Need help deciding on DVC....have many questions!

[3smithboys]

We are a family of 5 and just returned from our first Disney cruise. While we were there we tried to get an appointment to speak with a DVC representative and could not, so while we were at DD before we went home last night, we were able to have a meeting and take a tour. DH and I were very impressed. We loved the models, and at first DVC seemed like a perfect fit for our family.

We have been to WDW for 5 days at Christmas for the past 2 years, and we are going back again for 8 days this Christmas. Combined with the Disney cruise we just took, that's a lot of Disney!!! We usually stay at Port Orleans Riverside....

When we got home, we started looking at the numbers. When you take into consideration how much we still have to pay for park tickets and the meal plan (which we like to do) we figured that we only save about $800 a trip by being members of DVC after we've paid it off in 10 years. It is about $1750 at Port Orleans for just the hotel for the week- (granted, Port Orleans and a DVC one bedroom can't compare with each other) But, we can't afford to pay the full amount of DVC upfront, so we would have to finance it out over 10 years..... Are we missing something????

We are sitting here going over this thinking we must be missing something....We would love to buy into DVC if we could see the cost benefit. Right now, it seems like a lot of money and the big benefit is staying in a REALLY nice place and saving some money. We like Port Orleans and don't spend that much time in the room. We can easily afford the monthly payments - that's not the issue - We just want to understand....

Can anybody help????

 

[disneynutz]

The reality is that you are pre-paying for a hotel room for many years to come and getting them at a discount. The only way to make it a good deal is if you keep coming to Disney for many years until you sell your membership.

Will you want to keep coming for 10 years or more?

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

We bought into DVC because we always stayed at the CR, so buying at BLT made sense to us. I'm not sure that it will save you money if you always stay at POR & plan to keep doing so. I guess you need to look at what you spent to stay there in the past & see how much the price has gone up over time. Good luck.

 

[Sandisw]

One thing I notice is that you are a family of 5 at Riverside. That means that one of your family members must be under 3. At some point, you will be too big for that resort--which leaves you the deluxe resorts, the family suites at All stars, or the cabins as your only option.

Have you looked at the cost of those resorts and compared them to DVC? When we decided to become members, it wasn't so much for the savings as it was, whether or not I could get better accommodations than I was now for the trips in the future.

I do think that if you are planning to visit WDW for many years to come, it might be a good deal for you. We are also dining plan people and just completed our stay using both the QSDP and the DDP. Because we did a split stay and DVC members can add the plan without having to purchase tickets, it allowed us to do both--which is nice because we really don't want to do more than 1 - 2 TS meals during our trips--we prefer the flexibility that the QSDP offered us.

We are also a family of 5 (although my children are now older and we are getting to the point where there will be only 3 most of the time). We have been spending about $2000 - $2500 per year for rooms at the CR. When I ran all the numbers, with the cost of my buy in (we did not have to finance so that made a difference) and the MF's for the 180 points we have, it will take us about 10 years to break even. And, that is assuming the contract itself is worth nothing after 10 years but the cost of MF's. Even if we sold it 5 years in (not that we plan to), I would still be paying less for my rooms than if I continued on a cash basis. So for us, we were getting a 1 bedroom, for the same number of nights that we were spending for a hotel room. If we stick with studios, we can get 9 nights a year vs. the typical 5 we now do.

Granted, this requires that we vacation in WDW and that we know we will do. As your children grow, I think the ability to have bigger rooms for less will make the savings much more than the $800 that you are figuring.

Good luck!

 

[5forDiz]

One thing I notice is that you are a family of 5 at Riverside. That means that one of your family members must be under 3. At some point, you will be too big for that resort--which leaves you the deluxe resorts, the family suites at All stars, or the cabins as your only option.



POR accommodates 5 in its Alligator Bayou rooms.

OP, you may do better booking cash room reservations or by taking advantage of special packages Disney makes available from time to time ( free dining, etc. ) based upon how you like to vacation at WDW. But, it sounds like DVC could maybe work for you too and save you $ on your accommodations in the long term - probably your most reasonable option point wise but yet still offer you with more room & luxury would be a 1 bedroom villa at AKV or BLT which sleeps 5 and has 2 full bathrooms and with a 1 bedroom villa & up you'd also have the added benefit of washer&dryer and full kitchen which may lead you to find that you don't need DDP when you can easily fix up a quick breakfast, even lunch or snacks and if you felt like it dinner (grills are available at all DVC resorts too).

jmho, I would not buy direct from Disney for what you describe as your vacation habits at this point - - research the resale market well where you can buy into DVC for substantially $ less and you will not need to purchase 160 pt minimum Disney will require you to buy if you direct purchase with them. Your membership will not be treated any differently purchasing a resale contract with less than 160 pts so no worries there & if in the future you decide you need more points you can easily do add-on contract(s) for 25 pt min with cash & 50 pt min if you want Disney's financing ( no closing costs at present for add-on contracts either ).

