How did you come to the decision to purchase DVC and after thoughts

[staceymay00]

DVC members, I'm curious as to what factors made you come to the decision to purchase into DVC? What were the pros and cons? After going through the process and having experience as a member would you do anything differently? What would you tell a person making a decision to join? What are you happy with about being a member? What are you less than happy about?

We bought DVC almost four years ago after several trips to WDW spread over 2-3 years. Our kids were 5, 7 and 9 when we bought. We used to stay at POR in the rooms that sleep five with the trundle bed. Kids got bigger and we switched to the larger deluxe hotel rooms that sleep five. We had good discounts and still those rooms were expensive, plus now our trips are often over a school break (holiday) when there are no discounts. We've stayed off site a couple of times and didn't mind being off site, but prefer on site. I think when our children are older it will be nice to have Disney transportation if they want to stay late at a park and we don't, etc. We now stay in 2BR villas and it makes our trips much more enjoyable. We would never pay cash for a 2BR on site, but DVC makes our cost similar to what we had been paying for a discounted deluxe hotel room that slept five.

I have no regrets, but I would caution anyone considering buying to be fully aware of how expensive it is to visit WDW every year or every other year. The larger your family, the more expensive it gets. Tickets get more expensive, meals get more expensive. We are a 7 hour drive away and I don't think we would go to WDW as often if we had the expense of five airline tickets each trip. DVC buy in cost and MFs are not the only expenses. Also, if you have kids and they are in activities like sports and band, it becomes more and more difficult to find times to travel and plan ahead 7-11 months. There are other things we like to do besides WDW and we only have so much time each year to fit them in. I'm glad we did not buy enough points for a week in a 2BR every single year because we are able to cut back on our WDW trips a little without having to rent or make use of extra points, yet we have been able to stretch our points for annual trips (shorter stays, switching to a cash hotel room for a couple of nights, buying the one time use points). I see my husband and I continuing trips after the kids are in college, which also swayed us to buy DVC.

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[JimMIA]

For what it's worth, I have a vacation club with a non-DVC entity. Part of their gimmick is to tie I with Interval International, which will allow you to use your points towards Disney resorts. I'm not particularly fond of my current club, as I feel they're a bit underhanded. My sister's family is big into DVC and they love it. Am seriously thinking of selling what I have and buying into Disney

DVC no longer exchanges through II. They started with RCI, switched to II for several years, and a couple of years ago went back to RCI. And if I'm not mistaken, they recently renewed their contract with RCI.

 

[pouncingpluto]

We bought in 2005. It was a total impulse buy. We had gotten married at WDW, had a terrible experience with our hotel on our short Jamaica honeymoon, came back early and spend an extra couple nights at WDW, and it made us see WDW in a whole new light. Obviously, we loved WDW already, but it made us appreciate so much more the pleasantness of a WDW vacation (condition of property, service, etc.). So, when we walked past the model rooms on the Boardwalk, that was pretty much it. It didn't take a lot to convince us.

We bought into SSR and then added on 100 points at AKV in 2007. It's definitely a luxury purchase. We aren't saving any money -- we're just staying in really sweet accommodations (one-bedrooms even before we had our daughter). Now that we have a child, the experience of having a villa (= extra space + privacy + kitchen) is even more valuable, and knowing that we can take her to WDW every year with reduced additional expenditure is wonderful.

Our vacationing style has changed, too. Before, WDW was a long-weekend thing. Three to five nights. Now it's a week or more at a time. It's also more relaxing, as a result.

We did not buy where we wanted to stay initially, though when we bought in, we thought we would like SSR more than we actually do. But this hasn't been an issue for us, because we have had great success staying at other places. And we do have the 11-month window at AKV (which we love) for 1/3 of our points.

 

[JimMIA]

I'd also suggest that done correctly, buying a non DVC timeshare is far less long term risk and cost than buying DVC.

Can you elaborate on this Dean?

I'll take a shot at it, but I want to go back to something Dean said above:

Buying DVC now is dramatically different than buying even 4-5 yrs ago.

That statement is a very central idea to keep in mind when talking about a DVC purchase.

This is 2013, not 1999...or 1993. The experiences of DVC owners who purchased in the 90's are irrelevant to today's marketplace.

