Is it all about the money???

[Dean]

Anyone that doesn't at least consider the cost of any big ticket item is a fool. But money is only one factor of several to be considered for vacation and each must decide for themselves. IMO, it's almost always easier, safer, cheaper, less hassle, and more comfortable to rent out points rathar than use them for DVC exchange options. I was just thinking this morning while in the shower about this issue. I've always said that if anything was less than $8 pp return, I would likly not use points. But after thinking about it and deciding that excchanging points is actually more risky than renting them out, I've changed my stance somewhat. For things that are a number of months into the future, I'd rather rent than exchange even if the return per point is the same. For things that are closer, say within 2-3 months, my previous cut off of $8 pp still holds. Obviously if one has distressed points, the cut points will change but not the principles.

 

[gchiker]

Putting aside any warm feelings about being a member of the "Club," buying into DVC is definintely a monetary decision. Yes, emotionally you have to be enthusiastic about it, but it really does boil down to dollars and cents. We all seem to agree that it is not an investment in real estate, but rather a prepaid vacation plan which will save us money in the long run. Before making this kind of commitment, I'm sure we have all spent thousands of dollars on previous Disney vacations. It is only after the realization that we will continue to vacation at WDW and that DVC will save us money that we finally join. If not for the monetary savings, I would never commit to being locked into such a restricted vacation arrangement. One has to weigh this against the flexibility of being able to go anywhere (including Disney properties) at any time.

We tend to compare our DVC points against the rack rates for Disney hotels in order to determine how long it will take to recoup our investment. Yet every Sunday I find Disney on sale in the travel section of the NYTimes. And every Sunday I realize that if I compare the value of my points to the current room rates, it will take that much longer to break even.

 

[gjw007]

There have been good answers to the question on both sides of the issue but I think an analysis will show that it is not all about money in most of these answers as there are other options available that cost less. If it were only about money, we would all be staying in Motel 6s. Yet each of us has made an investment in money that we each evaluated to be beneficial to each of us. If we felt that the investment cost more than our other options, then we would not have made the investment. While the analysis of money spent cannot be ignored as pointed out by Dean and others, the real evaluation is in value. What do we value in having a DVC ownership plan. From a purely monetary perspective, there are other, cheaper options (as well as more expensive). A value perspective is much more difficult because it does depend on vacation habits, how often it will be used, desired type of accommodations, etc. By making the purchase, we have shown that we value more quality service (rooms) and atmosphere (compared to off-site). That value also says that it is less expensive, given our individual habits, to make the purchase. This value also shows up in decisions to purchase directly from Disney or to use third-party sources for the same type of property (resales) - or not as all as we may have determined that it costs more than what we value it at for our individual use. It may cost more to go through Disney but some people value the piece of mind that goes with making the purchase through Disney rather than the uncertainty of third party resellers. Yet most third-party resellers are reputable and will offer as much assistance as Disney. Values are different and there is no right or wrong answer. The monetary analysis needs to be done but it must be remembered that it is also done with the value analysis in the background.

 

[LoveMyDVC]

Go on MG. I am with you. I love WDW and look forward to every trip there. It is an emotional attachment that I am hoping to pass on to my 2yo.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Thanx to everyone for the thoughtful, and diverse opinions. There is truly no right or wrong answer to this, as it is an individual preference thing.

PS- Thanx for all the "Welcome Backs"!
My wife is doing fine. Nothing serious, just some female stuff. Hopefully this will increase our chances of having kids.

MG

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
PS- Thanx for all the "Welcome Backs"!
My wife is doing fine. Nothing serious, just some female stuff. Hopefully this will increase our chances of having kids.

MG

Hope so and good luck.

