Is DVC a good fit for us?

[starry_solo]

So, after reading the responses to the questions, the answer to your question "Is DVC a good fit for us?" is a resounding NO.

Also, I would not buy a different timeshare as mentioned by a prior poster. You can rent weeks from owners for the cost (or less than the cost) of the maintenance fees. Unlike DVC, which seems to retain value, there are lots of timeshare owners looking to dump their timeshares for pennies on the dollar.

 

[aurora23]

We bought 50 points initially at Saratoga Springs, and had the same plan to go every two to three years. It has worked for us and we have since added on a 65 point contract at Old Key West. We bought when we had the money to do so and did not finance. The studios at Old Key West are great, have two beds, and are relatively spacious. It is one of our favorite resorts. I would agree with others on this post who gave advice not to not stay in a one bedroom until you know you have the ability to buy more points. It is really nice to have the washer and dryer in the room and the extra space makes it harder to stay in a studio (even one as nice as Old Key West).

My other piece of advice is to really know where you want to stay. Old Key West is home to us, but Saratoga Springs not so much... We use our Saratoga Springs to trade into other resorts. We bought DVC before we really knew what resorts we liked. Ideally, I would have bought a small BCV contract as that is the other resort we have found that we love. With the restrictions on resale now we don’t want to sell Saratoga as that is the contract that qualifies us for our “blue card.” We have to wait to try to book our other preferred resort at the 7 month booking window which is stressful and can be near impossible at certain times of the year. Run Disney event weeks are one of the hardest times to get a resort that is not your home resort at seven months. Know what you can afford and where you want to stay. We do not regret our DVC purchase, and every 2-3 years works for us, but we do regret one of our resort choices.

 

[Judique]

I would build yourself up to DVC. I started with the best value vacation club (Wyndham). There are over 200 Wyndhams, 6 in Orlando alone. With a Wyndham resale contract you can do a few nights at Bonnet Creek in a 1 bedroom for Disney. Bonnet Creek is almost always has a 35% discount during the summer when the kids are out of school. You can stay Sun-Fri for $71/night using a Grand Desert deed off Ebay (usually only costs a few hundred bucks to buy). Later on you can add a small number of DVC points to stay at one of their resorts when Bonnet Creek isnt mega cheap. Wyndham is super cheap to stay weekdays and you can also add a small DVC contract to stay during the weekend when Bonnet Creek is more expensive.

Also, it isnt hard to exchange into Saratoga or Old Key West using RCI. A week in a 1 bedroom costs me $1,050 which is much less than what a DVC owner pays. Also, when I want nicer accommodations, I can just book one of the Presidential Reserve units on the 16th to 19th floor of tower 6 at Bonnet Creek and can usually see the disney fireworks from my balcony. Those rooms are much nicer than Beach Club in my opinion.

My 5 year old daughter honestly cant tell the difference between DVC and Bonnet Creek. If anything, she prefers the Lazy river at Bonnet Creek. She actually likes Reunion the most out of them all, but Wyndham Reunion only has 3 bedrooms. There are so many amazing non DVc resorts in the Wyndham and Marriott systems and you arent tied to staying at Disney every year. Look up "Wyndham Clearwater Beach 2 bedroom Presidential", "Marriott Lakeshore Reserve", "Marriott Crystal Shores", "Wyndham Panama City Beach 2 bedroom presidential". Those rooms are much nicer than anything DVC has to offer.

My advice is to start with the best value vacation club first and work your way up to the ones with the worst value Wydham>Hilton>Marriott>DVC. DVC has the highest buy in costs+ maintenance fees of all those systems, which is why I say it's the worst value. My buy order is as follows: Wyndham (500,000 points), Marriott (1,500 points), DVC SSR (100 points). I haven't bought Marriott yet because I havent felt like I needed it yet, but I will buy it before adding DVC because I know I will get more value out of it.

So, you don't actually own DVC?

 

[Judique]

We've been thinking about DVC for a while now, and I think we are almost set to pull the trigger. We have a 3 year old and a 6 year old and while i don't think we will outgrow Disney, my concern is we might outgrow a studio hotel room. I've never stayed at bonnet creek or similar hotel, but the idea of having a 1 or 2 bedroom in the future is appealing. We couldn't afford staying at a 1 bedroom at Disney. i realize we have to make the decision, but does anyone have any advice on this, or byers remorse in this regard.

thanks,
andrew

Andrew - I like your plan.

That said, I don't know what resort you are aiming for or of it is resale that is on your mind. There are quite a few variables. Would like to hear what you are aiming for.

I think you are smart to start small and go from there. Just stay in your lane and keep it to what you can afford.

DVC is a luxury/want purchase not a need and as many will tell you the price is luxury but no Disney rooms really are. Okay with me as I go for many reasons - the weather, the parks, the ambiance. Going to Disney is a want not a need. So, for the first small contract save up your vacation dollars and try to pay cash.

Buying with a mortgage takes the savings away sort of invisibly. You'll still also have dues to pay.

The one thing the DVC rooms have over other timeshares is LOCATION. Stay at BCV< BWV< BLT and walk to a park! Can't do that at Bonnet Creek.

I've had my DVC for 20 years. Started out with one contract and now have four. I bought what I could afford at the time and added on as my needs changed. I've never regretted my decision, although sometimes I wish I bought a lot more. Then common sense kicks in.

I went to many timeshare presentations before buying DVC. They were all high pressure and felt like traps. The rooms may have been nice, but I couldn't see an escape route. DVC had that for me, but I like being there. I took three years to finally decide to buy DVC. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision and at the time I didn't have money I could afford to throw away. It's been a good thing for me and my family.

 

[Monykalyn]

Have you stayed DVC? Maybe try renting points first? We’ve stayed at a couple and they are nice, but we also like to travel to other areas. We were gifted a timeshare decades ago, and while we did have a recent rise in MF and a special assessment (which all TS will have at some point to keep up the quality) we’ve gotten good use out it, our particular one still has low MF and is a good trader in Interval International. DVC is really only good to stay at other DVC, and while you can rent points out I wonder how strong the rental market will be for the next few years. We had a trip planned to Paris this past spring, and one week at the Marriott resort right by Disneyland Paris- 2 bedroom accommodations. We have zero issues trading into Orlando Marriotts and frankly- many are nicer than Disney timeshares (yeah I know them’s fightin’ words lol). In fact just stayed two weeks at Marriotts Harbour Lake in a 2 bed/2bath condo- a resort kids your age would LOVE! We’ve used out timeshare to stay week on Cayman island in a 3 bedroom right on the beach. I’d bet too, that cheap or free TS are going to have a rise in availability in next few months to years, and probably rents are going to be lower...

Right now, this climate- I wouldn’t be taking on the risk of any luxury purchase,