Is owning DVC really worth it?

[Jhuff8181]

Here’s a brief history. In 2000 my wife and our eight children visited Wilderness Lodge and of course we were hooked. We had been to WDW a few times before but had never stayed on site. We vowed never to stay off sight again. That same year the Villas as Wilderness Lodge came on the market. We purchased enough points to stay in a two room villa in January for two weeks each year. I think it was around 385 points for something like $27000. We went once or twice a year for the next eight years. Over time the maintenance fees grew and grew. In 2008 the fees were around $1800. We experienced some financial difficulties and sold our ownership in part due to the annual fees. We were able to sell our ownership for what it cost us initially.

We are now able to go back some four years later with a smaller family (only three kids left at home). We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. The total cost for 10 nights with park tickets and the free dining plan is $4000.

So here is my question. I know it is “cool” to own DVC but is it worth the cost? With an initial investment of over $25000 and annual costs of nearly $4000 we got a room, just a room. We still had to buy park tickets and food on top of that. We want to start going back every year but I just can’t justify the cost. Ho do you justify the cost?

**Corrected MF's to $1800 getting old I guess.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Here’s a brief history. In 2000 my wife and our eight children visited Wilderness Lodge and of course we were hooked. We had been to WDW a few times before but had never stayed on site. We vowed never to stay off sight again. That same year the Villas as Wilderness Lodge came on the market. We purchased enough points to stay in a two room villa in January for two weeks each year. I think it was around 385 points for something like $27000. We went once or twice a year for the next eight years. Over time the maintenance fees grew and grew. In 2008 the fees were around $3800. We experienced some financial difficulties and sold our ownership in part due to the annual fees. We were able to sell our ownership for what it cost us initially.

We are now able to go back some four years later with a smaller family (only three kids left at home). We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. The total cost for 10 nights with park tickets and the free dining plan is $4000.

So here is my question. I know it is “cool” to own DVC but is it worth the cost? With an initial investment of over $25000 and annual costs of nearly $4000 we got a room, just a room. We still had to buy park tickets and food on top of that. We want to start going back every year but I just can’t justify the cost. Ho do you justify the cost?

The thing about it now is that you wouldn't be able to sell your points for what you pay for them now, unless you get a real low priced resale. And even then, it would be hard. We bought OKW points for something like $65 a point and wound up selling them for in the $70's. We bought BCV for about $70 and sold them for the mid-90's. But that isn't going to happen any more. I still have my cheap OKW points that I bought direct for $50 a point 15 years ago.

You bought early and sold before the bubble burst so you made out okay. Not going to happen again.

And dues will continue to go up as will ticket prices, transportation costs, food costs. But so will hotel costs. So if you can hang onto the DVC for ten years or more, you might break even. If you only go to Disney every few years or less, you won't break even. But no one ever said a Disney trip was cheap. It's an expensive luxury that not everyone can afford.

I'll sell my remaining three contracts before I'll ever buy any more points. 325 is plenty and at times may be too much. I'm not going to go through the hassle of renting them out and just bank when possible or make a reservation for our son and friends if we can't go.

 

[disney dumbo]

With your past experience, and your knowledge of your future plans, I'd say you need to go with what ever your heart & brain can agree on!

But here's what I love about owning. This past weekend I stayed in studio at OKW for 52 points. Friends wanted to join us at the same resort. $1,000. Of course it was a holiday weekend and DVC option was sold out. Every Disney lower price property was sold out. Got them priceline $400 nice "resort" hotel… but no choice on bed types. No good bus transportation. No free parking at parks. Plus resort fees & parking at hotel. No microwave. (they did have a refrig)

For me, if you can plan and afford the initial point expense, it is roughly the same cost as a priceline hotel… but with a world of difference!

I love the transportation, the theme-ing, the microwave and refrig, free park parking if I decide to drive… and the 2 bedrooms when I need to splurge on space!!! We have done that several times… and through DVC is the ONLY way I could have enjoyed it!

I'm thinking the 2 bedrooms would be a huge plus for you and a large family.

Oh, forgot to mention the $100 off annual passes!!! Plan your trip right… and that will save you greatly!

Unfortunately, I never buy the dining… just too much food (and money) for me. Maybe if I got it for free, I would feel differently. So that could make your decision different.

Congratulations on being smart enough to buy WAY back… and getting ALL your money back!. Wow. Good for you now… there are some GREAT buys out there!

 

[hodgesdisney]

That seems like alot for maintenance fees on 385 points. Almost $10 a point. Is that really correct?

