Need Help

[mesabravo]

I am interested in joining the Disney Vacation Club and want to know if you guys think it's worth it and if you tend to need more points all the time. The club also says that if I am referred, I can get a discount and the member gets good stuff too. Has this been the case for any of you?

 

[AFMom]

Oh boy - well - I think you'll find that most of those on this board will think DVC is 'worth' it - but how and why it is worth it to them will vary by person!
Financially, most will say that if you go at least every other year and stay in a moderate or delux resort - that DVC will be worth the money for you. Others will disagree and say that you could invest and use the money & just stay using AP rates somewhere!
For us - we wanted to be able to stay in the 1 bedroom units about once a year or so for an outstanding value compared what you can get through CRO! We also really want to stay on-property. And with prices going up the way they have - it's nice to know ours won't. It is also a somewhat emotional purchase for me - I'm truly brainwashed by Disney - they have me hook, line and sinker!
I also think of it as vacation insurance - or quality time insurance - sort of makes us plan vacations at WDW that maybe we would have put off otherwise.
As far as 'Needing' more points.... 'want' is a better word! The term add-on-itis gets thrown around here often. Figure out when you want to go, what size unit you want to stay in, and how many points that will take per year - that will tell you how much you'd need to buy in on. But yes - it does seem that many people on the boards here have added on to their original purchases to be able to go more often or stay in larger accomodations!
We bought 100 points last year and added on 150 this year - basically because we moved to FL and knew we'd be taking family from all over the country to WDW!

Good luck with your decision!

 

[esulerzy]

The current incentive is 15% off points for new members if you are referred (I can refer you if you like - just PM me). If you a re buying your first contract, you will need to buy a minimum of 150 points. If you are adding on, under this incentive, you can buy a minimum of 120 points.

I bought 150 points in August 2005 and will continue to add-on points. Once you stay at your home resort, mine is SSR, you will want more points for longer stays or more frequent stays. In my case, I want to be able to go to Disney 3 times a year - twice in a one-bedroom (off-season) and once in a studio (off-season) so I'll need more points. Right now, my 150 can get me almost 3 weeks in a studio (off-season).

Good luck with your decision and let me know if I can answer any other questions.

 

[lovinthemouse]

I am so happy that I bought in. The only regret I have is not doing it sooner. Which seems to be what I have seen here too. I too have been brainwashed by Disney. My husband thinks I am rather obsessed. We also like larger accomodations. We have stayed ASMU and movies and they are so small you can't even walk without tripping over your suit case. Good luck in your decision.

 

[mesabravo]

Well, thanks for your feedbacks. Some of the abbv you guys use is unfamiliar to me but I'll learn it eventually. I have 4 kids and NEED to stay in larger rooms and am concerned with point issues. We have a trip planned to Disneyland in Feb 06, staying at the Grand CA in a 1 br Artisian due to our numbers. I figured that the cost could be justified if I join and use points. We never get to stay at nice resorts due to having 4 kids. Question, what do you mean by home resort? They haven't mentioned that to me. Just that starting points is 150. My trip would need 416 for the amount of time I booked. But don't know what home resort means.

 

[cncDisney4]

If you buy in on this incentive (thru a referral) your home resort will be Saratoga Springs Resport (SSR). If you buy thru a resale then your home resort would be whatever that resale's home resort is. I hope that's not too confusing! We bought in thru the current incentive and will be visiting SSR (our home resort) in December - so excited!! Good luck with your decision - I know that we are so glad that we finally did this.

 

[mydogdrew]

You are generally better off paying cash than using DVC points to secure non-DVC room reservations. I don't know what the cash price of that room is but you could rent the 416 points easily for $4,160. I guessing that your 1BR does not sell for $600 a night (I'm assuming 7 nights).

Don't buy DVC to use points at non-DVC resorts (unless there is a special deal, you are in a bind or you are very savy about trading timeshares).
Don't buy DVC if you are intending to weight heavy on the weekends.

 

[dianeschlicht]

There is no need to keep adding on points as long as you make your first purchase very informed and research how many points you will probably need to begin with.

We started with 230 points 8 years ago, and it didn't take us long to figure out that for the way we would use points, we had purchased too few. We added on 150 the following year, and for us, 380 points is the best total. Before our first stay, we assumed we would use studios more than we have, and I think everyone should assume they are going to use a 1 bedroom or more to be sure they have the right number of points for them. To me, it doesn't make much sense to plan on a studio only, because you don't get the true benefit of a timeshare. You wouldn't have enough points to trade or have a full kitchn or an in room laundry..... Those are just a few of the reasons I can think of. Of course, if you really don't think youj will travel EVERY year, then fewer points banked and borrowed will be fine for you.

 

[shellbelle1971]

I can sympathize with needing more space to accommodate kids--we have six. We're in the process of buying DVC (using the current SSR promotion); here's how we worked out how many points for us:

We plan on going to WDW every other year off-season and staying in a 2-bedroom for 6 nights (leaving out one weekend night). (Not that we wouldn't LOVE to go more often, but airfare adds up quickly for a family of 8!) DH and I also travel to Orlando once a year for a tradeshow (also off-season) without kids and so we plan to spend 3-4 weeknights in a studio.

The minimum number of points that works for our plan is 210. We'd really like to get 275-300 points to make the above work, but staying in a grand villa when travelling with kids and a 1-bedroom when travelling without them, but oh well...that's definitely not in my budget right at the moment Maybe the time will come when an add-on IS in my budget.

Oh, also, this plan wouldn't work if we had to rely on going during school breaks. We're willing to take our kids out of school for a week every other year and fax/email in their homework every morning. For us this has worked well, and I can always rationalize something about EPCOT being "educational"... Seriously, our kids' teachers/schools have been very supportive, and we're just unwilling to try to brave the crowds (and heat) during summer or other school breaks.

Is DVC the most economical way to go to Orlando? No way. There are plenty of other timeshares (mostly much cheaper than DVC, too, if you buy resale) or rental houses/townhouses/condos, etc. But for us, being on property is an integral part of the magic. So even though, for instance, we were able to rent a nice 4 bedroom townhouse the last time we went for about $110 per night, we found ourselves saying, "Hey, we came here to enjoy Disney, and if we're cutting every possible corner to save a buck, we might as well stay home, since we're not having the Disney experience we wanted."

Hope you can work out what will be best for your family! For us, DVC hits that "sweet spot" and will (we anticipate) be well "worth it" to us for many years to come.

Michelle

 

[mesabravo]

I'm confused. I should NOT buy DVC if I only plan to go to Disneyland? Is getting reservations there hard? The room we are getting at the CA Grand IS $665/nt and an additonal $150/nt for conciere. The guy said it would be 52pts/nt. I think the Paradise pier would be less pts, but I thought I'd go all out for my husband's 40th. Is trading hard then? Are members frustrated with that? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to be sure before I buy. Thanks.