Is DVC really a good deal for the consumer?

[Disney Doll]

DH and I bought in 1997, and if I had my way, we'd have purchased in 1991, when we were there on our honeymoon, but DH thought we should save for and buy a house first ...silly him!

Anyhow, we figured it out the same way, and believe me, my DH looked at this thing every which way from Sunday to try amd prove that it was a bad purchase. What he ultimately came up with was that if you went to WDW every other year at the very least, it was a good investment. He took into account the inflation rates etc, the room rates(we stayed at a moderate or higher when we stayed at regular resorts),even the cost of food etc. The bottom line is that it works for folks who like WDW and wil go there at least every other year. It's not as good of a deal for trading out, but it is "do-able". I like having the bigger space than a normal hotel room, I like having the washer.dryer...I can pack less and it doesn't bother me to throw in a couple of loads of wash,I like having the kitchen, as we can relax over an easy breakfast(toast,English muffins etc)and not have to rush out somewhere to get breakfast(how nice it is to sit on your deck with a cup of coffee!!). We don't do regular meals in the room, but it could be a money-saver for those of you with families...there are lots of easy things to make(mac & cheese, frozen pizzaetc)that could translate into some fair savings.

Perhaps it's not the soundest financial decision...I' sure if someone looked hard enough, they could find some sort of savings vehicle that would make their money "work" harder for them or whatever, but it's not always about money and the enjoyment we've derived and the memories we've made are priceless.

 

[DVCPAT]

DVC is a great deal for the Disney consumer. We just returned from our first visit to Disney's Hilton Head Resort. It was a very nice surprise, we enjoyed it more than Disney's Vero Beach Resort.

Disney's HH provides a "Marina type" atmosphere with access to 18' - 90' boat slips. The pier leads to boutique shops and restaurants.

Disney's private beach house is located about a mile away providing access to the ocean. You can drive over or take Disney's shuttle bus service. A bike path takes you "under" the main highway Rt.278 so you can give the kids some freedom traveling around the gated resorts and riding on the beach is permitted.

The downside is DVC can get addictive. Once your family experience's a great multi-resort vacation, you want to purchase an add-on contract for additional points!

 

[MickeyCrazed]

Before I became a DVC member, I could barely afford to pay for one trip per year in a deluxe resort.
As a DVC member, we have been averaging 2 trips per year.
Seems like a good deal to me.

Gotta love my DVC and my APs!

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Originally posted by Richyams
Oh yeah, I forgot, I could sell my points for about 40% profit!!!!!

Thanks for that information, Rich. Glad you did the math!!!
I feel really smart now. LOL

 

[kathleena]

We have been owners since 2000 and wish we had bought sooner. I agree with some of the prior posters - that if you go regularly, stay in moderate or better - that you get the best benefits.

We find that the cost savings on food alone can be well worth it, not to mention the convenience of the kitchen and laundry facilities. We plan some trips with very little meals/snacks eaten out of the room. Last trip, for two adults, our total food bill was $250 and that included a dinner and breakfast at Boma and the Mother's Day brunch, the only times we ate WDW food - everything else was in the room.

And we only take two days of clothes, so the packing is easy and airport issues are small.

And then there is the jacuzzi, the king bed, the flexibility room size and on how many people and never having to wait for a Disney deal.....

One thing that may be peculiar to us - I love the parks, but my husband can take them or leave them. Vacations were different before DVC! Now we can have the golf rates off-season (April-Dec). Once he could golf those beautiful disney courses for $40 a round - he was sold. Now he asks to go to Disney....... Hopefully that golf program sticks around.

Having said all that, it can be really an individual perception of "value". For us, the perception is that it is a value - maybe not strictly by the dollars, but certainly for the convenience and amenities.

 

[Pinnie]

Like almost everyone here, we dance the "Kick ourself for not doing it sooner" two-step". We looked into it back in 1996, but with 2 kids on the way to college in the very near future, we didn't buy in. WIth the last DS in college, we bought in 2002 (and did an add on after our first trip "home") and absolutely LOVE it.

While I USED to say, "I will never cook while on vacation" I ate my words last week! We combined points with our best friend and shared a 2 bedroom at Vero Beach and OKW. Cooking with friends was an evening of entertainment in itself. We had a blast making dinner together!

Like others here, we are going down more often, and getting the most out of 4 day weekends. We purchase an AP and feel that we get MORE than our use out of it.

We are thrilled with our purchase and are excitedly looking forward to a lot of good times with family and friends.

pin

 

[CaptainMidnight]

I think the earlier people got in, the better the deal DVC is. I think the comparision with some of the recent discounts makes DVC less of a deal than it used to be. The current price per point does seem pretty high. We sure enjoy the wonderful accomodations and vacation experiences we are able to enjoy. Good luck with your decision.

