Interested in DVC

[kdawg8762]

I am interested in the DVC, but I'm really not seeing the value. Someone help me. Basically we would go probably to WDW 2X per year for a week each time. Since this is just a room, or at least seems that way, wouldn't it take a long time to recoup my 19K, especially considering that i have to be 900 it yearly "maintenance" costs.

 

[brandip22]

It really depends where you stay. If you typically stay in a value or moderate resort then no, it's probably not worth it. However, if you like the larger accommodations, then I think it's totally worth it. You can search and find tons of threads on the break-even points. However, I know we have come out ahead in only our 6 years so far.
Oh, and you do get a discount on the AP or PAP, which I would think you might use since you go so often.

 

[chalee94]

I am interested in the DVC, but I'm really not seeing the value.

at $140 per pt, i'm not sure you're going to see a lot of value. an OKW resale will run less than half of that $19,000.

some don't find as much "value" in staying in the studios. a studio is like a hotel room but some benefit from the kitchens and w/d units in the 1BR and larger villas.

but i'd agree that if you just want to crash in a value hotel room, DVC is probably a waste in your situation...

 

[disneynutz]

Read the posts here and do the numbers. Every situation is different and only you can decide if it makes financial sense.

Bill

 

[Granny]

Great responses so far. I am one who looks at DVC as an accommodation upgrade. We basically stay in 1BR suites or larger. So in our case, we look at DVC as an affordable way to stay on-site at WDW in a full-service suite including full kitchen and laundry facilities.

I agree that if you are looking at a financial break-even, you would be far better off to go through the resale market and save thousands of dollars on the intial point purchase.

Good luck!

 

[CMOORE185]

You are paying upfront for vacations in the future. You will reach a breakeven point at some point. Remember theoretically the cost of a hotel room will outpace your increase in MF's so that it becomes even a greater deal in the future.

 

[JKMJ441724]

Resale was the way to go for us. We figured how many times we thought we would go each year and bought a little less than that many points. That way, if there was ever a year that we did not want to go (GASP!) we would not run around trying to rent them out.

With resale, you are not tied to minimum amounts - altough they have changed the rules as to being able to use them for adventures by Disney.

 

[habg1]

If you're staying Value/Moderate, no, not worth it. But if you are staying Deluxe, yes!!

Get a resale. You can buy different amounts of points. You can also buy into resorts that have been sold out. We got Boardwalk in 2009 from a resale. Look at the points if your buying resale. Some have previous years points still available. Ours did.

We have no regrets buying into DVC.

 

[kdawg8762]

at $140 per pt, i'm not sure you're going to see a lot of value. an OKW resale will run less than half of that $19,000.

some don't find as much "value" in staying in the studios. a studio is like a hotel room but some benefit from the kitchens and w/d units in the 1BR and larger villas.

but i'd agree that if you just want to crash in a value hotel room, DVC is probably a waste in your situation...

Maybe i picked the wrong term. I enjoy the delux resorts. I am trying to figure out if it is going to ever truly pay for itself and if its worth the outlay.

Actually, one of my biggest concerns is that it does eventually expire.

 

[chalee94]

Actually, one of my biggest concerns is that it does eventually expire.

you can always buy a timeshare that doesn't expire - many for considerably cheaper than DVC and with lower annual dues. if you do your research and are flexible, you can even trade into DVC with it. (although things can change if you buy to trade...DVC may go back to II, or RCI could revalue your timeshare's trade value...)

i like that DVC expires because many other timeshares get old and become difficult to sell at any price...it can be hard for owners to get out from under the annual dues. with DVC, at least there is a firm date where you will no longer be liable for the dues. opinions vary...

 

[DisneyPups]

My husband and I looked at it this way. We were the ones always staying in Pop (which we loved!), but we didn't WANT to anymore. We took very frugal trips to WDW. But when we decide to start a family, I want the option of staying at nicer accommodations with out worrying about my budget. I've already pre-paid. But for now (pre-kids) we get to go twice a year and still have points left over.
It is absolutely a personal decision. Yes, the points are high, but they will only get higher (we bought when BLT was 120pp a mere 8 months ago). So you'll hear a lot of "if you want to buy, sooner rather than later is better". I would have to agree with this. I heard a DVC presentation in 2005 and it was a lot cheaper then... but we couldn't afford it. So you also have to think about that. We waited until we didn't have to finance, b/c that too takes away some of the "value". Good luck deciding! It isn't for everyone. But we have no regrets.