Look at the point charts for each resort and based upon time(s) you most likely would travel and size villa you'd need you can buy half that amount to travel every other year ( you'd bank or borrow then to have enough points to do o ) or divide by 3 to travel every 3rd year ( with banking & borrowing you'd have enough points to travel E3Y ).

Best wishes on your planning

 

[3smithboys]

Sandi, I hear what you are saying - if we could buy it outright I think that would make a huge difference too. We have an 11 year old and 6 year old twins so I guess we DO have to think about them outgrowing POR and having a bigger room would be nice. BUT when we look at the points it takes for a week at Christmas (the only time we can go because DH and I are both teachers and I get terrible migraines and can't do FL in the summer) we are concerned that it is A LOT of points!!! We found it interesting that the amount of points that our guide quoted us didn't even cover a full week at Christmas (we didn't notice that until we got home - we thought that it did) knowing that was when we vacation!

 

[toniosmom]

we figured that we only save about $800 a trip by being members of DVC after we've paid it off in 10 years.

I don't know about you, but an $800 savings is a lot of money to me.

Did you calculate what that same POR room will cost in 10 years? Once you buy into DVC, your price doesn't go up. You have paid for your points at XXX dollars and that won't change. Of course, your monthly fee can increase (and likely will), but I doubt that will climb at the same rate as a room at POR. And, as you pointed out, a room at POR certainly doesn't compare to a 1BR at a deluxe resort. You're not really comparing apples to apples.

Of course, only you can decide whether or not you want to jump into DVC. I think the biggest question is.....how often do you want to travel to Disney in the next 10 to 20 years? When I bought in, my thought was to travel every 2-3 years. That was before I realized (by staying at a deluxe resort) that it's not necessary to go to the parks every day. The resort is a vacation within itself. We have relaxing no-park days now. So, now it's killing me to only go once a year.

Good luck with your decision. I'm sure whatever you choose is the best decision for right now. Your view of the situation may change in a year or two. But don't wait too long -- our kids are getting older every day -- and so are we!!!

 

[3smithboys]

I agree that $800 is a lot of money, but the way we figure it is that we don't start saving anything until after it's paid off and we figure in the extra money we've paid in finance charges. For 10 years we are paying more each year than we would to go to POR for the same vacation (except we do realize that DVC is a luxury resort and POR is not.) On average the hotel might go up $200 per year for the entire week...

We figured that the cost for the year for DVC would be around $6,500 for a 5 night stay at Christmas including park tickets and dining. If we were to stay at POR it would be $3,060.

Are we figuring something wrong? Is there something that we are not getting? I understand that people love to relax at the resort, but if we can only get 5 days, then we don't have any time to do that at all. We really thought that we were able to get enough points for at least a week, but when we looked at the point chart, 250 gets us very little.

 

[disneynutz]

The biggest question that most don't think about is would you really visit WDW each year if you didn't have to. As a member you either use your points, bank them, rent them, or forfeit them.

 

[5forDiz]

I agree that $800 is a lot of money, but the way we figure it is that we don't start saving anything until after it's paid off and we figure in the extra money we've paid in finance charges. For 10 years we are paying more each year than we would to go to POR for the same vacation (except we do realize that DVC is a luxury resort and POR is not.) On average the hotel might go up $200 per year for the entire week...

We figured that the cost for the year for DVC would be around $6,500 for a 5 night stay at Christmas including park tickets and dining. If we were to stay at POR it would be $3,060.

Are we figuring something wrong? Is there something that we are not getting? I understand that people love to relax at the resort, but if we can only get 5 days, then we don't have any time to do that at all. We really thought that we were able to get enough points for at least a week, but when we looked at the point chart, 250 gets us very little.

