How does someone know it's a good decision for them, to purchase DVC?

[VGCgroupie]

Ultimately its a luxury purchase. Only do it if you can easily afford it.
All DVC gets you is the hotel room. You still need to pay airfare, food, tickets and all those other extras that Disney will get you to buy.
If you're not sure you can afford it, there's always renting points which gets you a much cheaper room than direct through Disney. And it'll give you flexibility to vacation when you want without the commitment.

The downside to renting DVC points is that it is not flexible like renting with Disney is. Often you cannot cancel or if you pay extra to be able to cancel you aren't given cash back its a credit that may also come with limitations.

 

[Floridian From Afar]

The downside to renting DVC points is that it is not flexible like renting with Disney is. Often you cannot cancel or if you pay extra to be able to cancel you aren't given cash back its a credit that may also come with limitations.

First of all... I love your collection of home resorts and if you ever want to trade for some Riviera points, let me know.

Second, your points are all accurate and valid. Ultimately there's no perfect option that gives you everything. Direct gives you unlimited access to all hotels, but for a cost. Resale saves you money but with some limited access. Renting has all the downside you mentioned above.

I think people sometimes feel a desire to buy into DVC to be part of a club. It becomes an emotional purchase, where at the end of the day this website and others like it are more of a club than DVC.

I just don't think anyone should risk financial difficulties to join DVC.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Right now, the deals can get your price down to what I consider a decent level!!

Good luck!

What deals? I did see something that is a discount until the end of July or so, for Riviera.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

• Then purchased our large Direct contract when Riviera was at a great price

What was that great price? Right now it's $235 for 100 points. Very new to this so trying to learn all I can !!

 

[VGCgroupie]

What deals? I did see something that is a discount until the end of July or so, for Riviera.

https://dvcexplorer.com/fin/g/Riviera_Prospect_DeveloperCredit.pdf Here is Riviera.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

Not surprised you are getting a wide variety of answers to this... everyone's use case is different.

I live 3 hours away from WDW and been visiting for 45 years, and investigating DVC for the last 25 years (mostly to get the free ice cream). Always concluded the math (based on the way I do the math, which is also different for everyone) did not work ... until last year when there was a fire sale on direct. Then I decided the price for direct was right and the main goal was to gift my kids contracts that would preserve affordability for them at nice WDW accommodations and counter inflation on rack room rates for the next 30+ years.

So do you purchase the contracts in your kids names? Or is the contract transferable, etc?

 

[DonkeyHoTay]

So do you purchase the contracts in your kids names? Or is the contract transferable, etc?

All contracts are in the name of DW and myself - when kids are old enough to afford the dues, I will transfer contracts into their names and remove myself.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

My biggest warning for DVC isn't making that 1st purchase if its resale... its that you WILL want more points and you WILL want to go more often.

Edit to add. Be open minded about where you stay. There is so many great places you can stay that aren't restricted like RIV. Resale is the way to go and if you love DVC then decide if you want to buy RIV direct. Direct is a HUGE financial decision, and resale if you are buying 100 points is not more commitment than a couple trips and if you decide to sell you wont be in the hole nearly as much as RIV. I own direct at a restricted resort and resale so I say this from personal experience.

I guess my concern is will costs go up if I wait to do a direct purchase? Or what if Riviera closes out?

 

[VGCgroupie]

I guess my concern is will costs go up if I wait to do a direct purchase? Or what if Riviera closes out?

Yes they have price increases every year. RIV is not set to sell out this year. Being resale first will also get you discounted pricing. Here is the offer for current members so you can get idea on the savings. https://dvcexplorer.com/fin/m/Riviera_Member_DeveloperCredit.pdf

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

The downside to renting DVC points is that it is not flexible like renting with Disney is. Often you cannot cancel or if you pay extra to be able to cancel you aren't given cash back its a credit that may also come with limitations.

I've been renting DVC rooms through Disney directly, due to cancellation policies, etc. I never do so without a discount on the room, etc.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

All contracts are in the name of DW and myself - when kids are old enough to afford the dues, I will transfer contracts into their names and remove myself.

So can every contract be transferred to one's adult children? Both resale or direct?

 

[Steelers0854]

I would recommend a small resale contract at one of the O14 resorts (ie not Riviera). This will give you the most flexibility and even though you cant book the Riviera it will let you dip your toes in the water and make sure DVC is right for you with the limited buy in. Plus once your a member you get access to better member pricing and financing if you do decide to buy direct. Then when you feel it’s Best Buy direct. You can sell the original contract or keep it and have even more points and flexibility. This is what we did. We lasted just over 12 months before buying direct…….its a slippery slope.

 

[CarolynFH]

So can every contract be transferred to one's adult children? Both resale or direct?

Yes, they’re all transferable. And when it’s a gratuitous transfer to your kids, the direct contracts retain their privileges as long as they meet the requirements at the time of purchase. To clarify, currently 150 points purchased directly are required to get Membership Extras (DVC-Y), whether 150 points in one contract or 75 points in each of two contracts. To maintain DVC-Y, all 150 points would need to be transferred to the same owner(s). If one child got 75 points and the other got 75, neither would qualify for DVC-Y.

 

[sethschroeder]

What was that great price? Right now it's $235 for 100 points. Very new to this so trying to learn all I can !!

Typically your best time to purchase a resort is now as normally the pricing only really goes up. Riviera we got during COVID when things were still shut down for $155/point for 300 points total.

The person gave you the link to the cost. There is no negotiation on the price with DVC instead what you can do is possibly get your payment on a Disney Credit card with 6 months interest free or DVC to book a room that is already sold out for a hard to get date when you purchase.