 

[Sandisw]

I think it all depends on one's own situation in terms of being "worth" it. We were a family of 5 who enjoyed staying at the deluxe resorts and in particular, the Contemporary.

When they built BLT, we decided to join and decided if we could buy DVC and get larger rooms for the same price we were paying for just a room at the CR, then DVC would be of benefit to us. We were paying around $2000 for 5 - 7 nights each year just for the room so that was the figure we used as a base.

So, while we may not have gone in thinking about saving money, we did feel we would get more for the money we would spend anyway.

Fast forward 3 years later and we now own 330 points, at BLT and BWV, with MF's around $1600. So, our yearly costs are still less than what we were paying for a room and we are getting a lot more than 5 - 7 nights per year.

Granted, this doesn't count the upfront costs, but we went in knowing we would be visiting WDW for years to come so well worth it in terms of making our trips to the world more enjoyable.

We just love the flexibility being DVC offers us but it is definitely not for everyone so each person must look at their own situation and go from there.

Good luck!

 

[TheYellowDart]

I don't really think this is apples to apples... we were staying with the free dining plan before (it can really only be used off season) and now we have DVC. We only have 100 points but that is about enough for some hotels in off season, and with the banked points we have we can use 120 points per year for the next 5 years. For the 300+ points you have you can stay in a huge hotel room or a studio (like you rented) for nearly 4 weeks during the same period.

Anyways, we found for our 10 day trips off peak we spend the same on hotel/tickets/food as we did for the package trip with the free meal plan (actually saving around 400 per year) but we get to lock it in forever.

Did you buy your points all in one go? Maybe you can sell some of your contracts... if you were happy with your studio at PO this year for only 10 days you could easily get away with only 150 points or less ... lowering your yearly costs by more than half.

 

[glvest]

Interesting conversation, I looked at the chart here on the DISboards and maintenance fees for 2008 VWL were 4.87 per point. The annual maintenance fees should have been about $1874.95. Not sure why they would have charged you around $3800.00.

 

[vicki_c]

That seems like alot for maintenance fees on 385 points. Almost $10 a point. Is that really correct?

No, the OP's recollection must be wrong. In 2008, VWL maintenance fees were $4.87 and less than that in prior years, as low as $3.62 in 2000 when VWL opened. So if you just took a simple average ($3.62+4.87 divided by 2) of $4.25 pp, the OP's maintenance fees averaged $1636 a year, or less than 1/2 of what was originally stated.

Not picking on the OP's error, but it's important to not be overstating your costs by almost 2.5X when making a decision of what to do.

Current VWL maintenance fees are $5.34 pp, so the same number of points would now carry annual maintenance of $2055.

 

[gonzalj1]

Interesting conversation, I looked at the chart here on the DISboards and maintenance fees for 2008 VWL were 4.87 per point. The annual maintenance fees should have been about $1874.95. Not sure why they would have charged you around $3800.00.

Exactly. We're definitely dealing with a little misinformation by OP.

Also, those maint fees and purchase price got you more than "just a room." We can compare the 2BR at VWL against a room at PO anytime and see which one has the better amenities.

I'm also curious how your family of 10 could stay in a 2BR. Isn't max occupancy in a 2BR 8?

When comparing things like this we need to make sure we're comparing apples to apples. Comparing the top of the line Mercedes Benz against the Hugo just because they both have 4 wheels, a steering wheel and an engine will always result in the MB looking way over priced.

That being said, DVC is definitely not for everyone. If you're happy staying in the mods and looking for the deals then you probably made the right decision selling. For my family, it was more about guaranteeing deluxe accommodations and locking in the price for 50 years.

 

[luckyman_apd]

That seems like alot for maintenance fees on 385 points. Almost $10 a point. Is that really correct?

Yeah, that doesn't add up right. No points have maintanance fees that high.

As far as worth it, well, Over a period of 8 years, you got deluxe 2 br accommodations for 2 weeks for 8 years straight.....and all this for just the cost of the dues. You said you sold the contract for what you paid for it. I'm sure the accommodations you had over these eight years would have been staying in without DVC would have been enormously more expensive than your dues. Add the opportunity cost you lost by not investing that money for the buy in, and I'm willing to bet that you still come out on top.

The real question is, would have gone 2 weeks a year if you weren't a member? If not then it did cost you money. If so, then you saved a ton.

I'm sensing your question is would it worth it now. Just to compare, 10 day park hoppers from UT with the MS.com discount is $1769.50 (I'm assuming all 3 kids are adult priced). Your dues at VWL (if you still owned 385 points) would be $2160, not the $4000 you are talking about.

