DVC?

[gamefish32]

I'm thinking about getting the disney DVC, I'm wondering how you guys like it.

 

[Dean]

I'm thinking about getting the disney DVC, I'm wondering how you guys like it.

You'll see varied answers but in general this is a site of DVC owners/interested people so you should get fairly positive reactions. However, DVC is a specialty product that is a good fit for some and not for others. As a rule it only makes sense for those that fit the following. Buy resale, paying cash, are accustomed to staying on property in a moderate or higher, are OK with the limitations and commitment of a timeshare and can plan ahead at least 7 months out preferably 11 months. There are very few situations where it makes sense to buy retail: financing, preference for buying direct and it's what they are generally selling are not among those situations where it's reasonable just for those reasons. If you can give us more info like where you are, your past Disney experience, family size and any current preferences we can give more specific and likely better info.

 

[disneynutz]

I'm thinking about getting the disney DVC, I'm wondering how you guys like it.

Reading through the posts here on the DIS will give you plenty of info on the pros and cons of DVC ownership. Bottom line is you are pre-paying for a resort room and you are booking that room through a agent with a 30 minute phone hold time or a website the works sometimes.

Bill

 

[chalee94]

I'm thinking about getting the disney DVC, I'm wondering how you guys like it.

i agree with dean - we like it...but that doesn't mean you will like it.

you have to take your time and do your homework to see if it will work for you.

maybe start by checking out this thread and some of the discussion and links provided there:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/dvc-podcast.3041038/

 

[mort1331]

Reading through the posts here on the DIS will give you plenty of info on the pros and cons of DVC ownership. Bottom line is you are pre-paying for a resort room and you are booking that room through a agent with a 30 minute phone hold time or a website the works sometimes.

Bill

As Dean said in the PP some like and some don't, this might be the later. I cant remember having anything but good things from the website or the booking agents, and I am calling long distance so I wouldn't be waiting for 30 mins.
After reading enough and more on this site, you then need to think about how you will vacation from now and the future.

 

[RipperSB]

Love it!
Do you like to vacation at WDW?
Do you like staying at Deluxe resorts?
If the answer is yes to both questions (and you have some disposable cash) then I would recommend you look into it.

 

[lovin'fl]

Yup! Initially bought 200 OKW points via resale in 2006...now own 505 points total at 4 home resorts (though am in the process of selling 100 AKV because we will make $$$ to sell and we can use the OKW points to book AKV at 7 months no problem...in a couple years I want to add to our 80 BWV points, maybe 45 or so).

 

[cccrys]

I haven't been on these boards in a while and was reminiscing a bit. Thought I would contribute my 2 cents. We just sold our Boardwalk points so we are getting out of the game (sort of, I decided to buy an Airstream and camp there instead. We decided that the mouse was taking all our money and we weren't going anywhere else - thus the RV purchase. Don't get me wrong, I am a lifelong Disney addict, but there was a point when I was going and spending about 4k even when using my points for my room, about 2x/yr. There are 5 of us and going and using my points was costing us soooo much money between food and tickets, etc.... Good luck on your decision, it's one thing for the purchase to be affordable - we certainly could afford it as an initial resale purchase - it's another thing altogether to use it. I have mixed feelings, I loved DVC and we enjoyed many wonderful vacations but at a steep cost. It felt good to get that off my chest lol

 

[Lynne M]

I think the question is not so much whether we like DVC, but what are your expectations? What's your reason for buying? What to you hope to gain by owning?

I find that people's satisfaction with their DVC membership directly corresponds to how well they understood the product before buying. Not just on a superficial level, "you get these points and can stay in all kinds of places with them." But really understand the ins and outs of it. What the maintenance fees are for. How the booking windows work. How trading works. What are the rules.

At its heart, DVC is a way to pre-pay for villa-style lodging in DVC resorts. That's it. The benefit is the savings you get on lodging costs by pre-paying. It's not a special club with fancy privileges, it's not exclusive, it's not a discount club. There's really nothing you can get through DVC that you can't get as a non-member (nothing that justifies the cost, at least). The reason to buy is saving money on villas.

