Is DVC worth buying into when you live close to Disney World?

[Kimmierose93]

Hello Everyone! My husband and I have been looking at buying into DVC for the past couple years. We are finally moving to Orlando this year though! My question is.... is it worth being part of DVC when you live so close to Disney World? When I say close, I mean within 30 minutes. We are getting Florida resident annual passes, so we'll most likely be there almost every weekend! I know DVC has added perks, and you can go other places with your points, but for the most part, we planned on using our points for WDW resorts. I guess we're worried about the resorts losing their magic when we live so close and go so often. Opinions?

 

[CarolMN]

Can't answer for you, but if I lived that close, the answer would be no. Living so close, I'd most likely get a resident pass that includes parking (like you) and sleep at home almost all of the time.

If I wanted to stay on property, I'd either take advantage of a Florida resident discount or perhaps rent a DVC reservation. I'd want to be more spontaneous / flexible about when I wanted to go. Even if I thought going in that I'd be there a lot, I think I'd soon cut back - have to have SOME time to take care of my non-Disney life, LOL.

 

[MooseBucks]

It’s a personal decision but being that close I probably wouldn’t buy in. If you do maybe go for fewer points and see how it goes.

 

[CraigInPA]

I can't see what you'd gain by buying DVC if you're only 30 minutes away, have an AP, and aren't interested in Disney locations other than at WDW.

 

[BillPA]

I can see having a small, +/-100 points to book a night here and there so you don't have to drive home late in the crazy rush to exit the parks after closing.

 

[Ben E N]

An important piece to consider is your vacationing habits. Are you comfortable booking your room 7-11 months out, and do the deluxe resorts interest you enough that you would feel like you are missing out if you don't stay there?
My wife's uncle is in a similar position as you, and he and his wife are Disney bonkers (they have named all of their pets after Disney characters, for example). Because he didn't want to book 7 months out, I advised against him buying DVC.

 

[Networth]

We have lived about 2-2.5 hours away all of our lives (Grew up in S. Florida, now live in N. Florida). We enjoy having DVC, some times we will take day trips where we just drive back, but often don’t feel like spending 4-5 hours in the car between going and coming. So we plan a weekend trip and one yearly big trip where we use the points. That said 30 minutes away is pretty close and I doubt I would of bought in at that distance, as other have stated just use FL rates to book whatever room is available. Some times the availability is limited but better than DVC.

One other word of caution I have known numerous friends and family who loved Disney, they than moved much closer to Orlando and began going multiple times a week, or every weekend. Many grew very tired of Disney. My cousin who went to UCF for 4 years went very often, it took him a good 8-10 years once he had kids to find a real desire to go back. Not saying this will be you just a word of warning about going every weekend. You may become hypercritical and after time burned out on the Mouse.

Welcome to Florida (the gators are not as bad as the media portrays, just stay out of the lakes...)!

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

It's a personal choice....but I would say no. I would think living that close you wouldn't be planning your visits that far in advance. Last minute availability is almost non-existent so deciding on a Tuesday that you want to spend a last minute weekend stay-cation would be tough to book. Unless you are booking 7 months or more I think DVC is a bad idea in most cases. I also wouldn't buy with the backup plan to use the points outside WDW....the value you receive via the exchange such as cruises or RCI is never as good as when you use at DVC resorts.

I would say the only way it could make sense is if you wanted to book rooms for certain holidays. If you want to spend every NYE at BLT to watch the fireworks...or want to spend Xmas in a CCV cabin then I could see it working, as you would book these at the 11 month window. But I would still say to move to Orlando and wait a year to see how living that close to the Mouse actually is.

 

[MrPTato]

Are you going to be living in Orlando for a considerable amount of time? How big is your new place? I saw a thread the other day that someone lived about 15 minutes away and still loves her DVC. She invites friends/family down and stays there because she didn't have a lot of extra space in her condo. If it were me, I would probably just have a small contract being that close so I can spend a couple nights a year in a studio. You can also use those points at Aulani and Hilton Head.

