Is DVC worth it?

[disneynutz]

Important that you separate the enjoyment and excitement of a Disney vacation with the reality that owning DVC is nothing more than a possibly discounted hotel room. It might be less expensive to rent a reservation from an owner once you figure in your purchase costs and yearly dues. Plus if you decide that Disney isn't for you you don't have to pay a commission to sell your contract(s). The perks come a go and are restricted for resale buyers so don't count those.

Owning works for some and not for others, understanding the product, the pluses and minuses before you buy can be the difference between a satisfied owner and someone who is selling their contract.

Bill

 

[malba2366]

If this is the case, you can pretty much get them for free. My Aunt is trying to give us her Orlando timeshare for free, but we don't want it!

There is no circumstance where you could get a disney timeshare for free...even if you found someone that wanted to unload that badly Disney has the right of first refusal. Disney timeshares actually hold their value very well, and with the (conservative) assumptions that I may have to sell in the next 5 years and that I could clear 70% of my investment (after commissions) a BLT resale made financial sense to me after 3 7 day trips.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

LOL free is always good! Never turn down free stuff, LOL

If you check out the TUG boards,there is one forum called "bargain deals" or something like that. People will literally give their timeshares away for free.

DVC has been a bit of an anomaly in the timeshare world where the value has actually increased over time. That can't last forever of course.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

If you check out the TUG boards,there is one forum called "bargain deals" or something like that. People will literally give their timeshares away for free.

DVC has been a bit of an anomaly in the timeshare world where the value has actually increased over time. That can't last forever of course.

WOW Thanks!

 

[Oozma_Kappa]

There is no circumstance where you could get a disney timeshare for free...even if you found someone that wanted to unload that badly Disney has the right of first refusal. Disney timeshares actually hold their value very well, and with the (conservative) assumptions that I may have to sell in the next 5 years and that I could clear 70% of my investment (after commissions) a BLT resale made financial sense to me after 3 7 day trips.

Please reread. This had nothing to do with a disney timeshare.

 

[Oozma_Kappa]

DVC has been a bit of an anomaly in the timeshare world where the value has actually increased over time. That can't last forever of course.

This and the fact that I love staying on property are reasons I'm even considering a DVC, but want nothing to do with a "free" timeshare in Orlando.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

WOW Thanks!

Sure, no problem! Of course, just be careful you know what you are getting into when you buy something like that. Those timeshares are free for a reason. I've never used those boards so just make sure you're not getting scammed, but it seems like there are a lot of people there who can help you out.

I've also heard people buy timeshares on the cheap on eBay as well, but again I have no personal experience.

 

[ziravan]

Whatever they offer you on Sat will be a phone call away on Sun.

Or next week.

Or next month.

If you feel like you can't say no on Sat, that speaks much more to the sales pitch than the value.

Don't buy anything high on pixie dust. Get home from your vacation, spend a few weeks researching here, and if what you're offered on Sat ends up being best for you, call the guide and make the deal.

I can tell you right now, though, that what's best for the guide is for you to buy Poly or Aulani, and finance it. Odds are, that's not what's best for you.

 

[alisonslp]

Now, here we are 3 years and a couple trips later. We've revisited DVC now for the third time. In the beginning of March, we were a phone call away from buying into the Polynesian at $168/pt. Poly wasn't our first home resort choice and we expressed that to the guide who then suggested Aulani. We proceeded to tell him that we'd likely never visit it so that was out. Yeah both are super nice, but they're not "us". With all the ammo, info and pricing we had, I decided to hit "the boards" and do a little more digging. Once again, we didn't pull the trigger and we're glad because with the digging, we found resale. We decided that the "member perks" of buying direct really weren't of as much benefit to us as were the $$$ savings of buying resale. (We put in an offer of $88/pt at Animal Kingdom - our favorite and are just waiting to close now.)

One of the points that stuck with us when we bought (again, we didn't do it the right way. We were more on impulse) was that there were 2 couples at the presentation who had purchased in DVC when it first began. I can't remember how much they said points were - maybe $55? Anyway, at the time, the AKV were just about to rise to $106. I remember debating with my husband about how much they might rise in the coming years. Whether they truly would jump as high as quickly. 7.5 years later, the points are now $168 for the newest resort. It is just crazy. How much more can they possible rise? Now, granted rental points have not gone quite as high percentage wise but they are inching their way. When we bought, I think the rate was $9-10pp. Now it is 12-14 in general.

none of this means that DVC should be bought for an investment - it should not. Even if you were to rent out all your points. It should be bought because you like Disney and you want a nice easy way to book great vacations. Still interesting to look at though.