It's a tough call because when you prefer to travel, during Christmas holiday week, it's highest points usage time....if you stay weekday nights ( Sun - Thurs nights ) at a DVC resort you will save some points over Fri & Sat nights which require more points. Just taking a quick look at point charts from what I can see if you want to travel every year for 5 nights during this time it seems you'd need at the very least probably around 200 points.

Using 2010 points chart Sun 12/26 - Thurs 12/30 for 5 nights in 1 br villa at AKV is approx 175 pts - 250 pts depending upon if standard, savannah or concierge.

If you made the trip eoy instead of yearly staying in standard would mean a contract with approx 100 pts ( & you might want to consider purchasing somewhat more than 100 pts in case you needed to have a Fri or Sat night as part of the stay depending upon how dates fall from year to year ).

Take a look at this thread partiularly Post#4 which gives history of change in monthly Maintenance Fees at each DVC resort over the years, MFs do amount to substantial amount of $ over life of contract and in Post#6 there is link to spreadsheet created by Roveer which compares DVC to rack rates among other comparisons - - worth giving a good read to.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2253895

It's alot to digest but just take your time to go over all the information you can get & you'll ultimately come to the decision that's right for your family

 

[ToddyLu]

Our history with WDW is fairly new. We were not able to afford to go when I was younger. When I married, DH promised me a trip one day. SO we went for our 8th wedding anniversary in 2002. I was hooked and he loved it, too...so we go every year for 9 nights. We have always done value resorts and occasionally do the DDP. I have wanted to buy in to DVC since I found out about it in 2004.

We do not have children so a studio is fine with us and we do not teach so vacation dates can be varied throughout the year. Basically I wanted DVC- with DH thinking just continuing our value cash trips were fine. He is 45 and I am 40, we have now been married almost 15 years. Purchasing DVC was a luxury gift of a lifetime to myself and him. Completely unnessesary, unless you want deluxe resorts and wonderful pool. At 40 I am ready for that. No more commando trips to Disney. I am OK just walking around and relaxing at this point. If I get to do EE, OK great, if not, I have done it many times before. In my mind we have world class accomodations now at every trip. THere is no way we could afford to stay at CR paying cash for 9 nights and we are not going to Disney for just a brief visit usually.

So basically at 40 I finally want and deserve deluxe accomodations for our yearly trip. I am ready to maybe enjoy a day by the pool. I want to see animals from the balcony. So in my mind it is like people who purchase a Lexus with leather interior and built in GPS with back up video instead of a Camry with cloth seats. Both are cars, but if you are spending a lot of time in one.....wouldn't you rather have the Lexus? I am a Disney freak at this point so it was worth every penny.

 

[Sandisw]

Sandi, I hear what you are saying - if we could buy it outright I think that would make a huge difference too. We have an 11 year old and 6 year old twins so I guess we DO have to think about them outgrowing POR and having a bigger room would be nice. BUT when we look at the points it takes for a week at Christmas (the only time we can go because DH and I are both teachers and I get terrible migraines and can't do FL in the summer) we are concerned that it is A LOT of points!!! We found it interesting that the amount of points that our guide quoted us didn't even cover a full week at Christmas (we didn't notice that until we got home - we thought that it did) knowing that was when we vacation!

As a teacher myself, I can understand the frustration of knowing you are locked in to certain vacation times (as we go summer only).

It sounds like maybe right now, you do need more time to digest the way that the DVC points can work for you and whether or not, given the finance piece, it makes sense to jump in right now, or wait a few years.

Your children are young so plenty of time. As I said, we just bought and my youngest is 13 but the oldest is 20 (and we have gone to WDW almost yearly since 1994). I do believe that when the time is right, you will know it. I think DVC is too big of a committment to jump into when you are having any doubts at all.

You mention that you can afford the monthly payments so maybe, for the next year, just put that money aside (less the money you will still spend to visit POR for your yearly trip) and revisit it then. One, you will have some additional funds saved so your financing piece won't be as much and two, it will give you time to really think about the program and how it could work for you in the long term.

The other piece, of course, is to look into the resale market and buy in using a small contract. I started that way, with 50 points, for about $4000. With banking/borrowing, you could use the DVC every 3 years for a trip using 150 points--or, you could do some split stay vacations, using your DVC points for some of the nights and POR for the rest. It would allow you to get in to DVC, see how it is but not make a huge financial committment.

Plus, once you are a DVC member, you can add on points at smaller increments. This way, you could eventually get to where you need to be.

Good luck!!!