A much better comparison to see where DVC is going would be to compare what an AKV owner paid when it opened vs what they can sell for today. And when you do that comparison, keep in mind that today's DVC resale prices have spiked in the last few months and what you're seeing today is not typical of what they have been, and not representative of where they are going.

In the discussion below, keep in mind that we are only looking at the money aspects of the timeshare ownership. There are other intangible benefits to any vacation ownership, and for Disneyphiles DVC obviously has unique intangible pluses.

Risk and Cost
If you go back to one of my posts on page 1, you'll see a sample cost comparison for buying in: $1 on eBay for some fine timeshare products vs. $10,000 or more (or much more) for DVC.

Right there, you have eliminated much of your potential loss from the acquisition of the timeshare and eventual exit. Low initial cost = low risk. Your exit strategy becomes "pay nothing going in, sell for nothing going out."

To give a personal acquisition example, 2 1/2 years ago, I purchased a large Wyndham contract on eBay. It's hard to compare system to system, but my best guess is that my 501,000 points is roughly equivalent to 600-700 DVC points in terms of what the contract will buy. I paid a grand total (including closing and transfer costs) of less than $2,000. You can do your own math at the DVC resort of your choice to get a comparison.

My dues are about $2,200 per year (I own at Smoky Mountains, which is a low MF resort). You can do your own math for DVC "dues."

Just looking at the financial aspects, my dues are probably at least 30% less than a comparable DVC contract, and I paid virtually nothing to get in. So I'm going to have a savings every year of $1,000 or so on dues, and when I sell, I will probably get about what I paid for the contract.

I think that's what Dean meant by low-cost, low-risk.

 

[twinsouvenirs]

We basically like the space & the full kitchen, and can't stand the idea of being off property. We like the immersion of WDW but also like the variety of theming (i.e. not just 'luxury resort'... you can do the lodge feel, the glamour of the boardwalk or now grand floridian, or the laid back family feel of the beach club or saratoga; the resorts have so much programing and the pools are so fun that we can skip the parks for all but a few days of our trips.


Biggest thing--we have twin babies and like to sleep in a different room so their tiny noises don't keep us up all night (we are light sleepers)--so any other accomodations, we'd have to get two hotel rooms to get a good night's sleep. Also, we feel confident bringing them to the resorts because they have pack n plays, high chairs, etc... and absent HORRIBLE behavior, no one at a Disney resort looks askance at normal toddler antics. So space, safety, convenience, immersion, structure...

The kitchen means we can eat a normal load (i.e. not binge constantly at restaurants) and have groceries delivered to the room/snacks that are relatively normally priced. We can also make baby food easily and take the girls for naps or meals any time and still be able to go to the other room & watch tv or sit on the balcony and read.

Oh, and as two very busy working professionals, we like the 'forced' nature of the points... it demands that we make plans to get away and spend time together and with the kids. It sort of builds in permission for that, whereas the endless choices of vacation planning have caused us to throw up our hands and just stay home for a week in the past. Somehow it turned into lots of chores and some work too. Not so much bonding.

We also plan to start alternating the beach locations with our WDW visits as soon as the girls get past the putting everything in their mouth stage We'll also rotate in new destinations like Yellowstone, New England, Seattle, etc (maybe with RCI) when they get a bit older. We pick one or two parks per trip and spend the rest of the time exploring the resorts. The current plan is to stay at different resorts each time we go to WDW too to keep it interesting.

It's hard to explain but we like the 'limits' of DVC because they form a structure/plan for us.

 

[Dean]

Can you elaborate on this Dean?

Obviously the major qualifier is "done correctly" as well as considering one's personal situation. That said, my thinking is mostly related to the fact you have significantly more options and less upfront costs. Here are some of my main assumptions and principle's.

