Help needed in deciding

[PE_TCR]

My wife and I are HUGE Disney fans (as are most of us on here) and really wouldn't mind spending most of our vacations at Disney. We usually go at least once every other year and try to go once a year. We usually stay in the value resorts because of cost. I am a teacher which restricts our vacations to peak times for the most part. We usually use the rooms just to sleep in since peak times require us to be in the parks most of the day if we want to see everythign we can. All that being said I would love to just enjoy a resort and skip the parks at times. We neve do this - again since we are in value resorts there isn't all that much to enjoy. My wife has been either unemployed or working part time for the past 3 years and now has a great full time job and we are at a point where we can consider DVC. We have always wanted to join. We have a great friend who we met on a cruise and she is a member and swears by DVC (sh is from Australia though and it makes a ton of sense when she comes for weeks at a time). Is there anyone who was in the same situation or a like situation? We may have kids we may not. If not we would bring extended family if we did choose DVC. Any advice wodul eb greatly helpful. We don't have enough to pay for this in cash and would finance it. However, if we stretch the cost out it seems like a deal almost too good to pass up - especially once we are retired and all paid for (except yearly costs). HELP please.

 

[justjoannj]

I also love WDW and would go every year if I could. I have thought about buying into DVC but I just don't see the advantage. With all the deals like "free food" or up to 40% off I just could never justify it. But, I am only paying for 1 person (most of the time) not a family. That being said, even with DVC you still need to purchase your theme park tickets. Do the math before you commit.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

DVC makes most financial sense for people who were going to stay in a deluxe resort anyway. DVC offers a significant savings when you compare it to deluxe resort accommodations, but not really compared to moderate or value. Given that you seem to enjoy yourself just fine at values, I'd suggest trying out a deluxe vacation and see if you think the additional cost is worth it to you.

Then see how much you'd have to scrimp and save to either plunk down the money or take out a loan to buy DVC points. And then decide if being obligated to pay the dues every year would be comfortable for you.

 

[The 6 J's]

Agree with above post. If I compare what I paid for my contract against the cash cost of my first two trips as a DVC'er I just about "break even" because of the high cost of the deluxe rooms. However, if I compare it to my trip with my family about 5 years ago when we stayed at All Star Music we could go about 7 more times (but I can't afford to fly the 6 of us back and forth that many times). OTOH, if I wasn't in DVC I wouldn't be offering to put up my inlaws and their 3 kids this coming NOV when we go and they might not otherwise get to see WDW and we probably wouldn't get to enjoy being there with them. Each person has to figure out the value of those type of things for themselves.

 

[bnk1120]

We never thought we would be able to afford DVC. I only ever knew of buying direct from Disney and it was just so much money.

After only staying at values and mods we splurged for 2 nights at WL. We were hooked on deluxe resorts after that! We came home and looked into DVC. I read everything I could on these boards and others for the next year. We found that we could buy a small contract through resale and pay cash.

I too am a teacher and my vacations are limited to school breaks. We have only one child. Studios are perfect for us. They allow us to enjoy all the resort amenities. Our vacations have become so relaxing and enjoyable because we spend time at the resort and don't feel rushed to do everything.

My advice is to buy a small contract resale and pay cash. That way you are not taking on a huge financial burden with the payments and MF's. You will be able to find out if DVC works for you without making an enormous committment.

For me owning DVC is a dream come true!!! I get to go on amazing vacations several times a year and stay at resorts I never thought I'd be able to. We bought to solely stay at WDW or Vero Beach. When we have the cash we will add-on more points. I love DVC!

 

[PE_TCR]

Since we are only able to travel at peak times the "deals" are never really available any way. So free dining and things like that are taken out of the equation. We spent our honeymoon at Caribbean Beach and loved it. Just wish we coudl have enjoyed the resort more. I am hoping DVC would allow us to enjoy the resort more knowing we would be coming back each year.

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

We too, like your friends, are from Australia and we bought into DVC after having stayed at the All-Stars twice (and thoroughly enjoyed our trips!). We bought 100 points at AKL (for $80 a point at the time), as we only get back to the states every 2-3 years.
Best thing we ever did. After staying in a 2 bed at AKL for the first time, we could never "go back" to the All-Stars. Agree with the post that said to look at re-sale definitely, and plain and simply....Just do it.
You won't regret it.......

