Might Join, Want Opinions for Parents

[JanusFamily01]

Hi all, our family is thinking of joining and we have exactly 26 hours to call the person that gave us a tour to get a special offer... My dad and I are convinced but my mom isnt. Can any of you submit your ideas, thoughts, impressions, etc... on the DVC for us please??? Thanks so so so much.

Tony Janus

 

[JohnNJ]

What is the name of the person you have to call within 26 hours and what is the special offer? There should not be any pressure on you to call back within a certain limit.

 

[JanusFamily01]

Well, we had 72 hours to respond for the offer, some presale offer on Seratoga Springs resort, but we just got home not even 2 hours ago, so... and i would rather not say her name... but she was a very nice person... but i would really appreciate what people think about the club, because if we can convince my mom by 2pm tomorrow, we get 1500 off the purchase price... thanks a bunch

 

[reneesam]

Since Saratoga Springs is not opening until next year, I am surprised that the presale offer ($10 off each point or 100 free points) is drying up so quickly. Are you sure? Was this person a DVC guide? I agree with John NJ, as the sales are usually much lower pressure than this.

Since you have to "convince your mom", I assume that you are one of the younger members of the family. Read these board carefully, along with your mom. Nearly all of us here are thrilled with our DVC purchase, and our families are happy as well.

Good luck.

 

[JanusFamily01]

Thanks a bunch, and yeah I am the youngest member (16) but my dad wants it too, so hes trying to convince her as well. And the person who gave us the offer was a guide, so i dont know if the offer would last longer or not with the sales people if they are any different.

 

[bcvillastwo]

I've been reading these boards for a while now (only posting for a short while) and I've never heard anyone suggest this kind of pressure tactic. I can't say there isn't some kind of a special offer that only has a short duration but I think it's unlikely considering the fact that SSR has just started pre-sales this week.

Somehow, I think there is more to this story.

By the way, I don't think you will find very many people on this board who aren't happy with their decision to join DVC.

 

[Terry S]

Actually, what the guide is saying may be true. When they offer a special during your tour, they can only offer it for a few days later. I have heard this on these boards more than once. My guide told me that he could talk to me about it over the phone but, once he gave me a tour on property, there was a time limit.

As far as weather to buy DVC or not, that is a personal decsion, but we knew we loved the 2 bedroom accomadations and could never afford the price of a 2 bedroom without DVC. We have not regretted our decision once!

 

[JanusFamily01]

One last question we had, We would only be able to afford the minimum of 150 points and our guide explained it so that it sounded very expensive to buy more. Right now its only the three of us, but if we have been staying at all star resorts until now... is this really that great of a deal?

(btw, this is his mother now)

Yvonne Janus

 

[Lisa F]

Compared to all stars, no, DVC is not that great a deal IF you only care about having a place to sleep, shower and dress. Realize that when you buy into DVC, the minimum accommodations (studios) are really more along the lines of deluxe hotel rooms and then some (fridge and microwave in the room). When we bought in we compared it to the AP rate at deluxes ($169+tax at the time) and found the studio to be a very good deal. You can probably save a bit on food even in the studios if you stock up the fridge and use the microwave minimally for breakfast, but for other meals as well.

If you are looking for a way to go more cheaply than the all stars then no, DVC is not for you. If you are looking for a way to get deluxe level accommodations for moderate prices, then DVC is for you.

Just to give you a simple idea of numbers, at $79/point, SSR will cost you $1.58 per point per year (that's the cost to buy in divided by 50 years). With dues at about $4 and rounding liberally up, say those points will cost you about $6 each. for 150 points that would be $900/year. Dues will go up changing that number slightly but so will rates at the all stars so let's just assume dues and resort prices go up at the same rate. Can you see spending $900/year on room only? What time of year do you plan to go? What does that 150 points buy you for your $900/year?

If you plan to finance that changes the scenario somewhat. Some people take into account lost income on the money you spend for DVC but we never did. Hope that helps and is not confusing!

Lisa

 

[bcvillastwo]

I think Lisa F makes some very good points. First, DVC may not be less expensive than All Starts. Second, DVC studios are more equivalent to a Delux. Third, and most important, the best way I've found to make a fair cost comparison is to break the cost down to a per points basis as Lisa did. Then compare the per point cost to the cost of the place you would normally expect to stay.

The nice thing about using a per points cost basis it that it allows you to compare different level resorts (economy, moderate, delux) to DVC. We had been staying at moderates and we found that DVC made sense for us.

We are very pleased with DVC.

One more thing, it took us several years to convince ourselves it made sense and I would never have done if it would have put us into a financial bind.

With that, good luck on your decision.

 

[Mouse Ears]

You have already gotten some great responses about the cost of things.

I wanted to say that we are relatively new members with the minimum 150 points and are happy with our decision. With banking and borrowing, 150 points can still give a lot of flexibility. We plan to use a 2 bedroom unit every 18 months to 2 years and can't wait for our first trip.

The price per point is the same no matter how many points you buy and you can buy any amount above 150 (say 172), so additional points are not 'very expensive' after all. It is worthwhile to study the point chart and see how many points you might use on average. Also, it is relatively easy to add-on additional points later in amounts of 25 or greater, although the price may go up and special offers may not apply to small packages.

