Is it really worth it to become a DVC member?

[Dean]

We joined primarily for investment purposes. The prices were low (in the $50) when we bought our first contract and we would rent them out and pay them off and then buy more and in 5 years we had accumulated 1300 points that were paid off. We would never had bought in if we could not managed an investment scheme that worked like that bacause by the time you pay the dues...you can really afford to stay at Disney at one of their moderate resorts, not to mentionthe up front cost. Buying resale for investment purposes is no longer a good deal as the cost of Disney has WAY outpaced the increase in the rental prices....Unless you just want to go to Disney every year and stay in a nice place then it would maybe be worth it.

With the current prices the investment option may make more sense than it ever did though, IMO, there is not enough upside on the rate of return to make it a good choice alone. Same can be said even more so for many non DVC timeshares right now.

 

[tomandrobin]

For us, we are glad we became members and continue to still see DVC as a value.

We are spoiled and like have the larger rooms that a hotel room just does not provide......mostly privacy and space. This list goes on and on for why to be members.

Also, if you break down the numbers, even BLT at $120-$12=$108pp, is still a good deal. Those MF's over time are pretty appealing vs the other resorts.

Last thing I want to do on vacation is wake-up with our kids (17,19 & 24) in a bed next our bed. We don't do it at home, why should I do it on vacation?

 

[taaren]

We both LOVE the Grand Californian, and would idealy like to stay at those types of hotels/resorts. the whole problem is the affordabilty part. Thats one of the main reasons I started looking into this. Another question i have is: Could u go into buying a timeshare with another couple? Split it 50/50?

We were in a similar situation - we have travelled with the same group of 5 adults to Disneyland every year since 2005, and we love them dearly. When it came time to buy, we thought about buying jointly with our roommate-at-the-time since we share a bank account, roof, etc with him, why not?
However, we decided against it and instead we bought a mid-sized contract, and he bought a smaller one of his own. Some years we get the large room for 3 or 4 nights with our points and he gets picks up one or two with his points, then we link the reservations. Other years he will just be transferring his points into our account so we can make one big reservation. That way we can vacation together, everybody pays less, and everybody is financially responsible for their own maintenance. Win-win situation. Smaller contracts is the best way to go if you want to joint-own.

 

[jsivigny]

I view the additional space and projected usage as the key drivers for DVC membership, as well. Payback is over 10 years, so as a pure investment, it's really not that great, especially with all the perks Disney is throwing in with discounts and free Dining Plans. Having the extra room makes all the difference on a 7-10 day family vacation.

 

[kanerf]

I have been pondering a small resale purchase at DVC and did the tour when I was at EPCOT for the F&W Festival in October. However, I was poking around the other day in my RCI points account and found huge DVC availability when searching. I was easily able to book a 1bdrm at BCV for the middle of May during the F&G Festival at EPCOT. The cost was 42,000 RCI points plus the exchange fee of $139. The RCI points property was one that I had purchased for 95 cents on EBay a few years ago and only costs $150 a year for MFs. Thus a very cheap way to get into a DVC reservation. I will keep looking on RCI for availability and it looks very good except for the heavy summer months of course, but I have no desire to be there then.

 

[kmsimone]

Do not buy DVC with the intention of trading out to RCI easily. We have been unsuccessful the two times tried, once to Costa Rica and another time to Utah during peak season. These types of vacations will need to be planned well in advance.

 

[Dean]

Do not buy DVC with the intention of trading out to RCI easily. We have been unsuccessful the two times tried, once to Costa Rica and another time to Utah during peak season. These types of vacations will need to be planned well in advance.

The problem with truly peak times is that most people either use or rent directly and don't deposit. It's one of the inherent issues with trading timeshares and why one must be willing to be as flexible as possible as well as planning well in advance, I'd say at least a year out minimum for most situations.

 

[beccaisqueen]

With all the timeshares out there, we weren't sure about joining DVC. However, with young kids and a yearly trip, it seemed like a good investment. As others have noted, there is a good resale market and DVC has a right of first refusal, so you are almost guaranteed to get some value back if you need/want to sell later.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

The video and onsite tour helped us. Additional help from this board too!

 

[yfchen22]

We've been a member since 1996 and enjoyed all 20 plus trips to Disney. We bought it from resale agent and saved tons of money. I think we got most of our money back during first four years of ownership because we received free park tickets every time we went. I guess we bought it from someone who joined DVC at the beginning and free tix perk was transferred to us. We also used points for hotel stays and 3 Disney Cruises. Give the amount we paid for the points, it was worth it to us to be a DVC member.

 

[BlackRock]

This has worked out great for my family; it is very different than time share where as you can book your rooms at anytime and not be locked in to one time of year every year.

My sons are married and turn into 10 years olds as soon as they get off the plane.

Black Rock

 

[dmoore22]

DVC has been good for us. It has been the intangibles that have made the difference. Here is a link to a nice DVC Primer: http://www.mouseplanet.com/8739/A_Disney_Vacation_Club_Primer

 

[jdb1232]

We bought into DVC in 2008 after 6 or 7 trips to the Poly and WL. We bought it for basically three reasons. 1.) slight savings over time. 2.) peace of mind and a kind of excitement knowing that our next vacation is pretty much there always waiting for us. 3.) The ability to save points to have several rooms at one time for Grandparents and other family.

We love it, Our first stay on points was in a 1br in the WL, we found that it was too much for us and we didn't need the whole kitchen set up. Since then (3 more trips) we have stayed in studios and now able to have more points available because we are not staying in a 1br.

The only giveback in the whole thing is that in the WL the Villas rooms are almost too quiet. We liked being able to sit on the porch from a Courtyard view of the WL and listen to the pool music or just people watch. The VWL is just a bunch of trees outside your window, no action.

Our kids are young, MK is the park of choice right now so we've only stayed around the MK. Our next trip we're considering the Beach Club becasue of the awesome pool setup.

 

[WDWLVR]

We bought into DVC 10 years ago and it has been more than worth it for us. Even though it is only DH and I we love WDW and we also enjoy just getting time to relax and enjoy each others company. When we were looking at DVC we bought enough points that could get us into a one bedroom for a full week any time of the year. We've been able to stay at just about every DVC resort (still haven't done SSR or AKV or VGC - but will be staying at VGC next month). We've done studios, one bedrooms and even a two bedroom. We've gone alone and have brought family. We've added on twice and sold some points once.

Each person can only determine if it is worth it for them.