I Must Be Missing Something

[crisi]

I'll be the naysayer here. Its possible DVC won't work for you.

We were able to pay cash (pretty much, we had a home equity loan at less than 4% for about a month or six weeks for about half the purchase price). And we were able to buy with "found" money (a bonus from work that we don't put into our regular budget as it may not come next year). So, for us, it became kind of a no brainer - no interest and the initial investment could be seen as a "gift" of sorts. Our house is close to paid off, our kids college (they are 4 and 5) well underway to being funded, our cars paid for, our retirement invested for. We also bought at a point in time when the stock market was losing money - our DVC asset has appreciated as much as the market over the past three years. We pay $600 a year in dues, and for our first trip, used less than 2 years of points to stay in a two bedroom BW unit that would rent for $500 a night.

You are talking about financing for 15 years through DVC. I will assume (and I may be wrong) that the reason you want to finance for 15 years rather than five or ten is that you want the minimum possible monthly burden on your budget. Which leads me to assume that money is tight for you. Disney vacations are a luxury. DVC is a commitment to the luxury of Disney. If money is tight, the last thing I think make sense is to make a commitment to expensive WDW vacations.

Paying cash or even financing short term lowers the impact of the cost considerably - and also lowers the impact of the commitment.

Which isn't to say that you might not come out ahead in the end with DVC - certainly those people who bought their points at under $70 per point years ago - even if they financed - are now sitting fairly pretty. But the impact to your personal cash flow may not be worth the "savings" on something as expendable as a WDW vacation.

 

[brivers222]

Originally posted by rscotty
Even at non-discounted 'rack rates' during peak season, I can stay at AKL for 7 nights for $1,600 - $400 less than the annual costs outlined above. Figure in package discounts that are regularly available and the savings are even greater.

So am I missing something here?

You are missing the fact that the rooms you would be staying at via DVC are 100% nicer than those at AKL. We stayed at AKL actually we were there when we went on our DVC tour and visited the other rooms available. My gosh we were floored at the accomidations. Now were are locked into that price at any of the DVC resorts for the next 50years. Thats were the price/value comes into play!

 

[southtown]

Originally posted by brivers222
You are missing the fact that the rooms you would be staying at via DVC are 100% nicer than those at AKL. We stayed at AKL actually we were there when we went on our DVC tour and visited the other rooms available. My gosh we were floored at the accomidations. Now were are locked into that price at any of the DVC resorts for the next 50years. Thats were the price/value comes into play!

This is true. While I have not stayed in a Deluxe room,I have seen them and they are IMO not as good as DVC. The 1 or 2 br units are absolutely awesome and so much better then staying in a regular hotel room,even if it is a deluxe. Also the studios have a kitchenette with a microwave and small fridge which is a step above deluxe. We always stay in at least a 1br and it totally spoils us. My wife said on our last trip that she doesnt think she could stay in a regular hotel room on a vacation anymore. Its so nice having a room besides the bedroom so if someone wakes up before the other they can go out and watch tv or eat breakfast while the other one sleeps in the morning or is taking a nap in the afternoon. We absolutely have no regrets buying into DVC,even if it is a bad decision/investment in some peoples eyes. It works for us and apparentely thousands of others.

 

[crisi]

The one and two bedrooms are awesome, but the studios really are (IMO) not significantly different - except for the kitchette and perhaps having a pull out couch over a second bed. In some ways, DVC studios are less attractive than regular Deluxe rooms - i.e. for a family of four, I'd rather stay at the Poly with two beds and more square footage and monorail access than in a BWV studio with a fold out couch. And the one and two bedrooms are not going to provide a savings over a single room at the AKL.

Which gets into the "it doesn't cost any less, but the quality of vacations now that the kids sleep in a different room and we have a jaccuzzi and a king bed" case.

A lot of us who really rake in the savings were to the "we book two connecting rooms for our family" point in vacationing. Maybe its three kids. Maybe its having your kids in a different room.

 

[MELSMICE]

Originally posted by crisi
In some ways, DVC studios are less attractive than regular Deluxe rooms - i.e. for a family of four, I'd rather stay at the Poly with two beds and more square footage and monorail access than in a BWV studio with a fold out couch.

This is JMO, but I disagree with that. I think the DVC studios are roomier than the deluxe rooms. We have yet to stay at the Poly (will be there in Nov. for a night) but the studios at the BWV are larger than the deluxe rooms at the YC/BC & I liked them even better than the rooms at the Contemporary.

Again, that's JMO, but so far I believe the DVC studios are nicer and roomier than any of the deluxes we've stayed at.

 

[erikthewise]

Originally posted by MELSMICE
This is JMO, but I disagree with that. I think the DVC studios are roomier than the deluxe rooms. We have yet to stay at the Poly (will be there in Nov. for a night) but the studios at the BWV are larger than the deluxe rooms at the YC/BC & I liked them even better than the rooms at the Contemporary.