 

[PE_TCR]

My thought process (and it may be off) if I may be ableto go 7-8 more times for the cost I go the first 2 or 3 times. However, I will be going 45 or so more times beyond that at no cost beyond annual fees. I will also be able to save money on ark admission because with DVC we would plan on spending less times in the parks and just enjoying the perks of the resort itself. The trip we are taking over spring break this year is costing us about $500 for 2 nights in a value resort. The way I see it. That almost would be the cost of annual fees and we would be staying in a MUCH better resort for a full week if we went in peak season even. If we purchase I am planning on paying a little more up front in return for a lower annual fee.
Am I way off on this?

 

[luckyman_apd]

I HATE the value resorts. As a teacher in New Jersey, I can only travel for a 4 nights in Nov. (my family can go the day before and I can meet them) or during the summer. I am looking into buying a 100point contract.

If you have been staying in Value resorts, I can guarantee that a 100 point SSR contract resale will save you money and give you better accommodations than the value resorts for a better price in the long run. The resort is great, with 3 pools (1 of which was just renovated with a great water slide this year) and there is a lot to do with the kids there. The movie under the stars (available at all DVC resorts) was fantastic. Wife and I sat in the hot tub, while the kids sat and watched a movie poolside. There were great activities each day for the kids to do, and you can take a quick boat ride to Downtown Disney.
SSR is the cheapest resale available, and I am convinced you would like it better than "value" resorts. We sure did.

Be careful with that "free dining". It isn't always free. A lot of times your package price is bumped up when they include "free" dining. We are considering BLT but it is a much higher price to buy in. My wife wants that as her home resort. It will take much longer to "break even" over a value resort vacation, but we refuse to go value resort as we don't enjoy the extra crowds. Every person is different but research all parts. It may work for you. If you need help with the "math" send me a PM with what you are looking at and I can give you a good break down of costs. It isn't cheaper for everyone, and it isn't for everyone, but as long as you know what your needs are when you buy, it can be very worthwhile. Right now, I'm just waiting for the right resale contract to come along.

 

[jekjones1558]

I am a retired teacher so I understand your scheduling constraints. Before we bought DVC we stayed at Riverside (then called DIxie Landings) and loved it. We bought at BWV, a totally impulse purchase, because that is the resort that was selling at the time. We did not look into resale at OKW. We were totally ignorant. We started with 220 points and now have 1150. We enjoy every point, often treating friends and relatives.
While I was working we usually went during Spring Break or Winter Break or sometimes I combined personal leave days with teacher convention days (in MN teacher convention days are not paid duty days) in October. As luck would have it, we got an October use year (we didn't even consider which use year would be best) and it is perfect for us because we don't like the heat in June through September.
Now that I am retired our pattern seems to be trips in October for Food & Wine, December for holiday stuff, once during the winter and once in the spring for Flower and Garden. We love our home resorts (most points at BWV and some points at OKW so that we can book a grand villa there sometimes at 11 months). We might consider an add-on at Hilton Head Island so we could book a 1 bedroom there for May at 11 months out but there are no non-stop air flights from MSP to Savannah and DH needs non-stops for health reasons.
DVC can definitely work for teachers and it sounds like you are doing your homework before buying. Your thinking that as DVC members you would spend more time enjoying the resort has certainly been true for us. We love having BW view and watching the BW during the day and Illuminations at night. Good luck in your decision!

 

[MomofStitchandLewis]

My Husband and I are teachers too. We have 2 children and bought DVC for 3 reasons:

1. We love Disney
2. We love vacationing
3. We hope that even when our children grow up that we'll all be able to come back together at Disney with our DVC.

Plus we think that in the long run, we will go way beyond breaking even on the deal. And right now we are making wonderful memories and being able to treat friends and family to accommodations. This just makes us happy.

I, however, personally think that it is better to deal with Disney directly - for 2 reasons:

1. Disney does not put the loan on your credit.
2. Buying re-sale can exlude you from various things like the DVC member cruise and adding on later without closing costs.

As a teacher, I know how hard it can be financially and truly feel that DVC is totally worth it. Especially when you consider the options to trade points with RCI to travel just about anywhere on the planet. But then again, my husband & I generally spend our money on vacations and don't buy new cars or other big ticket items. No, we buy vacations.

Of course, these are just my opinions and you will have to decide for yourselves. Good Luck!

