How much did you spend on your dvc membership

[Brian Noble]

For those of you who are using DVC as part of your (pre ) retirement plan - are you buying points now with the end goal in mind or buying what you ‘need’ now and planning to add down the road?

Realistically, travel in retirement may be a fairly narrow window. I plan to retire in my mid-60s, and may not be traveling much more than 10-15 years after that. I could be wrong about that, but I tend to plan conservatively.

So, I am buying what I think I can use right now in steady-state, using only excess discretionary money. My top priority has been funding my tax-deferred retirement accounts---thankfully, my employer has a very generous match, which encouraged that---and will use those proceeds for pay-as-I-go travel when I have more time.

I don't think that travel will be More Disney, but I could be wrong about that too. Who knows? But I had brunch with someone yesterday who showed me pictures of the Rainbow Mountain, and that's now On My List.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinicunca

 

[Tumnus]

You a young one. I will be 94

I'm the baby of the group at 37 it seems - I'll be 81 when my Riv expires.

 

[paults]

we got our 400 pts at BWV and used them at all DVC resorts. If we didn't buy back in 2002 I would not be a member today. The cost of points is getting out of hand.

 

[airjay75]

I'm the baby of the group at 37 it seems - I'll be 81 when my Riv expires.

This thread is everything I don't want to think about! How much I've spent, how old I'll be when my RIV contract expires! But, I'll bite. I'll turn 89 at the end of 2070 (currently 43). Hope to be sipping a glass of prosecco from Bar Riva on the RIV pool deck when I do! Haha.

 

[Disney Spaz]

When our last contract expires I will be 94. Our kids are why we mainly purchased and DS will be 76 and DD will be 62 so they will hopefully still happily going up until those contracts expire.

 

[MartyParty]

I think this is where I’m leaning as well - buying more now with an eye on the future, but also stocking money away specifically for dues in retirement so that it’s not a worry when the time comes.

And if I get to the point where doing that is impacting other goals, I’ll know its time to lose my guide’s email.

Kinda buy what we needed now but also having an idea of what we wanted longer term in retirement. For context (fingers crossed) retirement is 6'ish years away. Our two daughters are in their early twenties with the oldest having a long-term boyfriend. I think we'll be wanting 2- or 3-bedroom stays on an annual basis as they begin to start their lives/families and join us for trips. As for trips, that includes WDW, Disneyland, and Aulani.

We started at 190 Poly and then added 175 VDH later for Disneyland trips. BLT was a small 40-point contract (bank/borrow) in case DW and I want to book a theme park studio stay over New Years. I hadn't planned to add on any more till a bit later, but last year's direct fire sale hit the spot, so we pulled the trigger. It was already in our plan for later, but the direct price OKW extended at $135/point worked out well. We're now at 605 and finished.

To bring this ramble to a close, we had a plan but executed earlier as the opportunity presented itself. If you're talking resale then I think those bargain prices are around and here to stay. You likely can wait for many years to come and jump in on a resale contract almost any time.

 

[MartyParty]

As an added thought: We've migrated our thinking on accommodations—from cheap and cheerful studios to boundless and beautiful bedroom stays. Even when it’s just the two of us (and we have the points for the year) we’ll book a one-bedroom. It gives us the flexibility to order groceries and avoid eating out for every meal. There’s nothing like spending $80 on groceries and offsetting $500 or more in breakfasts and dinners over the week. We also enjoy having a hot breakfast in the room before heading to the parks—no need to get up early, get dressed, and go out just to find a hot meal.

DW also likes to do laundry before we head home, which makes the return smoother and less stressful. Having a separate bedroom truly transforms the experience—it feels like a different kind of trip and vacation altogether.

Yes, I know the math says a one-bedroom isn’t always the most efficient use of points. But they’re our points, and this is how we choose to enjoy them.

 

[Ronaldo17]

Our first purchase in 2014 was 260 points resale, around 28k.

 

[tx911]

As an added thought: We've migrated our thinking on accommodations—from cheap and cheerful studios to boundless and beautiful bedroom stays. Even when it’s just the two of us (and we have the points for the year) we’ll book a one-bedroom. It gives us the flexibility to order groceries and avoid eating out for every meal. There’s nothing like spending $80 on groceries and offsetting $500 or more in breakfasts and dinners over the week. We also enjoy having a hot breakfast in the room before heading to the parks—no need to get up early, get dressed, and go out just to find a hot meal.

DW also likes to do laundry before we head home, which makes the return smoother and less stressful. Having a separate bedroom truly transforms the experience—it feels like a different kind of trip and vacation altogether.

Yes, I know the math says a one-bedroom isn’t always the most efficient use of points. But they’re our points, and this is how we choose to enjoy them.

Not to mention the added perk of much better availability!

 

[ClaraOswald]

I’m curious, how much in US$ did you spend total on initial buy in into DVC?

I had to search the old ROFR threads to get my exact amounts...

We have three contracts:
$39,594 at VGC (160 pts in 2023)
$5,501 at BRV (50 pts in 2024)
$15,702 at BRV (150 pts in 2024)

To that puts us at $60,797 for 360 points. That breaks down to about $169pp, I guess.

 

[The Jackal]

I want to say around $13K for 150 SSR points resale. Back in 2017 was our initial. A lot more since then.