 

[lsyorke]

I have to reiterate the "I wish I'd done this sooner". We bought in 2001. We have made three trips already with the extended family(7 all together!) I never could have afforded this if paying cash. If I take the rack rate for all the trips I'm close to breaking even already!!
The main draw for me is NO LITTLE HOTEL ROOMS !! I love the space the DVC give you.

 

[jaysue]

We love Disney/WDW, we plan to go to Florida at least once per year and include WDW in those plans, we have two young kids and it is a great way to get DH to go on vacation on a regular basis

We also like cooking in our own unit and having the washer and dryer allows us to take fewer clothes and pack lighter

Finally, by going more often we take a relaxed attitude towards the parks which makes things so much easier

We also like the space - like 1,000 sq ft for a 1BR at OKW for example

By all means, if you can get SOG discounts, DVC would not make sense or if you were willing to stay offsite near WDW, the #'s would be hard to work as well.

Thanks
jaysue

 

[bunnymkc]

like everyone else wish we would have bought sooner..we have enjoyed our time at all the DVC resorts and even used the points for a Yacht club stay that was absolutly out of this world..you know anyone can make an arugement against buying the "TIMESHARE" as we are all used to the bad reputation that timeshares have but there is only one reason in my books (I used to sell timeshares in PR) to buy one and mine was that I love Disney and wanted to make some wonderful memories with my family there and DVC allows me to do that..no worrying about how much it will cost,any discounts we could get etc..we just pick a resort and go..BCV for the great pool and the closeness to EPCOT,BWV for just the sheer fun of the BW,VWL for the wonderful atmosphere that can only be found there and lets not forget the LOBBY,OKW for the feel of coming home,VB for the OCEAN and the fun there,HH sorry to say haven't been yet but something to look forward to .. there is not one thing that I regret about buying our DVC but let me say it again WE SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT SOONER!!we have been going 2-3 times a year since 97 ,sometimes just the 2 of us,with our family ,sometimes with our best friends and this year are going in Nov in a GV at OKW 8 ADULTS 4 CHILDREN..can't wait..we have memories that are truly priceless and just smile when people say "what you are going to DISNEY again" those people can never understand and never will cause they are always looking for the CATCH..THERE IS NONE (IMHO)Marianne

 

[Zurg]

ahhh... did this thread move to the DVC board from the debate board? or do I have daja vu?

 

[CaptainMidnight]

Originally posted by jaysue

.... having the washer and dryer allows us to take fewer clothes and pack lighter...

...Finally, by going more often we take a relaxed attitude towards the parks which makes things so much easier...

Great points. It is a big change in how one vacations at WDW as a DVC member given some of the advantages. Hard to put a price on those.

 

[ncligs]

Originally posted by Zurg
ahhh... did this thread move to the DVC board from the debate board? or do I have daja vu?

Yes it did move.............

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by Zurg
ahhh... did this thread move to the DVC board from the debate board? or do I have daja vu?

Yes, you have deja vu all over again.

Since this is a topic discussed on this board on a daily basis and since it was never stated as a debate, it's where it belongs.

Enjoy!

 

[Zurg]

Then there is vu deja - the strange feeling this hasn't happened before.

 

[CK1]

After running numbers a few months ago when we paid up our DVC, I thought to myself, "It wasn't a bargain -- but it was necessary." By that I mean, yes, we could have found cheaper ways to vacation, even at WDW... but we WOULDN'T have. THere would always be some reason not to, waiting for some perfect time, or a cheaper "code" or whatever... and when we would go, I KNOW we would be in a moderate at best -- the word moderate is pretty much us, to a tee. And we would go alone... I know my family (except for my DVC sister) would not coordinate a trip there with us, nor would they let us house them. And without DVC -- we wouldn't offer to do so, anyway!! Too pricey.
And so, I looked at DVC as wonderful, yes, glad I have it , DEFINITELY -- but not a bargain.

BUt the "value" issue sometimes can be debated, though. Recently a good friend returned from a trip to WDW with her 3 kids (their kids are exact same ages as ours). They stayed at POR, a nice WDW moderate. She said... "NEVER AGAIN." At night, she said they were all on top of each other, and her 2 yr old was bouncing off the walls, waking them all up (or keeping them from ever going to sleep!) And I sit and imagine my crew in a room only situation -- no washer, no dryer, no family room... no kitchen to fix a leisurely b'fast or late snack... no freezer to prepare the next day's water and juice bottles for the parks -- egad, I think! Like regressing to the Dark Ages for me now!

