Good books geared towards DVC novices.

[RonaldBravo]

I am a complete DVC novice. I've been listening to podcasts of varying reliability, haven't been able to discover the Dis unplugged podcast episodes covering DVC really can't find a concise guide for the podcast. I've tried to read through websites and the boards here and even though I am picking up tidbits here and there it isn't a good foundation. I guess my only choices at learning is to go through the Disney hoops to learn the deal or preferably maybe someone here can turn me onto a good reputable book. If this info is already available here elsewhere then I do apologize. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Msmithmd]

After you click into the DVC subsection, click the "stickies" on the right at the top ABOVE the thread listings. It's all the info you need for the basics.

DVC really isn't that complicated.

When you purchase, you buy the right to book one resort (home) at eleven months- and the chance to swap into others at seven months based on availability. For this you pay annual maintenance fees. Cost per room varies on size, location, and season. That's really all there is to it.

Everything else is us fanatics micro-analyzing it to the most minute detail. Which is ok, as there wouldn't be much point to these boards otherwise.

 

[chalee94]

here is a reasonably up-to-date FAQ about DVC:

http://allears.net/acc/dvc.htm

and here is a good thread with more detailed info and links to even more info:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3041038

 

[DVC Mike]

PassPorter's Disney Vacation Club Guide E-book is available.

 

[MiramarQE]

After you click into the DVC subsection, click the "stickies" on the right at the top ABOVE the thread listings. It's all the info you need for the basics.

DVC really isn't that complicated.

When you purchase, you buy the right to book one resort (home) at eleven months- and the chance to swap into others at seven months based on availability. For this you pay annual maintenance fees. Cost per room varies on size, location, and season. That's really all there is to it.

Everything else is us fanatics micro-analyzing it to the most minute detail. Which is ok, as there wouldn't be much point to these boards otherwise.

With one caveat (which you'll find on these boards) - you're not "buying a piece of Disneyworld" you're buying a timeshare.

Disney thinks of this as a business - as should you. This is a (relatively big) business decision for most of us and be sure you understand your options (room discounts? rent points?) and all costs involved.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Plus all the discounts and deals you get as a paying customer go away when you are a DVC member using points. You can always pay Disney directly to get those deals, though, and not use your points.

 

[RonaldBravo]

Thanks for the advice about the DVC. My family and I just returned from a seven day trip to WDW, my two (almost 3) and six year old's first experience. We stayed at the contemporary and had a 11th floor theme park view. I'm not saying that to brag I just know that now that they have had a taste of that they will want more and I'm just trying to figure out if it is smarter for me just to lay out the coin each year as I go or maybe go the DVC way. I didn't bother with the official DVC tour while I was there because we had too much going on. Initially it sounded great especially the 11 month lock in deal and being able to possibly vacation in Europe, Hawaii or maybe a cruise but as I read deeper I found, and it maybe BS IDK, that the points don't hold their value the further away from the parks you go AND even when you lock in 11 months early at your home resort you may not get the room or the theme park view, I'm considering the bay lake tower, that you prefer. That ontop of the stories about perks being cut makes me wanna hold back on the DVC. Sorry for such a long post.

 

[Deb & Bill]

... Initially it sounded great especially the 11 month lock in deal and being able to possibly vacation in Europe, Hawaii or maybe a cruise but as I read deeper I found, and it maybe BS IDK, that the points don't hold their value the further away from the parks you go AND even when you lock in 11 months early at your home resort you may not get the room or the theme park view, I'm considering the bay lake tower, that you prefer. That ontop of the stories about perks being cut makes me wanna hold back on the DVC. Sorry for such a long post.

DVC works best booking DVC resorts. Getting those resorts in the Caribbean or in Europe are harder to get. Branson, MO, you can probably get that. But don't plan on traveling the world on DVC. Even Aulani and GCV can be hard to get since they are the only west coast resorts.