So your tickets and points would be $3929.5 if you still owned DVC. You would NOT be getting the meal plan. Whether the meal plan is worth it is up to you.

Now, is DVC worth it? That is up to you, but this is a better comparison. I don't know what season you are traveling, and at this point you might not require all 385 points anymore. You can't argue that Port Orleans is the same as a DVC resort. It is a preference thing at this point. Will DVC save you money? maybe, maybe not. But I can't say that you are going to lose money with it. Worth it is in the eye of the beholder. We bought a small BLT resale. over the years I've calculated that is will be about the same or less than if we stayed in a moderate when we stay in 1 bedrooms. If we use studio's and stay longer, well then we are paying less than moderates. Plus, we will be getting the proximity to the park and monorail that we can't get at a moderate. For us, that makes it more "worth it"

DVC "worth it" comparisons are a case by case situation on various factors.

 

[ssawka]

I also think your recollection of the MFs may be off. However, you are also not comparing apples to apples. You are comparing a two bedroom villa at VWL to a standard hotel room at POR. First, VWL is a deluxe resort in close proximity to a theme park. Second, a kitchen is included in the villa. Lastly, 385 points is a lot of points. How many points would you need now to get the same space as a standard hotel room? No one ever said that DVC is about being the cheapest way to visit WDW, but it is a good deal for what you get, a villa at a deluxe resort close to a theme park with a kitchen.

 

[crisi]

It doesn't save us money. Its a good value for our money.

So yes, its been worth it. But if I were shopping again today, I'd rent over at Bonnet Creek instead of buying DVC. Bonnet Creek wasn't an option when we bought. And when we bought our kids were much younger - we are getting to the end of our "regular" Disney trips.

When it gets down to just my husband and I, POR sounds lovely once every five years.

 

[luckyman_apd]

It doesn't save us money. Its a good value for our money.

So yes, its been worth it. But if I were shopping again today, I'd rent over at Bonnet Creek instead of buying DVC. Bonnet Creek wasn't an option when we bought. And when we bought our kids were much younger - we are getting to the end of our "regular" Disney trips.

When it gets down to just my husband and I, POR sounds lovely once every five years.

That's interesting. My wife and I bought with intentions of regular visits with the kids because we have great family vacations there (not the ones with parents screaming at their kids because everyone is exhausted and has overdone it! ) But now that our contract has closed, we are excited thinking about the future when the kids are older and we can go there for trips of just us. Our kids are still very young, and we have only gone on a trip without the kids one time for a weekend in the 6 years we've been parents. I don't see a lot of those in the future either, so it will be an exciting time for us when the kids are grown and it will be just us. Don't get me wrong, I don't want my kids to grow any faster, and I'm not wishing my life away, it's just another factor that we did consider when we decided to buy. I believe I could sit along the Lagoon at Epcot with a drink in my hand for just about the entire day with my wife at my side.

Of course on day 2, my *** will be on test track and soarin'

 

[cmanuli]

I seem to agree with what most people are saying here that it really comes down to if it is good for you and the situation of your family. DVC can work for so many people, but if it doesn't work for your situation, it might not be good. That doesn't mean its a bad product. I actually bought in 2008 and over the past few years have used it a ton, got many vacations out of it, and so has my family. I think of it as a pre paid vacation plan for 50 years from when you buy it basically.

 

[Jhuff8181]

Don't get me wrong we LOVED being DVC owners. I guess I realized over the years that our trips were more about the parks and activities and less about the room. It seemed like we were really only in the room to sleep and eat.

My wife made a comment the other day that she was really going to enjoy this trip because it would be a REAL vacation. When I asked her what she meant she said "no grocery shopping and no cooking." Having the villa was great but it seemed as though to make it worth while we had to take full advantage of the kitchen, cutting costs on meals.

As far as comparing a two bedroom villa to POR, traveling with five a one bedroom villa would not be an option.

 

[WiggleWorm]

I agree with many others. We bought a small 50 point re-sale and go every couple years. Since we had been doing this before we bought, we compared what we were spending going without DVC to what we would be spending on DVC. In the long run, DVC will save us money and provide us with better accomodations (the extra room, kitchen, and laundry are wonderful!), assuming we continue our same pattern. While it's not guarenteed we will continue this pattern - we are aware that life happens - it is probable that over the next 50 years we will go enough times to save us money. That being said, we did think about it and crunch numbers for a long time before we took the plunge. Good luck with your decision!

