How much more do you spend...

[harleyquinn]

now that you own DVC?

I've gotten past most of my qualms over buying DVC, but my big fear is that I'll end up spending even more money (beyond DVC costs) if I buy in.

I love the idea of taking a bunch of special trips using APs, and then banking points for a year, and doing it over again or trading points...

So how much more (or less ) do you spend?

Thanks!

 

[Tiffster7]

That's an issue that DH and I spar over constantly. I do bring food for breakfast and snack items but I do not like to cook lunch or dinner in the rooms. (I'm on vacation too!) So we do end up spending 40-70$ per day on food and drinks and the occasional new pin my DD wants to buy. He would like to see me the happy DVC homemaker, where I would like to see me lounging by the pool with a cabana boy feeding me grapes. To each their own!

 

[Muushka]

We actually spend less than we did before owning DVC. We find that the greatest savings is on food. We don't eat out all that much. I find I feel much better if we eat 2 meals in the villa and one out. Also, because we go so frequently, we don't find it necessary to do everything each and every trip. So the added expenses are spread out over several years instead of just one trip.

Hope this makes sense!

 

[spiceycat]

this last trip it was around $500 - stayed 7 days - this was mostly food - got some souveniors.

I ate out more this trip than I generally do - I have food allergies so I have aproblem at most places.

SSR lunch nor dinner couldn't eat anything - so I was glad I spend $70 on a grocery delivery.

I have also done the same trip and spend less than $200 (okay only 5 days not 7) - I got grocery and we ONLY ate in the room. took a cool water bottle each day and a package of nuts, ceral mixed togther, sometimes fruit - apples and bananas.

I will give up time at WDW to eat in my room - plus I have problems with Florida sun - I am allergic to sunlight - so I need to be out of it from 11:00am to 4Pm to kept from getting a reaction. So we leave the parks around 10:15am and don't go back until 6PM (after eating dinner before we leave).

No souveniors when you are budgeting!!!

I love my AP!!!!

 

[harleyquinn]

Hehehe... this was what I was hoping to hear.

I got food poisoning on my disneymoon last year cuz I was dumb enough to eat unrefrigerated left overs
It was horrible! I keep thinking, "i'll have a frige, I can save that stuff, heck, i can make it myself!"


More please!

 

[ddave]

now that you own DVC?

So how much more (or less ) do you spend?

Here is a for instance. My DW and I just came back from 5 nights in a 1 BR at SSR. We have enough points to do it again this year! We spent a total of about $1100 (excluding APs). This included Air, great Food (not fast food) and a Luxury rental car. We did have breakfast in our room but the rest of the meals were dining out. We could have easily done it for about $800 without the rental car and a few trinkets . Even less if we had another meal in the room.

Heck, it's not too hard to take a couple of those a year!

If we didn't have DVC it would have cost us quite a bit more. Disney vacations, depending on the number of people and the accomodations, usually cost $3000+.

We've had DVC since 2000. Since then, we have been to WDW 4 times and taken 4 and 7 day DCL cruises. We never could have afforded that. As far as I am concerned, I have recouped every dollar of the initial investment and still have until 2042!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Personally, I think now that we own DVC we go more often and therefore spend more money. We buy APs which cost more money than the tickets we used to purchase for our visits and even that, along with DVC, makes us somewhat validate wanting to go more often.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I spend more than I ever did before joining because we go more, stay longer, etc. DVC is not a savings if you think it is guess again.

 

[CharlesTD]

We spend much less now that we own DVC we buy 10 day tickets now and use 5 days on each 2 week trip a year. We buy our groceries so eating meals is much cheaper and we shop off site for trinkets at the Belz outlet mall at the Disney outlet stores.

 

[quentina]

We provide the 2 bedroom villa, my parents tag along and they pay for the food. In addition to this...we have a built in babysitter!!

Growing up we were poor, there were no family vacations for us. I love that I am able to include my family in this.

With them purchasing the food (some eat-in's and some eat-outs), I spent 200 bucks in March and I was there for a week. I spent most of the money on DVC items (I am addicted, sorry).

If my parents decide to stay home, I would have atleast 2 means in the room. It seems as though the food is the biggest cash expense.

The other thing we do is buy disney dollars. 10 bucks here and there really adds up. In the past, I have used it to put a deposit on the room key. The balance was credited to my debit card at the end of the stay.

So, we spend much less. Being that we go more often, we do not purchase as many Mickey items.

Kim

 

[WDWLVR]

For us I think it is kind of a wash. We go more often than we would if we didn't have DVC so we are spending more in that way. However we do eat breakfast and snacks in the room so we save in that way.

I will say that what DVC has done is given us a higher quality vacation. We have luxury accomodations. Can come and go as we please. If we have leftovers from a meal we have a place to store them and a chance to eat them. Also knowing we'll be coming back for many years we relax and enjoy everything. No more commando style touring for us. We pick us few things that are new and those are our priorities (that may mean new to WDW like Soarin' or just new to us like eating at Flying Fish). Everything else we do that trip is just extra and fun.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Don't you also need to include the cost of the points for the X days as well as the cost of the original purchase (especially if you borrowed money for the original purchase)? Unless you include these you are comparing apples to oranges.