 

[RonaldBravo]

Yea I've discovered that as well which gives me pause to stop and really consider things. I know this may sound naïve but you would think that after plunking down twenty five to thirty grand that Disney would really want to cater to their DVC members, especially the ones who buy points through them.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Yea I've discovered that as well which gives me pause to stop and really consider things. I know this may sound naïve but you would think that after plunking down twenty five to thirty grand that Disney would really want to cater to their DVC members, especially the ones who buy points through them.

No, we're just a captured audience. They already have our money. No need to entice us to come and spend more money. They are looking for the people who haven't been there yet or the not so frequent fliers when they make special offers.

Disney is just another business.

 

[ToddyLu]

You can always "rent" points. Have a DVC member you trust make a reservation for you and then you do not have the upfront cost. DH and I own points and I have a friend that occasionally is able to "rent" me points....If I didn't know anyone I would go through David's Vacation Rentals who is a sponsor of the DIS boards.

If I wanted the room and not the cost I would rent.

 

[chalee94]

I know this may sound naïve but you would think that after plunking down twenty five to thirty grand that Disney would really want to cater to their DVC members, especially the ones who buy points through them.

I agree that this is a terrible notion to believe as a potential new DVC member. it is very naive and will likely lead to a lot of frustration.

they are offering you a discount on lodging in exchange for a long-term commitment. you get something and you give up something. if you are expecting a lot more...that they will love and appreciate you as a special customer...that's probably a bit unrealistic...

 

[tjkraz]

they are offering you a discount on lodging in exchange for a long-term commitment.

That's the best way of summarizing it. The perception among some members seems to be that Disney owes them more for making this generous 50-year financial commitment. In reality, Disney has already given us something VERY valuable: a 65-75% lodging discount for up to 5 decades.

That said, I don't believe Disney is nearly as ambivalent or acrimonious as some of these posts may suggest. As a member for 10+ years, I have never felt treated like a second-class citizen. There are some very nice perk to being a DVC owner...most notably the Annual Pass discounts which currently save upward of $150 per person.

But DVC owners aren't eligible for package promos like "free dining", kids stay free or any similar offers. Still, I have yet to see an example where a cash guest paid less for a deluxe resort room plus "free dining" than a DVC member staying on points who buys the dining plan.

DVC owners don't get free room upgrades. Late check-outs are not permitted. The housekeeping schedule is more limited. Room renovations tend to occur on a less frequent schedule. These items are part-and-parcel of most timeshare programs; resorts run near 100% occupancy so there just aren't any vacancies for upgrades or late departures. Owners pay for housekeeping and renovations so management takes a less aggressive stance to avoid even higher annual dues.

If you want to feel that you're getting the highest quality Disney service available...and are willing to pay for that privilege...it's best to remain a cash guest. But if you're looking for a more economical way to vacation while making some minor sacrifices along the way, DVC may be a good fit.

 

[disneynutz]

Bottom line is that DVC can save you some money on your room if you would normally get a deluxe resort room anyway. The down side is that you have to use your points every year and Disney vacations are very expensive.

The other issue as I see it is that Disney looks at DVC as a money making business both selling contracts and locking you into repeat vacations. Because of this they will change the rules, perks, and policies as they see fit. They advertise all of the places that you can use your points, not that it is a savings or good value to do so.

Don't buy on emotion, wait several months after your Disney vacation, this is a business purchase. Take the time to find the right resort, we bought BLT thinking that we would love it and we don't.

Bill

 

[RonaldBravo]

For those of you who are DVC members, have you ever not been able to book your home resort in that 11 month window they give you?

 

[disneynutz]

For those of you who are DVC members, have you ever not been able to book your home resort in that 11 month window they give you?

Your success in booking rooms depends on the number of rooms available at the resort, the size of the room and the category/view.

Usually booking right at 11 months you can get what you want with AKV concierge and some standard/value views being the exception.

