Just purchased DVC Membership, Talk me out of it

[crisi]

My kids have not exactly gotten bored with Disney (they are 11 and 12), but they've discovered there are other places to vacation (we are from Minnesota, so getting out of cold and snow is nice). Mexico is very popular with them right now - and we are booking Hawaii for this Spring (but not DVC - Maui). Owning DVC ties us into Disney - but we only bought for every other year - so at least we aren't STUCK with Disney as our only vacation.

Disney is not the place it was five years ago, and DVC rooms are not terribly well maintained. Had I to do it again, now - I'd buy an offsite timeshare for much less or just rent - and again, probably offsite. You can get a lot more for your money off property than on. DVC is a nice value if you are an onsite snob - which I was at the time we bought, but a few conferences in Orlando offsite have introduced me to some nice places and made me less afraid of the rental car.

In particular - not related to DVC, but related to our overall satisfaction with Disney - food has gotten more expensive and nearly inedible at anything other than signature places.

It does get more expensive all the time. Park tickets have more than doubled in the past ten years - plus we now have two adult children - at eleven and twelve. Food has gone up. Airfare. Dues.

If you buy more than 150 points (or whatever it is now), buy it pieces so you can sell it off later should you decide you'd like "SOME" DVC but not "EVERY YEAR IN A TWO BEDROOM" DVC.

I like my DVC and its still a good value for us (but we bought for $63 a point ten years ago), and I'm glad we bought but I wouldn't do it now.

 

[Brian Noble]

talk me out of doing this.

Here is the biggest reason not to own: your vacation habits may change, and you may decide that, really, you don't need to return to WDW every (other) year. This most commonly happens to people who go "for the children." As the kids get older, they may decide that they'd rather go to Universal. Or the beach. Or whatever. And, DVC is *only* a good idea *if you are using it for DVC lodging.* I'd go a step further and suggest it's really only good for DVC lodging *at the parks*, because the other locations all have other timeshares in the area that are less expensive, and just as nice (or nicer).

So, if you imagine continuing to go even when your kids think they are too cool for it, or (even better) after they go off to university and beyond, well, then it's a pretty good idea.

Crisi makes a good point: you also have to be an *on property only* sort of person. If you think you might enjoy a trip staying outside the gates almost as much, DVC is probably not a smart move.

The third thing to remember: you are only pre-paying for *lodging*. You still have to get there (flying, from Canada), you still have to buy food (prices have gone up up up), you still have to buy tickets (ditto). Lodging for me is typically only about 1/3-1/4 the total cost of a trip, depending on what I do when I'm there.

Edited for full disclosure: we looked pretty hard at DVC about five or six years ago. We decided not to buy---in the end, we weren't convinced we'd always go back to Disney as our kids got older, *and* we actually don't find staying off property to be such a hardship. We do stay in DVC units from time to time, but we do so by exchanging our (much less expensive) non-Disney timeshares. That's not a sure thing---it's a maybe thing---but if it doesn't come through, well, we can make do in one of the many wonderful non-Disney resorts in the area. In hindsight, this was a good decision for us. But, it would not work for everyone.

 

[dbs1228]

We have been going to Disney for 15 years, every year and finally bought in. I have stayed off site many times prior to that past 15 years and would NEVER go back to staying offsite. I agree all around (not just dvc) Disney has cut corners, raised prices, service is not what it used to be but to me there is still something magical there!

I was a travel agent for over 10 years so I have experienced many of the other type of vacations (and will continue to do so) but when I go to Disney I feel like I am going "home" We have many down days just to enjoy the resorts. BLT and the THV at SSR is what finally convinced us to join. BLT - location, location THV - loved the cabins but always wished we had at least 2 bedrooms, love the outdoor grill and decks.

Okay maybe that did not talk you out of it, but I am glad we joined. We also paid our membership in full. Bought BLT direct and SSR resale, saved a boat load of money!

 

[FindTheMickeys]

As pp's have listed, those of us who are already DVC members most likely won't try to talk you out of anything DVC related. I bought into DVC when my kids were 23 and 17 (years old not months) and have gone more with my friends than my kids. I find the availablilty of an in-house washer and dryer makes for a lighter carry-on suitcase for the plane. The ability to eat meals in the room makes for a more relaxed vacation and, because I KNOW I will be returning year after year after year (actually now it's twice a year) I am more able to actually SLOW DOWN and enjoy my vacation. No longer do I have to do Disney 'commando style' trying to get the most out of every day and every ticket... Now my vacation is just that - a vacation, slow and leisurely

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I like my DVC and its still a good value for us (but we bought for $63 a point ten years ago), and I'm glad we bought but I wouldn't do it now.

Exactly. We bought 13 years ago for $50 a point at OKW, but would never buy in now.

 

[joelnkelly]

I honestly dont mind the money we paid today...of course it was better 10 years ago on the dollar amount per point..but we had the cash to pay for the entire package up front so we didnt really care. To me its about what possibility this is going to offer my family for the future. I cannot put a price on the joy and the years and years of vacations we will go on now and the many different places we will stay. My daughters are going to get to go to places and do things I never did when I was growning up and the time we spend together will make a lifetime of memories.

I say enjoy and be happy that you just did something that your family will love for a long..long time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...My daughters are going to get to go to places and do things I never did when I was growning up and the time we spend together will make a lifetime of memories.....

I hope you plan on going to WDW or DL.

 

[joelnkelly]

I hope you plan on going to WDW or DL.

