First post (long)

[Thumper4me]

Sean,

It sounds like DVC may be a good fit for your family but I agree with Julie in an earlier post - I would look at the resale market for your purchase. You may be able to get more points for the money.

Kelly

 

[starbox]

Sean,

It sounds like DVC may be a good fit for your family but I agree with Julie in an earlier post - I would look at the resale market for your purchase. You may be able to get more points for the money.

Kelly

True - there's a 100 point VB contract for 5,000 on redweek. That's 50$ a point - and if I lived in FL, I'd jump to own VB in a heartbeat.

 

[pickles]

I would not throw HH and VB into the mix unless the OP likes going there. It is cheap to buy into, but yearly fees are high.

 

[starbox]

I would not throw HH and VB into the mix unless the OP likes going there. It is cheap to buy into, but yearly fees are high.

The difference in annual fees won't make much of a difference with just 100 points - and if you live in Florida and can easily get-a-way to Orlando/VB, VB is a GREAT "budget" option for the times you don't want to buy park tickets and pay all the extra theme park expenses.

I'm just sayin' - if I lived in Florida and liked to vacation on a budget - 100 VB points for 5,000 would be a perfect set-up.

HHI - not a good deal - since it would be a LONG drive for the OP, the beach is not as good as Florida beaches, and everything around HHI is expensive.

 

[DVCSean]

Great stuff and thanks for the replies!

With the 100 points our yearly fees start at $471.
The sales rep did get us to try and buy into 160points, but the yearly fees jump to somewhere around $800.

For this to be attractive, I do not want to start in at such high yearly costs, even if it gets us MORE time especially keeping in mind that they will most likely be going up..

3 3 night stays is a huge increase in visiting for us, even if we took 2 3night stays in bigger rooms it seems attractive.

One thing that really has me thinking about backing out on my deposit (I have until Friday) is the fact that our sales rep left us a message about the 500 visa reward bucks. The message said to call her back with our rewards number. In reading the requirements it appears that the reward dollars are only available if you buy into the 160 point deal.

Playing stupid, I called her back and left a message telling her how excited we were about the extra reward dollars she spoke of. I asked her to return my call asap so we could get that ball rolling....

She still has not returned my call to get the rewards number.

Not a good start to the relationship.
We will see...

 

[TenThousandVolts]

...our sales rep left us a message about the 500 visa reward bucks. The message said to call her back with our rewards number. In reading the requirements it appears that the reward dollars are only available if you buy into the 160 point deal.

Playing stupid, I called her back and left a message telling her how excited we were about the extra reward dollars she spoke of. I asked her to return my call asap so we could get that ball rolling....

She still has not returned my call to get the rewards number.

Not a good start to the relationship.
We will see...

You are not the 1st person to post that they were offered the $500 reward bucks on the 100 pt purchase and then later told by the guide that they were mistaken and that is only for 160 point purchases. I hope you get it. Keep us posted.

 

[bub]

I can relate to your thrifty nature...
We bought in 12 years ago as a group with 3 other family members and had just 55 points for our own use initially. We used those points to stay in studios for a 5-night stay each year. We cook most of our meals in the room, which we prefer in addition to it being much cheaper. We once combined points and stayed in a GV - that was fun.

A few years ago, we added 55 points, primarily so we could stay in a one-bedroom. Our kids are getting older and so the extra space made it more of a vacation for everyone. Now, we find that we are visiting every other year, as the kids' schedules have gotten busier. Our 110 points allows us to stay 7 nights, so we stay a bit longer and don't move for the weekend. We find the dues to be manageable - even if I add up 2 years worth of dues, it's around $1000 - a lot less than it would cost to stay in most of the on-site hotels, and we get much much nicer accommodations. We buy the 10-day non-expiring tickets, and get 2 1/2 trips out of them (4 park days per trip). We like to take a few days just to enjoy the resort and relax.

I'm sharing all of this because we have really enjoyed our DVC membership, and I especially like its flexibility. As our needs have changed, we've been able to use it in many different ways.

Hope you make the decision that is right for your family!

 

[lovinthemouse]

We absolutely love our DVC purchase. The only regret I have was not buying sooner. The money we had spent on our many trips before we bought staying at value and moderate resorts would have easily paid for it sooner. If you go to WDW at least once a year I feel it is worth it. Good luck with your decision.

 

[grizbuzz]

We bought last year at AKV and I am very happy we did. Now I'm just waiting to buy more points. These points are addictive!

Don't forget to put the 9k purchase on the credit card for your rewards (to be paid off at end of month, of course ) I'm sure you're already planning on this, but just in case...

 

[ldo]

100 points from DVC is a good deal---and we might have done that if it was offered last year, as we love AKL and wanted 100 points at AKV. One thing to consider is that with the DVC 100 points deal, I believe that you can only add on 60 points for your 1st add on. You might find later down the road that you need more than 100, but not 160.
We did not want to commit to 160 points, so we bought a 50 point resale contract, with the thought of adding on 50 points in a year of two at AKV.
In your situation, I might consider a 50-75 point resale contract. You can get one at resorts other than AKV. Also, your outlay is less and your maintenance fees are less.
DVC allows you to add on in 25 point increments with no closing costs, so you could add on 25-50 points later, if you found you wanted more points. 50-75 point contracts sell quickly--good for seller. You could "try out" a studio for sun-thurs for about 50 points and see how you like it and then you could decide whether to buy more points as a add-on, or alternate stays with DVC and values when they have the great FLa residents deals.
There's no right or wrong answer-it what you feel comfortable with and what meets your needs.

 

[Nikisha421]

i always find the mathematics of DVC very interesting. i have buyers remorse for any item that cost more than $100, but you really have to do what is best for you.

When I had my tour I was sure that I wanted to buy in but new it wasnt the right time finacially. I waited until it was and then there just so happened to be great incentives. No one can truly tell what is best for you

 

[DVCSean]

First off, I would like to thank everyone for the great information offered.


I faxed (and mailed) my cancellation request yesterday.

I will let everyone know how quickly my deposit is refunded and if there is any further contact.

We are going to consider watching the resales or waiting to see if there is a location with the monorail in the future.

With the current economy, we are also going to see what happens to room prices.

One of the things we have decided to do is rent some points and visit a few places BEFORE we make such a big commitment....

My biggest concern was locking into the yearly fees, but we are going to continue to look into the investment...

Thanks again and maybe we'll see you soon at WDW!

Sean