I want to buy DVC but not convinced. Convince me. Please.

[rg35]

The person literally wrote “Read these threads on the DIS and understand the following terms:” before listing them.

It would have been really valuable to learn them by reading all about it, rather than by being given a vocabulary list. I know if I were the OP I would probably skip the reading if everything was spoonfed to me.

Giving someone a bunch of abbreviations and acronyms isn't helpful, nor is it welcoming. Additionally, those abbreviations aren't commonly used elsewhere. You can't go to google and type in "MF" and expect to get results, but you can type in "DVC Member fees" and get useful information. This board isn't the only source of information available, so I provided someone completely new to the process with information they can take elsewhere to learn.

Go use the DIS site search and search for MF. The first result isn't even relevant to DVC because some people are using it to ID the Millenium Falcon attraction ad DHS. So yeah, I think knowing for sure that MF means "member fees" and not something else is less confusing.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

So, our family of 4 are huge Disney fans. We take one Disney cruise every year, go to WDW almost every year and this year we are taking the ABD to Peru. Every time we are on the cruises we see the advertisements to learn how being a DVC member can save you huge amounts on your Disney vacations. We are always too busy to sit down and learn about it then when we get home forget about it and never look into it any further. So, my question is for those of you that are DVC members do you really see the cost savings that they advertise and do you think it is worth it or is the DVC membership more about being a part of something special and the benefits really come from the special attention you get at resorts? Thanks.

I do not really see any special attention at the resorts. If anything I see less. DVC is designed to run at a very high occupancy rate. Check into a DVC room and have a minor issue with the room? There might not be available room to which they can move you. You are kinda SOL. Perhaps a bigger issue they can do something (never experienced that). A cash room, if you have an issue with a room, they move or refund you pretty much no questions asked.

I personally would not pay anything for someone telling me "welcome home".

You can do the math, but its not an easy equation, as there are a lot of assumptions. One big one is will your spending habits change? Another is will your vacation patterns change? You might end up going to restaurants more (upping your vacation price). These are only things you can decide (and may not even know).

Personally I think DVC costs me money. However I also contend that the vacations are enjoyed more, and are more frequent.

 

[RaymOOOnd]

In response to the OP: what an odd request! Most people realize it's a ton of money but can't help themselves, but here's somebody looking for an excuse to do it.

 

[eandt]

I do not really see any special attention at the resorts. If anything I see less. DVC is designed to run at a very high occupancy rate. Check into a DVC room and have a minor issue with the room? There might not be available room to which they can move you. You are kinda SOL. Perhaps a bigger issue they can do something (never experienced that). A cash room, if you have an issue with a room, they move or refund you pretty much no questions asked.

I personally would not pay anything for someone telling me "welcome home".

You can do the math, but its not an easy equation, as there are a lot of assumptions. One big one is will your spending habits change? Another is will your vacation patterns change? You might end up going to restaurants more (upping your vacation price). These are only things you can decide (and may not even know).

Personally I think DVC costs me money. However I also contend that the vacations are enjoyed more, and are more frequent.

We had an issue (actually a couple) on our last trip in a Poly studio on rented points. We brought it to the attention of management and were adequately compensated for the trouble.

 

[TraderSamWDW]

We had an issue (actually a couple) on our last trip in a Poly studio on rented points. We brought it to the attention of management and were adequately compensated for the trouble.

Did they move you? (to another DVC room or a hotel room) or was it another form of compensation?

 

[Soap_1984]

The question is why do you want to own. People have different motivations. As others have said, we always stay in deluxe and so it made sense for us financially.

Based on your original post, you seem to be considering buying with the primary goal of saving money; this is the same reason I bought. My analysis of riviera for example, or any direct resort for that matter, is that you don't save money in a meaningful amount of time relative to my intended use. This is compared to the utility I would derive from having more money now and just booking for cash or renting points every year OR having the option not to go for a year or two.

I'm not buying so my three kids can inherit one contract; they may never want to go to Disney and splitting points is impossible it's just a mess you don't want. So resale value was important to me; another knock on riviera.

If you're financing, outside of a home equity loan, I'd say going direct is a pretty questionable strategy; you may be dead before you save a dollar with the prices now and the maintenance fees.

My advice is if you want to stay deluxe at least every other year, buy resale where you want to stay. If you go during low seasons, buy resale at saratoga and you will save a pretty significant amount of money. Good luck.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

You can't go to google and type in "MF" and expect to get results...

You'll get results... just maybe not the ones you were expecting!

 

[pinnocchiosdad]

Try renting points first. If you own dvc you will be locked in a very long term commitment. I think the perks are not as good as it used to be.

I wouldn’t say locked in. There is a very active resale market where you can sell your membership any time you want (might sell for a loss, might sell for a profit).

 

[rongarbutt]

You can do some math to see what your cost per point, per year would be. Take the price per point, add the maintenance fees, and you will get a number. Mine was around $12 when I bought. Right now, a 16 point studio costs me 192 per night. With AP discount, I can *maybe* get a moderate resort for that price. But once you stay deluxe adjacent, you'll never want to go back! The pools, the restaurants. Once you start going more frequently, waiting in lines for rides becomes less appealing, but relaxing at your resort becomes more appealing. Hanging at Stormalong Bay or Copper Creek Springs is waaaaay better than the Hippy Dippy.

 

[Deb & Bill]

When someone says convince me to buy DVC, you don't want to buy DVC. Don't buy.

If you say, I think I really want to buy DVC, but I don't know what concerns I might have? Then you really want info.

