Is DVC right for my family?

[Katie Little]

I realize that's a loaded question because at the end of the day only my husband and I could answer it, but I'd like opinions from the experts.

For now it's just me and the hubs, but there will likely be a baby in the next year or two. In the past, we've traveled as a couple and a standard room at a value or moderate has been perfect. We love the dining plan and we always stay for 1 week because we're coming from VA and usually drive to save a little money on the flight.

That said, On our most recent trip we took my 69 year old father on his very first vacation ever. It was so magical and he was such a ham that we've decided that he's coming on our next Disney trip, and hopefully more. So now we need a family suite or separate room (I mean - I love my dad, but he snores and has to have the TV on to sleep and I ain't having it.)

When this whole baby thing happens, we plan to bring both sets of grandparents on our yearly trips (separate trips/years so 4 adults 1 kid each trip). We also hope to foot the bill as often as we can.

Here is my current pro/con list - are there any other pros or cons I'm missing? After reading about our vacation style what are your thoughts? Go for it? Or maybe wait a couple years?

Pro-
-You own a deeded piece of Disney World.
-Super awesome resorts that we typically couldn't afford.
-A more relaxed vacation style for our future baby and grandparents.
-Guaranteed Disney vacations every year. Although, it physically hurts when we are not at Disney so I'm pretty sure that's already guaranteed.
-I have a dream of gifting someone a Disney vacation one day and this would make that easier.

Con -
-Continuing to get the dining plan would negate the point of the full kitchen so we wouldn't be taking advantage of all benefits.
-We don't know what the future holds. I know it holds Disney - that's not going to change. But sometimes couples can't get pregnant and babies don't happen and even if everything goes according to plan, it can still change in an instant.
-Even though I know DVC is better than every other time share, is it just the best of a bad situation?
-We could probably just invest the $20k DVC would cost us and go to Disney on the interest - but I know my husband would never ever pay the rack rate for the deluxe resorts even if we had that kind of money (honestly - Idk if I could either just because the cheaper options are nice too).

 

[RoseGold]

It sounds like you are getting ahead of yourself. You are going from your dad’s first vacation ever (what???) to locking him into WDW every single year? That’s a lot for most people. Maybe they don’t even want to do it — I know my parents don’t!

You don’t even have your kids yet. You don’t know how school schedules or their personality or whatever will go. SLOW DOWN.

Ignore the deeded piece of WDW, or guaranteed trip, or whatever. That’s the kind of thing they say in a sales pitch. This is a prepaid hotel room. I actually do think you’d be a good candidate for a small resale contract right now, even if you only use it every other year. Buy a little poly/SSR and stay in a normal hotel room, they call it a studio. This will be slightly cheaper than what you are used to, especially with the free parking perk. Not life changing cheap, and still expensive, but cheaper and better.

You don’t have to use every single available thing to get your money’s worth. I bet no one on this board has any idea where any of the gyms are. I never cook at WDW.

I would not be going all in on hundreds of points right now. DVC is not going anywhere, take your time.

 

[cometdad2010]

I'll weigh in. You're right in that this isn't a decision anyone can make for you, but you're smart to get all the advice you can. My wife and I have two kids (10 and 1 -- we tried for nine years for our second!), and DVC seemed like a good investment for us because:
a) we plan to take at least an every-other-year WDW vacation
b) we like the convenience of the suites -- separate bedrooms, full kitchen, more space
c) we bought into the emotional component and wanted to be "owners" of a part of Disney
When we took our first family trip to WDW in 2015, we rented points from a friend and stayed at Boardwalk. My wife had only stayed in the value resorts before, and I had only stayed off-property. We were blown away and loved it. I don't mind being off property, and actually, we did a second week at Universal and Seaworld that trip and stayed at the Hilton Grand Vacations resort near Seaworld. I highly recommend it, and if my wife wasn't insistent on staying on Disney property, that's probably what we'd always plan to do. It was a similar setup to a DVC suite and CRAZY inexpensive... like $800 for the week in late July/early August.
We're planning our second family trip for October 2021 to coincide with WDW's 50th anniversary and my MIL's 50th birthday. We decided this is the time to buy; we're finally in a financial position where we can afford a Disney trip more frequently. I watched these forums and the listings for nearly a year before we put in an offer on a resale contract. We just passed ROFR and are waiting to close... now we're looking at second contracts, anticipating that the borrowing restrictions will be in place next year and may affect our plans.
If you're planning to buy resale, take your time -- there are new contracts coming daily -- and know what you want before you start looking. Have a concrete idea of the UY you want, the resort you want for your home, and the points you need (including if any are banked/borrowed/spent), etc.

