For those who are tired of increase costs

[eliza61]

ITA. We are in the same boat...second contract just went to ROFR this week. I feel like it was a very good time to get out. We can always trade in easily and cheaply as we don't mind SSR 1 bedrooms at all. However, with the pass prices, crowds, lowered food quality, etc. I don't see us even trading in very frequently. It's great that people are still happy with DVC. I'm glad someone was happy enough to buy our contracts! I feel like we got out while the getting was good.

I'm hanging onto my last contract for 2 more years. I'm trying to wait until all these new, supposed additions (I say supposed because I've been hearing about star war land for years now and haven't seen so much as a light saber) come along. lol and I also want to see if this fabulous price increase, tier-ing thing decreases the crowds like Disney swears it will. LOL yeah, I'll hold my breath on that one.

 

[luckyman_apd]

Kinda difficult to say what a a 16 point nights stay at the new POLY wing actually would cost you right now.

Your purchase price is up $30 in 4 years, 4 years of dues is about $20, you are up $10 after dues and purchase.

Purchase price $ was an inheritance gift. While yes i paid out the money, technically it wasn't mine so we got lucky it happened the same time the market was low. Plus on the dues thing...I use my credit card for everything to earn reward dollars, pay the dues with the card and take the statement credit....so in reality I've only actually paid out of pocket @ $1- $1.50 a point each year. Even then I've saved so much compared to direct booking that if I sold now and just got my original amount back...I still see it as plus. I could not have had those vacations on investment returns if I had invested my original buy in.

Going forward I do have some negative thoughts....but we determine how to use our DVC each year when ready.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Purchase price $ was an inheritance gift. While yes i paid out the money, technically it wasn't mine so we got lucky it happened the same time the market was low. Plus on the dues thing...I use my credit card for everything to earn reward dollars, pay the dues with the card and take the statement credit....so in reality I've only actually paid out of pocket @ $1- $1.50 a point each year. Even then I've saved so much compared to direct booking that if I sold now and just got my original amount back...I still see it as plus. I could not have had those vacations on investment returns if I had invested my original buy in.

Going forward I do have some negative thoughts....but we determine how to use our DVC each year when ready.

I understand how you are calculating your DVC out of pocket, but that is not what I would call "honest" financial math. The dollars you inherited and the reward dollars are real money and you are only choosing to allocate them to the DVC equation to make it seem lower. You could easily apply those dollars to the purchase of a car lease and not the DVC and say you are leasing a car for $20 a month. This is more of a case of "mental" math. Not a criticism, just an observation.

 

[imaginiff]

I'm not happy with the TIW card increase...but I can wait until the summer to make my decision about renewing or not. We always rent a car, so having meals off site is not a big deal. Am hoping that better discounts are being negotiated and places that were dropped will be added. If I don't like what I see, I won't renew. No big deal...we did just fine before TIW anyway. Will just utilize our DVC kitchen a bit more. I find myself getting a little impatient when having table service lately. It's not them, it is ME. Don't get me wrong...we've had wonderful meals at great places all over WDW. But with such great options at places like Publix for good food to take back to your DVC villa...well, we find ourselves being okay with having dinner at our DVC out on the balcony.

Have been lurking for a while and it seems that there are the same old same old that have to point out something negative, even when someone has something happy to say. Seriously....I DO NOT CARE what Walt was thinking about 40 years ago. I am sure he had NO IDEA that DVC would be such a huge success. Sell your DVC if you hate it so much. Get rid of your bad decision. Someone else will be very happy.

 

[nabi]

I watched a special with Walt in it last night. Mentally I was thanking his spirit for the wonderful gift he and his family gave to the world. Granted, some employees have come in and handle it simply as a business/job, but the initial intent was to bring alive the dream.... who would've thought it would grow as it has?!?! I'm unsure of the direction Walt & family would have guided, if they were still with us.