Our last trip was 10 nights:
Room at PC (AP rate with tax) - $825.00
Food (with DDE card) - $750.00
Travel (gas) - $200.00

Total - $1775.00
or $177.50 per night.

So 5 nights would $887.50 / 7 nights would be $1242.50.
And I do not pay the yearly fee or interest.

You do get a bigger room, but PC is ok with us.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We definitely spent less the first few years, but we tend to eat out more now at the better restaurants now that our grown "kids" don't come every trip.

 

[ddave]

Don't you also need to include the cost of the points for the X days as well as the cost of the original purchase (especially if you borrowed money for the original purchase)? Unless you include these you are comparing apples to oranges.

Our last trip was 10 nights:
Room at PC (AP rate with tax) - $825.00
Food (with DDE card) - $750.00
Travel (gas) - $200.00

Total - $1775.00
or $177.50 per night.

So 5 nights would $887.50 / 7 nights would be $1242.50.
And I do not pay the yearly fee or interest.

You do get a bigger room, but PC is ok with us.

These are great numbers and no arguement so please don't take this wrong. DVC happens to work for us.

Maybe this is oranges and tangerines but when I look at the bigger picture of many trips and cruises over time, instead of a point in time trip by trip comparison, the $$ difference starts to shrink drastically. We have had many trips (Studio, 1BR, 2BR) and 2 cruises that we have taken over the past 5 years. Add them all up (including maintenance fees) and I'm getting really close to breaking even. (Some math wizard can most likely prove me wrong) With many more years left on the contract to do even more. Even so, It's not about breaking even. It's about actually taking the vacation!

Of course, it is now easier to convince DW to go now that the Hotel is paid for. Especially when I tell her we have a Jacuzzi in our room.

 

[pirateparrot]

Don't you also need to include the cost of the points for the X days as well as the cost of the original purchase (especially if you borrowed money for the original purchase)? Unless you include these you are comparing apples to oranges.

Our last trip was 10 nights:
Room at PC (AP rate with tax) - $825.00
Food (with DDE card) - $750.00
Travel (gas) - $200.00

Total - $1775.00
or $177.50 per night.

So 5 nights would $887.50 / 7 nights would be $1242.50.
And I do not pay the yearly fee or interest.

You do get a bigger room, but PC is ok with us.

Right now Disney rooms are preety cheap. DVC does insulate somewhat the effects of inflation. Our maintenance fees will likely go up a few % each year but so will the room rates. In a few years you may not be able to touch a value resort room for less that $150/night. For now DVC works for me and if I want to sell, I can get my initial investment back.

 

[Muushka]

You do get a bigger room, but PC is ok with us.

That is the key phrase. We would not have even bothered with DVC if we had enjoyed values. Believe me!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

That is the key phrase. We would not have even bothered with DVC if we had enjoyed values. Believe me!

I agree.
The accomodations are certainly worth any extra $$$ we put out for our vacations now.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Last trip it was DD25 and myself and we ended up spending more than I had planned. Our charges were around $700 at the end of the week and that didn't include park passes which I had already bought at our local Disney Store. The $700 was for basically food and souvenirs. We had a BWV studio and did no eating in the room. I was actually kind of surprised at the high cost - but the cost of eating out does add up. Places we ate at included Liberty Tree Tavern, Spoodles, San Miguel Inn, Teppanyaki, Earl of Sandwich, Le Cellier plus several counter service places. Plus we did spend alot on souvenirs. Next trip to WDW will be DW and myself August 2006 and I anticipate the costs to be alot less.

 

[geffric]

we usually go for 2 weeks every summer., we drive to FL, so we have out car ... we do 2 meals/ sometimes 3 in the 1 bedroom. We rarely buy souvenirs.. we just relax and enjoy our vacations.. (BTW we bought in '93)

This summer we are going to DL/DCA and SD.. it is costing us a fortune to stay in a " crummy hotel room" and eat out most fo the time... wish I had a DVC home to go to in CA..

 

[pbharris4]

We spend about the same or less. We do not go more often. We go for about a week a year (we drive down and have 2 DD's, 9 and 2). By far our biggest expense is food. I take snacks/drinks for the way down/back and we get a few small breakfast items (we do only 1 breakfast TS), bit other than that we do a lot of table service (that might change some next year). Starting last year we decided to do 2 parks each visit..not only to save money, but so we don't get bored with it. And souveniors...our 1st visit in 2001..DD got whatever she wanted. Now..we get her 1 or 2 things and she saves up 6 months prior adn usually has $100 to spend on whatever she wants. (last year she only spent $30 and came back with the rest!) I am a shopoholic (really..I wonder if there's 12 step program because I really am one), but even for me...a Disney shirt is a disney shirt...now the DCL I'll be buying stuff because you can only get it there!

We could save a little more $$ if we trim it abit, but we like to eat out and at nice places too. Where we may have a problem is....our points....in the beginning we'd have a lot leftover and 2 years ago I had a baby so we had a ton of pts, but last year we did a 2 brd villa, this year we're doing land/sea, next year we're doing GF and then a 7 nt cruise (need to pay cash for that). The only thing I regret is not buying more points. We'll have to do that later.