Good luck! If this is a road you decide to go down, now or in the future... these boards will become your best resource!

 

[i<3riviera]

͏

 

[CastAStone]

-We could probably just invest the $20k DVC would cost us and go to Disney on the interest - but I know my husband would never ever pay the rack rate for the deluxe resorts even if we had that kind of money (honestly - Idk if I could either just because the cheaper options are nice too).

If you buy direct, yes, that's very possible. If you buy a contract on the resale market you'll pay generally 60% of the direct price AND for almost all resorts you will beat putting that money into a savings account and vacationing on the interest unless you are firmly committed to staying in 2 rooms at values (and not in the value suites).

Frankly if you can afford to pay the upfront costs with cash, you do sound like a good candidate to me. Will you save money with a resale DVC contract vs getting 2 rooms at a value hotel? No. Vs 2 rooms at a moderate with the typical discounts? Maybe a smidge. But like you indicated the accomodations are very different and will suit your growing family. Make sure you understand the room types; for 1 Bedrooms, only Riviera and Saratoga Springs have 2 real beds (Saratoga Springs is in the midst of a renovation installing them now), everything else has pull out couches - you or your dad may not want that.

You don't have to make every meal in your room to get your moneys worth. DDP doesn't cover every meal on a trip anyway unless you buy the ultra deluxe package (and even then you're a day short). We eat breakfast in our room most days, and when we've stayed in DVC rooms or offsite properties with kitchenettes, we get to eat something warm, or cereal, or whatever. Just having a fridge big enough to stick a giant pack of water bottles is a big win to me

Good luck!

 

[crisi]

So here are some of the issues I see....

Your Dad is 69 and you don't have kids yet. In another ten years, he likely will be FAR less mobile and much less likely to want to be at Disney (for reference, my parents are 75 and 77 and my mother in law is 82 - you are on the verge of him aging quickly. I hope he is running marathons when he is in his 80s, but be realistic).

You don't have kids yet. Once we decided to have kids, it was three years before our first arrived via adoption (which is expensive) after fertility treatments (which are expensive). The second was then a surprise and arrived six months after the first.

Which is the next point - children are AMAZINGLY expensive. Two babies in daycare twenty one years ago was $1400 a month. And they don't really ever get cheaper - you think that once daycare gets less expensive and finally goes away you'll have money again, but there are sports and piano and dance costumes. And kids add to your vacation expenses really quickly - when they are little, they are as close to free at Disney as you can get. And then suddenly you are buying $1600 worth of park tickets for the trip. Don't forget that babies become teens with car insurance and then need to go to college.

You are talking about buying to treat three other adults - how far is treating them going to go and how bought into this are you? We've bought plane and park tickets and paid dining expenses when our retired parents go - their fixed income doesn't stretch to Disney vacations. That quickly becomes a very expensive vacation.

Disney gets more expensive every year, and our incomes really haven't kept up. Park tickets and food still need to be paid for - and the cost of those things at Disney has gone up far faster than inflation.

Once you have kids, you may decide that driving from Virginia with kids in the car is a big hassle. Airfare for a family of four - and then possibly another three grandparents - is also going to get pricey.

Sit down and do a timeline and do both a vacation budget and a life budget. Be realistic - if anything overestimate your costs of a Disney vacation in ten years with kids. Know what kids are going to cost you. Know how likely you are to get raises in your careers. Will kids mean a bigger house? Look ten years into the future (longer and it becomes really hard to see). Some people at your stage in life are already financially well off, and at a point in their careers where they will get financially better off. Others are struggling with student loans, in jobs where wage growth is relatively stagnant.