 

[disneynutz]

Expect to go Disneynutz at first but after awhile, the honeymoon will be over. Same thing can happen to DVC owners, now we enjoy the simple things, the resorts, grounds, CM's, and sometimes we even go into the parks.

Bill

 

[DVC Fanatic]

I also think it is a personal decision, but I can answer from my perspective. I grew up in Orlando and my family had annual or season passes certain years. My wife and I intend to move back to the Orlando area once I retire from the military. We bought into DVC because of how much we love Disney and how much our 3 little ones enjoy it. One benefit you have is the parking at the resorts if you ever intend to stay on property. On rented or owned points you will not pay parking at the resorts, as you will if you pay cash directly to Disney on a Florida Resident rate. I think the real question is, do you intend to vacation at Disney or only visit on the weekends when you can drive home. We intend to still vacation at Disney and stay on property and just get away from our normal lives and house and worries. One recommendation I would make would to possibly stay on Friday and Saturday nights many times throughout the year. That would allow you to go to parks on a Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday while staying in DVC hotels and enjoying the resorts. Just a possible idea instead of driving back an forth to your home each day which sounds like an hour round trip without factoring in traffic. And if you live on the other side of Orlando, like I did growing up, the traffic can be horrendous, especially with the construction projects that never seem to end. It really sucks in my opinion trying to fight the traffic out after fireworks and then have to drive 30+ minutes to get home. Just my opinions.

 

[jarestel]

IMO, it would be way easier to book a WDW hotel room for the occasional overnight stay than to deal with dues and booking windows. For me personally, I'd have a hard time getting jazzed up to stay in a hotel, even Disney hotels, if I could just jump in the car and be home in 30 minutes or so.

 

[robinb]

Hello Everyone! My husband and I have been looking at buying into DVC for the past couple years. We are finally moving to Orlando this year though! My question is.... is it worth being part of DVC when you live so close to Disney World? When I say close, I mean within 30 minutes. We are getting Florida resident annual passes, so we'll most likely be there almost every weekend! I know DVC has added perks, and you can go other places with your points, but for the most part, we planned on using our points for WDW resorts. I guess we're worried about the resorts losing their magic when we live so close and go so often. Opinions?

IMO, it is not worth it if you're only 30 minutes away. The smallest contract that includes DVC owner perks will set you back a minimum of $11,325 for 75 points at OKW, plus another $504 per year in maintenance fees (which go up every year). If you don't want OKW, the contract will cost you even more. Add to the mix that weekends are often more expensive than weekdays, you're spending a lot for a couple of weekends. I guess if you are Deluxe resort people you *might* be able to break even over about 10-12 years if you would book a Deluxe resort for 2 weekends a year.

 

[zavandor]

Living nearby you'll be able to enjoy the parks at will. What's missing is enjoying the resorts and that is what DVC would allow you.
Book one night, checkin in the morning, change at the gym and enjoy the pool all day. Eat at the resort restaurant, check the fireworks from TOTW lounge, sleep, repeat next day. Don't even look at the parks. A small contract would give you many such short vacations in different resorts all over the year. I think it's a good idea.

 

[buzznina]

I would say no, because when we lived near WDW we would go "lets go to MK next week" etc. With DVC you really have to plan 7-11 months ahead of time for the popular resorts, if you did not care where you stayed and having DVC room openings dictate what Day(s) you could go, then it could work for you.

 

[motherof5]

Hello Everyone! My husband and I have been looking at buying into DVC for the past couple years. We are finally moving to Orlando this year though! My question is.... is it worth being part of DVC when you live so close to Disney World? When I say close, I mean within 30 minutes. We are getting Florida resident annual passes, so we'll most likely be there almost every weekend! I know DVC has added perks, and you can go other places with your points, but for the most part, we planned on using our points for WDW resorts. I guess we're worried about the resorts losing their magic when we live so close and go so often. Opinions?

