Is a DVC membership as amazing as it seems

[CaliAdventurer]

It's amazing how many of the replys involve dollars and cents. I for one could care less that it doesn't save me money other than on the room. It make my life feel better because I have, for whatever reason: smoke/mirrors, distorted reality, being an idiot, decided to prioritize Disney vacations with my family since purchasing. Will that effect my retirement? Not personally but so what? When I'm dying in my bed (hopefully) I won't be wishing I made fewer memories with my kids.

Lighten up. Is DVC worth it? For all of us on these boards the answer is yes or else we wouldn't be here! For folks who spend so much time on these forums to bash the product is laughable. Can DVC be life changing? You betcha.

I suggest you rent once and then you do you. Ignore the naysayers. Once you own, you will see many downer posts about every little thing Disney does but the same posters sure have a lot of knowledge about the program and deep down they love it.

Also, prices are going up, up, up for resale so...

 

[DougEMG]

It's amazing how many of the replys involve dollars and cents. I for one could care less that it doesn't save me money other than on the room. It make my life feel better because I have, for whatever reason: smoke/mirrors, distorted reality, being an idiot, decided to prioritize Disney vacations with my family since purchasing. Will that effect my retirement? Not personally but so what? When I'm dying in my bed (hopefully) I won't be wishing I made fewer memories with my kids.

Lighten up. Is DVC worth it? For all of us on these boards the answer is yes or else we wouldn't be here! For folks who spend so much time on these forums to bash the product is laughable. Can DVC be life changing? You betcha.

I suggest you rent once and then you do you. Ignore the naysayers. Once you own, you will see many downer posts about every little thing Disney does but the same posters sure have a lot of knowledge about the program and deep down they love it.

Also, prices are going up, up, up for resale so...

The reason most posts are about the dollars and saving money is because you can stay in the exact same DVC room paying cash or renting. The only advantage that owning provides is the ability to potentially save money if you were to do the exact same thing but paying cash or renting.

I love my DVC because I love going to WDW and staying on site and paying the same as I did for a moderate room. But it is just a room.

 

[Dean]

It's amazing how many of the replys involve dollars and cents. I for one could care less that it doesn't save me money other than on the room. It make my life feel better because I have, for whatever reason: smoke/mirrors, distorted reality, being an idiot, decided to prioritize Disney vacations with my family since purchasing. Will that effect my retirement? Not personally but so what? When I'm dying in my bed (hopefully) I won't be wishing I made fewer memories with my kids.

Lighten up. Is DVC worth it? For all of us on these boards the answer is yes or else we wouldn't be here! For folks who spend so much time on these forums to bash the product is laughable. Can DVC be life changing? You betcha.

I suggest you rent once and then you do you. Ignore the naysayers. Once you own, you will see many downer posts about every little thing Disney does but the same posters sure have a lot of knowledge about the program and deep down they love it.

Also, prices are going up, up, up for resale so...

If one doesn't expect to save money long term, why buy, why not just pay cash through Disney. It's foolish to buy in without some expectation of savings, too many limitations and negatives otherwise. Just to be a member of the club at any cost would be foolish.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

If one doesn't expect to save money long term, why buy, why not just pay cash through Disney. It's foolish to buy in without some expectation of savings, too many limitations and negatives otherwise. Just to be a member of the club at any cost would be foolish.

We save money on rooms. That's all the savings and int the end we spend way more than we ever thought we'd spend at Disney and love nearly every unquantifiable moment.
Lots of things bring intangible value in life. Never discount the price of admission to the "club" whatever that may be for each individual. Personally, I'm waiting for my Club 33 number to be called (a long time more I'm sure) many, if you go by disboards, Facebook etc, will say that's a waste of money. Something doesn't have to save money to add value. To each his own.

 

[KatiMouse]

But a recent 10 night adventures by Disney Africa trip I saw cost over 1000 pts per adult, so 2000 pts for 2 adults for a DVC points trade...and color me skeptical that it was done for an $18000 buy-in... and prices are a lot higher now than they were in 2002...

So for a poster with limited activity who jumps in talking about how great it is to pay more to buy direct so that you can trade for cruises and ABD trips...?

Hi. So sorry for the confusion regarding my post. I was trying to be brief, but it looks like I should have been more detailed in my examples. I certainly didn't mean to be misleading. I didn't intend for anyone to think I was doing these big vacations on only 100 points each year, and I apologize for not being clear. My error. Chalee94 - I appreciate your note.

I went on safari in Tanzania, Africa with Thomson Safaris before ABD was created. We used under 1,050 points TOTAL (owned 350 at the time, so used just shy of three years of points) for two adults in 2005. I agree the points requirements are much higher now, than they were back then due to exchange rates and the cost of ABD. I'm so grateful I was able to go back then!

