Going to VGC DisneyFirst event Friday- have ?

[Silly Little Pixie]

Yea!

I got an invite to the VGC event this weekend (no I don't own DVC, but am a premium AP holder at DL). I'm going Friday morning as is a friend of mine who is also interested in DVC. I've stayed at WDW several times, and am going back in November after our cruise- was planning to rent points for either a BWV or AKV studio. I have never taken a DVC "tour" before, so I am a little unsure what to expect. I have done other timeshare presentations before- ugh! I have never bought, but have stayed in both Hilton and Marriot timeshares which I adore. I KNOW that DVC will not be the high pressure-today-only sales pitches I have heard before. I have been reading, reading, reading these boards for months so I feel like I have a good base knowledge of the product and how DVC will work. We did go to the presentation while on the Wonder, but DH got ill so we never met with a counselor. I do have the Dream book from 11/08. I am also looking at resales and keeping my mind open there as well.

So here are my questions for the friendly Dis DVC'ers:

*How long will I have to decide? DH is still not entirely sure that with the economy the way it is, he wants to commit money to DVC. We are financially secure. The cruise incentive is a real plus for him, and might make it work for us right now...

*Will I need to give my financial information on Friday? DH will have to work so he won't be with me.

*Will I need to pay MF's for 2009? Can I negotiate at all with the guide?

* Do those of you that go to WDW EOY or even every 3rd year feel you get good use of your DVC points with other destinations or cruises from time to time? We definitely don't want to go to WDW every year (too expensive airfare wise). We love DCL and hope that we get a West Coast ship here in 2011. We also periodically stay at the DL Hotel for a night or two. Being able to have 1 or even 2 bedroom accomodations is a plus for us! We prefer to stay in suites in hotels so we can spread out a bit, and everyone can have more privacy.

*If I book a cruise on points for DH and I, and pay cash for our kids, do we pay the going rate for them for that category, or is it discounted at all?

*Financing- what choices do I have? I have cash but definitely don't want to commit it all to DVC at this point... rather wait out the economy for a year or so, and then pay it down if it seems like everything is going well.

*If I decide to wait until my November trip to purchase DVC, should I set it up with a guide I meet here or do it there in WDW (or on DCL)? I know they were offering great cruise deals to buy on DCL last time.

*If I decide not to buy right now, do I stay in contact with the guide I meet Friday for a future purchase?

*As your kids aged, did they still want to do annual/biannual WDW trips? My kids are 9 and 12 now, and of course they LOVE the Mouse... but I wonder as teens? I loved WDW as a teen and I went with my grandparents several times at that age (always staying at the Contemporary!). DH worries they will "outgrow" their love for all things Disney and become those brooding, mopey teens we see out and about ... and then we'll be stuck.

Thanks everyone! I know DVC would be a good purchase, just trying to decide on the right time/point allotment/resort/resale vs. direct. So many choices!! How do you ever choose?

Christine

 

[maburke]

Okay, I'll answer your questions if you PROMISE to report back RIGHT away on what incentives they offer at the event!

Yea!

I got an invite to the VGC event this weekend (no I don't own DVC, but am a premium AP holder at DL). I'm going Friday morning as is a friend of mine who is also interested in DVC. I've stayed at WDW several times, and am going back in November after our cruise- was planning to rent points for either a BWV or AKV studio. I have never taken a DVC "tour" before, so I am a little unsure what to expect. I have done other timeshare presentations before- ugh! I have never bought, but have stayed in both Hilton and Marriot timeshares which I adore. I KNOW that DVC will not be the high pressure-today-only sales pitches I have heard before. I have been reading, reading, reading these boards for months so I feel like I have a good base knowledge of the product and how DVC will work. We did go to the presentation while on the Wonder, but DH got ill so we never met with a counselor. I do have the Dream book from 11/08. I am also looking at resales and keeping my mind open there as well.

So here are my questions for the friendly Dis DVC'ers:

*How long will I have to decide? DH is still not entirely sure that with the economy the way it is, he wants to commit money to DVC. We are financially secure. The cruise incentive is a real plus for him, and might make it work for us right now...

The time-limiting factor will be the incentives. The current incentives (matching developer points or a cruise) are due to expire on Saturday, but my personal opinion is that they will extend the cruise, but not developer points. I have also heard that they are offering APs in Anaheim, but that could end any time, like when they run out. Any additional incentives that they offer at the event (usually worth a couple hundred dollars, maybe) will expire by the end of the weekend, or they may give you the following week.