 

[pmaurer74]

My hubby said DVC is only worth it if you can pay upfront for it. (he's a math guy, LOL, so he ran the numbers) he said if you plan on paying it off then you more than likely won't start saving money until its paid off which could be 15 years from now. Now this was going by our numbers which would be if we were to buy into 1 of the monorail resorts and stay 1 week in a 1 bedroom, once a year...the number was outrageous to buy it retail. Then on top of that you have annual dues and then when you do vacation you still have to pay for the tickets and the cost of dining (which you would do at any resort), but my hubby was more concerned about the annual dues, he said they were twice as expensive as some of the other time share places were. We are starting to explore options with timeshares and DVC is out because its just too expensive, but there is a lot of information to have to process and take in and once, lol.

keep in mind that DVC tends to hold its value unlike other timeshares. That makes DVC unique.

 

[Dean]

keep in mind that DVC tends to hold its value unlike other timeshares. That makes DVC unique.

While that's currently true for DVC, and likely will continue to be, there are situations where that could change plus there are others who do also. Those that do are usually in the same boat as DVC, location and reasonable quality. To say DVC does and others don't isn't completely accurate. I've bought and sold timeshares over the years and made quite a tidy sum doing so, but like real estate in general, the profit or lack of loss is made on the buy. It remains to be seen what the current or future changes will do to that situation as well though it will likely affect prices on the higher end options more than it does on the lower end simply because the spread of price resale to retail is less there.

 

[Solid Snake]

Is it worth it is a question I asked myself for a long time before taking the dive. For me, it came down to a few things. First - as some other people will tell you, it forces you to budget for vacation and forces you to set aside quality family time. We are pretty frugal people, and I am a borderline workaholic. After scrimping and saving every penny for years to pay off auto loans, pay off student loans, pay off medical debt, we found ourselves with nothing but a mortgage and a considerable surplus in our budget. While my impulse is always to save save save, put more into the retirement, we got to the point where we just want to enjoy ourselves a little and spend more quality time together. DVC helps make this happen. From a monetary standpoint, Disney is (by a wide margin) our favorite vacation destination. So this was likely money we would have "spent anyway". If you are committed to staying at Disney for vacation, it pays for itself over the long run. Not compared to, say, staying at Value Resorts every time but let's be honest - who wants to do that? Believe me, weve had great times at Pop Century, but still...it has major drawbacks. Value resorts tend to have the worst food courts, tend to be the most crowded, and what probably bothers me most is the walls are paper thin. I'm rambling a bit here, I think DVC can be 'worth it' depending on your circumstances. If you think there is even a chance you'll get bored of Disney, I would stay away. But if you love Disney and want to spend a lot of time there anyway with your family, its worth looking into.

 

[Disn3yVision]

I would say that whether it is worth it financially or worth it emotionally are really 2 very different questions. Ultimately, I feel like if your goal is just to "save money" then it's hard to justify DVC being worth it under almost any circumstances. Spend some time determining just what exactly you are hoping to get from this purchase and I think you will be in a better place to evaluate its relative "worth" and be able to go from there.

 

[Sammie]

I would say that whether it is worth it financially or worth it emotionally are really 2 very different questions. Ultimately, I feel like if your goal is just to "save money" then it's hard to justify DVC being worth it under almost any circumstances. Spend some time determining just what exactly you are hoping to get from this purchase and I think you will be in a better place to evaluate its relative "worth" and be able to go from there.

I think it depends on how much they pay for the points. What accommodations they book, etc. We bought DVC in the late 90s to be able to afford a two bedroom villa for every trip. Even with our initial investment to buy our points, and our annual dues, we have saved over $70,000 in room fees since we bought and that is estimating the cost of a 2 bedroom villa on the low end. Very seldom were 2 bedroom villas available for any type of discount that we had access to.

We would have never been able to book 2 bedroom villas any other way.

 

[Shanti]

We bought DVC in the late 90s to be able to afford a two bedroom villa for every trip. Even with our initial investment to buy our points, and our annual dues, we have saved over $70,000 in room fees since we bought.

True, but the late 1990's are ancient history in Disney years. If a person is planning to buy DVC directly from Disney today, it's due to sentiment, not savings. Potential buyers should also consider the cuts to DVC perks that are ongoing, and Disney's current trend of charging more and giving less...