 

[JimMIA]

you can always buy a timeshare that doesn't expire - many for considerably cheaper than DVC and with lower annual dues. if you do your research and are flexible, you can even trade into DVC with it. (although things can change if you buy to trade...DVC may go back to II, or RCI could revalue your timeshare's trade value...)

i like that DVC expires because many other timeshares get old and become difficult to sell at any price...it can be hard for owners to get out from under the annual dues. with DVC, at least there is a firm date where you will no longer be liable for the dues. opinions vary...

I agree with Charles on both parts of this.

DVC is great for onsite stays -- MUCH better than staying in a Disney hotel, IMHO. But if you are not absolutely married to the need to stay onsite, there are better options out there.

Timeshare contracts from a number of very fine companies can be purchased for $1 on eBay, sometimes with free closing. (The non-expiring nature of many timeshares is why they are selling for $1. People who find they don't use them any more want to get out from under the maintenance fees.) Those other timeshares probably would provide good options in the WDW area, and also at least the possibility of exchanging into DVC.

Since you live in Alabama, you might want to explore Wyndham timeshares --one of the good companies that sell for $1 on eBay. Go to windhamvacationresorts.com and click on the "Explore Our Resorts" button. You'll see Alabama literally ringed with resorts in Texas, MO, LA, GA, TN, NC, SC, and FL (and obviously a lot of other places).

Click on a state and then look for the red dots -- those are the actual Wyndham timeshare resorts. (Ignore the other colors -- they're just window dressing, places where you probably will never be able to find any actual availability.) But you'll see many nice Wyndham timeshare resorts within one day's drive of AL. Like DVC, Wyndham is primarily a points-based system and you can use your points at any of the resorts shown on the maps.

One of the really good things about $1 timeshares is you know you're not going to lose much when you sell! The more you pay for a timeshare, obviously the more potential loss you could have.

 

[Granny]

Actually, one of my biggest concerns is that it does eventually expire.

And actually, this is one of the biggest selling points for DVC in my opinion. I know that I won't be saddling my children with something that they have to figure out how to get rid of for a huge loss.

When my contracts expire in 2042, the resorts will be 50 years old. Who knows what WDW will be like at that point? To me, the right-to-use fixed term contract is the way to go.

I understand that this is not appealing to everyone. Charles and Jim have provided great feedback on other options that are out there.

To me, ultimately, DVC is not a savings program. We go to WDW more often, which means transportation, tickets and vacation food costs have increased. But it is, hands down, one of the best decisions we have ever made as far as spending money.

 

[juncker]

Just go to the Disney website and look for accomodations. Price up a 2 Bedroom stay for a week at any of the resorts and see what the "rack rates" are. You'll pay for a resale in about 4 trips.

DVC is for people that want to keep going back and staying in deluxe accomodations. It's not for everyone.

 

[albertotahiti]

I am interested in the DVC, but I'm really not seeing the value. Someone help me. Basically we would go probably to WDW 2X per year for a week each time. Since this is just a room, or at least seems that way, wouldn't it take a long time to recoup my 19K, especially considering that i have to be 900 it yearly "maintenance" costs.

I, too, am looking at DVC. I am looking at either a 130 point plan or a 150. Actually, I did the "math" on the 130 point plan. I like to go in late April/early May and in addition, I'd like to start going in early October or December. So, if I stayed 5 nights in either the Bay Lake Tower studio or the Animal Kingdom Lodge Savanna room in April, I could STILL stay 4 nights in either Oct. or Dec. in a studio at Old Key West or Boardwalk. Dues are obviously lower with a 130 point plan than a 150 point, and I would not have to worry about banking points.

This is just what I worked out. Hope this helps.