 

[luckyman_apd]

Don't get me wrong we LOVED being DVC owners. I guess I realized over the years that our trips were more about the parks and activities and less about the room. It seemed like we were really only in the room to sleep and eat.

My wife made a comment the other day that she was really going to enjoy this trip because it would be a REAL vacation. When I asked her what she meant she said "no grocery shopping and no cooking." Having the villa was great but it seemed as though to make it worth while we had to take full advantage of the kitchen, cutting costs on meals.

As far as comparing a two bedroom villa to POR, traveling with five a one bedroom villa would not be an option.

There are resorts that allow 5 in a 1 br. BLT and AKV have the sleeper chair. But if DVC added stress to your trip then no it is not worth it. We don't feel the kitchen is necessary, but it can be a bonus for us. We will use studios and 1 br over time, so we aren't relying on the kitchen, but the laundry is a plus

The dining plan is nice as you don't have to cook, and get your meals from nice places, but for us, the meal plan added too much stress. To much planning for reservations, and I HATED having to be somewhere at a certain time EVERY day. For us, I'd rather just do quick serve meals when we eat in the park. We've found a few places with huge portions that we can buy 1 meal and split it (like the ribs and chicken in Tomorrowland).

Since you are on the meal plan, if you have any reservations that require 2 table service credits then the tomorrowland ribs and chicken is a good use for your quick serve to replace the table service. It sure is a heck of a lot of food they give you at that place.

 

[crisi]

That's interesting. My wife and I bought with intentions of regular visits with the kids because we have great family vacations there (not the ones with parents screaming at their kids because everyone is exhausted and has overdone it! ) But now that our contract has closed, we are excited thinking about the future when the kids are older and we can go there for trips of just us. Our kids are still very young, and we have only gone on a trip without the kids one time for a weekend in the 6 years we've been parents. I don't see a lot of those in the future either, so it will be an exciting time for us when the kids are grown and it will be just us. Don't get me wrong, I don't want my kids to grow any faster, and I'm not wishing my life away, it's just another factor that we did consider when we decided to buy. I believe I could sit along the Lagoon at Epcot with a drink in my hand for just about the entire day with my wife at my side.

Of course on day 2, my *** will be on test track and soarin'

I'd rather go to England or Italy or Hawaii or Costa Rica. For us, Disney has been an easy trip to take while our kids were little, but we were never Disney lifestylers.

 

[Judique]

We want to start going back every year but I just can’t justify the cost. Ho do you justify the cost?

I have 'x' vacation dollars. I like going to Disney, so I use a part of my vacation dollars to go to Disney. I use another part of them to go on a beach vacation. And I use part of that to do whatever other types of vacation I might decide to take. That's what I can afford and what I have a budget for.

If your budget doesn't stretch around a Disney vacation, then you do something else that you can afford. Or you shorten the time you go for. When I first went to Disney, I did three nights - that was what I perceived that I could afford. Later on I learned how to stretch my vacation dollars to work for me.

 

[Dean]

Here’s a brief history. In 2000 my wife and our eight children visited Wilderness Lodge and of course we were hooked. We had been to WDW a few times before but had never stayed on site. We vowed never to stay off sight again. That same year the Villas as Wilderness Lodge came on the market. We purchased enough points to stay in a two room villa in January for two weeks each year. I think it was around 385 points for something like $27000. We went once or twice a year for the next eight years. Over time the maintenance fees grew and grew. In 2008 the fees were around $1800. We experienced some financial difficulties and sold our ownership in part due to the annual fees. We were able to sell our ownership for what it cost us initially.

We are now able to go back some four years later with a smaller family (only three kids left at home). We are staying at Port Orleans Riverside. The total cost for 10 nights with park tickets and the free dining plan is $4000.

So here is my question. I know it is “cool” to own DVC but is it worth the cost? With an initial investment of over $25000 and annual costs of nearly $4000 we got a room, just a room. We still had to buy park tickets and food on top of that. We want to start going back every year but I just can’t justify the cost. Ho do you justify the cost?

**Corrected MF's to $1800 getting old I guess.

As noted, I think it depends. I'll let you do the math for your situation but in general, you'll be roughly break even for moderates compared to a studio or 2 rooms to a 2 BR. Assuming you'll go routinely, I think the added value is worth it, esp since you should be happy at the lower cost DVC resorts. If you're good at chasing codes and tend to travel when they are maxed out, such as free dining, the code stays will be cheaper.