Is my math correct?

[Mtnman44]

I CAN't do extended hotel trips anymore with 2 boys, soon to be three kids (all under 10). Can't Can't Can't.

The thought of 10 nights straight in a hotel room at WDW makes me want to strangle myself. That's a good point. DVC is the cheapest way for me to affortd seperate bedrooms. Kitchen and Washer Dryer and Living room are icing on the cake.

 

[WDWLVR]

DVC isn't for everyone and I'd rather see someone do the math and realize it isn't right for them then to just go with what they think is popular opinion and be sorry they did.

We love our DVC but we bought in back when it was $65 a point. We also bought in with enough points for how we travel which included weekends. Do we get as much bang for our buck as some other DVC'ers? No, but it works for us.

To me what makes it worth it is the flexability, and the fact that I can have a full kitchen, washer/dryer, jetted tub, a king size bed and a separate living room. There are just two of us but we truly enjoy our home away from home.

 

[madduck]

1st. Id buy resale,save yourself about $15 a point or more.
2nd I agree with Doc about weekend nights. Ive been a member for 10 yrs. now and this summer will be the 1st time Ill use points for weekend nights because I have some extra.In the past I paid cash for the weekend.I really dont think you need to buy that many points also.I think you could get by with about 350.
JMHO

 

[dvc at last !]

interesting..

subscribing to read later !

 

[boomhauer]

FTR, I hope no one is offended by anything I've said. By no means am I against DVC. Far from it. It simply doesn't fit my familiy's needs or vacation interests.

I have tried every single angle imaginable to try and make it work. It simply doesn't for us.

 

[DVC Mater]

Here is what I think is apples to apples. According to disneyworld site, Wilderness lodge studios are $275 a night in July and $225 a night in January. Which means the pricing would be as follows:

July 13 nights @ $275= $3575+$446.94 (12.5% tax)= 4,021.94
Jan 9 nights @ $225= $2025+$253.25 (12.5% tax)= 2,278.25
Total= 6300.19

DVC points needed for stay:

July w/4 weekend days: 254 pts (july 7-20 2008)
Jan w/2 weekend days: 128 pts (jan 14-23 2008)
total: 382 pts

382 pts at $104 pt= $39728
382 @$4.82 pt dues=$1841.24

Sooo in Year #9 total for DVC would be $56299.16. And total for CASH would be $56701.71. (of course dues will go up, but so will cash amount)

Big difference then your 36 year break even point....

 

[PlutoPony]

How does the math work when you consider you're a family of 5 - won't you be needing 2 rooms (from CRO) in a couple of years when your children are all over 3? But then you'd also change your DVC room requirements from a studio to something else? I"m curious how the DVC numbers work for those needing 2 rooms at a value/moderate vs. DVC points/cost requirements......

 

[boomhauer]

Here is what I think is apples to apples. According to disneyworld site, Wilderness lodge studios are $275 a night in July and $225 a night in January. Which means the pricing would be as follows:

July 13 nights @ $275= $3575+$446.94 (12.5% tax)= 4,021.94
Jan 9 nights @ $225= $2025+$253.25 (12.5% tax)= 2,278.25
Total= 6300.19

DVC points needed for stay:

July w/4 weekend days: 254 pts (july 7-20 2008)
Jan w/2 weekend days: 128 pts (jan 14-23 2008)
total: 382 pts

382 pts at $104 pt= $39728
382 @$4.82 pt dues=$1841.24

Sooo in Year #9 total for DVC would be $56299.16. And total for CASH would be $56701.71. (of course dues will go up, but so will cash amount)

Big difference then your 36 year break even point....

Absolutely - If I had $40,000 in cash to pay off DVC. No doubt about it.

 

[boomhauer]

How does the math work when you consider you're a family of 5 - won't you be needing 2 rooms (from CRO) in a couple of years when your children are all over 3? But then you'd also change your DVC room requirements from a studio to something else? I"m curious how the DVC numbers work for those needing 2 rooms at a value/moderate vs. DVC points/cost requirements......

Not necessarily. If we wanna do WL, then yes. Port Orleans Riverside or All Star Suites. Or, any 2 rooms at a Value. Granted, in no way is a Value comparable to WL, but then again, that's one of the reasons why DVC probably isn't for us. We're fine staying at the Values. Maybe not every trip, but every couple of trips, no problem.

 

[kikiq]

I CAN't do extended hotel trips anymore with 2 boys, soon to be three kids (all under 10). Can't Can't Can't.