 

[rentayenta]

We are a family of 5 and just returned from our first Disney cruise. While we were there we tried to get an appointment to speak with a DVC representative and could not, so while we were at DD before we went home last night, we were able to have a meeting and take a tour. DH and I were very impressed. We loved the models, and at first DVC seemed like a perfect fit for our family.

We have been to WDW for 5 days at Christmas for the past 2 years, and we are going back again for 8 days this Christmas. Combined with the Disney cruise we just took, that's a lot of Disney!!! We usually stay at Port Orleans Riverside....

When we got home, we started looking at the numbers. When you take into consideration how much we still have to pay for park tickets and the meal plan (which we like to do) we figured that we only save about $800 a trip by being members of DVC after we've paid it off in 10 years. It is about $1750 at Port Orleans for just the hotel for the week- (granted, Port Orleans and a DVC one bedroom can't compare with each other) But, we can't afford to pay the full amount of DVC upfront, so we would have to finance it out over 10 years..... Are we missing something????

We are sitting here going over this thinking we must be missing something....We would love to buy into DVC if we could see the cost benefit. Right now, it seems like a lot of money and the big benefit is staying in a REALLY nice place and saving some money. We like Port Orleans and don't spend that much time in the room. We can easily afford the monthly payments - that's not the issue - We just want to understand....

Can anybody help????

We are also a family of 5 who stayed at the POR before buying DVC but still may stay there the occasional arrival night if it's on a weekend because DH loves the POR.

I had looked into DVC for about 2 years before we purchased. One of the deciding factors was that our children will grow and a room at the POR, with that tiny trundle bed, will only work for so long. It says 5 adults but remember to Disney adulthood begins at age 10.

As far as the DDP goes, I don't see it becoming a better value. In the two years we have been going to WDW, it's gone from under $40 including tip and app to over $40 minus the above. Free ain't free when you are paying rack rate for a room. As time goes on, I see the DDP as less of a value. Maybe it's just me? And room rates may continue to go up but DVC points stay the same. They may reallocate weekend/weekday points but the total remains consistent.

Even if it does take 10 years to pay off your DVC loan, that still leaves 25-35 years apx. left where aside from yearly dues, your accommodations are paid for.

Having a kitchen for us is a HUGE perk and big $$$ saver. Instead of having to eat every meal in the park, unless it's PopTarts or fruit, we can make a nice breakfast or make great late night snacks for the kids. And a washer/dryer while on vacation to me to not have to come home to loads and loads of dirty smelly laundry. And by having the washer/dryer, I pack less.


Anyway, just some of my thoughts.

 

[disneydreamingdebby]

My husband and I just put in a contract for BCV and are waiting for Disney's ROFR. I am a teacher and our daughters are in 2nd grade so travel during the cheapest point times is nearly impossible (Sept. and Jan.). My husband is unable to get off easily during holidays (higher points anyway). So our travel will be summer and possibly a long weekend each Feb. We fell in love with Disney when we took our first Disney family vacation and went back six months later. By buying DVC, it makes it so that we WILL go to Disney once or twice a year.

When I read your post, I thought back to another thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2256853 I thought GrumpyGrandpa's advice would be great to help you.

I think resale is a better financial option, but the idea of financing vacations ten years out doesn't seem sound to me...

Good luck deciding, Debby

 

[CarolAnnC]

Port Orleans Riverside rents to families of 5 as they have trundle beds in Alligator Bayou and cots can be brought in to the Mansions (Magnolia) area as well.

This works fine with young children, we stayed there many times ourselves prior to DVC. But, as the children grow, the DVC Resorts will offer a far more enjoyable vacation experience.

 

[3smithboys]

We want to thank everyone for all of their responses. DH and I have spent a lot of time reading over all of them and looking carefully at the numbers. We want to make sure that we are not going headfirst into something that we are going to regret later just because we LOVE Disney! This is a HUGE financial commitment....

So, I think for now what we are going to do is take our Grand Gathering that we have planned with the rest of our family this December the way that we already have planned. Then we are thinking that we might try and rent a DVC from someone for the next time that we come down to the World. If we follow our pattern that we have been - then it will be Christmas 2010! I know that this would have been 2 more vacations that we could have been paying into DVC, but what we have decided to do is put aside the difference in the money between the price of buying into DVC and paying out of pocket....

I have a hard time financing DVC. Paying $10,000 in finance charges doesn't sit well with me. I think that we need to save up and have the money to buy in if we are going to do this. That will make it worth another look in my mind.

