Is it all about the money???

[Maistre Gracey]

I have been away from the boards for a few weeks because of work, and family duties (much work, wife surgery, new car).
Just to let you all know, I am still here!

Anyway, to the topic at hand...

I see way too many posts about price, price per point, whether or not it is worth the bucks, cost for trading for a cruise ect... (you get the picture.)

Anyway-- Disney and DVC is not always about the precise "dollar amount per point". Quite often I think we over analyze the dollar aspect of being a DVC member.

Disney in general is an emotional thing... something that tugs on our heartstrings. If we were only out to save a buck while on vacation, WDW is not the place to do it.
Disney is a special place, and to think of DVC in only terms of money, in my opinion, is a grave error.

Being a DVC member is much more than less expensive accommodations. Being a DVC member carries a certain amount of pride, and assurance of a great lifestyle for our families.
Some may call this arrogance, but I call it a good use of the money that we members work hard for.

Corny?... Perhaps.... But the way I feel.
Anyone else agree???

MG

 

[Bracho]

I'll agree with that... I think it is an emotional thing on some level, I know I love Disney and it was important for me to own DVC, the money never entered into it when I made my purchase. I just knew I wanted to own.

I am proud to be a member and I know I will have some great vacations in the years to come. A place to take family and friends where you can feel safe.

If that is arrogance then so be it...

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
Anyone else agree???

Yes and no.

Clearly most of the people visiting these forums are already Disney fans. Most of the "should I buy" posts are from people who have spent thousands of dollars on accommodations over the years, and want to know if DVC is a scam or not. At that level, it is largely a dollars and cents issue.

Spending $50 for a Disney Club annual membership may be an act of pride. Spending $15,000 to buy into DVC is a decision that must be made with both the heart AND head.

As a member, I certainly have a great deal of pride in, and appreciation for our ownership. But I can still recall the point in time when I was in the "is this really right for me?" stage. Once you overcome that hurdle, then it's much easier to enjoy the program for what it is.

 

[gjw007]

No.

If the decision was only based on money, then the decision would be based strickly on lowest cost, which would not be Disney lodging. I don't have the emotional attachment to Disney (I also like Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Universal, the Space Coast, etc.) but I do like the theme parks. So no, the decision is not all about the money but it also makes no sense to be spend more than is necessary. Why spend $1095.02 per point when you can make the same purchase for $72.00 per point. If a decision has been made to make the purchase, then there has to be a feeling that it was fair. Justification is another issue but that is based on an individual's personal desires which brings this back to the initial point that there are a lot less expensive options available if it were only about the money

 

[July]

I for one could not have purchased if I was strapped for money. I actually walked away from DVC years ago because I couldn't afford it.
The time was right for the purchase financially. But it was also where I wanted to buy. I felt that I would get a certain kind of vacation when I did go. First class accomodations, first class service. Larger Rooms and be able to go when I wanted to. I wasn't locked into a certain week or time of year.
Disney has always been special to me. So DVC was a great choice. It is not budget holiday for sure.
But then I think I work hard and I deserve some pampering when I do get to go. And to have a great big playground at my feet is always fun. Whether it is the parks or the pools. The great restaurants everything is so special to me. I love that feeling when I first walk in. When I drive up to the resort I get goosebumps.
DVC was about a future for me and my close ones. I guess I was being a little over the top.

July

 

[sandieb]

Maistre Gracey, Glad your back and hope that life eases up. I am not really interested in the $ - we have already spent over $30,000. It was a decision we chose because we love WDW, are at the point in life where the major bills are paid, and we have 5 grandkids to share in the enjoyment. I bought our first contract on impulse (only thought about it for 4 years) and the second and third on experience...loved DVC. I think that is the message I want to convey - my enjoyment of DVC thorough my experience with it. Sandie

 

[AnnaS]

Maistre Gracey, just wanted to say welcome back and hope everything is well or better. I did notice you were not posting .

 

[Coach Rick]

I have to agree. I knew I wanted this badly from 92, when I was introduced to it. I had already owned timeshare for over 12 years at that point, but I don't consider this a timeshare, and in fact refer to it as "like a timeshare" when explaining it to friends. I will be going "home" for the first time. I am sooo excited to bring my mom and dad with us. I know I will be proud when we enter the gates to say this is home.

Money, eh, what is it for but to aquire those things that make us happy. If I happen to save a few on the way, then so be it. Amybody who doesn't get it, then so be it, they shouldn't buy.

 

[jarestel]

Eloquently stated MG.

Welcome back!

 

[MJTinNH]

Hi MG, glad you are back.

I agree that there is something intrinsic in purchasing that a dollar value can not be assigned. I too spent $$$$$’s of dollars on accommodations before purchasing DVC.

When finally the decision was made and the purchase finalized; it definitely made me feel happy that I owned a part of WDW (small part).

I do associate WDW with some of the most cherished memories that I have and I think owning at DVC just enhances the experience and keeps those memories closer to my heart. That for me, is the part that a dollar value can not be assigned.