The thought of 10 nights straight in a hotel room at WDW makes me want to strangle myself. That's a good point. DVC is the cheapest way for me to affortd seperate bedrooms. Kitchen and Washer Dryer and Living room are icing on the cake.

That thought was one of the reasons we bought DVC. We love the Poly, but staying there a week at a time with 2 DDs had my dh's head whirling, so we thought maybe the family suite at ASMU. My dh declared himself a resort snob and didn't think he could last 3 days with our DDs there. Then after this last trip staying at the Poly for only 5 days and paying $1500 for only one room, DVC started to look good. Then as we looked at how we were changing our vacation style, DVC became more interesting.

Yes there are financial considerations but the it is about your vacation style while at Disney.

 

[eva]

FTR, I hope no one is offended by anything I've said. By no means am I against DVC. Far from it. It simply doesn't fit my familiy's needs or vacation interests.

I have tried every single angle imaginable to try and make it work. It simply doesn't for us.

No offense taken here. DVC just doesn't make sense for everyone.

 

[GrumpySSR]

I'm still fairly new to everything here (just purchased in Oct), but after reading through this thread, I can't help but wonder: Have you considered making a smaller purchase and using it for your off-peak stays (maybe even limiting the point usage to just Sunday through Thursday nights) and then paying for the rest? It would entitle you to all the perks of ownership and you'd fit into the scenario where you actually agree it would pay off in a much shorter timespan.

Granted, the perks aren't really a primary reason to buy, but when you already agree that DVC could save money on offseason stays and you've stated that you'll be doing offseason stays, I don't understand why you wouldn't just purchase enough points for those stays at least. There's nothing that says you have to use points for every time you stay.

 

[rantnnravin]

I'm still fairly new to everything here (just purchased in Oct), but after reading through this thread, I can't help but wonder: Have you considered making a smaller purchase and using it for your off-peak stays (maybe even limiting the point usage to just Sunday through Thursday nights) and then paying for the rest? It would entitle you to all the perks of ownership and you'd fit into the scenario where you actually agree it would pay off in a much shorter timespan.

Granted, the perks aren't really a primary reason to buy, but when you already agree that DVC could save money on offseason stays and you've stated that you'll be doing offseason stays, I don't understand why you wouldn't just purchase enough points for those stays at least. There's nothing that says you have to use points for every time you stay.

i'm also guessing he's not interested in paying cash for two of the weekend nights (at the DVC member 25% discount). OP says he goes in Jan and July. Jan is Adventure season and July is Magic Season - so the Dream Season estimates on Tim's site are pretty fair.
I remember him also saying that he gets AP discounts, which is why he is able to stay for $224 per night in peak season? And aren't AP stays limited to 10 nights? I remember following the code threads last year and there were many unhappy AP holders in July...
but to each his own.
I love not having to worry about chasing codes and that my vacations will be paid for for the next 45 years at 2003 prices.

And for those asking, measuring worth. com had these calculations:

In 2006, $65.00 from 1993 is worth:

$90.69 using the Consumer Price Index
$85.73 using the GDP deflator
using the value of consumer bundle *

 

[linzbear]

I'm still fairly new to everything here (just purchased in Oct), but after reading through this thread, I can't help but wonder: Have you considered making a smaller purchase and using it for your off-peak stays (maybe even limiting the point usage to just Sunday through Thursday nights) and then paying for the rest? It would entitle you to all the perks of ownership and you'd fit into the scenario where you actually agree it would pay off in a much shorter timespan.

Granted, the perks aren't really a primary reason to buy, but when you already agree that DVC could save money on offseason stays and you've stated that you'll be doing offseason stays, I don't understand why you wouldn't just purchase enough points for those stays at least. There's nothing that says you have to use points for every time you stay.

That's what I was thinking, too.

Buy enough points for January, pay cash (20% discount) on weekends. Use the membership to buy the APs at over a $100/person discount. Use the bought APs to get a room in July discounted.

Math should work out much better if you try it that way.

 

[Pennyguy23]

Absolutely not. I've been going over the DVC for about 2 years now, trying to figure out if it makes sense for me. At first, it definitely didn't, as we were always perfectly content staying at the Values. Then, when my wife had twins, we need bigger accomidations, so we started thinking about it again. After having stayed at the WL for the 1st time, we fell in love with it, so naturally, we strongly considered it. But after talking to the rep last night and putting all these numbers together, it just doesn't sound as good as it's made out to.

