honest/expert opinions needed!thinking of going dvc

[luvmychaos]

But am wondering if buying DVC will save us any money or are we better off booking during off season with free dining? I have always scored really good deals on airfare booking through AAA with a package and it seems that any trip I've ever planned for anywhere,airfare separate is always more money than what's included in the pacakages. Am a little scared to think about how much airfare on its own might and THEN the addition of the dining plan,as we really enjoy this. We are a family of 5,E kids under 6 and the idea of Disney vacations for quite sometime is appealing. We love to travel and the thought of being able to bring the kids to Europe again but with a lil "disney magic" thrown in is also appealing.
So are we better just stayung non DVC and booking our good deals or investing in DVC?
Thanks for any info/help/opinion in advance!

 

[bwvBound]

FWIW, I plan $240-$300 per person for roundtrip air from San Diego to Orlando (MCO). We've been falling into this range for years and years (not counting the new nuisance fees for checked bag, etc.).

Have you looked at the point charts for Adventures by Disney for the European trips? You are, in my opinion, far better off booking direct (cash). I can't imagine owning sufficient DVC points to cover even two adults for ABD, let alone a family of 5.

Sounds like you are doing really well booking with cash. The one thing that might tip you towards DVC are the rooms if you are thinking about booking either 1BR or 2BR units for your family. These units give a jetted tub in the master bath, in-room laundry, etc. If the room space and amenities appeal to you -- look into DVC. If the room isn't a factor, you remain content with hotel-room features ... then I can't imagine how buying into DVC will perform better than the deals you are already booking.

 

[lions1995]

If you are looking to to DVC to save you money, I think that is a hard sell. If you are always looking for the bargain to vacation, then DVC will probabl always cost you more. IF however, you are looking to have nicer accommodations (rooms / pools) than DVC may work out for you. It really has a lot to do with how you like to vacation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Nothing is free with DVC. No free dining. No kids play for free. No 40% off.

 

[Mtnman44]

Everyone's situation is a little different, however I think it is safe to say that only a very small percentage of DVC members are actually saving money compared to what they would have otherwise spent.

What we do get is a significant savings on a vacation accomodation upgrade. We are still spending more than before, but with that increase comes a very nice villa and probably a longer stay.

Remember that Disney does not operate the DVC to help people spend less money at Disney.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Remember that Disney does not operate the DVC to help people spend less money at Disney.

That alone is worth repeating.

Remember that Disney does not operate the DVC to help people spend less money at Disney

 

[luvmychaos]

Thanks for the input,it helps put things into perspective.With our family while space would be nice,washer/dryer,etc will I'm sure be invaluable..extra space isn't a breaking point for us.I actually got excited that you can stay at moderates,because to us,that means a longer stay and that far outweighs a larger room for less time! And ABD is waaaaay to expsensive for us,we are more Europe though the backdoor people so the RCI properties interested us more than the ABD. Lots more research for us, we haven't even done a DVC tour yet,I like to be well researched BEFORE walking into something because I know its hard to walk away from their enticing pitch
Thanks again for your input!

 

[GrnMtnMan]

What we do get is a significant savings on a vacation accomodation upgrade. We are still spending more than before, but with that increase comes a very nice villa and probably a longer stay.

Put another way, if you were going to be staying at a deluxe resort anyway, DVC gets you deluxe accommodations at a discount. If you were going to be staying at value resorts, DVC doesn't offer a savings.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

Thanks for the input,it helps put things into perspective.With our family while space would be nice,washer/dryer,etc will I'm sure be invaluable..extra space isn't a breaking point for us.I actually got excited that you can stay at moderates,because to us,that means a longer stay and that far outweighs a larger room for less time! And ABD is waaaaay to expsensive for us,we are more Europe though the backdoor people so the RCI properties interested us more than the ABD. Lots more research for us, we haven't even done a DVC tour yet,I like to be well researched BEFORE walking into something because I know its hard to walk away from their enticing pitch
Thanks again for your input!

It is commonly accepted that using DVC points for anything other than a DVC stay is not an economical use of points.

 

[chalee94]

I actually got excited that you can stay at moderates,because to us,that means a longer stay and that far outweighs a larger room for less time!

not sure if this is what you are talking about but be aware that trading DVC pts for a moderate hotel room at wdw will require roughly double the pts compared to a stay in an OKW studio (and require a $95 fee to transfer out of the DVC system as well). i'm not so sure about paying direct prices for that "privilege."

 

[bwvBound]

not sure if this is what you are talking about but be aware that trading DVC pts for a moderate hotel room at wdw will require roughly double the pts compared to a stay in an OKW studio (and require a $95 fee to transfer out of the DVC system as well). i'm not so sure about paying direct prices for that "privilege."

To give a specific comparison:

7 night stay, JUNE 2012:

• OKW Studio: 99 points
• Coronado Springs, Hotel Room, Standard view: 154 points + $95 reservation fee

 

[bwvBound]

We love to travel and the thought of being able to bring the kids to Europe again but with a lil "disney magic" thrown in is also appealing.

And ABD is waaaaay to expsensive for us,we are more Europe though the backdoor people so the RCI properties interested us more than the ABD.

Know that the RCI exchanges do not include "disney magic." Exchanges are independent travel with no guides or "extras" from the Disney team. DVC is not a nimble product for booking RCI exchanges: the number of possible RCI destinations is restricted by Disney's "hand picked" list and you will not have direct access to website/inventory. To book an RCI property, you'll be competing against other timeshare owners who have better access and tools than you would.

 

[JimMIA]

...we are more Europe though the backdoor people so the RCI properties interested us more than the ABD.

