Need help understanding DVC

[Buckibaby]

Hi, my DH & I are considering an ownership in DVC. Our intro packet from Disney is on it's way and I have been reading a lot on this site and others. What I am still trying to learn is what you get when you join, what the required initial investment is, and what the differences between the properties really are. For example, of the "home" properties at WDW which would be considered the most luxurious?
I understand how the points work, and from what I gather you must buy a minimum of 150 at $95 per point if purchasing directly from Disney but there is no min when purchasing resale. Is this correct? Does Disney or resale companies throw in anything else with the ownership such as park tickets, transportation, food etc?
I also am not sure I understand how you can go on Disney Cruises and that is a very important aspect to us as well, since we love to cruise. Any advice or answers to these questions would be appreciated. Thank you!!!

 

[Deb & Bill]

You might want to check out the FAQs on this board or even check over on the official WDW website for DVC. They should give you all the basic information you need.

 

[JimMIA]

For example, of the "home" properties at WDW which would be considered the most luxurious?

All of the resorts are nice, and the distinctions which are usually made are not in terms of level of luxury. There are two basic types of DVC resorts at WDW, and there is also location. Two of the resorts (SSR and OKW) are more like condo complexes, somewhat spread out and with parking at your door. The other three (VWL, BCV, and BWV) are attached to Disney hotels, and have more of a resort hotel feel. BCV and BWV are between Epcot and MGM, VWL is adjacent to MK. SSR is across the lake from Downtown Disney, and OKW is in the same general area...slightly farther away from DTD, slightly closer to the parks. You will hear an interminable debate here about which is best, and the pros and cons of the various resorts.

I understand how the points work, and from what I gather you must buy a minimum of 150 at $95 per point if purchasing directly from Disney but there is no min when purchasing resale. Is this correct? Does Disney or resale companies throw in anything else with the ownership such as park tickets, transportation, food etc?

The price is actually $98, but if you buy a minimum contract of 150 points, you will receive an incentive of -$8 off the price, for a net of $90.

There are also a package of discounts and benefits, but those can change at any time, so I would not use them in any purchase decision.

I also am not sure I understand how you can go on Disney Cruises and that is a very important aspect to us as well, since we love to cruise. Any advice or answers to these questions would be appreciated. Thank you!!!

There are a number of choices outside of the DVC resorts, but many people will tell you they do not offer the same value as using your points for DVC stays. Cruising, in particular, is not typically regarded as a good "deal," and many people recommend paying cash for cruises and renting points to offset the cash outlay. I would certainly never recommend DVC for anyone if their primary vacation strategy was to use their points outside of DVC.

 

[rocketriter]

"Luxury" is defined differently in the DVC villas. On the downside (at least as far as luxury goes), the maid service is very light and only occurs once or twice a week; also you have none of the luxuries that go with concierge service at the resorts. On the upside your rooms are wonderfully equipped. You'll quickly graduate from a studio (basically a deluxe hotel room with a wee kitchenette) to the 1- or 2-bedroom layouts--or even the very large grand villa if you're bringing a couple of other families along. These are true suites with nice apartment-sized kitchens, full living rooms, a jacuzzi and a washer/dryer. You quickly get used to the quality of amenities and the extra space and never want to back to a hotel room again.

It's probably best to think of DVC accomodations as condo living with a lobby and restaurants--a home away from home--rather than as hotel living.

 

[crisi]

Also, DVC resorts are timeshares. They are very nice timeshares, but your use of the word luxurious leads me to believe you might want more service than a timeshare offers. DVC at the resort hotels do give you access to room service, but maid service is a trash and tidy on day four and a full cleaning on day 8. You can pay for daily maid service, but it gets expensive fast.

 

[Buckibaby]

THanks for all the fast responses! I did check out the DVC official site and did not find very much information, it seems that you have to call or just wait for the DVD. I am not very patient.

I do understand that this is a timeshare-type of system, I really think with small children this is a great way to go. There seems to be so much information spread all over the internet, I really just am trying to get my arms around it all to make an informed decision. I am married to a financial planner so to make a strong case to do this I need all my facts in order!

The remark about the resorts that are connected to the other resort properties rather than on their own sounds like it would be more up our alley. I assume you have full use of the hotels? Pools, signing privledges???? Is that true?

Why isn't the cruise a good value? Let's say an average studio would cost 10 points (just for the purposes of this example) how many would you have to use to get a night on a Disney cruise? I would not want to trade for every vacation, but it does seem logical that if you can trade you at some point will...