 

[Raven01]

FWIW, I bought in because I wanted a yearly vacation, Disney fit, and the two beach properties gave me options. I live on the East Coast in driving distance.

Only you can decide if you will go to Disney World enough to justify DVC. I believe if you are vacationing at other properties (like ABD or cruises) more often, then if you do buy in, you would want to buy fewer points that you can use every few years. I had tracked prices back in 2013 for a trip, and AKL was affordable ($250-$350 IIRC). It is now much more expensive, more so than I would ever pay for a hotel room. But I really wanted to stay there. I checked out All Stars for a trip I have set this summer, and rooms were around $200 a night. I'm actually paying less for the DVC room in a Deluxe.

Many people reference the kitchen (1 bedroom and larger) and the laundry that is available, which is a plus with families.

I think the savings comes in because I was willing to commit to a yearly vacation. If I HAD to go to other places each year, I probably would not have made the leap. But since DVC works for my family, it's going to be our annual "beach vacation" (either to WDW or Vero, or HH), and then the one-off vacations every few years (I have my eye set on London when my toddler is older).

I strongly urge you to consider resale as well. Buying direct requires a minimum buy in of 100 points to get Blue Card Membership and benefits. Those benefits vary, but the one most people consider is the discounted AP. If you are not going to WDW enough to justify the AP, or do not have a large family that will increase the savings, then buying direct will probably NOT make sense for you financially.

I think everyone has their own thing for what works for them. It's a very individualized process and analysis. But if you are not going to Disney World every 2-3 years at a minimum, I do not think DVC would be right for you. If you still want to commit, maybe a small 50 point contract would be a good option.

ETA - I forgot about the resale restrictions, but definitely research that before making a decision. I didn't care about staying at Riviera and bought resale with the Legacy 14 as options, but others may feel differently.

 

[vincenza8907]

This is what convinced me. The math. If you crunch the numbers, you're saving a significant amount of money just based on the point system. That's if you go every year or every other year, and if you want to stay at a deluxe resort. Just to rent points for a 4 night stay is half the price for a one night stay. If you're fine staying in a value or moderate resort, I would not consider DVC.

 

[eandt]

Did they move you? (to another DVC room or a hotel room) or was it another form of compensation?

Actually both. Moved us from 1st floor studio which we had requested due to a foot injury to a 3rd floor Lake View which worked out fine since my wife was able to get around much better than expected without need of a chair or scooter as we had anticipated. There was also compensation in the form of a credit and every day anytime fast passes. I will say that one of the issues in our room forced them to have to move us and even after the move to the new room the cleanliness was not up to our standards, they claimed that they would put us on a "thorough" clean list but they did not as I have pictures of the same debris from move in and move out. Also noticed the pull out couch and coffee table/chest in need of repair but we didn't advise them of that until check out since we had no need to really use either. The coffee table/chest was of particular concern if we had children as the hinges that held the lid up were broken and would cause significant injury if it were to slam shut on some little fingers.

 

[crisi]

I spend more, get no special attention (well, unless you are at Hilton Head, that's a special place), but was able to "affordably" put my kids in a separate room when we vacationed and throw a load of laundry in each evening, into the dryer in the morning, and fold it when we got back from the parks each day and have french toast or eggs in the room every morning before leaving for the parks. .

eandt - that's an exception to normal behavior. Most of us have had housekeeping sent up to reclean a room with no compensation. Most of us have just had to live with broken furniture (I'm not sure I've ever been in a DVC room that didn't have a broken drawer or SOMETHING wrong - as minimal as a lightbulb, as big as a stove that didn't work). We once got cupcakes because the toilet overflowed.

 

[E2ME2]

We once got cupcakes because the toilet overflowed.

Were they double chocolate cupcakes ??

 

[Ms.Minnie]

People have asked me and I have told them to answer these questions:
1. Are you willing to go and stay at a Disney deluxe resort at least every other year? If not then no need to look any further cause the costs are not worth it.
2. Are you satisfied with staying offsite and going to the different locations around the Disney area and want to continue to do so?
3. Are you satisfied with staying at value or moderate resorts at Disney locations, looking for deals, and other ways to save monies?
4. Can you pay cash for your purchase?
5. What are your travel plans for the next 10 years?
Then after getting the answers, you need to start your research:
Read these threads on the DIS and understand the following terms:
UY
MF
HR
11 month and 7 month booking windows
Concierge Collection
RCI
CM
MS
Direct vs resale
Rule of 4
Once you have a full understanding of these terms.
Then read some more.

Not sure if this is funny or sad, probably sad...I've been a member for 20 yrs and didn't know the "Rule of 4". Could be because it has never been and issue for me.....Never to old to learn something new.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Not sure if the is funny or sad, probably sad...I've been a member for 20 yrs and didn't know the "Rule of 4". Could be because it has never been and issue for.....Never to old to learn something new.

I guess you never used your points for the Disney Collection, right?

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Correct, I mostly always stay at my home resort and mostly always book 11 months out so again not an issue. But again it's nice to know the "Rule of 4" not that I think I have to worry about it.

 

[Sandisw]

Correct, I mostly always stay at my home resort and mostly always book 11 months out so again not an issue. But again it's nice to know the "Rule of 4" not that I think I have to worry about it.

It doesn’t apply to any DVC resorts, It is booking resorts outside of DVC, like wanting to stay club level at Contemporary ,etc, or booking a Disney Cruise.

And, if you bought resale points after 2011, I believe, those points aren’t valid for those options anyway.

 

[Ms.Minnie]

Thanks, yes I did a search on these boards for Rule of 4 and got the information. Not planning on ever have this be an issue but good to know.