(By the way - interest on $20k a year at 6% is $1200. You can't go to Disney on that. And that doesn't factor in inflation. The next year you'll still get $1200 out of that account - assuming you can get 6% - and the next year Disney will be 5-10% more expensive)

 

[zavandor]

A lot of good advice already. I would like to add that with DVC there is NEVER (ever ever) the free dining plan included, if you're hoping for that.
Not many members buy it, as eating the occasional meal in the room and booking only the restaurants you really want and order what you really want (an appetizer and no dessert? Share a main? Go for it!) is both more flexible and cheaper.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

I would never be one to tell someone not to buy DVC, as someone who has bought 2 contracts in the past 7 months lol. I know not everyone does it, but I wouldn't buy it if you don't have the cash on hand. Basically, I view DVC as a discount on your accommodations for the length of your contract, if used correctly. Some may argue that this isn't the case, but for the level of accommodations you get with DVC, if you are planning on staying in deluxe rooms anyway, it is a discount. Plus, you pay 2020 prices when by the time your contract would expire in 22-48 years depending on which home resort you buy, inflation over the years will be substantial for rack rates on rooms and even on point rentals. Anyway, you lose out on a good portion of those savings by financing.

Regarding buying direct, you would have to really break it down financially. We bought 2 resale contracts, one at PVB for $108 less per point than direct, one at BWV for $50 less per point than direct. However, if you are planning on buying annual passes every year, the Platinum pass is about $350 more than the Gold pass. So, over the course of time, you'll eat up a lot of the savings on that if you plan to get AP's.

There is no right answer and as you mentioned, you and your husband will do what is best for your family. Whereas timeshares are concerned, DVC is one that will hold its value, but I would not look at it as an "investment". I hope this helps, and you are going to get a lot of great information on this board (you already have in posts above). Good luck, and no matter what, remember it is your decision and don't let anyone else influence you in a way that does not coincide with what you want!

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC is expensive. Disney is expensive on top of the DVC expense. We bought our first points in 1997 at $50 a point direct from Disney and were both very established in our careers with one child (he was our only one). The price of points right now is obscene. If for some reason we need some cash in the future, we'll sell one of our contracts and make money on the sale. Disney has to be the greatest con-artist there is. They give you magic beans and you hand over your money. As a young couple you undoubtedly have expenses that will only increase as life goes on. You buy a house, you get a new car, the baby comes and needs medical attention, day care, private school, house is too small and you need a bigger one, another baby arrives on the scene, job requires relocation, school intramural sports and athletics get in the way of summer funtime.

 

[davidl81]

I

I bet no one on this board has any idea where any of the gyms are. I never cook at WDW.

I think you may be surprised by how many of us actually know where and use the gyms on property

 

[davidl81]

So my wife and I bought into DVC at the age of 28 a few years before we had any kids. Bought direct AKV points at first for I think 105 a point or so for 160 points. We have been extremely happy with the purchase. We have added on several times since then as we had kids and took bigger trips etc though.

I would say that if I was buying new today I would most likely get resale at SSR just from a cost perspective. You really have a big upfront cost difference from direct and resale and it has become harder and harder to make the math work out on making up that difference in value.

Also here is why I think buying a resale contract is not a bad idea. Let's say you buy a 200 point SSR contract at $98 point plus closing etc. You will be into the contract for about 21k all in. So you keep it for 2-3 years and decide that it is not working out for you. You take a few trips from it so let's just say your dues are covered by what you would have spent on deluxe rooms (math wise the cash price of deluxe rooms is a lot higher than what you would have paid on dues but I digress). Now you just want to sell because life has changed. Well those SSR points will still be worth close to the $98 a point you paid for them (DVC has historically increased in resale cost year over year except for major economic downturns). So you resale and really you are out the 6% commission and the first closing cost of $1000 plus or minus. So maybe you lose $2,000 or so (depending on what you get for resale, we can't predict the future here). But buying resale does protect you to some extent if you do jump out of the program quickly. Buying direct makes that math look a lot worse as if you buy RIV at $170 a point we may only get $130 or so resale (only a few RIV resales to go buy), but losing $40 a point on a 200 point contract is still fairly large 8k hit.

 

[TonyCnLV]

i'll echo what a few people said above and say that your pros and cons list, although good, is a very emotional pros and cons list, and in my mind your list should be about money. The financial aspect of DVC from the initial buy in, your annual dues, whether youre financing your contract or paying up front in cash are all important VS what you'd really spend at future vacations. You mentioned a lot about your father and then possible children ad needing family suites in the future, but is that going to be every year? I would really make a pros and cons list about the financial aspect of DVC and look at people's spreadsheets they've made of cost of time. Same with buying direct vs resale and what benefits you think you really need vs savings of resale.