 

[QuiltTeddy]

I've got to admit that when we first heard about DVC, being that I have a legal background, I kept saying "there has to be a catch". The only "catch" was that we didn't join sooner. To think of the money spent on "other" vacations and compare it to DVC isn't possible. DVC stands alone. It stands alone because of what it is connected to -- Walt Disney. It is truly a personal preference as to whether or not one feels that "it's worth it". For us, it most definitely is. There will always be a kid in my husband and myself. Life without DVC just isn't a possibility at this point. We absolutely love it and are grateful that we did find out about it and join.


MG - hope all works out for you and your wife. DH and I went through so much fertility stuff in the past to no avail, that I do hope all is okay for you both.

 

[FOTM_Ring_Bearer]

MG - Welcome back and good luck to you and your wife. Hoping things go well.

I think DVC is both emotional and financial. We took the tour in January 2000 at the BW. I liked the villas but I couldn't get past the cost plus maintanence. My dh was more receptive than I was. And I'm the Disney obsessive one. Last year we started looking at it again and after getting a lot of great information here at disboards, I finally got it. So we purchased a resale thru the Timeshare store with banked points at the BW. We visit Disney at least once a year, so it's not like we wouldn't use it. Now that we've stayed at the BW, I think need more points. We really loved it. It was really cool hearing "Welcome Home" at check-in. It just seems like owning a DVC is really special.

 

[WDWLVR]

MG - Welcome back and glad to hear your DW is doing better.

I agree that it is about much more than the money. Sure money was a big part of it. When we first heard about DVC we couldn't afford it and as Dean says anyone who buys something as big as DVC without looking at the money is being a bit foolish.

However once we had the money it was Disney that drew us in. We could have bought a timeshare anywhere and maybe for less money. We love Disney and at that point we were going every year - many times at a Deluxe resort (we love trying them all and have stayed at almost all of the Disney resorts from All Stars to Grand Floridian). That's what made DVC right for us.

We are to the point where our inital investment is paid off and all we have to take care of are the yearly dues. Vacation planning is much easier now with points as part of the budget.

Disney has given us exactly what we expected from them. Wonderful accomodations in a choice of locations, dates and sizes. We've done a studio for just the two of us for just a few days, a two bedroom when bringing family, but our favorite is the room of a one bedroom. In fact I just booked a Boardwalk View one bedroom for our next trip home next June.

 

[jimmytammy]

MG

1st, hope all turns around for the better for your DW and all other things happening in your lives at this moment. Sending Pixie Dust and prayers your way.

Now to your post. I have noticed a lot of those posts also.

I agree that owning DVC has a much more emotional aspect behind it for us now than before we purchased. Like any major purchase, house, car, etc., DVC was much the same for us.

But the emotional aspect far outweighed the financial. And it still does 3 1/2 yrs later. So much so that we added on twice. The second add-on came with hardly a blink of the eye.

We dont regret our ownership at all, financially or emotionally. Vacations are planned well in advance. We look forward to each trip with anticipation.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

MG:

Glad to see you back on the boards and especially glad to hear that your DW is doing well. Your question is interesting and I wasn't really able to answer how I felt after reading your post. I had to think a while.

I separate DVC from WDW. To me WDW is where the heartstrings are pulled. All of the memories from my teenage years that were wonderful and the memories of WDW for my children are really related to WDW. To me, DVC allows for more trips and longer stays. It is an outstanding place to stay and to me, beats connecting rooms in any hotel for my family of 6. But DVC for us was primarily a financial decision that I am very glad we made. Going yearly to WDW is an emotional decision and we are glad that DVC helps us to do that.

HBC

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Originally posted by 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.

Because of DIS i have gone twice to WDW this year and plan to go a third time.

Before DIS went every 5 or 6 years.

Want to be onsite so moderate or DVC but money is always going to have to be a consideration.

 

[TwingleMum]

MG - Sending prayers and PD to your DW and you.

We bought for a variety of reasons primarily to help ensure that we slow down and take a vacation to WDW at least every other year. And also to give our children a lifetime (OK 40 years) of magic.