• I'm a big believer in being able to pay for what one buys, esp in the area of luxury purchases such timeshares
• I feel that the Time Value of Money is extremely important
• I feel that DVC is a poor to extremely poor choice for non DVC options (esp for cash type optons)
• There are no GOOD cash type exchange options for timeshares.
• I feel that the RCI tie in is extremely limiting to DVC members.
• Many timeshares can be bought for pennies compared to DVC. Those that can't, have often proven their worth.
• Many timeshare systems are cheaper to own in addition to buy even when you take into account any additional costs/fees.
• There is often an economy of scale. (Smaller DVC packages for those with limited needs likely don't fit into this thinking for many reasons inc. no exchanges and the fact that the buy in for non DVC options are often similar for smaller vs larger numbers.
• If you must be at DVC every time you use a timeshare, owning DVC is the best option to do so though that doesn't automatically mean it makes sense to buy in.
• Buying retail now for many options (AKV as example) is a guaranteed loss which may or may not be less than buying a non DVC timeshare (depends on specifics) just like buying retail for non DVC.
• Resale is almost always the best approach for any timeshare and that buying any timeshare may not be right or a good choice even for those that enjoy it and think it's a good thing.
• Points minisystems are often the best value, the more options that a given system has that a person will use, the better.
• Having options is good but often not cost effective.
• Most people unhappy with non DVC timeshares either made an impulsive and poor choice for their situation/needs and/or failed to learn and use that system to their advantage. For example, not making reservations very early and thus "could never get anything".

Just a quick example of comparison looking at a 2 BR for a week at DVC vs say Bluegreen or Wyndham and another top non points option in Marriott (historically and practically,all good choices with top Orlando options. Just to give us a basis for comparison and all non DVC options giving far better non DVC options. I'll ignore exchanging costs for all but Marriott because they all have costs but vary to how they work and how well. A DVC buy in maybe of say 350 points for a 2 BR for a week maybe $21K or more with yearly fees of $1750 assuming ONLY using for DVC. For the others maybe Bluegreen or Wyndham with a buy in of under $1000 (likely far under) and fees in the roughly $1300-1500. For Marriott the up front may be a little more and variable so I'll ignore the cheapest options, assume a top resort that has lockoff's and reasonable fees. I will include exchange costs (1/yr) since this is how one uses others resorts. Maybe $3K for Grand Vista Platinum, yearly fees around $1200 including II fees and 1 exchange, good trade power (nothing in Orlando is great).

So $20K less to buy in roughly for a 2 BR a week a year with fees modestly lower, several hundred dollars a year in many cases, and with far more options.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I fell in love with staying on-site (The Polynesian) as a teenager coming to Disney with my best friend back in the 70's, early 80's.

In 1999, a friend who owned mega Old Key West points, offered me a week since they could not use it. I was in awe, parking the car, using the buses, the ease of staying on-site. Prior to that I was completely against timeshares, and even though it's Disney, it's still a timeshare! She offered me her points two subsequent times and then I was in love and obsessed.

But, personally I don't finance vacations, so I would only buy in cash. In 2000 I bought a 210 loaded OKW re-sale contract. And though I listened to the sales pitch numerous times, I realized quickly that though you can opt out, RCI, though you can book cruises and other far away vacations, the expense of DVC ownership only makes sense if used locally at the 6 resorts. I can book better/more affordable cruises and other venues outside of DVC, rather than using expensive points! Plus, I bought in at $60 p/point, I wouldn't pay todays prices!

Cons- I really don't have any, because my son is in school we plan vacations ahead, I've never had trouble booking any resort at 11 or 7 month mark. Villas have met my expectations, even surpassed them at times. (Kidani & GV's)

Pros- I have a hard time spending any length of time in a typical two bed hotel room with another person much less 4 of us. I like having a washer/dryer and I love having a kitchen. That's why I bought DVC for the well equipped 2bd villas! If I liked staying in hotels and studio's I wouldn't have bought.

I enjoy it now more than I could have imagined, we've had many wonderful vacations since 2000, shared our DVC with family and friends. Our typical stay is in a 2bd, 6-8 of us, and every 3-4 years a GV (Feb of this year). I didn't go into DVC thinking it would save me money, and it hasn't! Sure I save some by cooking in the villa but that's not why I cook, I do it because we hate to eat restaurant food 24/7.

And if I didn't have DVC I wouldn't come as often, then I would be truly saving money but where's the fun in that!

 

[com_op_2000]

Pros:
1. Trust of Disney name.
2. Burnt by another time-share (promised something that they could not deliver)
3. Loved the closeness to our house.

Cons:
Can not think of one.

