Is DVC Just Too Confusing???

[Disney Fanatic]

Hi Everyone!

I have been to Disney 3 times in the past 1 1/2 years and absolutely love it.

I have been asking many questions on this board about DVC because we believe this may be the right program for us.

The problem..

The more I read, the more confusing the whole program becomes. There seem to be so many rules and questions that many seasoned veterans don't even know the answers to.

Just curious, has anyone who is a DVC member found that they have run into problems after buying DVC by not reading the small print???

The last straw was when I saw the post about not having more than 3 times the points in your account at any time. We have been looking at buying a small contract to get us started and now realize that adding points to our acct through transfering may not be possible over 150?

Getting more confused by the minute!!!

 

[WOW]

It does seem to be confusing in the beginning, but you will get the hang of it and when you do you will just LOVE it.......It took us a few months to come to that conclusion and here we are 12 years later and are still lovin DVC.

Try not to over think every single option, keep it simple

 

[lovewdwdvc]

It took a while to understand it but it is really worth learning and buying. We have a wide range of ages in our family 7-20 and all of them love our vacations. If you are a regular it is worth the hassle.

Really, if you look at a points chart and remember your use year (the month that you purchased), you are pretty well set.

 

[disynut]

Oh no! Please don't let my question stop you!!! Really, our current problem is just an inconvenience because we decided to make two trips in one year on that contract's points. Then my mom decided to come, so I'm just trying to find out if I can rent from a member and transfer the points into my account for her(which is easier for me) or if I have to have another member make the reservation.

I agree with the other posters, if you know what your vacationing styles are and have looked at the points chart...go for it!

 

[kathyseb]

It is a little confusing at first. But so is anything.

When I made my first reservation, I told the person on the other end of the line to bear with me as this was my first time. I had calculated the points before I called and found out I had come up with the correct total. So I was excited.

We joined in 2003. Just last month, I had to cancel a reservation for the week after Thanksgiving and rebook elsewhere as my sister is going with us and we needed a second room.

I explained to them when I called that it might take a while for them to explain to me what I was going to have to do, but again, I had calculated it ahead of time and I was correct in my figures.

You just need to decide if the program is for you and the rest will come over time.

 

[liznboys]

We are new members. It was definitely confusing at first, we've had to learn so much over the past few months! There are still some (little) things that are not 100% clear, but we will learn as we go.

 

[athenna]

It can be very confusing at first. But really, anything that's very new to us can be confusing. I find practice makes perfect. I have sat with my points charts and planned out different scenarios. Once you get the hang of it, it's not too bad. I find this boards a blessing. I am a new member too, and have had lots of questions that these knowledgeable DVC'ers have been able to answer. If you have any other questions, juts let us know!
Good luck!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Yes, it does seem very confusing at first. Honestly, this was one of the reasons we didn't buy about 10 years ago-just couldn't figure it all out. But once you're a member, you'd be surprised how quickly you catch on to all of it. Pretty soon (surprisingly soon) you'll know all the lingo, and what it means-use year, borrowing, banking, and oh, yes-add-on!

 

[JimMIA]

Yes, it's confusing. But what makes it confusing?

It's the flexibility of the system that creates the confusion. If we were comparing computer systems, we would say that the DVC system had much more POWER than a simpler system. The vast majority of the confusion with DVC comes from features other timeshares don't even offer.

Many companies have created much simpler timeshare products. Those would be the ones nobody wants because they are too limiting and you're locked into one way of doing things. If that "one way" doesn't fit your needs, you are stuck.

Enjoy the confusion and power of DVC.

Besides...it gives us stuff to talk about.

 

[conciergekelly]

Casbill's planner helped me organize my points. If you do a search under his name , on the bottom of the post there is a place to download the planner. It can be a good way to see how many days you can get with 150 points at the different resort. It gave me a good grasp on the point system. As far as the rules, I still get confused and have been a member since2003. I just call Member Services when I have a question. Also there is a wealth of info on the boards!