 

[ovalhead96]

We just recently purchased resale for a 160 point at SSR, and a 25 point at VB. I believe we purchased these two at a pretty reasonable price. My wife is a teacher, and my son can't miss any more days of school, so we have gotten creative. My son and wife are both done on June 1, and we scheduled a week at a standard room at Jambo house for only 95 points. The next week it would have been 10-15 more points. The only way I would recomend financing the purchase is if you could put most of the money down, and could finance the rest with something that could give you a tax savings such as a second on your house. If you could go the same week we do, you could get by purchasing 100 points. You could probably get a 100 point contract for between 6000 and 7000 bucks. You would also have between 5 and 6 hundred in annual fees. Remember, you also get 100 off an annual pass per person. There are a lot of things to consider, but I crunched the numbers and feel it is worth it. I do disagree with one of the other responses to this thread who recomended direct purchase from disney. Disney would not let you purchase such a small contract for your first contract, and it would be at least 10,000. I know you can't use the points for a cruise if you buy resale, but i've looked at the point structure for cruises, and I don't believe it is a wise use of the points. It takes a lot of points for a cruise, and they aren't always available for DVC points. Please go through the threads, and learn as much as you can before making a decision. There are some pretty smart people that have a lot of knowlege of Disney and DVC. I am still a beginner, but am thrilled that I made my purchases!

 

[Minne's Friend]

We just recently purchased resale for a 160 point at SSR, and a 25 point at VB. I believe we purchased these two at a pretty reasonable price. My wife is a teacher, and my son can't miss any more days of school, so we have gotten creative. My son and wife are both done on June 1, and we scheduled a week at a standard room at Jambo house for only 95 points. The next week it would have been 10-15 more points. The only way I would recomend financing the purchase is if you could put most of the money down, and could finance the rest with something that could give you a tax savings such as a second on your house. If you could go the same week we do, you could get by purchasing 100 points. You could probably get a 100 point contract for between 6000 and 7000 bucks. You would also have between 5 and 6 hundred in annual fees. Remember, you also get 100 off an annual pass per person. There are a lot of things to consider, but I crunched the numbers and feel it is worth it. I do disagree with one of the other responses to this thread who recomended direct purchase from disney. Disney would not let you purchase such a small contract for your first contract, and it would be at least 10,000. I know you can't use the points for a cruise if you buy resale, but i've looked at the point structure for cruises, and I don't believe it is a wise use of the points. It takes a lot of points for a cruise, and they aren't always available for DVC points. Please go through the threads, and learn as much as you can before making a decision. There are some pretty smart people that have a lot of knowlege of Disney and DVC. I am still a beginner, but am thrilled that I made my purchases!

The 1st contract we bought was direct - it was for 100 points at AKV so Disney will let you buy a small contract direct

That being said I would seriously look at the resale market for the $11,000 that we paid for our 100 points you could get between 150 to 175 points now.

 

[ovalhead96]

The 1st contract we bought was direct - it was for 100 points at AKV so Disney will let you buy a small contract direct

That being said I would seriously look at the resale market for the $11,000 that we paid for our 100 points you could get between 150 to 175 points now.

I tried to get a quote from Bernard (our cm) for a direct purchase this August, and I was told that 160 was the smallest he could do..

Maybe it was bad info, but I still think resale is the way to go.

Our 160 point contract for SSR was only 8,900 with closing costs.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...My wife has been either unemployed or working part time for the past 3 years and now has a great full time job and we are at a point where we can consider DVC. ...If not we would bring extended family if we did choose DVC. ....

First thing to remember, family will back out at the last minute because they don't understand how timeshares work. All they see if they are getting free accomodations and think you won't be charged if they don't go. No so. You probably won't be able to downgrade your accomodations to save the points, especially if you are in the last four months of your UY or if you borrowed points.

Other thing to consider, what happens if your wife is no longer working? How will you manage the financing that you still owe? DVC is really a luxury and all other financial needs need to be considered first. If you need to finance the purchase, you will probably have to go direct because finding financing for a resale timeshare can be difficult.

 

[DopeysGal82]

If you're used to staying at Value resorts, then the cost savings isn't going to be as pronounced. It will take you a LONG time to "break even" based on what you were paying before, but for us, the way we did the math was that we'll be able to enjoy MUCH better accommodations for less, hopefully take more trips, change the way we vacation (i.e - stop and smell the roses more), and bring family and friends.