*Will I need to give my financial information on Friday? DH will have to work so he won't be with me.

When you want to buy, you will both have to sign a short purchase agreement (if he's going to be on the title, I mean). But I'm sure you could take that and fax it back to them. With that you can give a credit card down payment. (If you have a Chase Disney VISA, use that -- 6 months interest free!) If you want to apply for financing, there may be more paperwork.

*Will I need to pay MF's for 2009? Can I negotiate at all with the guide?

You actually don't say what property you're interested in. You basically pay the MFs for the years you own, and you really don't negotiate anything about price or fees if you buy direct. However, MF's don't start until the property opens, so the three new properties will be pro-rated this year. (AKV-Kidani in May, BLT in August, VGC in November.) I want to buy VGC with a use year of March, and I won't get points until March, 2010 , so I won't pay 2009 MFs at all.

* Do those of you that go to WDW EOY or even every 3rd year feel you get good use of your DVC points with other destinations or cruises from time to time? We definitely don't want to go to WDW every year (too expensive airfare wise). We love DCL and hope that we get a West Coast ship here in 2011. We also periodically stay at the DL Hotel for a night or two. Being able to have 1 or even 2 bedroom accomodations is a plus for us! We prefer to stay in suites in hotels so we can spread out a bit, and everyone can have more privacy.

People here will say that any use of your points outside of DVC is not as good a value, so you might want to think about only buying enough points to meet your needs at DVC.

*If I book a cruise on points for DH and I, and pay cash for our kids, do we pay the going rate for them for that category, or is it discounted at all?

I am not sure about this one, but I think you pay the going rate for them, and you have to pay it all when you book the points part.

*Financing- what choices do I have? I have cash but definitely don't want to commit it all to DVC at this point... rather wait out the economy for a year or so, and then pay it down if it seems like everything is going well.

You can pay cash (deposit of 10% up front, the rest a few weeks later), or finance with Disney (though that rate is upwards of 10% at best), or find another way to finance (many people use home equity). You will hear some people here discourage financing, but I think that's more about affordability than about strategic planning of your cash flow.

*If I decide to wait until my November trip to purchase DVC, should I set it up with a guide I meet here or do it there in WDW (or on DCL)? I know they were offering great cruise deals to buy on DCL last time.

The minimum incentives are offered at WDW. Better incentives will be on the cruise (usually an on-board credit, and maybe the flexibility to use your developer points for a cruise), and incentives that are at least as good as the cruise or better are offered at events like the one you are attending. You should not feel pressured to buy this weekend if it's not right for you, but don't expect to come back in a month and get as good a deal. This will probably be the best incentives you see before your cruise.

*If I decide not to buy right now, do I stay in contact with the guide I meet Friday for a future purchase?

Oh, they'll stay in touch with you! You'll probably get mailings from that guide, and if you contact DVC, they'll know from the file attached to your phone number who your assigned guide is. If you buy on the cruise or with someone other than that guide, your original guide is "protected." (Whatever that means, I think it means they split the commission.) If, however, you don't like your guide and want to switch, you can talk to a supervisor and do that easily.

*As your kids aged, did they still want to do annual/biannual WDW trips? My kids are 9 and 12 now, and of course they LOVE the Mouse... but I wonder as teens? I loved WDW as a teen and I went with my grandparents several times at that age (always staying at the Contemporary!). DH worries they will "outgrow" their love for all things Disney and become those brooding, mopey teens we see out and about ... and then we'll be stuck.

I can't answer that, as my kids are younger than yours, but I have heard here, and hope I have the experience, that as kids grow and become more independent, the Disney trips are the one constant family time that everyone still enjoys. It changes maybe, but it's still there.

Thanks everyone! I know DVC would be a good purchase, just trying to decide on the right time/point allotment/resort/resale vs. direct. So many choices!! How do you ever choose?

Christine

The right resorts seemed to just jump out at me. (Though I admit to being caught up with addonitis fever occasionally.) It sounds like, if you are only going rarely, that you might be a good candidate for a small resale. But that also depends on where you want to buy. Buy where you want to stay, or where you wouldn't mind staying, if you had to most of the time. (Not that that is they way it usually works, but you don't want to own something disappointing.) Also do some research here on Use Year, because that becomes important to some people, and you want to make the right decision on that up front.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me, and don't forget to report back on what you find out Friday morning!

Meghan