We agree that the DVC properties are beautiful and that we will most likely outgrow POR at some point, but for now we are still fitting and commando park people.

I also need to figure out if we can ever afford to get enough points for my family of 5 to be able spend a reasonable amount of time during Christmas week, which is the time that we go.... that may just be the deal breaker for us....

 

[5forDiz]

You & your DH have made a sound decision, which often is hard to do when it comes to WDW because there tends to be many emotional aspects that come into play when thinking Disney. Your family's plan is a wise one because it is what works for you & that is what is most important. DVC isn't going anywhere anytime soon ( it will be around at least until 2060! ) so if in the future you decide to go for it, DVC will be there. We are a family of 5 too and it took DH & I a number of years before we decided DVC was the right move for us to make -- prior to buying we had stayed at DVC resorts a number of times as guests of family & with rented points in addition to our yearly or twice yearly trips to other onsite WDW resorts; when the time was right for us to purchase we knew it and were totally comfortable with it and as far as all the trips we made over the years paying cash for onsite resorts well we don't look back with any regrets whatsoever on that $ we spent because those trips were wonderful, fun family vacations too

Best wishes to you & enjoy your WDW adventures !!

 

[Sandisw]

We want to thank everyone for all of their responses. DH and I have spent a lot of time reading over all of them and looking carefully at the numbers. We want to make sure that we are not going headfirst into something that we are going to regret later just because we LOVE Disney! This is a HUGE financial commitment....

So, I think for now what we are going to do is take our Grand Gathering that we have planned with the rest of our family this December the way that we already have planned. Then we are thinking that we might try and rent a DVC from someone for the next time that we come down to the World. If we follow our pattern that we have been - then it will be Christmas 2010! I know that this would have been 2 more vacations that we could have been paying into DVC, but what we have decided to do is put aside the difference in the money between the price of buying into DVC and paying out of pocket....

I have a hard time financing DVC. Paying $10,000 in finance charges doesn't sit well with me. I think that we need to save up and have the money to buy in if we are going to do this. That will make it worth another look in my mind.

We agree that the DVC properties are beautiful and that we will most likely outgrow POR at some point, but for now we are still fitting and commando park people.

I also need to figure out if we can ever afford to get enough points for my family of 5 to be able spend a reasonable amount of time during Christmas week, which is the time that we go.... that may just be the deal breaker for us....

It really is important to be sure that you are ready for DVC. Have a great trip in December!!!

 

[Dean]

We want to thank everyone for all of their responses. DH and I have spent a lot of time reading over all of them and looking carefully at the numbers. We want to make sure that we are not going headfirst into something that we are going to regret later just because we LOVE Disney! This is a HUGE financial commitment....

So, I think for now what we are going to do is take our Grand Gathering that we have planned with the rest of our family this December the way that we already have planned. Then we are thinking that we might try and rent a DVC from someone for the next time that we come down to the World. If we follow our pattern that we have been - then it will be Christmas 2010! I know that this would have been 2 more vacations that we could have been paying into DVC, but what we have decided to do is put aside the difference in the money between the price of buying into DVC and paying out of pocket....

I have a hard time financing DVC. Paying $10,000 in finance charges doesn't sit well with me. I think that we need to save up and have the money to buy in if we are going to do this. That will make it worth another look in my mind.

We agree that the DVC properties are beautiful and that we will most likely outgrow POR at some point, but for now we are still fitting and commando park people.

I also need to figure out if we can ever afford to get enough points for my family of 5 to be able spend a reasonable amount of time during Christmas week, which is the time that we go.... that may just be the deal breaker for us....

Remember you can still take advantage of DVC by renting even if not a member. Realize when you outgrow POR you're realistically looking at a 2 BR not a 1 BR with DVC anyway. Also, there are many off site options that might be far cheaper and give you more than even DVC would other than the on property experience.

 

[3smithboys]

Dean, why would we need a 2BR? Our guide said that we would need a 1BR for a family of 5.... a 2BR would be even MORE points!!!

We will always be on property people because my family like to get there for RD. Also, staying on site gives us the EMH and the full Disney feel... I can't see us staying off property. We tried it once and hated it....

I see us renting a DVC property in the future to try it out. Maybe that will be the trick to falling in love.... We were so on the fence. If we had the cash to put down the money - it would be a no brainer for us. It's the finance charges and how long it takes to break even that is stopping us.