I just had to throw that out there as i recently purchased DVC, resale, and paid my cost up front as for our family it only made sense if i could pay off the initial buy in in cash.

 

[SG131]

It definitely seems like you could be a good fit for DVC. There are a lot of pieces to the equation and it seems like your just starting to dip your toe in. The first question is are you considering direct or resale. I think you would do well with SSR or RIV (though I wouldn't touch RIV with a 10 foot pole because of resale restrictions) since their one bedroom units have the murphy bed in the living room. Having the kitchen is a benefit, but I wouldn't say its a big deal if you don't take advantage of that particular perk. Though the dining plan almost never works out to be worth purchasing anyway so I would evaluate what you spend on food to make sure its worth it before you buy it again.

Even if kids don't happen, if your father is on board to come regularly then I could see it making sense. I would definitely speak to him and see his interest level. My mom at age 69 was so interested that she bought into DVC as well when I did. She enjoys coming with or without kids. Right now there are great deals on the resale market. The most important thing is to do the math. See what you would spend on resort rooms verses a dvc contract and where the break even point is. If you usually stay in value rooms and need to finance, it will take much longer for you to break even.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I DO NOT think you should buy DVC with the intent of always having any extended family travel with you - you just don't know where their proprieties will lie. Not this year with COVID, not next year and beyond because it is too far out. Plan for your own family and expect for any extended family to stay somewhere else.

I will say we passed on DVC for years because we were a family of 4 and pretty darned happy in a moderate studio. If we had felt the need to be in a Deluxe that would have swayed the math for us. Then we became a family of 5, then did a stay in a 1br suite at AoA. Well now we NEED that! The trip was so much better with the added bedroom and the added bath. With DVC 1 BRs you also get a FULL kitchen and laundry. Well, let me tell you, now we really need THAT! We saved so much $$ on just being able to have breakfast (and dinner with the shorter hours right now). And taking home suitcases full of CLEAN clothes, not to mention packing less since we do have laundry facilities? Priceless.

It's a personal thing though - if you really love DDP (study up on that - could be it's not a good value for you) and you REALLY can't see cooking any meals, then the kitchen isn't going to appeal to you. DO write a spreadsheet and figure in appreciation in room rates vs. a much smaller appreciation in Maintenance fees. See where you stand once all that is considered.

Finally, I will say this - we WOULD NOT have done our recent trip if we had not had DVC. Our room was paid for, we weren't getting Maintenance fees back, it didn't make any sense to cancel and try and figure out how to use the points in the future. If we had been staying anywhere else our room likely would have been cancelled for us and we would not have gone through the trouble of trying to move to a different resort - we would have cancelled for sure. SO glad we went! That, to me, is the biggest benefit of DVC. Our trip is planned almost a year in advance and we ARE going, every year. It forces us to take a break, and boy did we need it this year!

 

[BennyBoyWrench]

Do you have a spare $20k?
Do you love Walt Disney World?

If both answers to these questions are YES then DVC is right for you and your family.

 

[crisi]

Do you have a spare $20k?
Do you love Walt Disney World?

If both answers to these questions are YES then DVC is right for you and your family.

Does a timeshare work for you and your family - can you plan at least seven months out with much stricter cancellation penalties than paying cash? Do you understand and can you live with banking/borrowing and point expiration rules? Are you ok with staying at your home resort or, if booking after seven months, at whatever resort has availability - which is frequently not going to be your first choice resort - and if you wait long enough, may not be any resort at all? Are you OK with studios (in most resorts) being a Queen bed and a pullout - and having to get a two bedroom (usually) to get two real beds? Are you OK with not getting into your room until after 4 and no late checkout and no daily housekeeping (or are willing to pay for daily housekeeping)? Are you OK with less frequent room refreshes and getting a room that is definitely "worn?" Do you understand availability - that studios at high demand resorts are difficult to get inside seven months - and often two bedrooms and GVs as well, that from October through Mid-January are high demand DVC times where getting the room you want may be impossible even at eleven months (BWV Standard view studios during F&W)? Are you fine when DVCers are not included in deals like "free dining?" Are you OK with concierge being functionally not available to DVC members (a few concierge rooms are available at VAKL - demand is MUCH higher than supply)? Do you understand that you are only entitled to what you are contracted to get, and that DVC can and has changed the perks, the points charts, and even how some of the rules are interpreted - that in cases like what is happening with Covid not everyone will come out whole and many of us will pay dues on points we never had an opportunity to use - and throwing $1200 in dues down the drain is ok with you?