There's a huge emotional component to DVC sales, and people who've been marinated in "Disney Magic" tend to do an amazing amount of fill-in-the-blanks on how they think DVC works. The people who we see here that are really unhappy with their purchases tend to be the ones who made assumptions about the way DVC works, and then got a rude awakening. People who believe DVC should be exclusive, and non-members shouldn't be allowed to stay at 'their' resort. People who think they'll get free dining when staying on points. People who assume that Disney will shower them with discounts because they're 'loyal customers'. I even remember one person who thought the advertising saying 'buy a piece of the magic!' meant that she could ask for just about anything and get it ("I was supposed to get MAGIC"). I've seen a very bewildered couple standing at the front desk of a DVC resort while a CM explained that no, being a member did not mean that you could walk into your home resort on any given day and get a room.

Bottom line is, be an informed customer. Read, and learn, until you're sure that your expectations match up with reality. Think about what you hope to get out of your purchase, and make sure that that's what you'll get.

 

[DisneyGirlFlorida]

I think the question is not so much whether we like DVC, but what are your expectations? What's your reason for buying? What to you hope to gain by owning?

I find that people's satisfaction with their DVC membership directly corresponds to how well they understood the product before buying. Not just on a superficial level, "you get these points and can stay in all kinds of places with them." But really understand the ins and outs of it. What the maintenance fees are for. How the booking windows work. How trading works. What are the rules.

At its heart, DVC is a way to pre-pay for villa-style lodging in DVC resorts. That's it. The benefit is the savings you get on lodging costs by pre-paying. It's not a special club with fancy privileges, it's not exclusive, it's not a discount club. There's really nothing you can get through DVC that you can't get as a non-member (nothing that justifies the cost, at least). The reason to buy is saving money on villas.

Bottom line is, be an informed customer. Read, and learn, until you're sure that your expectations match up with reality. Think about what you hope to get out of your purchase, and make sure that that's what you'll get.

I couldn't agree more with Lynne's post! Had I bought DVC without fully researching, I would have a big case of buyer's remorse and be extremely disappointed. Case in point, shortly after I purchased, my sister and I planned a trip. I asked her where she wanted to stay and she picked SSR. I told her what about AKV (knowing her love of animals and that she only visited, never stayed there). She said but AKV isn't DVC, ANYONE can stay there. I had to clarify how DVC worked and that anyone can use DVC rooms. I could see the confusion and disappointment on her face, as she thought she was getting an exclusive, elite experience.

This became more evident when she asked me "why did you buy DVC if you're going to be using a room that a non-DVC member can use? Where's the exclusivity in that?" Had she been someone looking to buy, and if she did buy without knowing that anyone can reserve a DVC room, she would have been among the group of people sorely disappointed that DVC is not this elite, exclusive club.

Do your research, read the boards, websites, blogs, etc. Ask questions, perhaps even rent points before purchasing. Determine your trips and evaluate your financial situation. Determine if you are ready to make a long-term financial commitment to vacation at Disney nearly every year for the next 30-40 years.

Then, make a decision.

 

[disneynutz]

I couldn't agree more with Lynne's post! Had I bought DVC without fully researching, I would have a big case of buyer's remorse and be extremely disappointed. Case in point, shortly after I purchased, my sister and I planned a trip. I asked her where she wanted to stay and she picked SSR. I told her what about AKV (knowing her love of animals and that she only visited, never stayed there). She said but AKV isn't DVC, ANYONE can stay there. I had to clarify how DVC worked and that anyone can use DVC rooms. I could see the confusion and disappointment on her face, as she thought she was getting an exclusive, elite experience.

This became more evident when she asked me "why did you buy DVC if you're going to be using a room that a non-DVC member can use? Where's the exclusivity in that?" Had she been someone looking to buy, and if she did buy without knowing that anyone can reserve a DVC room, she would have been among the group of people sorely disappointed that DVC is not this elite, exclusive club.

Do your research, read the boards, websites, blogs, etc. Ask questions, perhaps even rent points before purchasing. Determine your trips and evaluate your financial situation. Determine if you are ready to make a long-term financial commitment to vacation at Disney nearly every year for the next 30-40 years.

Then, make a decision.

Disney markets the DVC as an exclusive club, they advertise member only events, mingles, and they even have DVC branded merchandise.