Again, that's JMO, but so far I believe the DVC studios are nicer and roomier than any of the deluxes we've stayed at.

If they seem roomier, what more can you ask for? Perhaps DVC studios have better layouts than the deluxe rooms.

Accurate information on room sizes is difficult to come by, but I've seen a lot of square footages from different sources. Without going into gory details, there doesn't seem to be any objective evidence for the studios being larger than deluxe rooms (other than WL and AKL). In fact the studios seem to be slightly smaller than rooms at BC/YC, and considerably smaller than rooms at the Contemporary.

 

[MELSMICE]

Maybe they "seem" roomier because of the fold out couch in the BWV studios, as opposed to 2 beds at the other resorts. The Contemporary rooms are large, however, I really like having the pull out sofa as opposed to 2 queen beds. Easier to sit down & read a book if I want to!!!

 

[LakeAriel]

I emptied my savings and paid cash for 250 points at $72 each. It was a gamble, but I too, didn't want to add finance charges into the mix. I have never regreted my decision and I've been a member for 4 years. I've broken even already.

 

[helenabear]

Originally posted by dianeschlicht
LOL, Elaine, we already have you talking like a pro!

You sure do

I will say though, that with the size, the Polynesian's rooms are bigger than BWV/BCV and almost the same size as OKW. Now with the Polynesian being my favorite resort (but not affordable all the time) I can't say I would take it over OKW or BCV any day, but if you asked me about OKW and AKL or BWV/BCV for comfort I would. I like the 2 beds and I like the size of the rooms.

The thing I keep realizing while trying to book trips this year si that the discounts are not where they used to be. I used to stay at the Swan and I cannot find a single discount that makes it worth it to stay there. So for some, you are paying the same amount per year... for me, I am paying less.

 

[rocketriter]

I'm not sure how the studio vs. deluxe room argument will play out. But I bought DVC because my family is too big for either. We already need 2 rooms for peace and quiet and, if anyone wants to bring along a friend, we'll need 3. When you get into multiple rooms at deluxe resorts, your costs skyrocket, as they do when you take a suite. We can't afford that. But we can afford 1-bedroom DVC accomodations and are only a small add-on away from affording a 2-bedroom. Here DVC really shines: the substantial kitchen, whirlpool, square footage, washer/dryer really make a difference. Rooms like this can be ghastly to pay for nightly but available to members for reasonable membership fees.

 

[Pa@okw95]

Don't look at DVC as some kind of savings. What you are doing is pre-paying for an annual allotment of points that you can use in place of money for the next 50 years. If you have to spread the payments out over 15 years you might not be in a position to buy. also keep in mind the price of airline tickets and everything related to taking trips to WDW will be going up. If you can afford to buy it and you want to spend at least some of your time vactioning at WDW for the rest of your life, then buy it. Don't look for a savings because there really isn't, WDW trips are expensive, with all the costs associated with them. What never is mentioned in these situations are the many fine suites or condos that can be rented off site. I found myself going to WDW 2 to 3 times a year after I joined DVC, I never would have done that without the DVC membership, so there was no savings for me.

 

[littlestar]

We're taking our daughter and son-in-law in September, our nephew and his wife, and we're going also. We have three studios booked - one for six nights (coming in on a Saturday) and the other two studios for five nights for the kids (Sunday through Thursday when the points are lowest). That's 16 nights of studios. If we paid cash for all these nights in deluxe resorts (even if we could get them for $250 with tax) it would be at least $4,000. We're using 187 points for these reservations. It is so great to be able to take our kids and enjoy it as a family. We have 285 points so we still have enough points for another week in January if we want.

When we just had 150 points we were getting about 15 days a year out of that using studios. If a person were real creative and stayed at a regular Disney resort on Friday and Saturday they could probably get about 18 days in studios out of 150 points (low season at OKW a studio is only 8 points a night Sunday through Thursday). It depends on how you use the points on how much value there is in it.

 

[crisi]

According to the Unofficial Guide (take it for what its worth), "typical" room sq ft, DVC studios only and Deluxe and Moderate resorts:


Deluxes:

CR 394
Poly 407
GF 400
BWI 385
BC 400
YC 400
WL 344
AKL 344

DVC Studios:

OKW 376
BWV 359
VWL 356
BCV 356
(I'd assume SSR is in the 356 range as well)

Mods are all 314, Values are 260

IMO, having a couch is nice if you are fitting a couple in a studio and don't have a need for a king bed. Having two beds (or bunkbeds and a queen) is nice if you are doing a single studio with a family of four. Having the kitchenette is nice in a DVC studio, having monorail access is nice at the CR, GF, and Poly. Having concierge access (for more money) is nice at Deluxe resorts as well.