THanks in advance.

 

[Caskbill]

The remark about the resorts that are connected to the other resort properties rather than on their own sounds like it would be more up our alley. I assume you have full use of the hotels? Pools, signing privledges???? Is that true?

It makes no difference where you stay as all DVC resorts are part of the WDW system. You can sign/charge anything you want to your room key. All DVC resorts have their own pools, but you can use the hotel pool if you want. This is a big point for guests staying for example at BCV since they can use StormAlongBay. Also, when staying at any DVC property, you may pool hop to some of the other pools, subject to certain restrictions.

Why isn't the cruise a good value? Let's say an average studio would cost 10 points (just for the purposes of this example) how many would you have to use to get a night on a Disney cruise? I would not want to trade for every vacation, but it does seem logical that if you can trade you at some point will...

A Studio at OKW, Weekday, Adventure season, is 8 points/night. At BWV it's 9 points/night standard view, or 12 points/night preferred view. At SSR it's 11 points, and at VWL and BCV it's 12 points. Everything goes up from there. Generally a weekend night is about 2-1/2 times the weekday rate, and on average you can add a point or two for each season you change.

OKW Adventure 8 points, Choice 8 points, Dream 10 points, Magic 11 points, Premier 15 points.

DCL, 3 night Bahamas, Standard Inside Stateroom is 71 points/person in Value season, 111 points in regular season, 129 points in peak season, 131 points holiday season.

A Category 6 room (Stateroom with Verandah, is 137, 172, 200, 215 points respectively for the seasons mentioned.

The 7-night Caribbean Cat 6 , runs 214, 277, 346, 371 points respectively.

Thus for two people to take a 7-night cat-6 cruise, regular season, would be 554 points. That's enough points to get you almost 79 days in an OKW Studio, weekdays only, Adventure season.

To be fair, the DVC resort points are higher when you go to 1-B/R, 2-B/R or GV.

Feel free to download my DVC-Chart program, or DVC-Planner program. You can follow the link in the signature below.

 

[Buckibaby]

Thus for two people to take a 7-night cat-6 cruise, regular season, would be 554 points. That's enough points to get you almost 79 days in an OKW Studio, weekdays only, Adventure season

That really puts it into perspective.

 

[tjkraz]

That really puts it into perspective.

Not to mention that the point costs for cruises are adjusted annually (they almost always go up), while the point values at the DVC resorts are virtually unalterable.

Add this particular link to your required reading list:

http://www.mousesavers.com/dvc.html

That web page has undergone numerous changes just within the last week, and members of this forum have contributed to the information posted. It's not the be-all-and-end-all of DVC, but it will definitely give you a lot of food for thought.

 

[Blue&Gold]

You'll find as you read these boards that existing members will be extremely helpful, and a slight bit territorial---everyone has a favorite resort, and many folks' favorite resorts are not their "home" resorts! Another thing to keep in mind is that my definition of luxury will be different than yours... My wife and I own at BWV and I am a complete sucker for the theme. I grew up in NE Pennsylvania and spent many childhood summers at the "Jersey Shore." The satisfaction I got watching my two boys (ages 6 & 3) watching with wide-eyed wonder the magicians, etc on the BoardWalk was a "luxury" to me. The completely annoying sound of the bell at the end of the water-gun game sounded to me like the London Symphony Orchestra!
We found that the BWV rooms themselves are comfortable and well maintained. We also went for BWV because at nap time, it is no big deal to head back to the room from the Studios or Epcot, and return later---non-cranky kids is a luxury to me. Different aspects will appeal to each of us. I encourage you to read the very good DVC web pages at Mousesavers.com and allearsnet.com... I'm sure there are others but those are great places to start.

 

[connorsmom911]

Sorry I'm hijacking your thread buckibaby, but your question made me think of another point i wanted to have clarified. I see the comparison between staying DVC on property in studio compared to using points on a cruise, but I had to also think of it this way...staying on property with points just covers my accomodations. I have to add money in the budget for food and entertainment (park passes, etc.), whereas using points for the cruise covers all my meals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, plus a wealth of entertainment included on the cruise (yes, I know that optional excursions are extra). So it would only make sense to me that the points for a cruise would be a lot higher. If I compare total vacation budget for a DVC on property stay to a DVC cruise, would't they be about on par (I'm looking at studio compared to inside cabin)???

Any thoughts???

