Is DVC worth the money, does it give you what you deserve?

[Little Chef]

I am a recent DVC member and recently i received a video in a email, and the video was this DVC member song which was not good at all and either was the video. After i watched the video i looked at all the comments below for it and discovered there are a lot of DVC members that are not happy with there membership. I noticed the posts talked about how members do not get half the discounts on rooms and tickets as people buying trip packages. Then after reading all the negative comments i thought to myself instead of making all these videos for us members why don't they use that money to help get us more and better discounts on room and tickets. So i guess i would like to ask everyone do you feel the same way i do, do you feel being DVC member gets you more privileges then when you came as a regular guest , because i think more should be done for DVC members.

 

[tasha99]

I like my membershIp, but all I want out of it is condo style lodging, within walking distance if possible.

 

[senadler]

We are very happy with our membership. We bought DVC because our family out grew staying in a single deluxe room and we wanted to be able to stay in a 2 BR Villa on-site at Disney. We bought resale and did not expect anything more than the accommodations. Being able to use TIW or get a pass discount is simply a bonus, not something we expect.

 

[Dacky619]

I don't want more privileges than a regular guest, I just don't want to be forgotten because they have so much money up front.

I appreciate the discounts that are offered, but that is not why I bought into DVC. I think buying in for the discounts would be foolish since those could vanish any day. I'm not saying everyone should be thrilled with their DVC purchase, but if they are surprised at what they get from DVC it probably means they didn't do their homework beforehand.

 

[3 Hobbits 2 Disney]

Folks - you bought a timeshare - a real estate interest, I.e, property. You did not buy anything other than the opportunity to use your vested real estate interest at your home resort according to the contract you signed. Anything that is provided by DVD or DVC is simply a perk subject to change at any time. I love my DVC and my 200 points at SSR. That's all I expect. Sorry if that sounds harsh but Disney's club is another facet of marketing their timeshare.

 

[Missyrose]

I am a recent DVC member and recently i received a video in a email, and the video was this DVC member song which was not good at all and either was the video. After i watched the video i looked at all the comments below for it and discovered there are a lot of DVC members that are not happy with there membership. I noticed the posts talked about how members do not get half the discounts on rooms and tickets as people buying trip packages. Then after reading all the negative comments i thought to myself instead of making all these videos for us members why don't they use that money to help get us more and better discounts on room and tickets. So i guess i would like to ask everyone do you feel the same way i do, do you feel being DVC member gets you more privileges then when you came as a regular guest , because i think more should be done for DVC members.

The problem is that for many, many DVC buyers, their DVC purchase is an impulse buy. They go into it knowing nothing and are surprised when things aren't exactly the way they assumed it would be.

The "no free dining" complaint is a frequent one. But it makes no sense. Free dining is a promotion Disney uses to fill resort rooms. DVC members have already paid for their resort rooms for the next 20, 30, 40, even 50 years. Disney doesn't have to do anything to get that money besides offering the villas they're contractually obligated to. Resort guests pay full price for their resort rooms, plus at least two days' worth of tickets to get a "free" dining plan.

DVC members can book free dining rooms if they wish, but they'll have to pay cash for those rooms.

Do I wish Disney would fix some of the issues with DVC instead of making hokey videos? Yep. But, for the most part, I've gotten exactly what I paid for with DVC. But it also helps I knew exactly what I was getting when I bought in.

 

[crisi]

Videos like that don't come from the same pool of money - they are a sales and marketing expense that costs pennies per unit.

I'm content with my membership - I am getting a room onsite at Disney that has a separate bedroom for my children at a price I consider reasonable. That is what I signed up for. I was not under the mistaken impression that I was buying additional privileges when my room is cheaper over being a cash guest. That makes no business sense for Disney - and if there is one thing I'm certain about, Disney is run by people who have good business sense.

 

[DebbieB]

"Deserve" is subjective. You get what you signed for in your contract. Expecting more is setting yourself up for disappointment. I'm grateful for any extras I get.

 

[El&Asmom]

I did my research before we bought 7 years ago. We knew we were getting points every year at a timeshare. Perks come and go.
My main disappointment is that the costs of the parks, even with "free" lodging is becoming cost prohibitive. We now have 4 kids. We bought when we had 2 and one didn't even require park tickets as she was 1 when we bought. We will likely be an every other year family or every 3rd year now. Plus as the kids get bigger we want to go new places. We love Disney and would love to go once or twice a year like we used to, but with kids activities and school schedules to work around it getting harder to do that.
Still love our DVC, and are grateful we can stay at deluxe resorts with our large family. Definitely wouldn't be paying for 2 rooms at a deluxe if we were paying cash.

