Live in FL and have DVC?

[Pineapple Princess]

My dh and I went to a DVC presentation this weekend. I must say it is VERY tempting. We just wonder though if it is worth it for the weekend type trips we take. Do you live within a couple of hours of Disney and have DVC? If so are you happy with it?

 

[zalansky]

We live in Tampa, an hour from WDW. We bought in early 2006 and even I wondered if it was the right thing since we live so close. Since then, we added on at AKV...so you can see we think it is great! I have to say, I think we are actually at an advantage since we're so close. Got points in holding? (means you can only make a reservation for 60 days out) No problem. We can make last minute trips. We can also go for a night or two and not have to worry about airfares and airport transfers. We don't stay on weekends that often since the points are pretty much double, but since the add-on we've done it. Its just a much better use of points to go during the week.

We mentioned to our guide that people give us a hard time for being DVC members and living so close and he made a great point. Just because we live close doesn't mean its any less of a vacation for us. And like I said I think we have an advantage because we don't incur travel costs.

Good luck with your decision. We love our DVC, have added on and plan to add on more when we can.

 

[ilovecoasters]

We live well under an hour from WDW and have never regretted our decision. We love it for weekends away. We're already looking to add points!

 

[cmd128]

My husband & I are in the process of buying, the closing should be in mid November. We also live in the Tampa area & thought it would be great for the one or two nighters plus we have adult children with families that can also use it. In the past we mostly go on weekdays since we are retired & only from October thru maybe May. Gets too hot! The flexability is what sold us on DVC.

 

[JimC]

We live 15 minutes NE of the airport. We bought DVC when we lived in PA. We moved down to Orlando in June 2006. We decided to wait before making any decisions on our timeshare portfolio. This January we added on at AKV and this summer we sold a Marriott week in Aruba.

One difference -- pre-move we would come down for a week or longer. Now we stay on-site for five nights (Sunday to Friday). Gives us more trips and even better value. We take day trips to the various theme parks on the weekends. Proximity has its advantages.

 

[JimMIA]

We live in Miami, and there are actually three families on our account -- myself and my two adult daughters. We all use the account frequently, and mostly for shortish trips.

My family uses DVC almost exclusively for 4-5 night stays arriving on Sunday and making maximum use of our points. We've done trips every 6 months or so, but now are evolving into an annual trip for five nights (maybe more) staying in larger accommodations (1-2 BR). We tend to book more than 7 months out unless we are staying at a non-home resort.

My daughters, for a variety of reasons, tend to use their points for much shorter stays, almost always including at least one of those dreaded weekend nights. They also sometimes go during peak, peak season -- like New Years Eve. And they almost always book on short notice and accept whatever they can get.

Despite living in Miami, both of my daughters have been to VB and both loved it. One of them has also been to HHI and loved that. Collectively, the only resorts we have not stayed in are BWV and the new AKV, and we've loved them all.

 

[deej696]

We live in Ocala (bout an hour and a half north) and we purchased at SSR about a year ago. Best decision we ever made. For a while, we were staying about 2 nights a month going during the week. Recently, my DF's work schedule changed meaning we can usually only go on the weekends. While it is a lot more points, it fits our lifestyle, and we still get to go down once a month, even if its just for one night. Of course, we are such disney nuts, that we have ended up still having some stays on cash. Long and the short, Do it, do it, do it. You wont regret it

 

[OlderMan]

We bought into OKW over 10 years ago, and moved to FL about 7 years ago.

We have 2 DD's who are 9 & 10, and visit OKW 2-3 times per year.

That said, I lobbied my DW to sell DVC when we moved to FL, but, like I said, we usually make it to OKW at least twice per year.

Is it worth it? I think so!

 

[Pineapple Princess]

Thanks for your replies!

 

[Beth]

We bought in 1997, and have added on 5 times. We have made 115 reservations since then... Most of our stays consist of 1-3 nights. We've done the cruise twice, used the CC once, and stayed at other Disney resorts a few times (never again, though, with the new fees.) We've also sent my SIL to a CC resort in California for her honeymoon, sent my nephew to HH for his honeymoon, and are sending my niece to WLV next year for her honeymoon.

In 2005, we took 18 of us over to OKW for Memorial Day weekend to celebrate a big birthday. We did an Illuminations Dessert party, had a BBQ, and did a fishing excursion. It was SO much fun - everybody enjoyed it so much. We got 2 2BR's and 1 GV.

This past weekend - we spent a bunch of points, and 9 of us went over to SSR on Friday night for MNSSHP. It wasn't a good use of points - but worth it. We got back to the room around 1:30am - and were so grateful to not have to drive back home!

I have lots of stories like this - but I can tell you that we have definitely enjoyed the club - especially because we live so close!

 

[alldiz]

If your only going to use your points on weekends....
It might not be worth it for you....

Might be cheaper just paying cash
Kerri

 

[Disney_Daddy]

We live an hour and 15 minutes away and LOVE our DVC. We typically stay Sunday thru Wednesday about 5 times per year and stay Sunday to Friday once per year. SSR is our favorite with proximity to DTD.

The great thing about Disney is that there is always something new to try or do. We stayed at SSR in September and are looking forward to VWL for three nights in January.

Go for it and have fun!