 

[never2L8]

At some level it is. You shouldn't have to compromise your current way of living day to day in order to own, like food, mortgage, etc. That being said, if you love all things Disney and want to be in the middle of it all, DVC is it. When you analyze it, it seems like a lot but then you pull up at those gates and hear
"WELCOME HOME" it seems all worthwhile.
We bought after a few years of owning off property. Yes, our villa is much larger than those at DVC and cost less relative to the size it. But the feeling we get at Disney, can't compare. I don't even look foward to staying there anymore and will probably use only when we have large group or use to trade to other destinations. When people ask me why we are DVC members, don't you get tired of going, I just laugh, shake my head and walk away. You can talk till you are blue in the face, but some people don't get it. So sad for them!!!
Laurie

 

[lenshanem]

Hey MG! I was just asking about you the other day! Glad to see you are back!

Your post speaks volumes. I enjoy finding the best deal, etc., but you are so right about Disney being sentimental.

Just got back last week from WDW to discover three shelves had collapsed in our guest room (Disney room) destroying all our Disney snow globes, etc. They were mostly older pieces we had collected when we were younger.

We lost alot of money on those shelves, but I was most upset about the sentimental end of it. Those pieces represented trips to WDW we took together, special occasions, etc. AND our honeymoon to Disneyland Paris.

As you said Disney pulls at the heartstrings, yes it is expensive (I've become quite the pro at setting aside money for trips!), but you are making memories...

Kodak moment...

 

[JimC]

<a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_30_117.gif' alt='' border=0></a>

Hope the wife's surgery went well. <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/23/23_28_117.gif' alt='' border=0></a>

To your point. For us, it is both. We are big Disney fans, but could not afford or more properly would not commit such a sum to Disney and DVC when we were much younger and finances much tighter. So DVC waited for ten years, much longer than it needed to, but such is life. However, in the interim we enjoyed many Disney vacations in a variety of resorts on property. We never even considered staying off property for a Disney vacation, but have for Universal and Sea World trips.

We agree with others that we are very happy and proud to be members with our welcome homes and great resorts. Should have done it sooner

 

[rocketriter]

I'm delighted to be confident that, in a general way, DVC is more economical for me than the adjoining room sets and suites we used to get at deluxe on-site accomodations. Beyond that, I'm content to look at DVC as a prepaid vacation arrangement within which I'll occasionally trade out or take a couple of nights of concierge without comparative calculations or guilt.

I do enjoy reading advice about alternate ways to manage multiple timeshares or rent points. But when posters sail into a conversation announcing that somebody who wants to use DVC for trading (or cruising or Concierge) is making a stupid decision, I get annoyed and feel that they've moved beyond financial calculations into holier-than-thou territory. Convenience and pleasure have value, too, but that gets lost in the bean-counting.

 

[dcfromva]

Maistre Gracey,
I hope your wife is making a speedy recovery and your work eases off! Glad to see you back. I always enjoy reading your comments. And, what a conversation starter for a Sunday morning!

I am afraid I am one of those folks who "over analyze the dollar aspect of being a DVC member. "

My goal in a nutshell is to maximize the DVC benefit because I have a finite travel budget with unlimited travel dreams!

-DC

 

[lenshanem]

My goal in a nutshell is to maximize the DVC benefit because I have a finite travel budget with unlimited travel dreams!

OK, that is a good point, too! I do like to stretch my points!

I'm sorry I failed MG to mention your wife's surgery. I, too hope she is feeling well!

 

[MrsG]

Welcome back and hope your wife is doing well.

Here, here! There is nothing in the world like the feeling when you step onto Main Street USA in the MK.

We have travelled many places and there is no where that compares to Disney. Of course, money has something to do with it (DVC was always a goal in our leaner years), but knowing that every year (or more often) there is a place to go on vacation if we choose that is ideallic, gives us peace of mind. You can't put a price tag on that.

We just returned from BCV with our kids and their boy/girlfriend and I think we are still coming down off of cloud 9. No, you can't put a price tag on that.

 

[rocketriter]

My goal in a nutshell is to maximize the DVC benefit because I have a finite travel budget with unlimited travel dreams!

dcfromva,
Your goal is, of course, perfectly valid. It's also graceful of you to state it in terms of your own needs or preferences, without acting superior to anyone else. That's the behavior that gets annoying.

 

[robinb]

For us, it was about the money. We never got sucked into the "Owning a Piece of the Magic" mind set.

DVC is a financial commitment in vacation ownership. We wanted to make one or more Disney trips per year and it made sense to buy into DVC. We ran the numbers and realized that we could stay in a DVC studio in a deluxe resort for about the price of a moderate. Add the other DVC perks into the mix, plus the ability to stay in larger accommodations (like our last stay in an OKW Grand Villa) and we bought within a month of returning from our first WDW trip in years.

We saved even more money by buying our DVC memberships on the resale market. Our 230 OKW points (with 160 points banked and free park passes until 12/99) was bought in 1997 for $55 per point. We got 38 free park days out of that contract . Our 200 BWV points (with 100 banked) was bought in 2002 for $63 per point.

 

[Kadorto]

Yep...its all about the money. I pefer to put mine through the magical DIS dollar stretcher before blindly handing it over to the mouse.