Need Help - Should I buy in or not???

[Poohlove]

I have been kicking around the idea of joining the DVC for quite some time now but I am not 100% sure that it is the best deal for us. It is just myself and my teenage kids that visit Disney, maybe once a year for about 7 days, depending on the promotion running at the time. Is it really worth investing in the DVC for this type of traveller? I know that you pay full price for the dining and park tickets so at the end of the day (I am probably missing something) it seems that it would be more expensive. Also, I usually book our trips around when I can get the cheapest airfare, how flexible (and available) are the reservations?

 

[DreamChasers]

Depending when you travel it can be difficult to book certain days in a DVC resort on short notice. If you are particular about where you are willing to stay and what kind of accommodation you to stay in and you as a general rule travel on short notice then I would say that DVC is not for you. As for the cost savings, if you shop the deals and usually stay in value resorts you will probably do at least as well paying out of pocket. If you want to stay in deluxe resorts then DVC will save you money. How much depends on how you purchase your membership and were you choice as your home resort. Pay particular attention to annual fees.

If you can decide when to travel at least 7 months out, are flexible as to which DVC resort you are willing to stay in and want to stay in deluxe accommodations when you visit, then I would suggest you learn more about DVC. If the answer is no, then I think you are better off skipping DVC.

 

[disneynutz]

If you are happy with your vacations now, why change?

DVC only saves you money if you meet a certain criteria.

Bill

 

[Nabas]

Direct and resale prices are high right now; not the best time to buy.

Realistically, DVC only makes sense if you typically stay in WDW's Deluxe Resorts. Where do you normally stay?

DVC also makes sense only if you intend to vacation at WDW (or one of Disney's other DVC resorts) for many years. It could be great option when you have grandkids but with your kids being teenagers, do you envision yourself going for many years to come?

DVC is a timeshare and interest rates on any timeshare are not good. Some DVC members finance and then pay off the loan quickly but if you intend to finance over an extend period, it's really difficult to get value out of a DVC purchase. Do you have the cash?

Finally, booking a DVC room is not at all like booking a regular room. Typically, you'll have to plan at least 7 months and, ideally, 11 months in advance. Do you plan vacations that far in advance?

DVC can be a great choice if you fit a certain profile. If you answered affirmatively to the above questions, then DVC might be for you.

 

[Dean]

I have been kicking around the idea of joining the DVC for quite some time now but I am not 100% sure that it is the best deal for us. It is just myself and my teenage kids that visit Disney, maybe once a year for about 7 days, depending on the promotion running at the time. Is it really worth investing in the DVC for this type of traveller? I know that you pay full price for the dining and park tickets so at the end of the day (I am probably missing something) it seems that it would be more expensive. Also, I usually book our trips around when I can get the cheapest airfare, how flexible (and available) are the reservations?

As you state, DVC will likely not save you money but it may give you options for a controlled price. In part it depends on where you normally stay. Don't forget there are other non DVC timeshares that might give you more for less and other non Disney options but will not be on property for Orlando. If you're set on being on property and can pay cash, you'll likely come out ahead buying in if you go resale on the lower end like SSR.

 

[Lynne M]

DVC is all about the villas. That's why you buy. If you want to stay in villa-style accommodations, owning DVC can be a cost-effective way to do that, compared to booking those same villas through Disney on a cash reservation.

Compared to the cost of a moderate or value, DVC will be significantly more expensive. You pay more, but the benefit comes in larger rooms, separate bedrooms (in 1-bedroom villas or larger), kitchens or kitchenettes.

A word about short notice booking (less than 7 months out).....timeshares in general are not designed for last-minute vacations, and DVC is no exception. Most owners book at 7-11 months out. If you want to book less than 7 months out, you're going to find limited availability at many resorts, and possibly no availability for popular times of year (Oct through New Years), or popular room categories (BWV standard view, AKV club level, etc).

 

[Poohlove]

Thank you all for the input, it really gave me a lot to think about. I am such a sucker for a good sales pitch We usually stay at the moderates, I think that the values would be too small for us (our first trip wasn't until my kids were 10 and 8 and it was a trip my stepmom was kind enough to take us on). I always chicken out financially on staying deluxe. As my kids get older (as strange as it seems) we tend to spend more time at the resort than when they were younger. They aren't as "commando" (or maybe that was just me) and like to come back to the room to clean up and regroup a little (DS-15, DD 13).

My thinking on the room is that a villa would suit us perfectly and we would save money on the room aspect of the trip. My neice is only 4, I am sure that my sister would be glad to use it here and there and I would love to take my grandkids someday. On the other hand, as someone said, my kids are teens, how many more trips are they going to want to take, they will each go to Disney on their senior trips and I am sure they would be mortified if I showed up while they were there (don't think it hasn't crossed my mind-LOL). I don't have the cash to pay outright and to finance at this point I don't think would be cost effective and the money spent over the years would be put to better use elsewhere. Sounds like I have made a decision

Thank you again for all of your input!!!

 

[crisi]

Consider renting points. See how it works for you to look for points when you are thinking about a trip. That will be a low commitment way to find out.

You need to know that specials, like "free dining" are not available for points reservations, so if that is how you plan your trips, you'll probably do the math to discover renting points isn't a great deal for you. And since members aren't cranking out profits renting points, if it isn't a good deal to rent, it probably isn't a good deal to buy. Then you'll know before you start.

If it does seem like a good deal to rent, go ahead and try it. It will give you a sample idea of what availability is like, what it is like to stay in a DVC studio, if no housekeeping is a plus or minus, if you can live with the pull out instead of two real beds.

 

[Poohlove]

Renting points is a great idea, I will have to look into that. I also looovvee a deal so I think I would feel like I was missing something by not getting free dining, etc.

 

[HokieGCC]

Both our kids are in college and we finally bought 50 points this year. Ever since our kids were about 3 we have made the trek to DW yearly for about 2 weeks. We have also visited Vero Beach a few times. We normally stay at the Beach Club. All this would indicate we would be considered ideal DVC buyers years ago. We pondered it the whole time and came to the conclusion that yes, for us DVC would probably save us some money but at the expense of tying up a fairly large sum of money and lost flexibility. So, we made the decision to not buy in. We have no regrets because we never missed a trip. My wife was pretty good about finding deals etc so the amount of money we would have saved is likely pretty small. The reason we finally bought 50 points resale is (1) despite the dozens of trips all of us still like our yearly trek to DW, (2) with kids in college we can switch our trips to January and even May now which is the long term plan so we have now stability in our travel dates as we look to retirement, (3) this is somewhat a trial run to see if it works for us and (2) there is a pretty hefty season pass discount for DVC owners; close to $600 total for a family of 4 (yes, i understand that this benefit is not guaranteed in the future). Long story short - don't sweat it if you are not sure, nothing is lost by waiting. The rule of thumb is that there is an 8 year "break even" point if you normally stay in deluxe rooms so that is not something to rush out and get with an emotional purchase. I do like the idea of "gifting" our kids points someday and that is a decent way to make sure they have a yearly vacation at DW even if financial struggles ever enter their lives and we are gone.

 

[jasonv1]

I bought (well, in process of buying) because value resorts just don't cut it anymore, and I'm looking for a longer more relaxed Disney vacation (compared to just showing up and walking parks for 13 hours a day 4-5 days in a row).

There are a number of things at the parks I've never seen or done, and now that I'll be going more regularly I'll have time for them (Epcot DiveQuest!).

So in my case, I'm looking to change the way I visit the parks, and the DVC membership will help me with that. Plus, I'll be staying in resorts I probably wouldn't have otherwise since the costs will be more manageable (once I get over the expense of the initial buy).