I would just call out that 100 points at Riviera isn't that many points. Its possible that its enough but you will want to check the point charts on stays you might do.

The biggest thing is make sure to look at resale as an option. The downside of resale is mostly that new resorts you can't stay at and if you buy resale points at a new resort like Riviera you can only stay at Riviera. Right now only Riviera, Disneyland Tower, and Fort Wilderness Cabins are restricted to this resale piece (if you buy direct it doesnt matter to you until you sell as the contract will be worth slightly less because of the restrictions).

 

[MartyParty]

I have been a Disney fan since I was a child, planning trips over the years with friends or family. Now we are a family of 4, with teen and a younger child. We have gone to Disney before Covid shut downs, then stopped for a few years due to various factors, and have now gone 3 years in a row. I personally know I could go yearly and never wish for anywhere else. I am not sure my family feels the same, but they do love the trips each time.

So I started thinking, maybe we should be looking at DVC? We are at a point where we stay in one bedroom villas for a week+, rented through Disney using a discount code, & paid for in cash these last trips.How do I figure out if DVC is a good move for us? Worried what if we aren't able to go yearly going forward? So how does a person accurately calculate if this is worth it for them to make the move into buying DVC?

Worried about "life" becoming less conducive to being able to take those week long stays going forward, or things such as jobs, health issues, or other life factors posing an issue to traveling, in the future. Also, I am concerned we'd need to purchase 200+ points to even come close to how we like to stay, etc. FYI, considering direct, since we love RR. Of course, it's a huge commitment financially and a huge leap. Anyone have any words of wisdom to share?

There's a ton of info on this site, YouTube, etc. I'll give you two areas to think about that might help with your thinking: 1) pure spreadsheet math and 2) emotional preferences for vacation.

1 Spreadsheet math
If you're planning to go to Disney for an extend period of years AND you want to stay in Deluxe accommodations onsite, then DVC likely makes sense. Add to that if you plan to stay in a 1 BR (as you've mentioned) and I'll speculate 2 BR later it should work out on the costs. And it doesn't have to be a DVC or bust for vacation for the next 20+ years. We've rented out our points and used the cash for other non-Disney types of vacations. Another thing to consider, you do not have to own these points for the life of the contract. In many cases most families sell after 12 years or so which is at or just a bit past the cost breakeven point if visiting Disney on an annual basis. A last factor that many have mentioned is that if buying resale, the saving vs direct will greatly improve your breakeven time.

2 Emotional preferences
Spreadsheets aside, my wife and I really enjoy Disney vacations. We did it while the kids were younger and now that they are in their 20s, we still go. I know once they have their families we'll be doing bigger trips. But until the bigger family situation arrives, her and I have been doing couples trips sans kids! And it's fantastic! We've factored it into our retirement plan thinking of golfing trips to WDW (OKW or SSR), Food and Wine Festival at DCA, Halloween to Christmas decorations cut over Oct / November, etc.

In closing, DVC is not a cheap thing to do but if you're going to spend the money at Disney anyways for deluxe resorts then DVC long term should work out. And if you don't buy into DVC, you'll be just fine. Millions of folks go to Disney all the time without purchasing DVC and have a fantastic time. In this day and age, having the financial ability to go via cash or DVC stays is wonderful.

Good luck...

 

[VGCgroupie]

There's a ton of info on this site, YouTube, etc. I'll give you two areas to think about that might help with your thinking: 1) pure spreadsheet math and 2) emotional preferences for vacation.

1 Spreadsheet math
If you're planning to go to Disney for an extend period of years AND you want to stay in Deluxe accommodations onsite, then DVC likely makes sense. Add to that if you plan to stay in a 1 BR (as you've mentioned) and I'll speculate 2 BR later it should work out on the costs. And it doesn't have to be a DVC or bust for vacation for the next 20+ years. We've rented out our points and used the cash for other non-Disney types of vacations. Another thing to consider, you do not have to own these points for the life of the contract. In many cases most families sell after 12 years or so which is at or just a bit past the cost breakeven point if visiting Disney on an annual basis. A last factor that many have mentioned is that if buying resale, the saving vs direct will greatly improve your breakeven time.

2 Emotional preferences
Spreadsheets aside, my wife and I really enjoy Disney vacations. We did it while the kids were younger and now that they are in their 20s, we still go. I know once they have their families we'll be doing bigger trips. But until the bigger family situation arrives, her and I have been doing couples trips sans kids! And it's fantastic! We've factored it into our retirement plan thinking of golfing trips to WDW (OKW or SSR), Food and Wine Festival at DCA, Halloween to Christmas decorations cut over Oct / November, etc.

In closing, DVC is not a cheap thing to do but if you're going to spend the money at Disney anyways for deluxe resorts then DVC long term should work out. And if you don't buy into DVC, you'll be just fine. Millions of folks go to Disney all the time without purchasing DVC and have a fantastic time. In this day and age, having the financial ability to go via cash or DVC stays is wonderful.

Good luck...

I appeal to my husbands emotions about it via spreadsheets.

 

[Brob2132]

Lots of very practical advice here that should help you crunch the numbers.

One emotional/lifestyle consideration (that really should only be considered if the numbers make sense for you):

One item that I valued is that I will have to take a break from work, I will have a Disney vacation to look forward to, and my girls will (hopefully) grow up with fond memories of going to Disney.

 

[MartyParty]

I appeal to my husbands emotions about it via spreadsheets.

Same! But I'm the husband appealing to my wife's emotions with spreadsheets! We should form a club or thread. : )