Honestly I would save my money and go home every night since it's only 30 minutes. Have you decided yet?

 

[bwvBound]

An important piece to consider is your vacationing habits. Are you comfortable booking your room 7-11 months out, and do the deluxe resorts interest you enough that you would feel like you are missing out if you don't stay there?
My wife's uncle is in a similar position as you, and he and his wife are Disney bonkers (they have named all of their pets after Disney characters, for example). Because he didn't want to book 7 months out, I advised against him buying DVC.

Well, yeah ... but.

FWIW, I live about 90 minutes from Disneyland. We use our points at the Grand Cal with some frequency as we can snag "last minute" inventory. I expect that if one lived near WDW they would also pickup the odd night/s here and there just because they are available.

On the other hand, we chose to NOT purchase VGC when it first went on sale as we already owned SSR and didn't see ourselves booking the Grand Cal more than 7 months from travel. I mean, what local does that? We are spontaneous in our DL visits ... no particular plan, no pressure ... just "show up."

To to OP: I love our drive-to vacation destinations ... but just 30 minutes? I wouldn't buy except, perhaps, a small account for special holiday or celebration visits. We almost always stay overnight at/near Disneyland as I've hit that age where 90-minutes of night driving in SoCal traffic is beyond my patience. But just 30 minutes? Nah, I'm 30 minutes from Costco. I love Costco ... but I haven't considered buying a timeshare nearby. ;-)

 

[Ben E N]

Well, yeah ... but.

FWIW, I live about 90 minutes from Disneyland. We use our points at the Grand Cal with some frequency as we can snag "last minute" inventory. I expect that if one lived near WDW they would also pickup the odd night/s here and there just because they are available.

On the other hand, we chose to NOT purchase VGC when it first went on sale as we already owned SSR and didn't see ourselves booking the Grand Cal more than 7 months from travel. I mean, what local does that? We are spontaneous in our DL visits ... no particular plan, no pressure ... just "show up."

To to OP: I love our drive-to vacation destinations ... but just 30 minutes? I wouldn't buy except, perhaps, a small account for special holiday or celebration visits. We almost always stay overnight at/near Disneyland as I've hit that age where 90-minutes of night driving in SoCal traffic is beyond my patience. But just 30 minutes? Nah, I'm 30 minutes from Costco. I love Costco ... but I haven't considered buying a timeshare nearby. ;-)

Yeah the 30 minute piece is what made me think of those restrictions. You would only want to buy into DVC because you specifically want to stay at some select resorts, not to just have a place to crash. Because of that, some planning would be needed.

 

[kniquy]

The thing about DVC is that you have to plan ahead - usually 6+ months. I am guessing when you are in Orlando you would be traveling to the parks just as a last minute decision. If you like getaways once in awhile then i could see buying a small contract that could get you a few nights a year to use just as a splurge to stay on site, but it would require you to plan ahead. Being immersed in the resort/park magic is going to feel different compared to just visiting for the day. So with that i can see the benefit.

Buying and being so close could be a little benefit because you could take advantage of some last minute rooms with not having to plan/book flights, but then again anything last minute might be larger room sizes that will use up more of your points.

Maybe postpone purchasing. Get your move out of the way and then see how much you visit or see if you could envision yourself just hopping back to a resort and going to the park again the next day or just taking advantage of the amenities at the resort vs going home.

I would have to say if we moved close to the parks we would likely keep our contract and use it for little getaways and trying out different resorts. There are so many resorts that each visit could be something new to experience.

 

[aoconnor]

I grew up 50 minutes from WDW and we would still stay on property 1-2x a year. It's like a mini vacation to stay in the bubble for a few days!

That said, we did not go to the parks outside of those trips except maybe once a year. As others have said it is possible to get burned out/ lose some of the magic by going too often. I think limiting it to a handful of visits a year and occasionally staying on property-- making it a true escape-- can help preserve the magic