We spent the $18,000 on AKV points in 2009 to add on to what we already owned, and then used the combined points for two adults and a teen to take a 12-night Northern European cruise. Once again, we used less than a combined three years of points.

DVC has been a great investment for me. Ownership is very personal, though, and there are so many different options. Members need to understand how the points work in order to plan vacations in the most strategic manner. I enjoy doing big vacations, so I often combine 2-3 years of points to make them happen. In more recent years, I've been doing several smaller vacations each year and rarely use more than my annual allocation each year.

The original point I was trying to make was that you don't have to vacation at WDW or DL every year in order to enjoy the magic of DVC Membership, and you don't need to purchase points to use all in one year. Be creative and combine years when needed. It's important to understand how membership works in order to get the most out of what you put in. Your Guide will help with any questions. Cheers!

 

[ELMC]

It's amazing how many of the replys involve dollars and cents. I for one could care less that it doesn't save me money other than on the room. It make my life feel better because I have, for whatever reason: smoke/mirrors, distorted reality, being an idiot, decided to prioritize Disney vacations with my family since purchasing. Will that effect my retirement? Not personally but so what? When I'm dying in my bed (hopefully) I won't be wishing I made fewer memories with my kids.

Lighten up. Is DVC worth it? For all of us on these boards the answer is yes or else we wouldn't be here! For folks who spend so much time on these forums to bash the product is laughable. Can DVC be life changing? You betcha.

I suggest you rent once and then you do you. Ignore the naysayers. Once you own, you will see many downer posts about every little thing Disney does but the same posters sure have a lot of knowledge about the program and deep down they love it.

Also, prices are going up, up, up for resale so...

I would go so far as to say that many of the people you are calling "naysayers" enjoy going to Disney just as much as you do, enjoy making memories with their families just as much as you do, and enjoy the experiences that DVC allows them to have just as much as you do. I would also say that the vast majority of us are on a DVC forum because we love Disney and we love DVC. But that doesn't mean we can't be critical. I think it's fair to offer an honest critical opinion without it being considered "bashing".

Speaking for myself as a "naysayer", I love taking my family to Disney and I love how I have been able to utilize DVC to do so. But that doesn't mean that I want to blindly throw money at Disney in the process if I don't have to. Examining the system, learning the ins and outs, finding the inefficiencies are just good due diligence. Because I was so critical I kind of feel like I won twice. We get to go to Disney three to four times per year and I have been able to purchase a significant number of points on the resale market between 2012 and 2017 with an average net cost in the $40 per point range. How is that a bad thing? And how is that a bad thing if I want to encourage others to do that for themselves as well?

 

[dvcdream4fld]

I guess my name says it all. As for my dollars and sense, the following was our reasoning for joining DVC.
1. We love Disney and wdw.
2. I have been going to wdw since the early 80's. Since my wife and I married, we have gone to wdw at least once per year.
3. A vacation for us includes better than average accomodations and more resort options.
4. We like to plan our vacations in advance.
5. We could afford DVC without financing.
6. We have a growing family and enjoy vacationing with other families and need more space.
7. We enjoy having some convenience of home, kitchen, separate living and sleeping area, laundry room, etc.
8. We like owning a piece of Disney.
9. If you compare Disney timeshares to other timeshares, DVC tends to hold its value.

 

[terdferguson]

I want to thank everyone for their responses, I got exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to know how you felt or what your experience was with DVC. I can crash numbers all day but its current members give me the best information. I mean really, force me to take a vacation every year . . .please. So thank you again and I hope to see you in the parks.

 

[Dean]

We save money on rooms. That's all the savings and int the end we spend way more than we ever thought we'd spend at Disney and love nearly every unquantifiable moment.
Lots of things bring intangible value in life. Never discount the price of admission to the "club" whatever that may be for each individual. Personally, I'm waiting for my Club 33 number to be called (a long time more I'm sure) many, if you go by disboards, Facebook etc, will say that's a waste of money. Something doesn't have to save money to add value. To each his own.

I agree most spend more money in the end but it seemed you were saying DVC didn't save money on the rooms. I apologize if I misunderstood. I'd equate added real value and savings as about the same thing.

 

[ziravan]

5 financial parts to going to a WDW

1. Room
2. Tickets
3. Transportation
4. Food.
5. Trinkets.

DVC and AP discount front loads the cost of 1 & 2.

3. We either find cheap Southwest Airline tix (I found $137 round trip per person for Jan last week) or we drive from Texas (17 hrs and normally layover in Destin).

4. Even if Disney is more expensive, I was going to eat that week anyway.

5. Becoming frequent Disney flyers means we don't have to load up on trinkets each visit.

Yes, overall the cost of going 3-4 times per year is much higher than what we were doing (every other year). That said, DVC makes each individual decision to go a $2 grand decision (and that price includes things like eating at BOG) instead of a $6 grand decision, and that means we go many more times.

