience to understand that those tradeoffs do exist.

I say "ask disney" because there are MANY mis-informed people here on these boards. I say ask disney, feel them out, then make a decision on your own not with a saleperson in the room. But just because you have a million posts on these boards and own the DVC that doesnt make you an expert. Especially since the program does change from time to time. Things have changed from when my Father-in-law bought into SSR 4 years ago, and when myself and wife bought in this year.

from my experience, the more people have read on the DVC forums, the less misinformed they are. i have a better sense of what DVC can change - from point charts to home resort booking windows - than many people who just trusted their guides and got blindsided by some of the recent changes (leading to the megathread on the new point charts). i knew that the point charts could change at any time - even if they hadn't changed for 15 years - because many posters here knew their stuff. some guides might admit that disney's hilton head resort could be spun off from the DVC system at some point...or that banking and borrowing privileges can be suspended...or whatever. but most will avoid potentially negative subjects because it could cost them a sale.

(BTW, i'm not sure what qualifies one as a "DVC expert" but i will say that the plans for BLT and the launch of GCV were known on the DISboards well before most of the guides knew anything...)

i'd rather read disgruntled owners (none of whom have posted in this thread yet, BTW) and see whether their complaints seem valid or would apply to my situation, than reading all cheerleaders all the time.

 

[calgarygary]

I just married in Disney last week. The entire time of the planning of the marriage (my now wife) asked many people their opinions here on the boards. She got MANY different ideas, opinions, suggestions. I kept saying the whole time "Ask Disney".

I would say the same thing here. We bought into BLT this past Saturday. I dont have A LOT of money. But I have enough to take good vacations when I want. I have stayed in the Value Resorts in the past. Those here who said DVC is not Deluxe are just living with blinders on.

So you dont get room service everyday. Yet you can for a SMALL fee. (37 dollars) The perks you do get far outweight the negatives. I dont get how if thise is a "bad idea" then why did some of you join in the first place. I might be new around here but Im just not sure what the deal is.

I would just say to jeep. If you are thinking about it, "Ask Disney" not the people here. Ask them and then weigh out your options and see if it is right for you. Not from people who bought in and are all over the board here.

You can use your points in MANY locations. Try doing that with another timeshare. 500 locations? Plus guided trips? Cruises? And you can go whenever you want? Not just one week a year that you are locked into!!

Not going to get into a debate about whether DVC is right or wrong for you but if you believe that DVC is unique in the above bolded statement then you have been drinking the kool aid. Buying DVC to trade (assuming that is what you meant by the 500 locations) is a very poor plan as in the vast majority of cases, you are trading down in value. Not necessarily trading down in the quality or location but in the annual cost, therefore that would be a poor choice. There are many point based timeshare systems out there that give you the ability to book a stay other than the underlying week.

Buying DVC should always have the prime motivation of staying onsite and the ability to pay a premium for that privilege.

 

[Sammie]

DVC is kinda like a new car, you can test drive but until you "own" it, have to have it "repaired", have a "problem" and have to speak to someone up the chain to get that problem solved, it is very hard to know for sure how much you will like DVC.

DVCMike and others gave a very realistic view of why DVC is not a good fit for everyone, based on experience from using it.

Some is just fact, as Mike said if you can not book your vacations 11 months or even 7 months out, then DVC will not always be the best fit for you.

It is very hard to get DVC rooms using your points at certain locations at certain times, but almost always during that same time period you can book for cash.

Yes the DVC resorts are nice and the extra space is a real plus but they are not deluxe resorts on the basis of amenties and services, that also is fact.

You can ask Disney but you can will get the Disneyfied version which is many times, not completed wrong, yet not completely accurate.

I think it would be a huge mistake to purchase anything on the recommendations only of the person doing the selling and never ask the buyers.