 

[imaginiff]

I watched a special with Walt in it last night. Mentally I was thanking his spirit for the wonderful gift he and his family gave to the world. Granted, some employees have come in and handle it simply as a business/job, but the initial intent was to bring alive the dream.... who would've thought it would grow as it has?!?! I'm unsure of the direction Walt & family would have guided, if they were still with us.

I should re-phrase what I meant. I, too, am so happy about Walt and his vision. But get impatient when some use his vision to bash DVC and say that this was not "Walt's vision"....regarding DVC rooms that are "worn out" etc. Or CM's not standing on their heads to make someone happy because their "room request" was not met. When at BLT recently, someone waiting for their room number by the pool was shouting at their family that they could NOT believe they got SECOND FLOOR!!!! They requested high floor....but gee whiz, it was also a standard view. Why on earth did they expect something better? Because maybe they did not understand their DVC...but that is DVC's fault in their eyes. Or maybe they were renters and had no idea that higher floor meant lake view or theme park view. The movie "Saving Mr Banks" kind of showed me how Walt was more about the Parks and making families happy.

 

[edk35]

I am still a happy DVC member. Is our stay perfect every single trip?? NAH but it is NOT enough for me to whine, gripe, moan about it on here. IF we have a problem with our room/villa we call and get it taken care of while at Disney. If the parks are crowded we might complain to one another and I might complain about the new FP system, but I am still a happy DVC member and I still keep BOOKING TRIPS. Of course I don't like rising prices for tickets and food, but EVERYTHING HAS GONE UP, (but my PAY ) but we still make our trips work. As long as we are happy at Disney...we will still be DVC owners. IF the day comes that we are DISNEY DONE then I will sell it. Don't see that happening anytime soon. IT would have to take SOMETHING HUGE for me to stop going.

 

[disneynutz]

I understand how you are calculating your DVC out of pocket, but that is not what I would call "honest" financial math. The dollars you inherited and the reward dollars are real money and you are only choosing to allocate them to the DVC equation to make it seem lower. You could easily apply those dollars to the purchase of a car lease and not the DVC and say you are leasing a car for $20 a month. This is more of a case of "mental" math. Not a criticism, just an observation.

Everyone knows that free money, credits, points, and Disney dollars aren't really money, that's why Disney uses them.

Overheard a conversation at an SSR bus stop. "You know that she gets the points for free and she is making us pay to stay in the room!"

Bill

 

[luckyman_apd]

Everyone knows that free money, credits, points, and Disney dollars aren't really money, that's why Disney uses them.

Overheard a conversation at an SSR bus stop. "You know that she gets the points for free and she is making us pay to stay in the room!"

Bill

Yeah, now that's just stupid. I know I paid real money....and I know how i've justified to myself....but I don't think we'd have been so proactive in using that credit card for the reward points if we didn't have the DVC dues to pay. It's like we had no incentive to use the credit card over debit card....but now we use that card specifically to earn the reward dollars to lower our dues. Gas? used to pay by debit card....now I get double points with the card. Restaurants? Debit...now we use that one card. Cable/utility bills? direct withdrawal from the bank account. Now they get charged to the card. So for me, these weren't things I looked for, but now I do to gain a few more dollars to pay the dues with. So while yes it's real money, it's not real money that I had before we got the DVC.

 

[DisDadDVC]

Yeah, now that's just stupid. I know I paid real money....and I know how i've justified to myself....but I don't think we'd have been so proactive in using that credit card for the reward points if we didn't have the DVC dues to pay. It's like we had no incentive to use the credit card over debit card....but now we use that card specifically to earn the reward dollars to lower our dues. Gas? used to pay by debit card....now I get double points with the card. Restaurants? Debit...now we use that one card. Cable/utility bills? direct withdrawal from the bank account. Now they get charged to the card. So for me, these weren't things I looked for, but now I do to gain a few more dollars to pay the dues with. So while yes it's real money, it's not real money that I had before we got the DVC.

