how does dvc work

[sian1966]

just discovered DVC. but hav'nt got a clue how it works. just got back from 2 weks in orlando and we have all decided that its the only place we ever want to go on holiday. so have been thinking about DVC. how many points would £10,000 buy us. would we have to put that in every year or only the first. how much extra would we have to pay every year? and how many points would we use up say for 2 weeks every october or november for 7 of us.

 

[Granny]

First of all, I see this is your first post so WELCOME to the DIS Boards!

Up at the top of this page is an FAQ on the Disney Vacation Club. Read that, and it will give you a lot of information about how DVC works. http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/faq.shtml

Right next to that is a DVC Point Chart...go ahead and look up the dates and accommodation size (at least a 2BR for your group) and see how many points that takes. For SSR for a week in October or first half of November you are looking at 255 points for a 2BR villa. http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

I'm not sure of the conversion rate, but aren't there about 2 pounds to 1 US dollar? If so, $20,000 US will buy you about 210-230 points at SSR, depending on what kind of incentive Disney is offering.

That point purchase is a one time thing, and then you have the annual maintenance fees which are in the $4 per point range. You will have to pay those fees until the contract expires (2054 for SSR, 2042 for all other DVC) or you sell your points.

Read as much as you can, including these boards. And come back and ask a ton of questions! Good luck.

 

[DMKEDM]

It's both very simple, and quite complicated.

When you buy into DVC, you buy points...the number of points you buy is up to you, so long as you buy a stated minimum (150 points) when you buy from Disney. To make this response simple, I'll talk only about buying thru Disney (which is what we did about 4 months ago). You can buy thru resale...I'd suggest you talk to the Timeshare Store people (sponsors of this site) if you're interested in that.

You exchange points for accommodations. Different times of year mean different point "charges"...other variations include which resort, and what size accommodation (studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom grand villa). You can see the points chart at the top of the page to do your own calculations...but an example would be a studio at SSR next May from Sun-Fri "costs" 60 points (I know this because that's what I currently have reserved).

When you buy your points, you buy a set number per year for 47 years if you're buying SSR, 32 (or is it 34?) years at the other resorts. (Thus, we get 150 points each February...you can bank and borrow so that you can use up to 3 years' worth of points at any given time. That's one of the complicated issues, though...I'll leave that to Disney to explain to you!) There are 7 DVC resorts; 5 on the WDW property (Saratoga Springs, Old Key West, Boardwalk, Beach Club and Wilderness Lodge); and 2 offsite (Vero Beach and Hilton Head)...there is also a program under which you can trade your DVC points for stays in other timeshare properties...altho I'm aware the program exists, I don't know much about how it works, so I won't say anything more about it here...

I'm not at all sure what the exchange rate is currently, but 10,000 pounds would be around $15,000? You could buy in through Disney for that...their minimum is 150 points at SSR for $15,000, although you frequently can get a discount (an incentive) which will lower the cost. Ours came out to $13,100 for 150 points 4 months ago.

Then, you have to be aware of the annual maintenance fee you must pay...that, too, varies by resort...SSR (where we own) is $3.98/point this year (about $600/year)...it can go up or down...historically it has varied by abouat 3-4%...

THe last hugely important thing to consider (I think) is availability. Availability of DVC accommodations is completely different and totally separate from regular WDW reservations...the information on these boards suggest that there are times when it is difficult to get reservations...that is something you'll want to look into. My sense from these boards is that you'll generally be ok at your home resort if you make your reservations at 11 months before you plan to vacation...and probably up to 7 months and you'll need even less advance planning if you're not picky about which resort you choose, or if you're willing to use the wait list. Last minute plans seem to be more difficult. I don't know for myself; I've only been a member for four months...I've booked 3 trips...2 I had no problem at all getting reservations, the third I had to wait list at 5 months out, but the wait list came through within 5 weeks...

This is a very simplistic explanation...you really need a Disney guide to walk you through it...Since you asked about a buy-in based on pounds, I'm assuming you're not in the US and therefore you may not want to call for a telephone tour...but you can email (go to the disneyworld site and find DVC and then email through "contact us") and ask that a guide call you...I don't know if DVC has a problem w/transatlantic tour calls or not...but it's certainly worth a try...

Also, there is a great deal of useful information on the websites...try dvcmember.com (you won't be able to "get in" as a member, of course...but there's some very good info available by "browsing" w/out logging in), or www.disneyworld.com.

Good luck!

 

[CarolMN]

Also check out this board:

UK DVC Forum

It's a DIS board just for DVC members who live in the UK - those who frequent that board may have some good advice for you, too.

Best wishes -

 

[sian1966]

thanks every one for your replies. one more question if i bought 250 points would this entitle me to a holiday a year or just one holiday

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

thanks every one for your replies. one more question if i bought 250 points would this entitle me to a holiday a year or just one holiday

Take a look at the point charts to figure out what it will take. Here's a Link. By using the point chart you can figure the type of room you want and the season to go. Have fun planning.

