Is DVC for me?

[mrqetwrior]

Hello this is my first post! I am planning a vacation Nov. 20-24 '08 at WDW and am going to plunk down about $3K for accomodations. My daughter will be 10 mos. old when we go and I envision us going back quite a bit so long as the DIL's live in Ft. Myers. I would like to take a Disney Cruise in 2-4 years, and the prospect of taking my DD to Disney many more times warms my heart as I got to go every year as a child because my Uncle lived in Orlando. I do want her to have the full first class experience.
I am planning on booking my trip through Disney. I would like to take the tour while I am there and see if it is the right decision for me. Will there be any way to get a credit of some sort for having stayed there this time? I am torn because I am feeling if I am going to stay there maybe I should just join DVC and have my first trip be part of it. But not having been to DW for 20 years I want to make an informed decision about my home resort.

Thanks!

 

[disneylvrnMS]

I do not think they give any type credit for purchasing during your current stay. I seem to remember many years ago that they would credit a portion of your current room rate as a down payment on your purchase.

We did however each get a $50 GC for taking the tour when we were there.

 

[tomandrobin]

Hello this is my first post! I am planning a vacation Nov. 20-24 '08 at WDW and am going to plunk down about $3K for accomodations. My daughter will be 10 mos. old when we go and I envision us going back quite a bit so long as the DIL's live in Ft. Myers. I would like to take a Disney Cruise in 2-4 years, and the prospect of taking my DD to Disney many more times warms my heart as I got to go every year as a child because my Uncle lived in Orlando. I do want her to have the full first class experience.
I am planning on booking my trip through Disney. I would like to take the tour while I am there and see if it is the right decision for me. Will there be any way to get a credit of some sort for having stayed there this time? I am torn because I am feeling if I am going to stay there maybe I should just join DVC and have my first trip be part of it. But not having been to DW for 20 years I want to make an informed decision about my home resort.

Thanks!

First, if you are going to go to WDW at least once a year, and do not want to stay in the values or need bigger rooms, then DVC is right for you. It is probably too late to buy a book a room for November.

 

[cogero]

I think you are a good canidate. I would take the tour this time and decide after that.

We took my DD the first time at 25 months she just went on her 4 trip and she is 7. my son is almost 9 months and he has been on his first trip.

I only stay at deluxe resorts generally GF but we stayed at BC this time. After doing the tour we purchased right then and there after falling in love with the AKV room samples and since DH and I now like to relax at the hotel we were sold.

DH is a little more leary of these things but he jumped on board and if we had purchased when DD was smaller we would of saved oodles

Good luck with your decision

 

[chalee94]

yeah, it's almost certainly too late to book nov for a pts stay...you never know when something will be available for cash, though.

unfortunately, the incentives for taking the tour are relatively small, but definitely take some time to look at the model rooms while you are there (AKV and most likely BLT models should be open in november). the model rooms are located at SSR, so you may want to wander the grounds a bit to get a sense of that resort's layout...maybe have a bite to eat at SSR's counter service or table service restaurants and/or take a boat ride to DTD, if you wanted to see anything there...

there's also a stray model room for BWV set up on the boardwalk, if you happen to be over in that area of wdw.

while the model room for AKV is actually at SSR, i would recommend going to AKV for a meal (boma for a buffet or jiko for a more upscale experience) and if you wander straight through the lobby and out the back, you can see some animals on the savannah...(and if you're really lucky, they'll have the huge tree up in the lobby!)

BTW, if you haven't been to wdw in a while, you really need to make your dining reservations as soon as possible.

i would also add that using DVC pts to take a cruise is not a good value, but if you don't need them for accomodations and want to burn some once in a while, they can be used for that purpose.

in the meantime, hang out on the DIS boards. learn to use the search function and read through random threads to find out more about the positives and negatives of DVC. by the time you take the tour, you might know more than your guide!