Right now I'm helping bil/sil select a resort for all 8 of us to stay for a few nights prior to our big BWV stay, courtesy of our DVC membership. He can get great deals off-site, but gee, then there's the whole transportaion issue, being off-site, etc. ANd to get even close to what DVC provides in an on-site room --- well, you may as well pay cash (and get a DVC discount) on a 2br villa. A 2 br villa at BCV (if it can be had) with DVC discount is a much better deal than 2 rooms at BC or YC.

It all boils down to what you want out of vacation -- me, I want to actually TAKE a vacation (not spend the rest of my life doing the World Tour For Peace visiting family in very non-descript locales). I want to relax -- not total commando. I want to know that I can be pampered and dine out in style, or cook a grilled cheese and sip a beer in peace! And I want room for all, and for all their own room... I am not a sardine. And I want Disney. I love that Mouse, as crazy as that sounds -- I'm a kid at heart. DH likes action -- he's not a plop on the beach get a tan kinda guy. DVC provides all this,and so for that reason, bargain by financial spreadsheets or not, we don't care -- we got what we paid for, what we wanted, and that I guess makes it a "deal" for us!

(I just wish we had a bigger piece of the deal and the spare time to use it....)

 

[rriley25]

Excellent post! It fits us to a tee. DVC is the best WDW value available and is surprisingly affordable for those that visit yearly or more often. Who wants to run to a food court at midnight? Who wants to go to sleep at 8 or 9 PM because your small child has crashed after a day at the parks? Who wants to drag all kinds of luggage through the airports because your vacation is longer than 7 days? DVC takes care of all of these concerns. DVC and AP's. The only way to do WDW.

 

[Lisa F]

DVC is NOT an investment. If you think you're doing it as an investment, then you're buying in for the wrong reasons. DVC is about as much of an investment as a car is. With a car, you buy it because you want to use it and enjoy it and it will reach the end of its useful life and it will be over. DVC is the same way. It makes me cringe when I hear people say that DVC is "not a good investment" because to me, an investment is something that you intend to at least try to make a profit on.

DVC is a way of prepaying your vacations for the next 40 years. When we bought into DVC we compared the cost, including interest paid, to an AP rate at the boardwalk inn. At the time it was $169/night + tax in january (or $189/night). We can get a studio, counting weekend points (which are higher) for an average of under $75/night (including principle + interest + dues) in January, September, October, November, and December (minus the holidays, of course). In the first half of february, entire month of May, first half of June and last 2 weeks of august, our average cost based on a weekly stay is under $92/night. In the 2nd half of february, March, April, end of June, all of July, 1st half of august and over thanksgiving, our average cost for a week in a studio is $95/night. For christmas, new year's and easter, our average cost is under $135/night, though show me how you can spend christmas with extended family and check in to a Disney property resort a couple of days before NYE and pay anything less than rack rates, which were over $400/night with tax last time I checked (which was 3 years ago).

BTW, "deeply discounted" rooms at BWI right now are $204/night + tax, which is $225/night. My dues have gone up by a few pennies per point and since I rounded up by a couple of dollars in all of my "nightly rates" above are still an accurate reflection of what I am paying, 4 years after buying in. So you tell me, am I coming out better financially?

Lisa

 

[Zurg]

Zurg stands and applauds CK1.

Lisa we differ on the definition of investment but that is fine. I think we very much agree on what we get from DVC.

To me an investment is something you buy expecting a return.

In the case of DVC the return isn't a profit but a lower cost for all the returns CK1 spoke about. The fact is in our family's case we get a lot more back than we expected. DVC is a lot better than moderate and that is where we were and would be.

So in exchange for putting on the golden hand cuffs Dean talked about we get a much cooler place to stay for a lower invest.. er... um... capital out lay. (how was that Lisa - better then the I word? )

 

[Lisa F]

Hee Zurg, i said it drives me nuts when people call it a "bad investment" and compare to "real" investments. I will not argue that there are a bunch of intangibles that make your life a heck of a lot better with DVC, but if you are thinking about it as an "investment" the you're a lot more likely to be disappointed. Kind of like saying that buying a new volvo is a good investment. You don't buy a new car because you expect a monetary return on your initial cash outlay. In fact, you can pretty much kiss that money goodbye. But if you enjoy driving in comfort and luxury andthink it's worth it for the safety features then you're certainly gotten your money's worth out of your purchase (which to me, is different than making a good investment, which involves retaining your principal plus some profit). I definately agree that the value is there and that you are making an "emotional investment" into your future vacations, but those who say it's a "bad investment" because you don't retain your principal really don't get that it's not an "investment" in the same way buying a car is not an "investment."

Lisa