Tracey

 

[JimMIA]

Sorry I'm hijacking your thread buckibaby, but your question made me think of another point i wanted to have clarified. I see the comparison between staying DVC on property in studio compared to using points on a cruise, but I had to also think of it this way...staying on property with points just covers my accomodations. I have to add money in the budget for food and entertainment (park passes, etc.), whereas using points for the cruise covers all my meals, snacks and non-alcoholic drinks, plus a wealth of entertainment included on the cruise (yes, I know that optional excursions are extra). So it would only make sense to me that the points for a cruise would be a lot higher. If I compare total vacation budget for a DVC on property stay to a DVC cruise, would't they be about on par (I'm looking at studio compared to inside cabin)???

Any thoughts???

Tracey

Your point about the all-inclusive nature of the cruise is a very valid one. However, the comparison people usually make with cruises is the following:

What would it cost to cruise for cash? And how many points would I have to rent to recoup that cash outlay?

You'll find that the number of points rented would be far fewer than you would use for a cruise. That said, of course, not everyone wants to rent points.

I have never taken a Disney cruise, nor have I researched it, but I believe there may also be other important benefits to booking a cruise for case -- the ability to book farther ahead, different accommodations choices, etc.

 

[Buckibaby]

Again, I appreciate all the responses. Cruising is such a wonderful thing to my DH & I, we have been on quite a few and are actually leaving next Sat. for our next on Princess. I wanted to cruise Disney this time, but the cost was so much higher than any of the other lines, even during the middle of Hurricane Season when we are going. We decided to stick to the $800 PP cruise rather than the $1700 pp cruise (balcony room). The points to go through DVC seem high but so is the real cost. As far as booking goes, we generally wait until the last minute to book a cruise due to the way pricing works. The closer you are to the departure date the lower the price. My point being, if we don't book in far in advance now so it wouldn't be any different if we couldn't book far in advance through DVC. Unless, of course they only allow so many DVC guests on the ship and those sell out quickly.

I am sure if we do buy in at some point we would bank/borrow our way onto the ship since it doesn't seem to me that we are ever going to pay that price when other lines are so much cheaper. Of course I know you are still paying, by giving up more value at WDW but like was mentioned before 24 hour food service and entertainment does add up as well to perhaps compensate for that.

 

[JimMIA]

I would certainly agree that cruises are one of the better vacation bargains out there. We've been on several, including spur-of-the-moment 3-days just on a whim (We live in Miami, the cruise capital of the world, so it's easy for us to do something last-minute).

Haven't been on Disney yet, but I've heard nothing but rave reviews and I've never heard of a complaint about the price after the cruise. I'm sure DD3goingon23 will work her wiles to get us on one in the next couple of years!

 

[CrusinLattas]

I was reading up on the DVC, not currently a member, but do have a timeshare and considering DVC. The main selling point for me would be the cruises at this point in our lives...so it doesn't seem like a good deal for us.

For our family, DCL was the best value. We went on a Carnival cruise in December with my then 4 month old daughter and got charged like she was a third person. Disney does not charge anything but port fees and taxes for children under 3 so it is the best value for us. We now have #2 on the way and are leaving on a Disney cruise next week. My now 1 yr old will have all kinds of entertainment and a tub in the room for bath time a divider curtian and a larger cabin and our cost is less than another cruise line. Once the little ones pass the age of three, Disney may cost more, but look at all the programs offered and the 'free' babysitting at that age! Again, higher value for traveling with small children. Plus, you can't beat the ease of traveling without leaving your room when going anywhere with the little ones takes so much time and energy as well as supplies! I think we will progress to staying more at WDW when the children are school age, but until then you can't beat the value of DCL!

 

[fishermouse]

We've been on several cruise lines and I must say Disney may cost a little (ok a lot) more than some, they are also less than some. IMHO you must try DCL at least once, especially if you have children. I think you'll find it's worth the money..
I would not use my points for DCL. What is a good idea though is to take a cruise then shoot down to Vero beach for a few days.

 

[crisi]

As far as booking goes, we generally wait until the last minute to book a cruise due to the way pricing works. The closer you are to the departure date the lower the price.

This is not the price saving strategy with DCL. Disney cruises usually sail "full enough" that Disney doesn't tend to offer many last minute bargains. Occationally a travel agency will have a block that they prepurchased, but I haven't heard of many last minute deals. Good deals can be had by booking eighteen months in advance - preferably while onboard a Disney cruise so you get the rebooking discount and stateroom credit.

If you time purchasing DCL right, and can go when school is in session, you might find it more comparable. Its never priced along the "cheap Carnival" lines, but then again, Carnival has some ships that a Motel Six compares favorably too.