 

[FLYNZ4]

I will take the contrarian view. Yes it is confusing, and there is no reason they needed to design it that way. I belong to other point based timeshare associations with larger memberships than DVC, and more properties than DVC, and more unit types than DVC... and in my final analysis... when it comes to designing a system that is easy to use... DVC deserves a C- grade, or lower.

In particular... the entire "use year" concept, as well as "banking windows" and the way that banking "changes the year" of the points is largely unecessary.

It would be MUCH simpler if you simply received your points on a certain month, and then had a fixed amount of time (ex: 2 years) to use the points. Hence... there would be no explicit "banking". Likewise, borrowing points could be much simpler. Also... DVC is still living in the "computing dark ages" of providing user tools to make things better. On the "Spaceship Earth" model of computing... DVC's IT department is still at the beginning of the ride.

There are several areas where DVC excels... but in the overall complexity of the system, they are not world class. Having said this... it is not that hard to learn and manage... clearly lots of us do that very effectively. It is just that the system is more complex than necessary... without adding any benefit or flexibility over other "easier to use" time share systems.

/Jim

 

[RweTHEREyet]

not all scenarios will apply to each and every family and their needs. And you find that your needs and wants change as time goes on, so to think that you might know all the answers from the very beginning is pretty ambitious, in my opinion.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I listened in the sales presentaion. I got home and read the Member Guidebook. I skimmed the POS.
I found it very easy to learn.

Now, if I had some convoluted holding point issue, I'd have to re-read....... or take the easy way out and ask here.

MG

 

[Disney Doll]

The most important things to remember about DVC are :
1. Know your Use Year
2. Know when you have to bank points by for your Use Year
3. Know when you have to use banked points by in order not to lose them

Beyond that, the rest is easy, and you can wing it as you go along.

We don't do too much "out of plan" (staying at other than DVC resorts) travel, so we keep it pretty simple that way. And I just keep a running "tab" of what I spend and bank. It would look similar to this:

200 Points as of 10/1/05 Use Year
- 50 Points for Nov. 1-5 stay studio OKW Res#3344556677
150
- 135 points for BCV GV April 2-7 stay Res#38492017
15 banked into 2006 Use Year, bank#123456789

Please note that point totals in example are completely made up.

Anyhow, I find that this is the easiest system for me. And generally, if we bank something, we have no problem using it the next Use Year.

 

[dianeschlicht]

No, I was confused about it until I got all the paperwork, and then it wasn't so confusing. Once you make your first ressie, it gets much clearer. You might feel like it's confusing because so many people are asking questions on this board, but that's what it is here for. For every confused newbie, there are quite a few who know the score!

 

[SEC]

DVC is really not confusing once you understand the points. There are rules, the most important rule is banking points. As long as you follow the guidelines, there shouldn't be any problems. I love being a DVC member because of the flexibility and the ability to go on two-three vacations a year (at least one at Disney every year)!

 

[Laurabearz]

For every confused newbie, there are quite a few who know the score!

 

[WolfpackFan]

It's alot less confusing than other timeshares I've read about with their various seasons and all. At first it seems daunting but by just reading this MB you will learn alot. Just ask questions when you don't understand something. I sure asked enough before we joined.

 

[minster22]

I used to just get turned off with all the talking about points, banking, borrowing etc ( a good friend of mine is also a Disney nut and we would talk about renting points) until I actually owned points.Once you get the hang of it, it is pretty simple and easy to use. My DH works for a timeshare company here in the Northeast and they just switched their program to a point system. It is much more confusing than DVC and has many more restrictions than DVC.Even DH (who is not a Disney fan like I am) is very impressed with ease of use with DVC!!I think prior to purchase you just need to know if the program works for you and your family and once you are an owner the finer points will become clear. And there are always the folks here who are truly experts. We have not found any really negative aspects of DVC in the fine print at all,could not be happier with our purchase,even DH!!

 

[goodcook5]

you do not have to worry about banking if you always borrow next years points like we do. It simplifies the system soooo much