And it is real money that you will have after DVC too. Other than psychological, that money has nothing to do with DVC. If you sold your DVC today, I don't imagine you would stop using credit cards to earn cash bonuses.

 

[eliza61]

Have been lurking for a while and it seems that there are the same old same old that have to point out something negative, even when someone has something happy to say. Seriously....I DO NOT CARE what Walt was thinking about 40 years ago. I am sure he had NO IDEA that DVC would be such a huge success. Sell your DVC if you hate it so much. Get rid of your bad decision. Someone else will be very happy.

LOl, wow related to walt are we?

actually, you will find most folks who are selling are the exact opposite. We don't hate Disney at all. I'll be happy to bet that most people who are lately dissatisfied such as myself have been going well over 10 years so I would not call that as "hate", nor call it a "bad" decision.

Last I checked this is an open internet forum, which means folks are free to express their opinion whether negative or positive.

DVC has been a great "investment" (i don't really use it as an investment just couldn't think of another word) for my family. We've had great, wonderful and dare I say magical vacations. When I sold my first contract I made a nice little profit, so once again not sure how you came up with the conclusion that it was a bad decision.

I really do hope so one will be happy with their dvc purchase. I recently sold my home and moved, I hope the new owners will be happy. I moved from NJ for pretty much the same reasons I'm skipping Disney. property taxes got to high and the services did not warrant what the state wanted me to pay.

Pointing out negatives does not equal hate nor whining. Maybe that's the difference, most people who sell don't have this "emotional" attachment that you seem to have. and actually I don't have an issue with my dvc, I have issues with the parks.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I'm pretty new to this DVC thing, but I'm also new to DCL (doing both for the first time in December). In a DCL thread that involved a discussion of costs, I decided to price out what it would have cost me to spend an extra week in DVC as opposed to the cruise I'm taking. Let's just say it would have been monumentally cheaper to stay an extra 10 days or so DVC, go the to parks every day, eat out every evening, and take side trips to Universal and other Florida locales.

 

[luckyman_apd]

And it is real money that you will have after DVC too. Other than psychological, that money has nothing to do with DVC. If you sold your DVC today, I don't imagine you would stop using credit cards to earn cash bonuses.

All true....but it's doubtful I'd have used it that much to earn the bonus rewards.

 

[jodifla]

While I get the disappointment in the rising prices/dropping quality, I can say we still truly enjoyed our vacation there in August. And since we bought passes, we are looking forward to another one soon.

I can't help but feel people who are in a rush to sell might be being too hasty. WDW could look very revved up and revamped in the next 5 years, like they did with Disneyland. And DVC points could be harder and more expensive to get.

 

[disneynutz]

While I get the disappointment in the rising prices/dropping quality, I can say we still truly enjoyed our vacation there in August. And since we bought passes, we are looking forward to another one soon.

I can't help but feel people who are in a rush to sell might be being too hasty. WDW could look very revved up and revamped in the next 5 years, like they did with Disneyland. And DVC points could be harder and more expensive to get.

I think it's more than just the increase in prices that may be causing people to sell. The overall direction that Disney has adopted of high prices with really nothing to show for the increase. Packing people in, availability of ADR's, fast passes, and for the DVC a website that has been broken for almost a year, no communication other that sales and paid for functions, harder to book rooms, rehab issues, and room cleaning and maintenance issues.

Disney is a luxury priced vacation that for many isn't a luxury experience. Vacations should be positive experience not a challenge.