First of all, very few timeshares consistently exchange well these days. In almost any system, using your timeshare within that system is where the real value is.

Using DVC for RCI exchanges has several additional drawbacks.

First of all, DVC members only have access to about 600 of the more than 4,000 RCI resorts. Of those, there are pitifully few in Europe and we often hear complaints from members who have not been able to get ANYthing in Europe. And third, as a DVC owner, you won't have direct access to RCI -- you'll have to go through DVC MS, and you won't have access to the considerable benefits of an individual RCI account.

I would never buy any timeshare to use for exchanges, and DVC is even more limited than most for that purpose. If some quirky thing happens and you are about to lose points, sure...deposit them into RCI in the hope of getting some benefit. But that's about the only reason I'd use RCI/DVC.

Now, using RCI into DVC is another matter. That's a great exchange in many cases.

 

[Mtnman44]

While technically true, I think this is another area where DVC increases revenue to Disney. Most of us think we will want to, and be able to, go to WDW every year and stay in a deluxe for the next 20+ years. When we buy DVC we go ahead and do this each year cause we don't want to waste our points, and assume we have saved some money.

However, I'm guessing that had we not purchased DVC, it is extremely likely that as the variables of life come and go over the next 20 years, many (most) of us would have chosen NOT to go to WDW every year.

Put another way, if you were going to be staying at a deluxe resort anyway, DVC gets you deluxe accommodations at a discount. If you were going to be staying at value resorts, DVC doesn't offer a savings.

 

[Sandisw]

We bought DVC because we were also a family of 5, staying at deluxe resorts and wanted the bigger rooms.

We figured out that the cost of owning DVC was no more than what we had been spending to stay for our 5 to 6 night summer vacation at the Contemporary, using around a 30% discount.

So, it wasn't going to be necessarily cheaper, but rather, we would be now staying in 1 or 2 bedrooms for around the same yearly budget.

The biggest plus, at least for me, was no longer having to worry about pin codes, discounts, etc. and to know that a portion of my Disney trips was now paid for.

The other piece with DVC is that you must be willing and able to plan in advance as trips on short notice (and for DVC. short notice 3 to 4 months) as certain times of the year book up very quickly.

There is a resale market out there which can save you a bit of money and if you are not that tied to where you stay, you may find you can buy in at SSR or OKW for a very reasonable price.

However, if you are going to constantly be crunching the numbers or feeling as though you are missing out when you see the Disney deals like free dining, etc., then DVC may not be the right product for you at this time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We bought DVC because we drank the Kool-aid, wore the rose colored glasses and rolled in Pixie Dust. Once all those are gone, it's just another time share.

We wouldn't have gone to Disney as many times as we did if we didn't own DVC. We would probably have a bunch more money in the bank, too.

 

[crisi]

While technically true, I think this is another area where DVC increases revenue to Disney. Most of us think we will want to, and be able to, go to WDW every year and stay in a deluxe for the next 20+ years. When we buy DVC we go ahead and do this each year cause we don't want to waste our points, and assume we have saved some money.

However, I'm guessing that had we not purchased DVC, it is extremely likely that as the variables of life come and go over the next 20 years, many (most) of us would have chosen NOT to go to WDW every year.

And there are other adds with DVC....Some people are more disciplined than others, but these things are not uncommon:

No hotel bill when you check out and dues being paid long ago (or monthly in small amounts) means that its really easy to spend more while you are there. Cirque? Dinner at Jiko? The hotel is "free"....

You have that annual pass - and a few more points - you could squeeze in a long weekend over Food and Wine - or to see the Christmas decorations. Airfare won't be THAT much......

Your dear niece and nephew have never been to Disney - you could invite your brother and sister in law down and pay for their room. They are great people and every kid should get a trip to Disney. Maybe you'll spring for a Character Meal for them to....your brother is nice, but a little bit of a cheapskate........

Before you know it, you've taken trips to Disney when money was tight and without DVC you'd have maybe stayed closer to home - or stayed offsite or in a moderate for THAT trip, you've invited friends or family and 'paid' for the room (hey, you had points), you've added a few trips, done add ons that less frequent guests - or guests with hotel bills - might have decided were outside the budget.

 

[Brian Noble]

We wouldn't have gone to Disney as many times as we did if we didn't own DVC. We would probably have a bunch more money in the bank, too.

But, you also might have had less fun along the way---rather than vacation somewhere less expensively, you may have skipped a few altogether.

OP: there are two questions, the "am I saving money" question, and the "is it worth it" question. They are different.

Unless you mostly have stays at Deluxe resorts now, *and* you restrict yourself to Studio stays as an owner, you will almost certainly not "save money."

But, that doesn't mean it can't be a good value.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

... I'm guessing that had we not purchased DVC, it is extremely likely that as the variables of life come and go over the next 20 years, many (most) of us would have chosen NOT to go to WDW every year.

Fair point.

I think it comes down to what you care about. I have a family member who occasionally make snide comments about me having timeshares...like I'm rolling in it and she's tapped out. All the while her husband is on his third car in seven years, all of which were European Luxury brands (Audi, Alfa-Romeo), and she drives her loaded SUV...While I rolled around in my six year old Hyundai. The money he's put down for his cars is quite a bit less than I paid for my timeshare. So bottom line, they like cars and I like vacations.

 

[MAJPLO]

Put another way, if you were going to be staying at a deluxe resort anyway, DVC gets you deluxe accommodations at a discount. If you were going to be staying at value resorts, DVC doesn't offer a savings.

Thank you for putting it this way. We once in a while stay at a deluxe, but usually decide to go moderate. I'm thinking with DVC we'd be able to stay deluxe regularly.