Good luck in your decision and don't wait too long. The most common regret mentioned on this board is
"I only wish I would have done it sooner!"

 

[spiceycat]

check out the resale market -too - you know what you were offered - now check the resale -

there is one here - look above - click on DVC resales in the above titles

you might be able to get a better deal at OKW - than SSR - it just depends upon the offer from the DVC guide

kept in mind that when you compare prices - make sure you add in the closing cost of between $500 to $1,000 on the resales.

even if you can't find a resale at OKW that you like better - you can still stay there (save on the points). -

 

[Disney Doll]

Basically, here's how DH and I figured it when we bought points. We did the cost per point thing that a previous poster did for you, so I won't repeat that.

The way we justified it was that once the initial loan was paid off, then you were getting deluxe level accomodaitons at a reasonable price. If you are truly the type of people that only sleep in your room, then DVC may not be for you.

Some of the benefits of DVC are:
~washer/dryer in a 1BR or larger size unit-NOT in a studio
~studios are equivalent to the size of a deluxe(ie-Poly,BC,CR)room PLUS a small fridge,microwave,coffeemaker-this could save some $ in terms of meals. We usually eat at least breakfast in the room, and I know some folks with kids also do some easy dinners(ie-mac & cheese) in the room. Also enables you to keep snacks in the room to avoid those costly trips to the gift shop for something. I know OKW has grills at some of the quiet pools which would enable you to do a nice cookout while enjoying a swim.
~there is no other regular room on property that compares to the 1BR,2BR, and GVs. Maybe some of the $1500/night suites in some of the deluxe hotels do, but how often is the average person going to stay in one of those??? DH and I are very "average" people, and when we go there and stay in a 1BR unit, we have a master BR with a jacuzzi, a full kitchen fully-stocked with all the stuff you'd need to do meals(utensils and pots and pans, not food!),a washer/dryer, a separate living room.
~the washer/dryer in the 1BR and larger units lets you pack less
~you will be having vacations for the next 50 years bought at 2003 prices
~you really begin to realize the most benefit from the purchase once your initial loan is paid off, and then your yearly expense is just dues. DH and I own enough points to stay 3-5 weeks, depending on time of year and size of unit. We pay about $1440/year in points. At the All-Stars, if we got a $69/night rate, we'd be able to stay for 3 weeks for $1440, and not have anywhere NEAR the level of accomodations we have in a DVC property.
~there are very few investments right now that are paying fabulous interest, so it's not like your money is earning tons of money right now
~if you were to do it, and determined it wasn't right for you, you could sell it fairly easily and most likely suffer no loss.

Others have recommended the resale market, and that is something to consider. The other advice I would give you is to buy where you want to stay. SSR is near DD. If you like that area of WDW, then it would probably be a great place for you to be. If you prefer the Boardwalk area, then look into the Beach Club or Boardwalk Villas. If you prefer to be near the MK, then look into the Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. Old Key West is kind of bewteen Epcot and DD, but is considered a DD resort. DH and I made our decision to buy at OKW by saying "If we could never stay anywhere else on WDW property again, would we be happy staying here every time we came to WDW?" For us, regarding OKW, the answer was yes.

Short resort descriptions:
OKW-has the units that are largest in size. Has a pastel, beachy tropically sort of theme.Has a boat that takes you to DD, bus service everywhere else. Some have said that they think the bus service at OKW is slow...I have not personally found that to be so. Condo style units. You park in front of your unit rather than valet. Main pool is nice, but has no special slide or waterfalls etc. Has 3 quiet pools in additon to main pool. Sort of feels like a little town. Very relaxed atmosphere.

BWV-attached to the BW hotel. Rooms are not as large as OKW, but very amply sized for a vacation condo IMHO(although Richy would disagree! ). Boat/walk to MGM and Epcot, bus everywhere else. Located right on the boardwalk with all the dining and entertainment options that location offers. Hotel style units with entrances off interior hallways. Valet park. Main pool is nice, large, has a slide which is reminiscent of an old fashioned wooden roller coaster and you come flying out of a clown's mouth and into the pool. I don't believe there are any quiet pools. Rooms are decorated in a sort of seashorey style...lots of blue...very pretty.

BCV-attached to BC hotel. Rooms are the same size as BWV...smaller than OKW, but OK in size. Boat/walk to MGM and Epcot(VERY close to Epcot), bus everywhere else. Located at the boardwalk with all its dining/entertainment options. Hotel style units with entrances off interior hallways. Valet park. Main pool, Stormalong Bay, is thus far the best hotel pool on WDW property. Also has a quiet pool in the BCV area and a couple of other quiet pools in the YC/BC hotel area. Rooms are decorated very pastel-ly and beachy.

VWL(Villas at the Wilderness Lodge)-attached to Wilderness Lodge hotel. Rooms are same size as BCV & BWV...smaller than OKW but still a good size. Hotel style units with entrances off interior hallways. Valet park. Main pool is nice, with nice waterfall areas etc and a geyser that erupts every 1/2 hour or so. Villas also have a quiet pool which looked nice. Rooms are decorated with deeper jewel tones, kind of rustic. I have always found VWL to be very serene-feeling. Boat to the MK, bus everywhere else. I have personally found the bus service from VWL to be slow.

Hopefully, some of this info/opinions have helped you in your decision making process. DH and I have never regretted buying our DVC contracts.