Is DVC for me

[littlejoe]

I know this will be a difficult question to answer because it comes down to the individual, but can youtell me if DVC is for me.
We have been going to Disney Fort Wilderness for quite some time now and for atleast 5 years in a row now an we absolutely love the campground and really do not want to go anywhere else.
Does DVC own in the campground or is planning to build something similar (cabins).
If not how difficult is it to swap off in regards to money and time.
What resorts are selling now I was told just the Contemporary.
How much is the initial investment or atleast Highs and Lows.
What are the yearly fees and do they fluctuate
I never wanted to lose time on my vacations so we never went on the tours, we also were not interesed in the ones that were selling recently and the bottom line, they are sales people so Im looking for honest answers
Thanks for any info you can give

 

[nytimez]

There are all sorts of rumors. But I wouldn't buy now on the basis of rumor or buy hoping to swap in and out at the campgroung. If they do build DVC at Fort Wilderness, wait for them to start selling that resort, then buy at that resort (if what they ultimately build appeals to you).

 

[ToddyLu]

Currently there is no DVC resort at FW as you know. The closest is at WL. Disney direct will sell you any property as long as they have the points you need and the UY you want. BLT is in active sells but they ARE ALL AVAILABLE. So do not be tricked into thinking you can only purchase BLT. There is a huge resale market that will save you money. Thousands of dollars actually. Most folks look at The TImeshare Store which is a spnsor here, Fidelity and DVC by Resale. SOme of these other companies can be blocked on the DIS so you may have to search for them.

The point charts are at the top of this forum. Pick the weeks you typically travel and what type of room you need.

As far as cost. We purchased 210 points at AKV in June 2009 at $93 per point direct from Disney and financed. You can finace for up to 10 years with no penalty for early pay off. We put 10% down as is required and financed the rest. Our mortagage is monthly and comes out of our checking account. We pay $237 per month for the mortgage and then $80 per month for the MFs. So it is expensive but worth it to us. You can also pay the MF in a lump sum at the beginning of the year.

However this info will not serve you if you only want to stay at FW. You need to read all the stickies here and then look around on DVCNews.com. Pas porter also has an very inexpensive guide book for DVC that you can download to your computer.

Good luck and definitely educater yourself before you purchase.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't want to go anywhere but the campgrounds, forget about buying DVC.

 

[Lynne M]

I
We have been going to Disney Fort Wilderness for quite some time now and for atleast 5 years in a row now an we absolutely love the campground and really do not want to go anywhere else.

That statement pretty much means that DVC is not for you. The value in DVC is staying at the DVC resorts, and since you don't want to do that, there's no reason to buy. There are currently no DVC villas at FW, and while there were rumors floating around for awhile about something being built on Bay Lake near the campground, I haven't heard any more about that in quite awhile. And I certainly wouldn't recommend buying DVC now in the hopes that that rumor would be true. It's a very large investment to gamble on a rumor, and that wouldn't be the first DVC resort that never made it past the planning stages.

Members can currently use their DVC points to reserve cabins and campsites at FW, but that's considered an exchange out of the DVC system, and is a pretty poor value. You'd almost certainly pay much less for a cash reservation. Not to mention that availability of FW reservations for member exchanges is subject to the whim of Disney's resorts division - since it's not part of DVC, DVC doesn't have much control over how many cabins or campsites are made available for points stays.

Point costs are also not fixed in any way for the non-DVC exchanges, and there's nothing to prevent the points per night for a cabin or campground from continuing to rise. And nothing to prevent FW from deciding they don't want to participate in DVC exchanges anymore. None of the exchanges are guaranteed in the contract.

It's best to see the exchanges as a current perk for members. They can change or go away at any time.

So, all that boils down to this: if you only intend to use your membership to exchange out of the DVC system, DVC is not a good choice for you.

 

[walkdmc]

What the what? I got an infraction for trying to type DVC by resale yet I see another poster on this thread was able to type it with no problem. Let's see if this works....if it does, does that mean the DIS has changed it's rules about posting names of timeshare resale businesses other than the TSS?

 

[mikron]

Now is a good time to buy resale. You can book at FW if they do build, don't need to own at FW. We bought at SSR in 2004 at a very good special price then added OKW from resales. We stay 80% of the time (about 6 times/year) at BWV. 7 month booking not that hard if you get to it early. IMO FW will sell in the $100.00 range and some resales under $70.00.

 

[JWG]

If you just want to stay at the campground and not Wilderness Lodge, then I agree, DVC isn't for you. If what you're talking about are the "cabins" of Fort Wilderness and you don't mind staying elsewhere with those accommodations it may be for you.

I've not ever considered staying at the cabins because before DVC we'd rather pay the cost for a deluxe room (often times could get the deluxe or moderate room much less than a cabin) and since DVC we get the room and kitchen via the villa.

So I can't really speak to the experience of a Fort Wilderness cabin vs. DVC. We have friends meetings us for a trip in October, they'll be staying at the campground in their RV - so maybe we'll get over there for once.

 

[Cisco]

My opinion: DVC is a great deal if you want to stay at one of their designated resorts. Any other option they offer (cruise line, etc...), I believe you're better off to pay out of pocket.

 

[Malaguti Ball Clan]

DVC by Resale DVC by Resale DVC by Resale.........I have been good for a while so lets see if it works for me

 

[palaemon]

DVC by Resale DVC by Resale DVC by Resale.........I have been good for a while so lets see if it works for me

 

[walkdmc]

Hello, is this thing on?

And to the OP, I agree with others that if you only plan to stay at the campground (which is AWESOME), don't buy DVC.