Brett from Baton Rouge, La.

 

[albertotahiti]

I am interested in the DVC, but I'm really not seeing the value. Someone help me. Basically we would go probably to WDW 2X per year for a week each time. Since this is just a room, or at least seems that way, wouldn't it take a long time to recoup my 19K, especially considering that i have to be 900 it yearly "maintenance" costs.

Also, check out resale. There is a company that sponsors this board, and I hear they are very reputable.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I, too, am looking at DVC. I am looking at either a 130 point plan or a 150. Actually, I did the "math" on the 130 point plan. I like to go in late April/early May and in addition, I'd like to start going in early October or December. So, if I stayed 5 nights in either the Bay Lake Tower studio or the Animal Kingdom Lodge Savanna room in April, I could STILL stay 4 nights in either Oct. or Dec. in a studio at Old Key West or Boardwalk. Dues are obviously lower with a 130 point plan than a 150 point, and I would not have to worry about banking points.

This is just what I worked out. Hope this helps.

Brett from Baton Rouge, La.

Any Dec reservations or Oct in an Epcot resort will need home resort advantage. BLT standard view requires BLT home advantage, same with AKV Value villa.

Two trips a year means two times the transportation. One trip per year means you only have to get there one time. We used to go twice a year, saw our available cash go to nothing. So we sold off two contracts, reduced our member fees by nearly $900 a YEAR and go once per year for one good long trip. We get APs, we might even plan next year's trip within the same twelve month period, so we get two uses of the AP.

 

[nunzia]

Any Dec reservations or Oct in an Epcot resort will need home resort advantage. BLT standard view requires BLT home advantage, same with AKV Value villa.

Two trips a year means two times the transportation. One trip per year means you only have to get there one time. We used to go twice a year, saw our available cash go to nothing. So we sold off two contracts, reduced our member fees by nearly $900 a month and go once per year for one good long trip. We get APs, we might even plan next year's trip within the same twelve month period, so we get two uses of the AP.

wow..you must have had ALOT of points..my MF for the whole YEAR i under $900.
I'll 'break even' in a few more trips using my own little wacky accounting method. That said..the reason I enjoy DVC so much is that it's paid for so I've pre paid for all these upcoming trips for 50 years (and since I won't be around in 50 years I think my kids, who never once outgrew Disney, will want to use those points until the very last year). I really like not having to look for deals (I used to love to do that..but then I always felt like I missed a better deal, and I love being able to offer a room to my kids and other family and friends which I never could do before.
We live fairly close to DLR, so getting there is pretty cheap by train or we can even drive in a pinch. If we go more than once a year I get an AP. We eat cheap and don't buy much junk to bring home. Our room is the big splurge and yes, we don't just sleep there..we sit on the balcony and watch WOC, we hang out at the resort, we jog back to our room to chnage after GRR, or to take a nap..worth it to us

 

[crisi]

I, too, am looking at DVC. I am looking at either a 130 point plan or a 150. Actually, I did the "math" on the 130 point plan. I like to go in late April/early May and in addition, I'd like to start going in early October or December. So, if I stayed 5 nights in either the Bay Lake Tower studio or the Animal Kingdom Lodge Savanna room in April, I could STILL stay 4 nights in either Oct. or Dec. in a studio at Old Key West or Boardwalk. Dues are obviously lower with a 130 point plan than a 150 point, and I would not have to worry about banking points.

This is just what I worked out. Hope this helps.

Brett from Baton Rouge, La.

Deb is right here. If you are doing the math assuming that you'll have access to standard view rooms at the BW, or standard view rooms at BLT - you will need to OWN those resorts and book eleven months out in order to ensure those reservations - PARTICULARLY in October or December.

OKW will be easier.

(DVC is a good value when some combination of the following factors is in play: You stay onsite, you want a multi room unit, you stay Deluxe (and maybe moderate), you buy resale, you don't mind - or prefer - the differences between a timeshare and a hotel, you use your points within the DVC resorts, your personal financial situation is stable, your next ten years worth of vacation plans feature a lot of Disney. The more of these factors are in play for you, the better deal it might be. )