Help me decide on DVC

[jerseypixie]

Hello,

I am a single parent of a 6 yr. old and I'm really on the fence about joining the DVC. We recently came back from a stay at SSR on rented points and loved it

My questions are:

1) Is it worth it to join if we plan to vacation every other year at Disney?
2) How difficult is it to use the member getaways?

I really want to take trips to Europe and Hawaii and my son loves the idea of the African Safari. My intentions are to travel every summer or spring break but just not at Disney. I've taken the tour 2x's and am very undecided-only because I want to be sure that we can enjoy other locales.

Thank you for help.

 

[Amy5000]

Have you received a "Dreams" book from a DVC Guide? If so, I think you'll see that exchanges are not a very good use of your points. Your points will be much better if used at Disney. That said you could still own by buying a small resale contract and banking and borrowing points to go every other year or so.

I bought a small resale contract (100 pts) at SSR. That's not really enough points to go every year. I figure I can go maybe 2 out of 3 years depending on how long our trips are. Maybe more, maybe less. (And yes, my family of 4 will squeeze into a studio...I understand many on these boards get a 1 bdroom for 2 people!!)

If you want to own at DVC it can make sense for you, but not to trade out. You might be better off renting any excess points for years you want to go elsewhere.

Good luck. Amy

 

[kend58]

They are your points (once you buy) and you need to make your own decisions regarding use of DVC points outside of the DVC resorts at WDW and HHI & VB. Some do so and are happy others are shocked at the "waste of the points" still others rent points and spend that cash on outside trips.

From a purely trading perspective there are much better price of entry TS opportunities than DVC.

I think DVC points can make good economic sense when used at DVC (and maybe at some of the Disney Collection hotels away from WDW)

DVC owners have reported good experiences on African Safari, Hawaii, and North (non-Disney) and South American vacations using their DVC points.

I subscibe to the "DVC cost a premimum over other TS" and only a very few of the potential exchanges are good economic out comes school of thought. So for me buying DVC and planning to trade out most of the time doesn't make sense. I would buy enough DVC for my WDW vacations using banking and borrowing a small contract can provide a very nice every other or every three year vacation and analyze my other options for travel elsewhere before buying more DVC points than I am sure I will use at DVC resorts.

FWIW IMHO the entire TS industry was built on the idea that exchange would be easy and a good thing for both parties. I think exchanging in general sounds easier and better than it works out to be. So I am against buying DVC for purposes of exchanging.

 

[rinkwide]

...I've taken the tour 2x's and am very undecided-only because I want to be sure that we can enjoy other locales...

You've already found the biggest Disney secret, it isn't buying DVC, it's renting - and you can rent virtually any property around the globe anytime you wish with no need to prepay fifteen-thousand dollars or acquire massive debt.

 

[PinGirl]

Have you received a "Dreams" book from a DVC Guide? If so, I think you'll see that exchanges are not a very good use of your points. Your points will be much better if used at Disney. That said you could still own by buying a small resale contract and banking and borrowing points to go every other year or so.

I bought a small resale contract (100 pts) at SSR. That's not really enough points to go every year. I figure I can go maybe 2 out of 3 years depending on how long our trips are. Maybe more, maybe less. (And yes, my family of 4 will squeeze into a studio...I understand many on these boards get a 1 bdroom for 2 people!!)

If you want to own at DVC it can make sense for you, but not to trade out. You might be better off renting any excess points for years you want to go elsewhere.

Good luck. Amy

We just purchased a small contract for every other year use. We knew we did not need the full 160 - so we got a small resale contract!

Read these boards and soak up all the information - take your time! Do it when it's affordable if you decide to buy. Renting is nice - we wanted our own contract and did not want to rely on someone else. Only you can say if DVC is for you. Best of luck and ask a lot of questions!