This is one of those places where the board sets unrealistic expectations. I have heard repeatedly that DVC studios are "far nicer" than any regular resort room, and I would be very disappointed had I made a purchase based on that statement after regularly staying at the Poly or GF. Certainly they aren't as large as the rooms at the Poly or GF, and the configuration being nicer is a matter of opinion. This isn't a slam - I loved the studio part of our room and thought it quite nice.

IMHO, a DVC multiroom unit is much nicer, particularly traveling with children - even if you have the pull out in the living room open all the time. But then you need to do your ROI on booking multiroom configurations (suites, connecting rooms, Home Away from Home resorts on cash), which doesn't sound like the ROI calculations the OP was making.

 

[jodifla]

To me, where DVC really shines as a value is the ability to take friends and family with you. We can treat them to wonderful accommodations and truly give them a vacation experience that will last the rest of their lives. It's something that's very hard to quantify financially. It's also something we'd never be able to swing without DVC.

We paid off our initial investment in five years, so for the past three years, we've just had our dues of around $700. (Oh, ok, and the payments for that small add-on we did on a home equity loan.) For that we get about 12 nights in deluxe accommodations. You simply can't beat that.

I shudder at the thought of $95 a point though. Check out the resale market!

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by crisi
According to the Unofficial Guide (take it for what its worth), "typical" room sq ft, DVC studios only and Deluxe and Moderate resorts:


Deluxes:

CR 394
Poly 407
GF 400
BWI 385
BC 400
YC 400
WL 344
AKL 344

DVC Studios:

OKW 376
BWV 359
VWL 356
BCV 356
(I'd assume SSR is in the 356 range as well)

Mods are all 314, Values are 260

IMO, having a couch is nice if you are fitting a couple in a studio and don't have a need for a king bed. Having two beds (or bunkbeds and a queen) is nice if you are doing a single studio with a family of four. Having the kitchenette is nice in a DVC studio, having monorail access is nice at the CR, GF, and Poly. Having concierge access (for more money) is nice at Deluxe resorts as well.

This is one of those places where the board sets unrealistic expectations. I have heard repeatedly that DVC studios are "far nicer" than any regular resort room, and I would be very disappointed had I made a purchase based on that statement after regularly staying at the Poly or GF. Certainly they aren't as large as the rooms at the Poly or GF, and the configuration being nicer is a matter of opinion. This isn't a slam - I loved the studio part of our room and thought it quite nice.

IMHO, a DVC multiroom unit is much nicer, particularly traveling with children - even if you have the pull out in the living room open all the time. But then you need to do your ROI on booking multiroom configurations (suites, connecting rooms, Home Away from Home resorts on cash), which doesn't sound like the ROI calculations the OP was making.

JFI, the info in Unofficial is not correct. The rooms at the Contemporary are the largest rooms on property at 436 sq. feet. YC/BC are also wrong, 380 sq feet.

 

[crisi]

(yeah, that was what the "take it for what it worth" disclaimer was about. I don't travel with a tape measure, but I've found the OG to be wrong about other things and would want two or three agreeing sources, which I'm not going to bother with. IIRC, the tower rooms and the garden rooms at the CR are sized differently).

 

[erikthewise]

Originally posted by Sammie
JFI, the info in Unofficial is not correct. The rooms at the Contemporary are the largest rooms on property at 436 sq. feet. YC/BC are also wrong, 380 sq feet.

LOL! This is what I meant by "Accurate information on room sizes is difficult to come by".

The people at the Unofficial Guide say they have actually gone into rooms with a tape measure. I don't care to accuse them of lying, of not knowing how to use a tape measure, or of not knowing how to multiply. On the other hand there is no reason to doubt the figures you quote either, and they've been around longer. Whom does one believe?

 

[MELSMICE]

Doesn't the Official WDW website give room sizes? I know I've seen them somewhere.

 

[ripleysmom]

DVC is not for everyone and may not be for you. For me, buying DVC meant that we would have room to spread out while on vacation. It meant that we could have a washer/dryer and a kitchen to make a meal or 2 if we wanted.

In terms of vacations taken, we have more than paid for our initial investment. Everything now is just a bonus.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by erikthewise
LOL! This is what I meant by "Accurate information on room sizes is difficult to come by".

The people at the Unofficial Guide say they have actually gone into rooms with a tape measure. I don't care to accuse them of lying, of not knowing how to use a tape measure, or of not knowing how to multiply. On the other hand there is no reason to doubt the figures you quote either, and they've been around longer. Whom does one believe?

I am sure the problem is depending on where the room is located the actual square footage can vary, corner rooms etc.

The measurements here on DIS have been the ones posted on Disney websites before the new site was formed. I know Contemporary is larger than others, so I guess they could be right for the rooms they measured but Disney probably uses an average.