We actually live in Orlando and bought DVC for the flexability and the many different things the DVC offers. We love to go to WDW and now we can go stay for a weekend, plus we can make a quick trip over to Vero and stay there if we want for a weekend. The other nice thing is for cruises, we can drive over to the port and not have to worry about flights or travel for cruising.

We are actually going to plan a nice big stay at a grand villa and bring in some family members to stay as well. The first big trip we have planned is a trip out west to DL, we are really excited for that!

 

[AKV707]

Sounds like DVC is a good fit for you and your family. And in terms of what it cost a decade ago, sure I wish we had bought in then, but we didn't or couldn't or both. I imagine in ten years, I will be glad that my initial purchase was in 2007.

So to the OP.......Welcome Home!

 

[Ukie Mouse]

Reading some posts that they were happy when they bought in 10 years ago, but would not do it now.

Also noticing that people seem to focus on DW or DL, has anyone used the RCI option and stayed elsewhere?

Not solely tied down to Disney, or are we?

 

[Mtnman44]

If you would enjoy other home resorts, besides BLT, you should look at the resales available right now. for 200 points, I think you could save around $10,000 from what you paid for BLT.

 

[joelnkelly]

Reading some posts that they were happy when they bought in 10 years ago, but would not do it now.

Also noticing that people seem to focus on DW or DL, has anyone used the RCI option and stayed elsewhere?

Not solely tied down to Disney, or are we?

We actually plan on using this as well...i have read people say it isnt worth the points to trade but for us we dont really care, I would tell someone to spend their points how they want, thats why you have them. Since we live in Orlando we actually will probably use most our points for big family trips outside the disney resort. Looking at the trade value we can spend a week at a RCI resort with either 1/2 bedrooms and still have points to use for quick stays within the disney resort if we want...to us its all about the flexability!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Reading some posts that they were happy when they bought in 10 years ago, but would not do it now.

Also noticing that people seem to focus on DW or DL, has anyone used the RCI option and stayed elsewhere?

Not solely tied down to Disney, or are we?

You may as well be. You don't get all the RCI options available, only a very small percentage of them. They aren't always available when you want them and you really need to plan a year or two out to get them. DVC has just renewed the contract with RCI, but they were with RCI when we bought in 1997 and quickly dropped them and went with II, which was dropped a few years ago.

If you really want to go elsewhere, buy a cheaper timeshare to trade out and just enough points to get your Disney kicks by banking and borrowing every three years.

DVC was a whole lot friendlier way back when. We'll probably sell in the near future. We have already sold off 175 points (two contracts) a few years ago.

 

[littlestar]

Regarding your question about being tied to DVC - you're not totally tied to DVC, but RCI trades are not easy if you need school vacation times and it's expensive when you add up the upfront cost of DVC and ongoing dues (I consider DVC a Cadillac timeshare and I don't trade my DVC points).

Instead, I purchased Wyndham resale points for less than $500 on Ebay and I use Wyndham for trips other places than Disney. If you are only going to occasionally trade out through RCI and don't want to mess with owning another system, then that's not too bad. But no way would I spend the upfront cash for DVC to trade it on a regular basis. Not when I can buy a resale in another system for less than $500 upfront and have better access to the dates and places I want to go.

It sounds like you are going to use your points for mostly trips to Disney resorts so I say congratulations.

 

[CaskPeg]

Plan your trips 51 weeks apart so you can buy annual passes every other year for your visit. If not for all family members, just one. Then you can take advantage of passholder discounts, purchase the Tables in Wonderland card for dining discounts, etc
Greetings and WELCOME HOME!
This is wise advice seeing as you travel so far each time. It also allows you to plan ahead, get reservations at restaurants, etc. which can prove essential once you arrive depending on the time of year you come. I think you will be happy with the owner care that is given by the staff at each location. Also seeing as BLT will be your home resort...you can also try for access on the shorter window at other locations within Disneyworld that have DVC rooms available. Good Luck!

CaskPeg

 

[Disney Dad Canada]

#1 reason to keep the DVC membership is: leaving a Winnipeg winter.

Seriously, I love the planning aspect almost as much as the actual trip. Get the family involved. My son(10) knows DVC so well, he took a points chart into his math class to show "math in real life situations".

The earlier you get the kids involved in the planning process, the more likely they will want to go back year after year.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

We second guess ourselves a lot about buying DVC. But, everything has turned out fine!

 

[AnnaS]

Congratulations and Welcome Home! Enjoy all the planning. You can change it up a bit also by staying/trying VB and HH - You can always waitlist here too if you don't get it at the 7 month booking window.

It might not be the best way to use your points - but we have used some points for 4 DCL cruises each time (always had two cabins). In the 10 years of ownership, we have also exchanged once to the Royal Sands Resort in Cancun (before RCI). Have not tried RCI yet - perhaps in the future. I have not seen too much feedback on DVC members trading into RCI. I belong to TUG so will look up resorts first (even though reviews are a bit outdated).

 

[b-1]

I bought a resale at BWV from Winnipeg without any issues. closed on Nov 30. There is not the same restriction on resales as there is on direct purchases. you CAN buy a resale from home.

 

[otterpop]

My approach is the conservative way; I am not an "impulse buyer".

If you are in no hurry, then my vote would be to cancel it and wait until the beginning of the year to see if there are any changes to the DVC contract (lots of rumors out there, but no actual facts). If no changes, buy resale to save yourself some money (I don't think it's that big of a difference for BLT, but it is for all the other properties; either way, the $$$ that you would probably save via resale would probably pay for your first DVC trip)!

If you are hesitant in anyway, I would cancel it....what's the hurry!

Evan