We plan more trips and we take more trips spontaneously. I'm currently in some form of booking/planning for 3 trips in the next 11 months. Just booked FPs today.

But, we've also gone to Disney with as little as 4 weeks planning notice and had great fun. "Hey, let's go to Disney during my work break next month!" That turned into a massive stalk for rooms and a pieced together trip at OKW, BCV and AKV. But the stalk/hunt for rooms was part of the excitement of going.

 

[ziravan]

Our finances are cyclical. Sometimes we find ourselves awash in disposable money; sometimes not.

Awhile back, we planned a big Disney trip to stay at Poly for the week and as the actual trip approached, we decided that the disposable income to take that trip was better used elsewhere.

I suggested that we should still go if we could do so at no additional cost. DW challenged me to pull that off if I could. So. I rented out the Poly reservation and booked at Bonnet Creek using our points there. The money from the Poly reservation paid for the whole trip, including food (and I was going to eat that week anyway).

That's the kind of flexibility I like about DVC. I couldn't rent out Wyndham point to even cover MFs.

Also. We're planning a big family trip using DVC points - 17 members. And this will be the 2nd one. Being able to cover the cost of the rooms for family makes the trip more feasible for all of them. It's a blessing.

 

[Lynne M]

I don't think anyone here was bashing the product. The reason we talk about money is simple: there are ways to buy and use DVC that won't save you money at all, ways to buy and use it that'll save a little money, and there are ways to buy and use it that will save you a LOT more money.

The reason I don't use my points for things like cruises and exchanges is this: I can get those things for less money by NOT using my points. And then I can use that money I saved for other things, like extra fun on vacation, or even on more vacations.

That's also the reason I wouldn't go direct if I were buying more points. I get to keep more of my money. In many cases, thousands of dollars more of my money. The few discounts that Disney (currently) gives direct buyers are a drop in the bucket compared to that.

That's also why I won't finance if I were to buy more points. On a fully financed new membership from Disney, I'd be paying thousands of dollars more for the same membership than someone who didn't finance.

 

[MarBee]

I've been lurking and reading this...I don't mean to completely hijack the OP's original post, but for the people saying they have added on points with resale: are you able to use those points at one time? For example, if I had 100 points that I bought at BWV then I added on 100 points at AKL, do I essentially have 200 points to book at BWV? Or would I have two separate reservations I would have to do? Like book 100 points worth of nights at BWV at 11 months out then hope that in 7 months I can book another 100 points worth of nights either before or after my original booking?
I hope that makes sense.

 

[kboo]

I've been lurking and reading this...I don't mean to completely hijack the OP's original post, but for the people saying they have added on points with resale: are you able to use those points at one time? For example, if I had 100 points that I bought at BWV then I added on 100 points at AKL, do I essentially have 200 points to book at BWV? Or would I have two separate reservations I would have to do? Like book 100 points worth of nights at BWV at 11 months out then hope that in 7 months I can book another 100 points worth of nights either before or after my original booking?
I hope that makes sense.

Your points stay with the home resort, so the bolded is what you would do.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The Woz family is happy, and for us, our DVC membership is as amazing as we expected it to be and more.

 

[MarBee]

Your points stay with the home resort, so the bolded is what you would do.

Thank you! So if I added on from the same resort, I could then use all of the points at once?

 

[MrInfinity]

Thank you! So if I added on from the same resort, I could then use all of the points at once?

Definitely. We bought, added on. Now we have more points. Use them all interchangeably. Provided you get the same Resort and UY, the points all pool.

The problem w doing what you said first -- having two different resorts' points -- is what happens if you book that first part on BWV points, then 7 mo you try to add more BWV days with AKV points and those dates aren't available? This could potentially kill the whole plan. BWV is a hard place to find rooms at 7 mo. So if your goal is to use them all at BWV, I'd just buy there and not deal with the whole 7 mo thing.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

OK I admit it. It's pretty amazing.

 

[longboard55]

We recently bought California Grand. I never thought I would own a time share, but we keep asking ourselves whats the catch, this is too good to be true. The yearly fee is less than what it goes up in value so it really costs us nothing, and we are getting rooms that the public pays $700 a night for.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The reason we talk about money is simple: there are ways to buy and use DVC that won't save you money at all, ways to buy and use it that'll save a little money, and there are ways to buy and use it that will save you a LOT more money.

It is also a very large capital investment. People for whom $10k+ is just a rounding error tend to be trustafarians or people who have gotten to that point by being savvy money managers. People for whom that isn't a rounding error tend to examine the capital investment pretty seriously. People who don't examine that from a financial perspective really should strongly consider doing so.