 

[flyerron]

This all goes back to being able to intellegently make the decision. That way the emotion's are mitagated & the usually the right choice is made. Sleep on this a few nights or weeks then make the decision. There are pros & cons, make a list of each & weigh them. Bottom line - if you are going to Disney at least every other year it may be worth it to have your own contract. TAKE YOUR TIME!

 

[chalee94]

You've already found the biggest Disney secret, it isn't buying DVC, it's renting...

meh.

i rented last year and hated not being in control of the reservation and being nervous that the owner would turn out to have been a fraud.

i'd agree with the others that the real disney secret is that you don't need to buy 160 pts if you don't need that many for your purposes. if you can avoid weekends and only use the points to stay onsite, you can own by buying a small resale contract without getting into massive debt and the maintenance fees are extremely reasonable. i lucked into a great last-minute deal renting distressed points at a discount...but my cost as an owner now is even lower.

but if you don't want a long-term commitment and can deal with a few uncertainties, i would concede that renting can be a good deal for some people...

 

[BroganMc]

I really want to take trips to Europe and Hawaii and my son loves the idea of the African Safari. My intentions are to travel every summer or spring break but just not at Disney. I've taken the tour 2x's and am very undecided-only because I want to be sure that we can enjoy other locales.

The only difficulty in using those member getaways is the amount of points it takes. If you figure each point is worth $10, you can quickly see the point vs. cash ratio. That'll help you figure out if it's worth it.

DVC is great, but I don't own it for any travel outside DisneyWorld. It costs too many points. For outside DW, I own several Marriott weeks. Marriott is cheaper to buy and maintain and has a much bigger worldwide system of destinations. (Some places can be hard to exchange unless you're willing to trade a two-bedroom for a studio or one-bedroom. Hawaii is a destination hard to get as well as the Atlantic beach resorts in the summer months.)

If money is tight, I'd recommend not buying DVC. If you're just as happy renting a car and staying offsite while visiting another location other years, I'd suggest you look into Marriott. (One of the bonuses to Marriott is that you can trade your yearly unit for hotel points and broaden your destination choices more.) Marriott currently has 6 resorts in Orlando at most 5 miles from Disney and dozens more worldwide. (I own 4 weeks at Marriott and vacation in several locations a year. I'm using about two year's worth of points to stay in their fancy London hotel in August. I used a much smaller amount last week to stay in downtown Baltimore for the 4th.)

If you're planning a vacation every other year then just buy half the number of points you need for one year's trip. Use banking and borrowing. If that number is under 160, or you want a sold out resort, go the resale route. If you decide on Marriott, then look into an every other year contract.

Caveat: There are other off-site timeshare systems you may want to consider. I'm just not as familiar with them.

 

[Coach81]

Hello,

I am a single parent of a 6 yr. old and I'm really on the fence about joining the DVC. We recently came back from a stay at SSR on rented points and loved it

My questions are:

1) Is it worth it to join if we plan to vacation every other year at Disney?
2) How difficult is it to use the member getaways?

I really want to take trips to Europe and Hawaii and my son loves the idea of the African Safari. My intentions are to travel every summer or spring break but just not at Disney. I've taken the tour 2x's and am very undecided-only because I want to be sure that we can enjoy other locales.

Thank you for help.

1. Yes, very much.
2. I've heard that this is not the best use of DVC. Time and time again I have heard that you should primarily use DVC for Disney.

I wish you luck for in your decision, we just bought in, and are extremely happy with our decison.

 

[flyerron]

The best advice for any timeshare purchase is to buy where you want to stay!!

 

[jerseypixie]

Thank you for the advice. I rented from a very lovely family, extremely nice, but I still had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as we left for our trip. I couldn't go through that again every time I rented points.

I do however, like the idea of a small resale contract coupled with the Marriott timeshare option. I like to stay onsite when visiting DW we enjoy the various perks.

I'm not rushing my decision...I gave myself a deadline to decide and now I will begin to look into the Marriott timeshare and also at the resale DVC market. I know I came to the right place for advice