DVCer's From Canada - Questions

[Canadi-Lynne]

Hi there! I live in Western Canada and I would love to hear from other Canadians (especially Western Canadians) about their experiences with DVC.

1) What prompted you to go with DVC?
2) Is it still worth it if you take more west coast trips then east coast?
3) How many trips do you take a year to make the expense worthwhile?
4) Is there anything I need to be aware of as a Canadian DVCer?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you are staying at DLR more than WDW, you'll want to own a DLR DVC timeshare. Otherwise, you might not be able to book those stays very often. Aulani you an book with any points. WDW you can book with any points. But DLR is hard to book at seven months out.

 

[Insomniac]

A few years ago when the CAD = USD was a great time to buy, but now I don't know. We were doing DLR and WDW each once a year for the last 10 years. We're in Alberta so California is usually cheap to fly, we have to work a bit harder to get good flights to Florida.

When travelling, we often stay at timeshares, but always by 3rd party resellers. Bonnet Creek for example at WDW.

DLR has so many places to stay withing walking distance we've never stayed onsite, but have at WDW at moderates such as Port Orleans or Coronado - Both at great prices. But we've done the Swan/Dolphin and other as well, sometimes on CC points.

I have tried to get DVC rentals through resellers at short notice (Well months at least) , and it has not worked out so it does seem you need more planning to go that way.

But overall, we crunched the numbers and could not justify paying for DVC. I realize there's more than just cost, so it depends I think on why you want a timeshare and what experience you want. From a purely money view, we've spent far less on accommodations our way, than the cost of dvc+fees.

 

[quandrea]

Agree with above. We bought at the very bottom of the market when the Cad dollar was above par. Most of our points cost $60. Direct at the time was about $90 (our first 200 were direct). If we were looking to buy today, we couldn’t justify the cost, including resale. Probably not the answer you’re looking for. You’ll probably do better scouting for discounts.

 

[NappilyEverAfter.]

We live in Toronto and have 200 resale points. We go twice a year. Have successfully rented our points we have not needed in Canada for CAD as well as stayed at other non WDW DVC resorts.

I have only stay at DL once and found it more cost effective to rent my points in USD and use that to pay for an awesome walking distance hotel and used the boatload of extra money for Merch!

With regards to the exchange rate... i figured that was a factor if i am a cash guest or a DVC points owner. Same crappy exchange rate. If you are going to go anyway and pay cash to stay in moderate or deluxe then with the right resale contract it could make sense for you.

We have not regretted for a second. This often considered luxury and frivolous purchase has provided us a place to reset and regroup. I find some Disney time can heal a multitude of ills and the odd family rift.... who is turning down a deluxe resort trip to Disney?!?!? haha. The years of memories in places and spaces that actually feel and function like a second home is priceless.

All the best with your decision.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

Hi there! I live in Western Canada and I would love to hear from other Canadians (especially Western Canadians) about their experiences with DVC.

1) What prompted you to go with DVC?
2) Is it still worth it if you take more west coast trips then east coast?
3) How many trips do you take a year to make the expense worthwhile?
4) Is there anything I need to be aware of as a Canadian DVCer?

Thank you in advance!

We are in Toronto. Bought into DVC after our “once in a lifetime” trip to Disney ... it was too magical not to go again. Did a DVC tour but the guide wasn’t keen on selling us BWV points. So researched and bought via resale market. We want a one bedroom at a deluxe so DVC made the most sense economically. But honestly, none of this is financially sound we bought because it made us happy.

Haven’t been to Disneyland or Aulani yet so can’t really speak to the other coast.

We try to take 2-3 trips a year. But we are addicted. Before COVID 19 shut everything down, we were on track to use our annual passes 5 times in one 12 month period. I bought a second contract right before the shutdown. Oops.

Outside of the current travel restrictions the only things I found annoying as a Canadian were 1/ withholding tax if I sell in the future, 2/ dealing with the FX rate, and 3/ never getting things in the mail like magnets.

Pretty happy overall with our purchase.
(Our child now asks “why am I in this tiny room” when we stay in a regular hotel room...)

 

[biged9973]

Hi there! I live in Western Canada and I would love to hear from other Canadians (especially Western Canadians) about their experiences with DVC.

1) What prompted you to go with DVC?
2) Is it still worth it if you take more west coast trips then east coast?
3) How many trips do you take a year to make the expense worthwhile?
4) Is there anything I need to be aware of as a Canadian DVCer?

Thank you in advance!

1) We love Disney and travel to Disney often. I toured while the boss and kids were napping during our first trip to WDW. We purchased the following year when Poly went on sale as it combines our love of Hawaii and Disney.
2) We are also from Western Canada (Alberta). We were DL people through and through until our first trip to WDW. Worth it is very subjective. Our future grandkids will get to benefit from our purchase so we feel it is worth it. We originally purchased one 100pt Poly contract and followed up with another 100pt contract 2 years later. That way each of our kids will eventually get a 100pt contract. If you prefer DL, purchase a resale at Grand Californian if possible, very difficult to find anything at 7 months. We did once and changed rooms 3 times in 4 nights, I still hear about that. Also, a new DVC at DL is on the horizon.
3) We travel every 2 to 3 years to lower the travel costs and also travel to other places and to stay longer. We get two connecting studio rooms at Poly when we go, one for us and one for the kids.
4) i) Renting your points is a little more complicated from what I understand, haven't had to rent ours out yet
ii) The exchange rate is a concern, especially considering the current state of our economy
iii) Pay attention to Canadian promos for park tickets to save money