Would do it all again in a second. We have gotten 20 years of vacation memories that we are never going to forget with alot more still to come.

 

[AirGoofy]

DVC members, I'm curious as to what factors made you come to the decision to purchase into DVC? What were the pros and cons? After going through the process and having experience as a member would you do anything differently? What would you tell a person making a decision to join? What are you happy with about being a member? What are you less than happy about?

We Disneymooned there in 2000, had children, returned in 2005, 2006, & 2007, staying at value resorts each trip. In 2008, we had an upgrade to moderate resort. We realized that we enjoyed vacationing at WDW, & we wanted to stay on property. I had used points from a hotel club for a couple nights one year, and decided we didn't like split stays.

In 2008, I did the math and we bought SSR resale because it was the cheapest one. We enjoyed SSR, but we really liked BWV better. So, we bought another BWV resale contract and sold the SSR contract a year later.

I refer people to DVC, and I also recommend resale. I think DVC works best for those who want to stay at the DVC resorts, as opposed to trading in for cruises. We know we want to stay at WDW at least once a year and always on property. I also would recommend people buy where they want to stay.

Also, people should try to learn the difference between resort style vs hotel style. I know people complain about the long hallway walks at BWV and AKV. But, I prefer them to either walking outside to the main area/ feature pool at SSR or OKW, or riding the bus loop around.

 

[lovin'fl]

Bought DVC in 2006. We lived in NC and had been to WDW twice and planned to go back frequently as our kids were 7, 7 and 9 when we bought in. We could easily drive to and from WDW. With having 3 kids, we wanted suite-like or condo-like accommodations...a door between us and the kids. We also really value(d) the washer and dryer in villa. There was NO WAY we'd be able to pay cash rates for such accommodations on Disney property and we just don't like staying off property (takes away some of the Magic for us).

Overall, we are very happy with our DVC. There have been moments, since owning, that we were (or are) a tad irked by the mouse. We can use our points for a stay at Vero or HH to get away from those things and take a break. We could also rent out our points if it was really bad. I might recommend DVC to others...definitely would have a few months ago but might tell folks to hold off right now (DVC prices are up, parks are getting to be more and more crowded and now there's this element of Xtreme Disney Planning that is just too much).

 

[rmcildw2m]

being able to stay in a deluxe resort every I go to Disney was a winner for me and my family . NO more up and down room costs its always the same with DVC depending on when you go .I love my DVC and give me more please .

 

[ercrbc]

I grew up vacationing in Orlando every 2-3 years, I loved visiting Disney and in college DH and I made a trip or two together. We got married, and for the first few years there was no budget for vacations. A few years went by, we had 2 small children (4 and 1) and I decided it was time for our first trip to visit the mouse.

I planned the trip and no way was I going to stay in a regular hotel room with two queens and two small children. I looked into renting pts for a villa with a w/d and full kitchen and successfully booked a room at the AKV. After that I was sold, l did all kinds of research on all the DVC resorts when we got back and bought a resale contract 6months later. 4 years, another baby and 2 add-ons later I am thrilled with our DVC vacations and so is my DH.

We don't do it because it 'saves' money, although it does make villa style rooms affordable on a regular basis. We do it because it forces DH to take time off work and vacation with the family. We like the accommodations, we like not having daily mouse keeping, we like the flexibility of the point system and we like the DVC resort locations. We like having low key trips and not feeling like we have to 'do it all' every time. We love hanging at the resort pools and CHs. It's a good fit for our family, and if there comes a time when it isn't anymore we will sell our points for what they are worth and be happy with what we got out of it.

No regrets and still looking forward to several more years of DVC trips

 

[Minniesgal]

We bought because we want to stay on property in a 2 bedroom Villa, hotel rooms do not interest us.

Our only wish is we wish we had done it sooner, that said we were not really in a position to.

 

[graueMaus]

Bought DVC in 2006. We lived in NC and had been to WDW twice and planned to go back frequently as our kids were 7, 7 and 9 when we bought in. We could easily drive to and from WDW. With having 3 kids, we wanted suite-like or condo-like accommodations...a door between us and the kids. We also really value(d) the washer and dryer in villa. There was NO WAY we'd be able to pay cash rates for such accommodations on Disney property and we just don't like staying off property (takes away some of the Magic for us).