ETA: We were told from Disney we could buy as little as 50 points direct. We went with 160, and we did buy direct, and we did finance, so we essentially broke ALL the rules, but we did what we were ultimately comfortable with. On these boards, you'll find a huge bias toward buying resale and paying cash, and for good reason, it's the option that will save you the most money, but it's not for everyone

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

We never thought we would be able to afford DVC. I only ever knew of buying direct from Disney and it was just so much money.

After only staying at values and mods we splurged for 2 nights at WL. We were hooked on deluxe resorts after that! We came home and looked into DVC. I read everything I could on these boards and others for the next year. We found that we could buy a small contract through resale and pay cash.

Can't agree more! I have always dreamed of staying in a deluxe resort. I look forward to unwinding near any of the beautiful resort pools or receiving a massage! I may even by a 50 point add on. Right now it works because it is just me and my girlfriend but maybe some day we can multiply and conquer.

 

[jimsanfilippo]

My wife and I are HUGE Disney fans (as are most of us on here) and really wouldn't mind spending most of our vacations at Disney. We usually go at least once every other year and try to go once a year. We usually stay in the value resorts because of cost. I am a teacher which restricts our vacations to peak times for the most part. We usually use the rooms just to sleep in since peak times require us to be in the parks most of the day if we want to see everythign we can. All that being said I would love to just enjoy a resort and skip the parks at times. We neve do this - again since we are in value resorts there isn't all that much to enjoy. My wife has been either unemployed or working part time for the past 3 years and now has a great full time job and we are at a point where we can consider DVC. We have always wanted to join. We have a great friend who we met on a cruise and she is a member and swears by DVC (sh is from Australia though and it makes a ton of sense when she comes for weeks at a time). Is there anyone who was in the same situation or a like situation? We may have kids we may not. If not we would bring extended family if we did choose DVC. Any advice wodul eb greatly helpful. We don't have enough to pay for this in cash and would finance it. However, if we stretch the cost out it seems like a deal almost too good to pass up - especially once we are retired and all paid for (except yearly costs). HELP please.

I have to say we have been to WDW many times and have stayed on and off property and at both moderate resorts and very nice ones. Nothing at all compares to staying at one of the higher end resorts and the villas are awesome.

We bought 200 Boardwalk points two years ago from a private seller (yes, they exist) and used a closing company (closemytimeshare . com) that only charged us about $400 for filing fees and title search. This saved us a ton and if you can get a personal loan to pay for it instead of financing through a timeshare lender you'll save a ton, too.

Now after singing the praises of DVC membership I can tell you we're probably going to sell our points after our February trip, but that's only because of life changes in our family. DVC is still awesome and we are going to miss it greatly (and will purchase more points again as soon as we're able). Good luck to you!

 

[a742246]

My wife and I are HUGE Disney fans (as are most of us on here) and really wouldn't mind spending most of our vacations at Disney. We usually go at least once every other year and try to go once a year. We usually stay in the value resorts because of cost. I am a teacher which restricts our vacations to peak times for the most part. We usually use the rooms just to sleep in since peak times require us to be in the parks most of the day if we want to see everythign we can. All that being said I would love to just enjoy a resort and skip the parks at times. We neve do this - again since we are in value resorts there isn't all that much to enjoy. My wife has been either unemployed or working part time for the past 3 years and now has a great full time job and we are at a point where we can consider DVC. We have always wanted to join. We have a great friend who we met on a cruise and she is a member and swears by DVC (sh is from Australia though and it makes a ton of sense when she comes for weeks at a time). Is there anyone who was in the same situation or a like situation? We may have kids we may not. If not we would bring extended family if we did choose DVC. Any advice wodul eb greatly helpful. We don't have enough to pay for this in cash and would finance it. However, if we stretch the cost out it seems like a deal almost too good to pass up - especially once we are retired and all paid for (except yearly costs). HELP please.

I believe that DVC would be good for you. My suggestion would be to rent points from someone and stay at one of the DVC resorts. Then once there,
check out all the DVC resorts. If you are still happy... buy resale! DVC is not going anywhere so you will have plenty of time to purchase in the future.


To me DVC has been great!

 

[jimsanfilippo]

I believe that DVC would be good for you. My suggestion would be to rent points from someone and stay at one of the DVC resorts. Then once there,
check out all the DVC resorts. If you are still happy... buy resale! DVC is not going anywhere so you will have plenty of time to purchase in the future.


To me DVC has been great!

That's a very good suggestion, and one I should have thought of since that's how we got our first taste.