 

[garylpn]

hope all is well with you and yours,
it's never been about the money for us, it's about being on property in lodgings of a deluxe nature
it's about being in the happiest place on earth
it's about kicking it back one evening on the balcony, my feet up feeling tired from a park day, or full from a great dinner at spoodles
it's about walking over to beaches and cream for a frozen sunshine
it's about taking neices, nephews and great nieces and nephews to wdw and seeing the delight in their eyes as they see main street for the first time
it's about seeing the happiness on their parents faces as they enjoy a nicer level of accommodations than they could afford on their own
i could go on and on as i sometimes do when people ask me why we go there 3-4 times a year, but i've found a person either gets it or not

 

[Morganpics]

Prayers and pixie dust to your DW, and you, too.

My DH and I found it wasn't about the money, either. We stayed offsite WAY cheaper, about 10 minutes away by car. We didn't buy in for the money side of it at all. Right now it won't work for us to travel as much as some of you folks all do due to work, family issues. However, that didn't stop us from sitting down and thinking about where we want to be 5-10 years down the road. We love the "magic" when at Disney. This year we stayed onsite for the first time and, well, you all know the rest-we were hooked We very much wanted a place where we could bring all the family occasionally for a Disney vacation, and we truly liked the idea of not being tied in to a specific week. If we have the points, we can go anytime. We are truly looking forward to being able to "go home" in a year or two for extended vacations, then maybe banking a year for the family gathering. At any rate, I enjoy reading all the posts as to why folks think they should or shouldn't buy in. We're glad we did, and like most, wish we had done it sooner if we could have afforded it.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Once again I would like to thank everyone for the kind words. My wife went back to work today, and all is well. I am not sure of the technical jargon, but in lay persons terms she had things "cleaned out" (among other medical procedures).
We have been trying to conceive for a couple years now, and this (hopefully) will increase the odds.

MG

 

[jmatias]

For Me, DVC has always been about the "magic"...for DH it was about the $$$$.

However, now that we've stayed at BWV and we have a new 8 month old I can see the change in him.

I know he's been sprinkled with pixie dust because he is now just as excited about our trips to WDW as I am. Whenever I hear him talking about DVC/WDW to his friends it brings a smile to my face.

Maistre Gracey: Wishing you and your DW blessings from Heaven!

 

[Pa@okw95]

When I bought I thought I was buying into more expensive accommodations that rent up to about $1400 per day. I had no idea it was going to turn into a poor mans vacation club. I thinking it was a very upscale club for the well off. Boy was I wrong. When I bought it was not sold as a savings, and people were warned not to look at it as a savings. Things have changed.

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by Pa@okw95
When I bought I thought I was buying into more expensive accommodations that rent up to about $1400 per day. I had no idea it was going to turn into a poor mans vacation club. I thinking it was a very upscale club for the well off. Boy was I wrong. When I bought it was not sold as a savings, and people were warned not to look at it as a savings. Things have changed.

I don't really think DVC has changed other than the addition of a number of resorts and a moderate reduction of the minimum points required to join. More likely is that you've just come to the realization of how the system really works. I suspect you made assumptions when you bought that were not totally acccurate. To a certain degree I think everyone does.

 

[Pa@okw95]

When I first stayed there back in 94 as a cash customer I thought the CRO made some mistake. I thought the place was for the super rich and non-members were not allowed near the place. I saw nothing there on my first trip to OKW to change my mind. Everything was just perfect. I saw the place wtih very rose colored glasses. I left never thinking I could ever afford to buy in. Months later I discovered it only cost about the price of a mid-size car. They sent me a video with 270 points as an example of what you can do with 270 so I bought 270, had the video had 400 I would have bought 400. After about 2 or 3 visits as member I began to see some things that lead me to believe that my original impression may have been wrong. I won't get into it but after about 5 visits I was on the phone with management down there very upset about what was going on. The buses did not run on schedule, they had schedules in the bus stops, they then did away with the member only check-in area. One thing lead to another, now I see on this board that I was really wrong like I said in the previous post.