HBC

 

[kerri0616]

You would get 250 points every year until your contract expired. You could do 1 trip/year, a couple small trips each year, or a really long trip every other year.

They're your points to use as you wish.

These boards have great info. And if you can't find an answer, these nice folks seem to know everything! What a great source.

Kerri

 

[Mich Mouse]

Welcome to the DIS!

It might be a good idea to really look at each DVC and determine which one appeals to you most, since that is where you will have preferential booking at the 11 month window. As more and more DVC's are built (and they will keep building them) more and more people will be competing for reservations at the 7 month wondow, which is when you may book stays at other resorts.

We wanted to buy into DVC, but SSR (Saratoga Springs Resort) did not appeal to us, so we got on a waiting list for our favorite, (BWV) Boardwalk Villas. The contract is smaller by quite a few years, but I look at it like I have 39 years of vacationing guaranteed at a resort I really want to stay at.

You are definitely in the right place for all of your questions to be answered!

 

[Cruelladeville]

While you would probably want to talk to the UK people on their board, I think your 10,000 pounds is worth close to about $20,000 when converted, which would be a very nice vacation at any of the DVC resorts. You might even have enough pts for 2 vacations, depending upon how long you typically stay.

 

[Caskbill]

In a nutshell....

1. You make a 1-time purchase of a contract for a fixed amount of points (150 points minimum). You pay per point, thus 300 points would cost twice as much as 150 points, etc.

2. Your points will have a 'use year' which is simply the month your 'year' begins. If for example you had a June use year, then every June you receive a new allocation of points which you would use during the following 12 months.

3. There are annual dues, or maintenance fees, you pay for your points. This is on a per point basis, and varies slightly depending on which resort you own at. Currently dues are approximately $4.00/point, so if you owned 150 points, you would currently be paying $600 annually.

4. You 'spend' the points however you wish, to 'purchase' your accommodation. The number of points required for an accommodation vary according to the following: A. What Disney Season your vacation will be in. B. What type of accommodation you want (Studio, 1BR, 2BR, 3BR). C. What resort you want to stay at, and D. The days of the week. (Weekend days require more points). You can use the point charts to determine how many points would be required for any vacation you want to plan.

5. Outside of your initial one-time purchase, and your annual dues after that, there are absolutely no other required costs to owning DVC. For example, there are no room taxes. (Taxes are already included in your annual dues, as well as maintenance, all resort services, and so on).

6. DVC was constructed (is being constructed) under two phases. The purchase contracts for all resorts is 50 years from the date each phase started. Phase I started in 1992, thus it ends in 2042. Resorts under this phase include all resorts except SSR. SSR is a phase II resort and was started in 2004, thus all SSR contracts expire in 2054. SSR is being sold currently by DVC. If you purchase today, that contract would expire in 2054, so you'd get basically 47 years usage out of it. If you purchased a resale, for example at OKW, it expires in 2042, so you would get approximately 35 usage out of it.

7. You don't have to go every year to use your points. You can 'bank' points into the following year, or 'borrow' points from the suceeding year. Keep in mind we're talking 'use year' and not calendar year. For example, if you had a June use year, then you are currently in your 2006 'year' which runs from June 1, 2006 through May 31, 2007. Your 2007 use year would begin on June 1, 2007.

If you owned 150 points, but won't be going on vacation until September 2007, you'll see that that date is in your 2007 use year, so you could bank your 2006 points, and then have 300 points available for that Sep 2007 vacation.

8. You can make reservations up to 11-months ahead of time, for your home resort, or up to 7-months ahead of time for a non-home resort. The resort where you own your points is your home resort. You make reservations based on the vacation dates, not on use year dates. For example, you have a June use year month. You have used all your 2006 use year points. You want to make a vacation in July 2007. That requires 2007 use year points. You may still call in August 2006 (11-months prior to your vacation) and make your reservation, using your June 2007 use year points.

9. DVC membership has some additional perks, but there is no guarantee they will always be there. One of the best perks currently is you can purchase annual passes at a discount ($100 off for regular AP, or $125 off for a Premium AP). Other perks include restaurant discounts, etc.

10. DVC also on occassion has special events for members only. If you happen to be at WDW at the right time, you can attend these events.

11. DVC points can also be used for non-DVC resort accommodations. Here you have a plethera of choices which include hotels all over the world, and trades into interval international, and so on. Normally these uses of points do not have the same 'value' as they would have for a DVC resort. Example: You could get a hotel room in London, but the points would have gotten you a 2-BR villa at DVC in WDW. Although, one thing that might interest you is that you can use points at Disneyland Paris, and besides getting you the hotel room at Disneyland Paris, it currently also includes admission into the park.

12. Most important, you become one of the DVC 'family'. This gets you a 'Welcome Home' when you stay in your DVC-Villa.

Hope this helps.