(By the way, I'm fine with all of the above. But in the interest of making an informed decision, this is what it is. A timeshare needs to work for you - and cash is way more flexible)

 

[Upatnoon]

Here's my 2 cents.

You own a deeded piece of Disney World
You could also buy a share of Disney stock and own the company.

-Super awesome resorts that we typically couldn't afford.
If you can't afford deluxe resorts, can you afford a timeshare with never-ending maintenance fees plus the upfront cost?

-A more relaxed vacation style for our future baby and grandparents.
Disney vacations relaxing? Not always so much with a baby. You may prefer to relax closer to home. Your future child may not like theme parks or traveling. Kids are sometimes like that.

-Guaranteed Disney vacations every year. Although, it physically hurts when we are not at Disney so I'm pretty sure that's already guaranteed.
Lodging is only one fraction of the cost of a Disney vacation. There are also tickets, transportation, food and souvenirs. Then there is the cost of taking time off from work or business.

-I have a dream of gifting someone a Disney vacation one day and this would make that easier.
You can gift someone a Disney vacation right now. Nothing is preventing you from fulfilling your dream. You could do it tomorrow. Now, if you say it's because you can't afford it, then can you afford to buy a timeshare?

 

[TonyCnLV]

Here's my 2 cents.

You own a deeded piece of Disney World
You could also buy a share of Disney stock and own the company.

-Super awesome resorts that we typically couldn't afford.
If you can't afford deluxe resorts, can you afford a timeshare with never-ending maintenance fees plus the upfront cost?

-A more relaxed vacation style for our future baby and grandparents.
Disney vacations relaxing? Not always so much with a baby. You may prefer to relax closer to home. Your future child may not like theme parks or traveling. Kids are sometimes like that.

-Guaranteed Disney vacations every year. Although, it physically hurts when we are not at Disney so I'm pretty sure that's already guaranteed.
Lodging is only one fraction of the cost of a Disney vacation. There are also tickets, transportation, food and souvenirs. Then there is the cost of taking time off from work or business.

-I have a dream of gifting someone a Disney vacation one day and this would make that easier.
You can gift someone a Disney vacation right now. Nothing is preventing you from fulfilling your dream. You could do it tomorrow. Now, if you say it's because you can't afford it, then can you afford to buy a timeshare?

This is a good call out and kind of what i was aiming at. the pros list are intangibles that to me have nothing to do with DVC. I'm glad you sort of addressed that with alternatives that make the pros less appealing. I'm all for people buying DVC so i hope @Katie doesn't get discouraged, but your pros list should be things that outweigh a $20k investment, not necessarily emotional triggers of buying DVC. I like that you brought these up

 

[CarolynFH]

I have to echo what many others have said - think long and hard about this. Our $20K in 1997 got us a week in a 2-bedroom at BWV for Thanksgiving. The points charts have changed a bit, and that week costs a few more points now, but still doable. What will $20K get you today? Especially at Riviera, it won't get much, so you definitely need to look at the points charts for all the resorts and consider resale.

We were very fortunate - my parents loved travel and owned several timeshares, so we got to travel with them and show our kids other parts of the US and weren't restricted to Disney vacations. There's something to be said for not locking yourselves in to Disney!

 

[RoseGold]

This is a good call out and kind of what i was aiming at. the pros list are intangibles that to me have nothing to do with DVC.

I agree. While I respect this is an emotional decision for some, especially when it is inherited, I don't make five figure emotional decisions. Most of the pros could be achieved booking a Little Mermaid room every year, or even renting points.

The problem is that you can't buy for both for a good value for one week hotel rooms AND plan bring grandma and grandpa for two weeks of the year. And who has that much vacation anyway?

This board could talk you through your options and the best choices for you, but right now you have two incompatible scenarios that may or may not happen. This is not something I would make five figures worth of commitment to. I do think buying for your needs right now makes sense, and you can always add more DVC later. Heck, I have four contracts! If you sketched out what you love about WDW, your budget goals, and when you travel, these boards can be very helpful in finding the right fit for you.