The tag lines of "vacation when you want" and "membership pays for itself in 7 years" aren't exactly spot-on.

Well like you said you aren't comparing apples to apples. Your #s aren't right to me. You are only spending 5,000$ a year on 22 nights then you are doing pretty good. But we don't stay in Values, We stay in Deluxe resorts. If you can stay at a deluxe resort for 22 nights for 5K, Keep doing what your doing. But I save probably 2K a trip by owning DVC. So in about 7 or 8 trips All I am paying is MF's.

 

[wildernessDad]

If you are content to stay in values every year, then DVC is not right for you.

But if you plan on staying at a deluxe or moderate resort every year, then the numbers do work out that DVC is a better value over time.

I figure that I am paying about $7 per point including dues. The calculation takes the total number of points in the contract divided by the cost and then adds in the dues dollars per point.

No, I do not save money buying DVC. If I wanted to save money, I would put the money in a bank. But compared to going deluxe every year, the spreadsheet that I use shows that it takes about 7 years to break even. Disney says 7 vacations, but I think the 7 year number is better.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Okay...I know this is going to sound crazy coming from someone who holds a BS in math, but after reading a ton of people doing the number crunching, here's what it came down to for me.

We purchased 390 points, and yes, we financed via our mortgage company and got a great rate. Intend to pay off much sooner than what it's financed for, but anyway, the purchase price was for $84 a point. For about what we'd invest in a car, we can have about 10 days (2-BR) in a deluxe resort for the rest of our lives (or close to it!!!).

I know that's doesn't take into account MFs, but in general, knowing that Dis has a ROFR floor and that resales have trended up over time, I figured if MFs got too high and we ever decide to sell, we won't get robbed.

I definitely agree Dis isn't for everyone and appreciate different perspectives. Bottom line, you have to do what's right for you and your family both in the short and long term. For us (DS is 12 and DD is 5), having the 1 or 2-BR is great and will continue to be until they have families of their own and are no longer traveling with us. At that point, smaller rooms and more vacations for us!

 

[3DisneyKids]

You are doing the right thing to come here and ask and crunch the numbers, etc. It is a lot of money (no matter what size contract you are looking for) and that means it is important to do your research.

As you have found, the numbers can be crunched a number of different ways.

While I initially did the same thing you did--crunched the numbers every which way possible--it ultimately boiled down to this...

How do we want to vacation?

We have 3 small kids and we all love Disney. But I don't love the idea of all of us crammed into one hotel room (be it at a deluxe resort or otherwise). A 1-BR was mandatory for us to enjoy our vacation. (Not intending to sound like a snob...but rather we just analyzed what is really important to us on a vacation. We are not of the "a room is just a room" philosophy.)

Once we answered those basic questions of:

Do we want to go to Disney every year (an easy yes)
and
Do we need larger-style hotel accommodations (also an easy yes)

then the decision became a no-brainer for us.

If it is just about money for folks...you can always stay at the Buena Vista suites or Doubletree Suites, etc. and often get great rates (of less than $100/night in many cases). Again, that is another style of vacation all together.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[DVC Mater]

Absolutely - If I had $40,000 in cash to pay off DVC. No doubt about it.

So in a nutshell, that's the essence of DVC. Prepay your vacations and break even in 7 or so years. If you agree that it will break even in approx. 9 years (like in my example for you), but you don't want to front the money, (in your case 40k) then DVC is not for you.

 

[CarrianneB]

No offense taken here. DVC just doesn't make sense for everyone.

I think that DVC is a very personal decision based on your desires, your vacation style, your plans for the future, and your financial abilities. So if for any reason you have concerns - STOP, it's probably not the right thing.

I just bought in this past October because I could A) afford it without financing - a big decision maker and B) because I thought it made sense for the vacations my family currently takes and will take in the future.

If I change my mind, it's not a financial hardship to my family. Maybe not the best financial choice ever, but hey - neither have some of my stock market picks. But this wasn't an investment decision, just a way to hopefully save money/have better accomodations on our future vacations.

So if you are not comfortable - PLEASE DON'T BUY IN. I or anyone else on this board isn't responsible for your mortgage, planning your vacations, or paying all those other nasty bills. We can help, encourage (sometimes too much) but can't judge you on a very personal decision.

It seems like you have decided DVC isn't for you. No problem. I just hope you continue to have magical vacations. I would rather run into you as a happy vacationer than an unhappy DVC member!

Carrianne