Have some questions, again?

[AlwaysEeyore]

I'm sure these have been asked before so I apologize in advance. DH & I are still researching buying into DVC but have a few questions.

We took 3 Disney vacations in 2006
3 days in January at Caribbean Beach
1 week in August at Coronado Springs
5 days in November at Polynesian
We have 1 trip planned for November 2007 for my cousins wedding
3 days at Boardwalk & 6 days at All-Star Music
Would we benefit from DVC?

1. What is the minimum down payment?
2. If we like to go the end of August right before school would that be our use year?
3. Can our points be used at Non-Vacation Club resorts? (Pop Century, Port Orleans)
4. What are the monthly maintenance fees?
5. Can we purchase over the phone/internet or do we have to go there to do it?
6. How can I rationalize this as an investment to my parents when they think I’m throwing away my money?

Thank you everyone, the people on the Dis are great!

 

[browniemtb]

1. What is the minimum down payment?

10%

2. If we like to go the end of August right before school would that be our use year?

UY depends on what is available for contracts......via Disney or Resale

3. Can our points be used at Non-Vacation Club resorts? (Pop Century, Port Orleans)

Yes you can, but this would not be the best use for your points. A week stay at Pop or Port may require more points than a stay at BCV

4. What are the monthly maintenance fees?

Maint fees run about $4.00 per point......Disney minimum buy in is 150 points

5. Can we purchase over the phone/internet or do we have to go there to do it?

You can purchase over the phone....that is how we did it. Not the internet..

6. How can I rationalize this as an investment to my parents when they think I’m throwing away my money?

Investment in family health-yes, investment as in monetary gain-no. Investments hopefully will net a gain for you. DVC may not if you sell. It is a timeshare...so basically you are pre-paying for your Disney stays and should not be considered an investment........

 

[AlwaysEeyore]

Thank you for the reply.

Are the maintenace fees monthly or yearly?

If I buy 150 points at $4 a point thats $600 a month or is it $600 a year?

Thanks!

 

[ssonley]

The MF's are $4 per point per year and average a 3-5% increase per year.

Please note that the $4 given was an estimate
SSR's was $4.12 this year
most other DVC resorts were higher than that...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=922411&referrerid=&highlight=maintenance+fees
Shows the fees up to 2005 (I couldn't find one including 2006)

 

[Deb & Bill]

You can't use DVC points at the Value resort or any deluxe resort that has a DVC resort attached (BWI, BC, WL, and, soon, AKL). Points are over $4.00 a point now. These are annual fees but can be paid monthly via a direct debit from your bank account for no extra cost. Or paid in one lump sum in January.

Using DVC points at non-DVC Disney resorts usually costs more per point than a studio or one bedroom villa. So you are getting less for your money. But if you want to do it (we stayed at the CR on points for five nights), do it. No extra outlay of cash for the stay.