 

[granmanh603]

Hello this is my first post! I am planning a vacation Nov. 20-24 '08 at WDW and am going to plunk down about $3K for accomodations. My daughter will be 10 mos. old when we go and I envision us going back quite a bit so long as the DIL's live in Ft. Myers. I would like to take a Disney Cruise in 2-4 years, and the prospect of taking my DD to Disney many more times warms my heart as I got to go every year as a child because my Uncle lived in Orlando. I do want her to have the full first class experience.
I am planning on booking my trip through Disney. I would like to take the tour while I am there and see if it is the right decision for me. Will there be any way to get a credit of some sort for having stayed there this time? I am torn because I am feeling if I am going to stay there maybe I should just join DVC and have my first trip be part of it. But not having been to DW for 20 years I want to make an informed decision about my home resort.

Thanks!

Hi I sent you a PM with some info but I think you need some more post to be able to retrieve it. I am from NH too and I sent my guides name and # but will post here too Carol Ann DeAngelo 1-800-827-3518....she could answer your questions about the booking in Nov. and they are never pushy she will just tell you the facts for buying in and ask if you have questions...right now there are some deals for buying in min 160 with Visa gift card , money off credit and matching points to use in a year. I am Carol Donohoe, Dublin, NH if you need a referral name for that discount. Good luck... Carol

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

It sounds like you are pretty ready to join. The pictures available on this site, the allearsnet.com site as well as the 360 degree views of the room on the DVC site will go a long way in terms of making you familiar and comfortable with the accommodations.

Since its been 20 years since you've been to Disney, I think you will be surprised at how crowded the parks can be now. We had the parks to ourselves on our 1st trip (honeymoon) in '92, and each trip has been a little busier. Of course, we've learned how to deal with crowds a little better so its a wash. You also have to make Advanced Dining Reservations now just to get a table at Table Service Restaurants. Some will also say that the service at Disney is just not what it used to be.

With a really young child, you may decide either 1) you need to wait a few more years to go back until the child is a little older or that 2) you really, really need that 1 bedroom for the kitchen, washer/dryer, extra room, etc.

Also keep in mind that DVC does not have daily housekeeping.

We bought in 2006 and have never looked back. DVC was a wonderful purchase.

Good Luck!

 

[Mtnman44]

Well, it is kinda late to get a DVC points stay for Nov, but I gotta tell you: If you think a DVC purchase is at all possible, that $3,000 would go a long way towards that purchase, maybe even 20 to 25% of a medium/small sized contract. There's no way I would plunk down that kind of cash for a Disney Hotel room if I was also planning a DVC purchase..Just my two cents..

good luck

 

[Deb & Bill]

The points required for the DCL are not fixed and are negotiated every year. They have been going up, up, up every year since it was first offered. It takes a lot of points for even a three night cruise if you want to get a room with a veranda and not just an inside stateroom. Not the best use of DVC points, but you are able to do it this way.

 

[lingber]

Hi, If you buy AKV now your guide can probably get you into a villa at SSR for your November trip. There was no availability when I tried to rent points for November last week. But when I inquired about a purchase, the guide I spoke to offered a developer point match and said they have access to available villas in November from the Developer ineventory. We really want BCV so it didn't work for us but if you are considering AKV and are ready to take the jump, you can save that $3,000 and use it towards your DVC purchase.

Good luck!

 

[Belle & Ariel]

We did the tour at Saratoga and were interested. I heard that the booth at Downtown Disney offers more "bonuses" and stopped there one night. He told the people ahead of us the same things my quide had told me. In addition, he told them if they bought before leaving Orlando, their trip this time would be covered. I guess this might be negotiable; doesn't hurt to ask. I would go to the booth at Downtown Disney in the Marketplace area first.
Personally I think resale is the way to go because you get to pick your resort and point allotment, you might get previous year's unused points, and the cost is a lot less even after factoring in Disney freebies.

 

[vicki_c]

My understanding is that the DVC workers at the kiosks (in the parks, resorts & DTD) CANNOT actually offer you anything that means anything; they are just there to get you to take the tour. Only the actual DVC guides at the sales centers can offer you the incentives & things like getting your trip paid for (ok, beyond offering FPs for taking the tour, I mean). So, don't think that anyone at the kiosk is giving out better deals than you get with an actual guide at the sales center.

I could be wrong, but that was my understanding of it.