Is it no wonder that people expect Disney to actually treat DVC members as someone special?

Bill

 

[JimMIA]

Plenty of folks will give you rave reviews of DVC, and I can too, but instead I'll play devil's advocate and give you several reasons NOT to buy DVC.

1. It's a timeshare, not a club. So, in buying DVC, you would be taking on a 30-50 year financial commitment for vacation lodging. That is a commitment as long, or longer than the mortgage on your home, so it's not something to take lightly. If you decide to exit DVC at some point, you will likely take a significant loss in selling. If you buy direct, you will take a BIG loss.

2. Timeshare usage takes a lot of advanced planning, AND the ability to stick with your plans. Timeshare usage also is much more complicated than booking a hotel. If you don't know what you're doing, make a mistake, or events beyond your control force a change in plans, you could lose some points.

3. Like any other type of lodging, DVC points reservations are subject to availability. DVC availability can be extremely limited at certain resorts at certain times and all DVC WDW properties from Thanksgiving thru New Years.

4. As Bill mentioned above, DVC (and any other timeshare) has a system of limitations and restrictions that you have to learn.

5. IMHO, DVC is a very limited timeshare system -- 12 resorts in only 5 locations, with 8 resorts on site at WDW. For WDW visits, DVC is great. But that's about it. In the other 4 destinations, there are better, and much less expensive options. Outside of those five destinations, you are limited to RCI exchanges, which are a totally different system that is much more difficult than DVC's simple internal system. And RCI could change radically, or go away completely.

If you want a timeshare, many of the major systems (Hilton, Marriott, Wyndham, Sheraton, Bluegreen, and others) offer much more variety, many more destinations, and often better accommodations. (I'm typing this from a Wyndham Sedona two bedroom that would compare favorably with any DVC villa, and is located in a spectacular setting. We've been in Northern AZ for almost two weeks, all of it in Wyndham resorts except one night at Monument Valley and two nights in Grand Canyon.)

All of the above negatives apply to most timeshares, but to me the biggest negative is #5 above. As kids grow up, interests change, and what is wonderful for WDW visits may no longer meet your needs.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Agree with JimMIA. It's a timeshare that I liked a lot better when it was smaller (back in the 90's). We use our DVC points only for DVC and lots of the time at OKW because we like it there. We use our other timeshare for the beach. Dues are high compared to there timeshares. DVC is starting to make it possible to cram more people in the rooms, so wear and tear is going to increase which might mean greater increase in maintenance costs. Our other timeshare limits a two bedroom to six people and no extras under three. DVC has studios that sleep five in one tiny room.

Don't plan on buying the cheapest points and using them for the most expensive DVC resorts often (or at all). It's getting harder to book at seven months out.

We used to own 500 points but sold two of our contracts because the dues were getting too high. We still have three contracts for 325 points and that works out okay.

 

[a742246]

Again I always tell people before they buy is to rent someone's point and tour all the dvc resorts at WDW, then make an informed decision.

 

[Kaigler]

5. IMHO, DVC is a very limited timeshare system -- 12 resorts in only 5 locations, with 8 resorts on site at WDW. For WDW visits, DVC is great. But that's about it. In the other 4 destinations, there are better, and much less expensive options. Outside of those five destinations, you are limited to RCI exchanges, which are a totally different system that is much more difficult than DVC's simple internal system. And RCI could change radically, or go away completely.

If you want a timeshare, many of the major systems (Hilton, Marriott, Wyndham, Sheraton, Bluegreen, and others) offer much more variety, many more destinations, and often better accommodations. (I'm typing this from a Wyndham Sedona two bedroom that would compare favorably with any DVC villa, and is located in a spectacular setting. We've been in Northern AZ for almost two weeks, all of it in Wyndham resorts except one night at Monument Valley and two nights in Grand Canyon.)

Basically, if you want to visit other places, don't buy DVC. If you want to continuously visit Disney, DVC might be for you. I have been to many wonderful places around the world, but none of them have given me that care-free feeling that the 'Disney bubble' creates. I introduced my wife to it when we went on our honeymoon and shes been hooked ever since. Now that we have a baby we feel like DVC would be a great option for us. And once the little guy is all grown up, we feel like we can enjoy Disney just as much, because we've already done so.