Hi Friends, first post here, as we explore
DVC. Family of five, all three kids elementary age. Historically have visited 1x/3yrs, could see us going as frequently as 1x/yr, but probably not more than that. The past couple times we've rented DVC points and stayed in a 1BR, and then 2BR, Deluxe. That's the level we would stay at going forward.
I can't get the math to work. I understand there are all sorts of non-financial benefits to DVC; for the purpose of this post, let's exclude those. I also understand that there are peripheral financial benefits (AP and dining discounts). For our family, we probably wouldn't go frequently enough to warrant the AP, so "best case" (?) assume a 10% discount on meals for 1 week/yr.
I've read other posts indicating that if you are staying at Value Resorts, DVC may not make sense. But we are the opposite end of that spectrum and I still can't figure it out. I also have read the comments that suggest DVC members spend more money because you go more often, etc. - not even worried about that right now. Just trying to understand if there's some financial benefit of this timeshare, from a lodging-only perspective, that I am missing.
We were in a similar position before we bought in around 3 years ago. For us, I was comfortable doing a very rough estimate and comparing that to either: 1) cost of discounted deluxe rooms (e..g 20-30% cash room at Contemporary or AKL), or 2) renting points. At that point we had 1 kid (trying for the 2nd), knew we wanted to be in deluxe or DVC accommodations, and had stayed in several deluxe resorts and had rented points as well. (AKL, Contemporary, GF, BWV, BCV). We had also stayed offsite a few times so we knew we didn't want the hassle. I also spent some time here polling members about renting points v. buying, and was fully ready to continue renting. Rental points were generally well under $15 pp at the time, and I never used the point brokers but rather used the rent/trade board here.
Another big point was that I was only considering resale (and this was before many of the restrictions).
It made sense, financially, to us, even without considering investment returns and/or time value of money, after about 5-7 stays, and without considering maintenance fees. We did not consider discounts etc. but did consider the value of discounted APs because we figured we'd do the 11/13 month plan for our "annual" visits.
I would add that buying direct just doesn't make sense unless you're buying a large enough contract at RIV (and split it into smaller contracts) to get a meaningful discount off the $188 pp, or you buy 100 points direct OKW or SSR to get access to new resorts if that means something to you. Otherwise, resale is really the best option for a good mix of resorts at a good price (check out the ROFR board).
But again, there is something to be said for not having your $ tied up in DVC and committed to MFs if you are pretty ok with renting points and having less control over your reservation. We rented 400+ points for a 2br stay with extended family at BLT and it got me thinking about DVC - even at the MUCH lower cost to rent back then, we paid over $5000 for that rental.
Since you've already rented and had a good experience, there is absolutely nothing wrong with continuing to do it that way, especially if you are happy with any DVC resort or moving your stay to lower-demand times. I agree with you that it's hard to make the financial aspect make sense unless/until you are looking at a larger unit, a hard-to-get resort, or a hard-to-book time. If you're generally flexible as to resorts and dates, then it makes lots of sense to keep renting.
Nothing about DVC or visiting WDW makes financial sense. I understand the need to try to justify it to yourself, but really, none of this makes any sense at all. If you want to buy into DVC and have the means, then go ahead. You don't need a spreadsheet to tell you it's OK to spend your own money on something you want.
If you're only visiting every 3 years though, I wouldn't buy into it. I'd just rent. Odds are you'll visit 3 times or less before you sell the contract.
Yes, this all the way. Only consider buying DVC if you think you'd visit at least every other year, and again, only consider direct if you can get a per point cost that brings it in line with resale AND you love the home resort.
tl; dr: I think you are right, the math doesn't make sense compared to renting, if you are thinking about a direct purchase. Use reasonable resale numbers, however, and it can - but again, only if you are likely to go at least every other year, or would go at high-demand times like Fall Frenzy, Christmas, and (maybe) Easter. Otherwise, you will find that renting gives you enough flexibility and keeps you more liquid.
