how do i convince my wife about DVC

[NE14DisneyWorld?]

Ask for it for YOUR Christmas present!

 

[camack7827]

Though we haven't yet purchased (waiting for CRV), I had to convince my wife as well. Every situation is different, but I'll give you mine.

My wife is very logical, fiscally conservative, and tends to push away from things that are pushed onto her. Bottom line is that I had my work cut out for me. The key is that she loves Disney, not to the extent that I'm at mind you, but she actually had to convince me to go to WDW the first time we went.

I spelled out the financial part of it, the good and the bad. I didn't try to sugar coat anything. I did EXHAUSTIVE financial research, calculating out how much maintenance fees will be over 50 years at 3% increases each year. Figuring rack rate average increases as a comparison, finding out that we can use our Rewards Points to pay for our maintenance fees, etc. I put it all in Excel (I can provide it if you want) so that it would be easier for her to see/understand. It's difficult to keep track of, let alone communicate that kind of info, so Excel is your friend in these situations. I ordered the DVC DVD, then got the Dreams book so she could see all of the places that you can "swap" with. Not feeling boxed into WDW only resorts was a big thing for her, so the II places were a start, Hilton Head and Vero Beach helped, but the GCV and Hawaii resorts really locked it up for me.

Though it wasn’t part of a master plan, I happened to record a bunch of Disney Resorts shows off of the Travel Channel and Discovery Channel. Seeing the parks, the cruise ships (my wife likes to cruise) and hearing my two year old yell “MICKEY!” every time we saw Mickey Mouse on television helped out a lot I think.

In the end, all the financial info helped out, the flexibility helped out, but what I think really did the trick was my wife envisioning our family in Disney World, making memories year after year. I’ll say it again, the key is that she loves Disney. If your wife doesn’t love Disney, you’d better get her to Orlando and get her on the hook first. This is a 50 year and (most likely) an $80,000+ dollar purchase when it’s all said and done.

I also took the approach that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we didn’t buy into DVC. I think it’s a good idea for us, obviously. But not belonging to DVC simply meant we’d be able to try ALL of the resorts eventually! Again, my wife tends to push away from things that get pushed on her. I kind of just had to pull her into this one. In all seriousness, I believe that you cannot motivate someone. They have to motivate themselves. All I can do is provide some inspiration, show the benefits and the pitfalls, and hope I make a positive impact. Just like my wife, your wife has to come to the conclusion that DVC is right for your family on her own. It is your job to show her the path and provide the information.

GOOD LUCK!!

Chris

P.S. This was at least a 12 month operation for me. Don’t expect her to just wake up the day after you bring it up and be on board!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

$80,000 purchase!!! Try starting off with say a $16,000 purchase with the intention of adding on! That may be a better tactic!

 

[Granny]

$80,000 purchase!!! Try starting off with say a $16,000 purchase with the intention of adding on! That may be a better tactic!

I believe camack was adding up the total cost of DVC ownership over the life of a contract.

 

[CastawayJP]

I too am trying to convince my wife for down the road. I am seriously thinking of going with a resell in a couple of years. At that point our older daughter will be 10 and our youngest will be 2. We'll have a lot of great Disney years ahead of us!

 

[flechette]

OP - in general, who spends the most money or gets the most of the big $ items?

My husband is okay w/ Disney but by no means anywhere near as into it as I am. My arguments to him about buying DVC consisted of:

* Name the last expensive thing we bought I wanted (there wasn't one)
* We bought the house he wanted
* My SUV was what he wanted, not me (admittedly it was a great deal but still not my choice)

Wasn't it time to level the field some?


He thought about it and came back w/ " So either I say yes now and all is well or I say no and life is heck until I agree?"

I gave him a big hug and said : You DO understand!"

I did agree to a few conditions: 2 Disney trips per 3 years, we saved up for it, and we waited until he was back from his 2nd Iraqi Freedom tour. (okay we paid about 40% down on the resale, and I bought just as he got back from Kuwait but kept him informed of the process)

We went to WDW in May 2006 and toured several of the resorts, he fell hard for OKW which was my first choice anyway - so he's much more on board than when we first started our discussions.

Best of luck!

Michelle

 

[camack7827]

I believe camack was adding up the total cost of DVC ownership over the life of a contract.

Correct. That's the contract only though, factor in travel, food, and park passes and I'm sure that number is twice as scary. Bottom line, Disney didn't put the DVC program together for us as a favor and we don't go into it thinking it's going to be cheap!

The hardest part of convincing my wife was that the purchase IS worth it. I used to spend a lot of money, mostly on my car. I'd always rationalize it with "this part is on sale, so I'm saving $100". Her argument was always "Did you save $100 or did you spend $300?". In the end, DVC membership will likely mean we'll spend A LOT more money on Disney than we would have without the membership, but it IS worth it to us in the end.

Another help for me was that my Sister and Brother-In-Law are members, so we have a sounding board close to home. It makes the purchase a little less scary if you know someone else who has done it already!

Chris

 

[rovitm]

Camack,

I read your post and I am on the fence about purchasing at AKV. Would you mind if you can send me your spreadsheet. It wll help me in determining if this is right for me and my family.

Thank you
rovitm

 

[camack7827]

No problem, just PM me your email address.

 

[rovitm]

my pm's are not going through..

mjrovi@yahoo.com

thanks

 

[spruce]

Go to Disney and stay offsite in a Motel 6.

 

[Caskbill]

my pm's are not going through..

mjrovi@yahoo.com

thanks

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