Bill

 

[Lynne M]

Yea I've discovered that as well which gives me pause to stop and really consider things. I know this may sound naïve but you would think that after plunking down twenty five to thirty grand that Disney would really want to cater to their DVC members, especially the ones who buy points through them.

It's important to understand what you'd be buying, and only look at that when you're deciding whether or not to purchase.

You are purchasing the right to stay in DVC resorts, subject to availability, for the life of your contract. Everything else, from the discounts we get from other divisions of Disney, to the ability to use points for cruises, is fluff, and subject to change or termination. That's what's in the contract you'd be signing, and that is ALL you should consider when making your purchase decision. Is what you would potentially save on lodging worth what you'd spend on the initial buy-in and maintenance fees? That's it, that's the only reason to buy.

It's also important to leave the emotional considerations out of it. "Disney should cater to me because I spent a lot of money" is only going to lead to frustration and disappointment. You will get what you paid for, and what was agreed to in the contract. Expecting more, over and above the business agreement, is a recipe for unhappiness.

DVC ownership is a business deal, no different than a car lease or a service contract. Just as in those situations, the paperwork you sign spells out exactly what DVC is required to give you in return for your money. If that, and that alone, doesn't make DVC a good financial deal for you, it's best not to buy.

 

[RonaldBravo]

So traveling abroad say to Europe or Hawaii or even a cruise should not really factor into my decision because of the reduction in value of the points? That would be a major reason not to go through disney and go the resale way wouldn't it?

 

[chalee94]

So traveling abroad say to Europe or Hawaii or even a cruise should not really factor into my decision because of the reduction in value of the points? That would be a major reason not to go through disney and go the resale way wouldn't it?

even if you buy resale, you have access to RCI - which is a trading exchange where all sorts of timeshare owners offer their weeks for trade to get into other timeshares in different areas and for different times of year. so even if you buy resale, you'd have a shot at trading for timeshares in europe or hawaii. in general, though, most of the timeshares in the RCI system are not at the same level as DVC (both in terms of quality and cost - many of them can be bought on ebay for $1 and have annual dues about half of DVC).

i would say a few hawaii timeshares would be an exception and there are a handful of decent trading options, but typically you are trading down. you can get a much better deal just buying enough DVC pts for your disney trips and paying cash for other trips.

(and don't forget that resale buyers can still trade within the DVC system for aulani in hawaii and also the hilton head and vero beach resorts.)

if you already owned pts and wanted to use some for a disney cruise, i'd say feel free. but again, since you are on the outside, i'll tell you it's cheaper to just pay cash for a cruise and just get enough DVC pts for DVC stays. trading outside the system will almost always be for less value.

 

[starjazz]

My family of four, my parents, and my sisters family of four go every other year. We have come to like the cabins at the Fort because we can get two at a reasonable price, and they are a moderate. For a week, they average over $5k for the two.

So, I calculated things like this. During Magic Season, we could stay in a Grand Villa at OKW for 477 points. Since we like to go every other year, I could buy a contract for 240 points and be set. That contract might cost me 240 x $66/pt = $15,840. My annual fees would be $1,282. So, the total cost of my contract would be $1,282 x 29 yrs = $37,166 plus $15,840 (initial purchase) for a grand total of $53,006.

If we go every other year as planned, and get 15 stays in during that 29 year period, each trip costs $53,006/15 = $3,543.

Assuming the price of the cabins will stay at $5k/week for the next 29 years, I still save almost $1,500 per trip by going with DVC. Not to mention, a Grand Villa at OKW is more than twice the square footage as two cabins, and we'd all be together (which we prefer, while some may not...).

Thats a 30% savings using the conservative view that prices will not go up for the cabins, which we all know they will. Not to mention I'll get better accommodations, plus have other options - for the same points we could stay a week at BWV in one 1-br, and one 2-br, or two 1-br villas at BLT, or three studios at VGF, etc. etc.

This is what justifies it for us. $3500 for a week in a 3-bedroom villa in Disneyworld?! For the next 29 years? No brainer.