Help! Please Give Me Info On The DVC

[Kellylynn3]

My fiance and I just returned from out first trip together at the World and he's already talking about how becoming a DVC member would probably be a good idea. I've been trying to look for info but theres so much out there I keep getting lost in all of it. So I have a few questions.

How much does it cost? Is it a one time fee? A fee that's payed over time? Is there an annual membership fee. I know there are points but how does that work.

Can you only stay at your "home" resort or is it just as easy to stay at any of the DVC resorts when you plan.

And is it really worth. We're already planning on going to Disney on our honeymoon and we will probably go once every 2-3 years after that.

Thanks!

 

[chalee94]

How much does it cost? Is it a one time fee? A fee that's payed over time? Is there an annual membership fee. I know there are points but how does that work.

yes, and yes. you figure out how many pts you need each year...or, if you only plan to go every other year, take that number and cut it in half. you then pay for a contract with around that number of pts (either resale or direct through disney.) buying direct will cost close to $100 per pt up-front.

you will also pay maintenance fees (or "annual dues") each year during the 34 to 49 years you own the contract, to pay for upkeep and management of the resort. this works out to roughly $5 per pt additionally each year. (you can pay this monthly by debiting your checking account if you'd rather not pay the lump sum every january.

prices for resale contracts and point charts for the different resorts are linked in the top right-hand corner of the screen, if you want to calculate what would work for you.


Can you only stay at your "home" resort or is it just as easy to stay at any of the DVC resorts when you plan.

if you can book 11 months in advance, you have a much much greater chance of booking your home resort. depending on when you prefer to travel, staying at other resorts may be "just as easy" or it may be "next to impossible." november and december are very difficult to book inside of 7 months.

if you can't book more than 7 months in advance, there is no advantage to owning at any given resort...in that case, it's best to buy the cheapest contract with the cheapest dues.

And is it really worth. We're already planning on going to Disney on our honeymoon and we will probably go once every 2-3 years after that.

most current owners - in other words, most of those who hang out on this board - still think it's worth it. DVC works better for those who go to wdw most every year, but it can be a good deal for those who go every other year. if you only go every third year or less often, i would not recommend buying DVC.

you can trade out your DVC pts for trips to other locations, but if you primarily want to do that, you can find other timeshares that give you similar options for less money.

if you want to consider DVC, you can learn a lot on these boards if you learn to use the search function and scan through threads at random to find out more about what current members like and don't like (or don't understand) about their memberships.

 

[rstackjd]

If you haven't done so already, I'd contact DVC, get the DVD and prospectus and they will answer the cost and point questions pretty well.

And my personal experience with them was that they were not pushy at all.