 

[Sammie]

We bought to be able to stay in a 2 bedroom villas without having to pay full rate. We are happy. I don't expect anything else.

 

[spruce]

It was worth my money in 98 through 02 when I bought my 4th contract direct. At todays prices, I would never buy. Glad we did it then. There have been many great trips and another is coming soon.

 

[Minniesgal]

It gives me what I bought in for so yes I'm happy

 

[disneynutz]

Videos like that don't come from the same pool of money - they are a sales and marketing expense that costs pennies per unit.

I'm content with my membership - I am getting a room onsite at Disney that has a separate bedroom for my children at a price I consider reasonable. That is what I signed up for. I was not under the mistaken impression that I was buying additional privileges when my room is cheaper over being a cash guest. That makes no business sense for Disney - and if there is one thing I'm certain about, Disney is run by people who have good business sense.

Unknown who is funding the videos, Disney bills the DVC owners every chance they get, we don't even know when they are allowed to bill us.

For us perks aren't the issue it's the sub par customer service, the resale game that DVC plays, the website issues, phone hold time, mixed answers from MS, room cleaning, maintenance, and referb design choices and quality. The feeling that once you buy, we gotcha and don't need to look out for your best interests.

Bill

 

[com_op_2000]

...
The "no free dining" complaint is a frequent one. But it makes no sense. Free dining is a promotion Disney uses to fill resort rooms. ...DVC members can book free dining rooms if they wish, but they'll have to pay cash for those rooms.

I agree with these statements.
I might add:
To everyone who believes that DVC members should get free dining:
WHY?
Should Disney offer you something for free, when you have a contract that you agreed to.
I have yet to hear from someone that can answer this question and make sense of their answer.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I'm very happy with my investment in DVC. I am getting exactly what I paid for- a timeshare unit. I am at the point where we bought so long ago, that the value of what we get for what we paid is high. I could never afford a week in a one bedroom unit in BLT if I were not a DVC member.
To me, expecting more, like free dining, would be like being annoyed that I don't get a free meal out once a week because I bought the house I live in.
As to free dining, I remember a time when DVC units were billed as the "home away from home" resorts, the place for vacationers who were happy to use their kitchens and make home cooked meals while on vacation. I've never been one to cook on vacation, but I know a lot of people who make full meals in their room and only eat out a handful of times on vacation.

 

[tjkraz]

....members do not get half the discounts on rooms and tickets as people buying trip packages.

...why don't they use that money to help get us more and better discounts on room and tickets.

...i think more should be done for DVC members.

Yikes.

Yes, you gave Disney a lot of money up-front for the DVC contract. Maybe $20,000 - $30,000. But in exchange for that money, Disney is giving you room discounts which typically amount to 65-75% off rack over the life of the contract.

If you think Disney is going to continue to shower you with gratitude in the form of eye-popping discounts, you're in for a rude awakening.

 

[Lynne M]

Publicly-owned companies like Disney don't run their businesses on emotional considerations ("DVC customers deserve more discounts"), and approaching DVC on emotional terms is setting yourself up for a whole lot of disappointment.

A DVC contract is just that....a contract. It's a business agreement, no different than a mortgage contract or an auto lease. What you will get for your money is spelled out in the purchase agreement. That is what you are owed by Disney. Nothing more. Preferential treatment and discounts are not promised as part of your purchase - in fact, DVD goes out of their way to mention that in the papers you signed - so there's no reason to expect that.

A DVC purchase should be treated no differently than any other major purchase, IMO. You look at the price, you read the contract and see what you are getting for that price, and then you decide if what you get is worth the cost. For me, it was, and it continues to be worth the cost.

 

[Nanajo1]

For the past 17 years we have had multiple family trips. Our first trip of 9 to our next one of 21 have been possible due to DVC. Sure the MF keep going up but taking that many people to a Deluxe resort would have cost more. Whatever perks we get are a bonus.

 

[tgropp]

My only reason for a little disappointment was when I purchased DVC in 2007, I thought that the idea of being able to purchase the meal plan for $37 (which included appetizer, entrée, drink, dessert and tip) was amazing. A few years later the appetizer and tip disappeared and the cost has gone up but in all honesty, I could not be happier with DVC and understand all good things usually end at some point.

 

[dwight16]

i also think a lot of people cant afford the payments anymore....if you cant buy in cash and have to pay 10 plus % interest your just paying so much more money over time. you have to be 100% in love with using it if you have any doubt its not for you. i bought in 2011 and this august we will be doing 4th trip and our 5th in October. with out DVC we would not be able to go quite as often my trips costs went from 5,000 to 2,500 on average so we can go more often....but if your paying maintenance fees and a loan payment i can see how it can create stress.