For Deluxe Fans ... Why Do You Opt NOT to Buy DVC?

[Montana Disney Fan]

Our thinking may be "skewed" but here is what we like to do:

I purchased 250 pts new at SSR. Looking back I should have gone resale but oh well. That many points gets us about a week in a 2-br at most resorts and a little more at others.

A week is just not long enough for our family to be happy as it's quite a long trip from Montana to Orlando and we want to have as much time as possible.

Since a full week includes two weekend nights (and thus a lot more points) we schedule ourselves for a DVC resort (OKW the last three times) for 6 nights and stay at the Wyndham Palms (2-br) for the first 4 nights.

I've thought about purchasing more points via resale but I have to say that we REALLY like the way our vacations have been going. We arrive in Orlando around 6 p.m. and head to the Wyndham condo (which has a 53" big screen & costs only $167/night) and check in. Then we hit the grocery store and dinner at a great Italian restaurant. The next few days we concentrate on AK and MGM as they are only 10 minute drives from the Wyndham and we always drive to these resorts anyway (as opposed to bus service on property).

We make the switch to our DVC room early in the morning and they've always had our room ready for us. If they didn't, we'd just leave the car and jump on a bus for MK. We load up on groceries again and finish out the vacation in style!

We have stayed at the Poly and seen the other Deluxe resorts and yes, we do like them a lot. However, our clan prefers the open comfort of a large 1300 sq. ft room.

If I only had the choice of a Deluxe or the Wyndham Palms, we'd choose the Wyndham. Toss in the option of the DVC resorts and it's really a no-brainer for us. DVC all the way!!

 

[cara loves the poly]

I'm a stay at home mom and NOT going to cook or clean on vacation. We don't spend too much time in the room, we do enjoy the pool, shops, overall Poly resort. I'd have to say I also don't like the fact of feeling i "have" to go somewhere every year. Maybe in a few years we'll do the bahamas when the children are older, and then possibly Disney again after that. I just don't want to be locked down to something.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I KNOW for a fact that if we had kitchen facilities and washer/dryer facilities my DM would feel like she "had" to cook or do laundry or whatever. We are a 3 adult family and there is NO WAY I am even going to chance DM feeling that way.

I think for couples with smaller children being able to eat breakfast and possibly some dinners....doing laundry and all that would make it a better idea for them....for us it just wouldn't be a vacation...DM would work her butt off!

I completely agree, if we had DVC my DM would feel like she had to do all of our laundry (5 adults total) and would feel "guilty" about not eating breakfast/lunch in the room. I guess it does make sense for people who eat breakfast/lunch in a non-DVC room to want a DVC room, but even when it comes to breakfast we eat somewhere in the parks. Anyways I think I only see my room 4.5 hours out of the day and that's only to sleep and shower.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I totally agree. Before we bought DVC, in 2003, we had tried the going to the beach vacations. But dh got really bored, really fast and would go back to the office and come back to the cottage on Thursay night. So, he never had time to decompress and relax. He's type A, so relaxing is hard for him. But, it was his idea to buy DVC. Now, he goes once a year and has a ball. There are days that he is happy to just hang at the pool or play minigolf with dd. Maybe go to a park for a few hours. So, for us...this is a terrific deal. The only way he will go on vacation with us. Expensive? Sure, but not any different than 2 weeks at the Cape....and he's not with us for 2/3 of the time.

I am currently planning a 5 night/6 day trip in late Oct '06. A 2 bedroom villa at BWV. The points will come to 189 for a Boardwalk view or 154 for a standard view. And that includes the high points of a Sat night. We started with 150 pts but bought 50 more before our first trip. If just my dd and I go we stay in a studio. If dh joins us, it's a 1 bdrm. We seldom use the kitchen for food prep. But it's nice to have it in case we want to cook. The trip I'm planning for '06 will include another mom and her dd...just the ladies. She insists on paying her share of the resort bill...what she gives me more than covers a year of dues/maint. fees.

I never worry about banking points!!!! I'm always borrowing a few from the next year..banking is not an issue for me. And I keep a notebook that I log all my pt. usage into so I can keep track of what I have each year.

I do enjoy staying at other resorts too. If I get a great rate someplace, I'll make a quickie trip down, especially if I have APs. And I try to stay at a different and untried resort on Fri and Sat nights. This way I save a few pts and get to try out those new resorts!!

Does DVC save me money? No. But, it does ensure that my family will take at least one good vacation a year. And I get to stay in a deluxe resort that I might not stay in since I would see the dollar amount for the week's stay...that would choke me!!! So, yes, we were 'suckered in' but we're happy. It works for us. Maybe not the best financial decision but sometimes it's not about the money......like the commercial says...priceless!!

This is exactly what tipped us to buying DVC, the "type A DH". I don't think he'd take a vacation otherwise. And like you, we tried the weeks at the Cape when we lived in central Massachusetts. Wanted to let you know, our purchase has more than fullfilled all my hopes to make DH relax on vacation. Like you said-Priceless!
See ya at DVC!