That would really concern me if I was considering buying a timeshare from them right now.

 

[SuperRob]

Whether or not DVC is worth it isn't a question anyone can answer for you. Only your own value judgment can answer that question. But here are some factors to consider, and if you answer "No" to one or more of these, it may mean you shouldn't consider it.

1. Will you stay at a Disney resort at least every three years for the next 30 years? You get the most value out of DVC by staying in their hotels, and not trading out or using points in other ways.

2. Do you normally stay at a Deluxe Disney resort? The relative cost per night is equivalent to a Moderate resort, so the value really kicks in for people used to the Deluxe accommodations.

3. Do you frequently need multiple rooms for your large family, or want more space? DVC is a more reasonable way to room large families.

4. Are you willing to cook meals for your family, rather than eating at restaurants? The 1-Bedroom and larger accommodations have full kitchens, and getting the most from your stays means using the kitchen at least some of the time.

There are plenty more factors, but those are probably the four biggest considerations, and the easiest ones to answer.

 

[Sammie]

True, but the late 1990's are ancient history in Disney years. If a person is planning to buy DVC directly from Disney today, it's due to sentiment, not savings. Potential buyers should also consider the cuts to DVC perks that are ongoing, and Disney's current trend of charging more and giving less...

That would really concern me if I was considering buying a timeshare from them right now.

Many resales are very close to what we paid when we bought. As to whether Disney is still worth visiting, we definitely feel it is. Everything has increased, and Disney has built some awesome new attractions in the last 16 years and even AK park. So we are pleased with what they offer for the cost and looking forward to all that is new and upcoming.

We did not buy for the perks, glad to have them but could care less if we don't. They offered very little when we bought. We bought to get a very good discount on two bedroom villas. Again it depends on what one is looking for.

 

[Dean]

I would say that whether it is worth it financially or worth it emotionally are really 2 very different questions. Ultimately, I feel like if your goal is just to "save money" then it's hard to justify DVC being worth it under almost any circumstances. Spend some time determining just what exactly you are hoping to get from this purchase and I think you will be in a better place to evaluate its relative "worth" and be able to go from there.

To use your post to make the point. I agree they are different but both considerations are important. IMO DVC has to make sense financially (a broad issue) for one to consider buying. I also feel it's important to go through the process to start to understand the nuances of the system and ownership.

 

[RaymOOOnd]

Important that you separate the enjoyment and excitement of a Disney vacation with the reality that owning DVC is nothing more than a possibly discounted hotel room. It might be less expensive to rent a reservation from an owner once you figure in your purchase costs and yearly dues. Plus if you decide that Disney isn't for you you don't have to pay a commission to sell your contract(s). The perks come a go and are restricted for resale buyers so don't count those.

Owning works for some and not for others, understanding the product, the pluses and minuses before you buy can be the difference between a satisfied owner and someone who is selling their contract.

Bill

Thinking of it this way (i.e. just a discounted hotel room) is such a bummer...although I know it's technically correct. I think much of the value comes from a feeling of inclusiveness, as with any club. Merely imaginary or no, it's definitely an influence. We have stickers and magnets and membership cards, and upon leaving each time we'll be already booking our next trip. We also have strong excuses to bring people along on trips with us for the purpose of relationship fortification, whereas without the membership it would be weird...("want to book a room at Disney World during the same time that we're there?" - doesn't play as well).

 

[disneynutz]

Thinking of it this way (i.e. just a discounted hotel room) is such a bummer...although I know it's technically correct. I think much of the value comes from a feeling of inclusiveness, as with any club. Merely imaginary or no, it's definitely an influence. We have stickers and magnets and membership cards, and upon leaving each time we'll be already booking our next trip. We also have strong excuses to bring people along on trips with us for the purpose of relationship fortification, whereas without the membership it would be weird...("want to book a room at Disney World during the same time that we're there?" - doesn't play as well).

Just because someone calls it a club, doesn't make it one. We used to think it was when we bought years ago, we bought DVC stuff and brought people with us to show off the DVC. After years of issues and tired of DVC putting on a show we changed our mindset. Website issues going on for years now, rule and policy changes, management inconsistencies, and worse was when we brought extended family with us, the room was dirty and there was broken tile and mold in the bathroom. They wanted a different room and of course we were told that our issue didn't meet the standards for moving a DVC member.

Bill