Bill

 

[pharmlivin]

Here is what happened to me today. Was talking in a group about Vero Beach and how lovely it is there and someone brought up the Disney resort in Vero Beach and another person said..."I heard the resort was very run down and dated". Well, I was kind of shocked at that remark as I was just there 3 weeks ago. Yes the studio we were in was not really a deluxe room. The bathroom vanity needed painting or staining or something. The bathroom needed to be retiled or at minimum re-caulked. The room was tiny and the tv was tiny too. Then I began to wonder if I have just been lowering my standards over the years as far as Disney is concerned. Some of the posts on this site talk about the "disgusting carpets" and other complaints about cleanliness at the resorts. When the word "disgusting" creeps into conversations about our DVC it definitely gives me pause. Things should never reach the "run down", "dated" or "disgusting" descriptions which I have heard or seen (many times on this site) lately. I think Disney might be a bit slow to keep the resorts up to the hospitality standards that travelers have come to expect from the higher-end brands.
In the name of full disclosure we are long time owners who have been considering selling our ownership for awhile. Maybe we are just selectively hearing comments to enforce our decision to sell. Who knows. Only thing I know is that I felt a bit embarrassed by the comment regarding Vero Beach Disney Resort. I have treated many guests to VB stays and all the while I thought the place was beautiful. Now I am wondering if my guests also thought the place was "run down" and too polite to say anything to me.

 

[disneynutz]

Here is what happened to me today. Was talking in a group about Vero Beach and how lovely it is there and someone brought up the Disney resort in Vero Beach and another person said..."I heard the resort was very run down and dated". Well, I was kind of shocked at that remark as I was just there 3 weeks ago. Yes the studio we were in was not really a deluxe room. The bathroom vanity needed painting or staining or something. The bathroom needed to be retiled or at minimum re-caulked. The room was tiny and the tv was tiny too. Then I began to wonder if I have just been lowering my standards over the years as far as Disney is concerned. Some of the posts on this site talk about the "disgusting carpets" and other complaints about cleanliness at the resorts. When the word "disgusting" creeps into conversations about our DVC it definitely gives me pause. Things should never reach the "run down", "dated" or "disgusting" descriptions which I have heard or seen (many times on this site) lately. I think Disney might be a bit slow to keep the resorts up to the hospitality standards that travelers have come to expect from the higher-end brands.
In the name of full disclosure we are long time owners who have been considering selling our ownership for awhile. Maybe we are just selectively hearing comments to enforce our decision to sell. Who knows. Only thing I know is that I felt a bit embarrassed by the comment regarding Vero Beach Disney Resort. I have treated many guests to VB stays and all the while I thought the place was beautiful. Now I am wondering if my guests also thought the place was "run down" and too polite to say anything to me.

A few years ago IMO all DVC resorts were in better condition and we were proud to have guests and show off the DVC. Today we no longer take guests because you never know what shape the room will be in.

Bill

 

[suebeelin]

I'm taking my brothers family to poly in January. They should be nice bc they are new.

In dec 2016, we are inviting my best friends family to BWV and BLT. I'm hoping the renovated BWV rooms are nice. And I'm hoping the BLT rooms are likewise nice although I've heard of broken furniture.

The thing is... If the rooms are so bad, why is the rental market so active? It can't be THAT bad, IMHO!

 

[disneynutz]

I'm taking my brothers family to poly in January. They should be nice bc they are new.

In dec 2016, we are inviting my best friends family to BWV and BLT. I'm hoping the renovated BWV rooms are nice. And I'm hoping the BLT rooms are likewise nice although I've heard of broken furniture.

The thing is... If the rooms are so bad, why is the rental market so active? It can't be THAT bad, IMHO!

Renters don't expect Disney to have bad rooms, some are disappointed after they check in. We have had renters comment on the poor condition of the rooms after renting from us.

Bill

 

[Sammie]

Everyone experiences vary, however if Disney rooms across the board and parks were as bad as some portray them to be, I don't think they would be having record crowds. I also think everyone would experience problems with the website if it was truly an issue with the site. When MDE was first introduced and DVC linked reservations to it, I had some minor issues. I contacted Member Services, they put me through to tech support and I have not had any problems since regardless of what device I used. I have used my home PC, my tablet and my phone.

I will completely agree that they waited too long to rehab BCV and if I owned there I would question that.