Same here, except our kids were twin DD 6, and DS 4. We are in NC too. The full kitchen and the extra space is what got us in. Also there is more in the area than Disney for us (family in orlando and st pete) so we know the area quite well and we use it as a launching point for lots of things besides the parks. Including just enjoying the resort activities and amenities. Additionally HHI is 5 from us and we have been alternating our annual trip between there and Orlando.

 

[soulmates]

For us it was simple; we rented for 3 years straight. Each year, what we paid in rental fees, could have been our deposit!! We finally got tired of handing money over to people when WE could be the owners. Best choice we ever made. LOVE LOVE LOVE our membership!

 

[AdamsMum]

For me it was 75% an emotional decision. I love being at WDW and feel at home there. I could not afford to pay the deluxe room rates, but really value the proximity to the parks of the deluxe rooms. I found a small 60 pt contract to start with and added on immediately 40 pts at 98/pt. After that it was just a matter of never having enough points.

I believe I have had good value from my DVC membership, but it really is still an emotional thing. I feel valued there (even if it is just for my spending money). I love the location of my main home resort BWV.

I won't deny trying to convert others in the family to Disney. The only regret is that I didn't buy sooner, but I'm glad I bought in when I did at the prices I did.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

So we looked at Boardwalk in 2004. At the time we thought, yeah, maybe. We took our thank- you's and our guide's card and went home. Fast forward a year and we decided that yes, this was for us - "forced vacations," quality rooms with family- friendly amenities ( kitchen and w/d), and the whole Disney thing. We have been probably twice a year since 2005, and we have no regrets. Well, maybe one, we should have bought 50 points more than we were sure we would ever need.

 

[lisaviolet]

First, I waited to buy in for ten years. Bought in 2005. Own at BWV and SSR.

And do not wish I had purchased sooner, like most.

The anticipation and the dreaming were/are a lovely part of my DVC. Truly.

Wish I would had purchased very slowly. Ie. Bought a really small contract and maybe transferred points in for the first few years to see where I felt good. That I do regret.

And this one is a killer. I bought when our dollar was much lower. Much. And then it was at par and even above a few years later. That hurts on a large purchase.

 

[LindaBabe]

For me it was 75% an emotional decision. I love being at WDW and feel at home there. I could not afford to pay the deluxe room rates, but really value the proximity to the parks of the deluxe rooms. I found a small 60 pt contract to start with and added on immediately 40 pts at 98/pt. After that it was just a matter of never having enough points.

I believe I have had good value from my DVC membership, but it really is still an emotional thing. I feel valued there (even if it is just for my spending money). I love the location of my main home resort BWV.

I won't deny trying to convert others in the family to Disney. The only regret is that I didn't buy sooner, but I'm glad I bought in when I did at the prices I did.

This! We've traveled the world with my husband's 1st job (military). We've had a boat and camped.

When we were about 50, we stayed with a friend in a one bedroom on points rented from another friend. There was room for all three of us to be comfy. I could take a nap in the bedroom while they watched football and ate popcorn in the livingroom.

Less than 24 hours into our stay, sitting on the patio at the Rose & Crown, my husband looked across the table at me and said "I think we should sell the boat and buy into the DVC". . .(!)

We paid cash for that and the two add-ons we've done since. With only 150 points we were always in the hole. Now with 350, we pretty much use them all, every year, All for stays at DVC resorts.

I could use more, to go to Florida in the winter for a month or 6 weeks, but I don't want to pay the dues that that would require.

I buy a DVC annual pass. Usually my husband uses military tickets, but this year he's going to get an AP too. We are at the stage in life that we can do about half day in the parks but sometimes we go and do just one or two rides and done.

WHY dvc? Disney is pretty much a known quantity. Clean. Safe. transportation options. service. dining opportunities. Friendly to the mobility impaired. Until this magic bands stuff came up, it was pretty much hassle free.

DVC is more than a hotel room. When we're there, it's home.

 

[SpaceMountain77]

When considering a home resort, I wish I had given more thought to contract end-dates and my own mortality. For me, a 2042 end-date would likely have been more than sufficient as I do not have someone interested in inheriting my membership and will likely not need 2047 and 2064 end-dates.