Newbee with Questions

[PiperCub_Flyer]

Hi all,

Just registered this evening but have spent some time surfing to get a basic understanding of all this DVC stuff. We just returned home to Winnipeg, Manitoba earlier this week after spending 4 days at Old Key West resort with our daughter, her husband and our two grand children. They are recent DVC members so invited us along and we were quite impressed. So we're pondering the idea of buying our own. Here's our situation. We'd be interested in your advice.

My wife and I will retire in early 2011 and we plan to spend our winters at our home in southeast Florida and our summers in Nova Scotia. Our place in Florida is about an hour and a half southeast of WDW. What we're thinking is that if we're in Florida for six months each year it might be nice to get away for a couple of days at a time, perhaps with friends for visits to WDW, perhaps for the parks but perhaps just to get away (golf, shopping, dining, etc.) So you see, for us this wouldn't be a big annual or semi annual vacation. Do you think a DVC would be a good bet for this scenario?

We've read that trading off to non Disney properties is not a good deal but that idea appealed to us as well. The thinking was we could pop off to the Carribbean or the Bahamas for a few days at a time during our winter stays in Florida. Does this make any sense?

Interested in hearing your views. J.

 

[5forDiz]

I'll try to answer some :

~first, have a look at points charts ( link is at upper right under egret ) to
determine approx how many points you may need for times of year/number of days/resort(s)/villa size you'd be interested in.

~you may have difficulty finding availability on short notice; it is always best to try to take advantage of your home resort's owners priority booking window which is 11 mos through 7 mos+1day before check-in date you'd like because at 7 mos or less you will be in competition with every other DVC member who is trying to book reservations. If you're mainly interested in staying weekend nights ( Friday & Saturday ) then your chances of short notice reservation will probably be better but note that Friday & Saturday nights require quite a bit more points than Sun - Thursday nights.

~have never traded outside DVC resorts and majority here will recommend that there are much better timeshares to purchase if you plan to do that regularly. Also, if I recall correctly, trading out on short notice is not easy to do particularly for something like Bahamas, etc. during winter months and there is $95 fee for trading outside DVC and any changes to such a reservation will result in another $95 fee.

Others will be along to post who can advise you better on trades and also to cover more particulars of DVC ownership as well.

Glad to hear you enjoyed OKW, it is our home resort & we love it as well.

Best wishes on your planning

 

[Deb & Bill]

Buy DVC for Disney stays and another time share for trading out for those other days. DVC is rather expensive to trade out.

 

[Sandisw]

I certainly think that it would work well if you know you want to head up a few times a year for short stays, providing, as someone said, you are not looking to book those trips last minute, as availability may be spotty.

Since you can pick up small contracts via the resale market, it might work out to purchase something that way first, try it out and see if you are able to get reservations with your travel style.

Of course, being flexible with the resort choice will also increase chances of availability when booking on short notice.

Good luck!

 

[MomBird]

I agree with the posters that DVC is best just for Disney use rather than trading out. You get a great value for DVC resorts, but not so great for others - therefore I haven't traded out.

I have rented my points though and traded DVC points with friends and that's been really easy to do. I think that aspect of DVC really sets it apart from other timeshares.

Good luck on your decision!

 

[DenLo]

Hi all,

.... Here's our situation. We'd be interested in your advice.

My wife and I will retire in early 2011 and we plan to spend our winters at our home in southeast Florida and our summers in Nova Scotia. Our place in Florida is about an hour and a half southeast of WDW. What we're thinking is that if we're in Florida for six months each year it might be nice to get away for a couple of days at a time, perhaps with friends for visits to WDW, perhaps for the parks but perhaps just to get away (golf, shopping, dining, etc.) So you see, for us this wouldn't be a big annual or semi annual vacation. Do you think a DVC would be a good bet for this scenario?

We've read that trading off to non Disney properties is not a good deal but that idea appealed to us as well. The thinking was we could pop off to the Carribbean or the Bahamas for a few days at a time during our winter stays in Florida. Does this make any sense?

Interested in hearing your views. J.

Many DVC members reside in Florida and do exactly what you propose about doing get aways to WDW for a few days at a time. It looks like it works well for those who like short trips or need a Disney fix. I think you understand well that the DVC is not just somewhere to stay while at the parks but they are resorts to enjoy while on vacation.

As far as using your points for an RCI exchange, the Disney Collection or the Disney Adventure, the value might not be there especially since you can rent your points and then use only part of the cash to purchase the trip separately. Or like others have suggested buy another non-Disney timeshare and use it for exchanges. I understand that other timeshares are less expensive than the DVC. I'm not sure how this works since most other timeshares are for a week's stay and you indicate you'd be interested in just a few days to the Caribbean or Bahamas.

However, others have posted that when they purchased their DVC points they intended to make exchanges and have successfully done so. Also some DVC members indicate that their DVC points represent their vacation fund, so when they decide to use the points in exchanges or a Disney Cruise it is just using the points as planned.

Congratulations on your retirement next year. I hope that one day I'll be able to welcome you home to the DVC.

 

[Metsoskil]

I have to agree with the others who stated that DVC might not be the best bet for what you are wanting to do. You would probably get better bang for your Canadian Buck by purchasing a resale RCI timeshare with good trade value. Chances are you would have lower fees and a much lower buy in price. You could still trade into DVC once in a while, although you may not be able to get the exact resort you want.

DVC is great if you go to Disney every year (or several times per year) and staying on-property in villa-style accomodations is important to you. If you are happy with a value style room, don't need to stay on-site, and/or don't plan on making annual trips to WDW, it may not be the best value for you (although I get that it "feels good" to own DVC for some people).

If you do enjoy being on site, but don't want to use your DVC points for exchanges, you could always buy a small resale DVC contract for Disney stays, and a cheap resale trader timeshare for your other trips.

 

[Greysword]

DVC is more than WDW. Should you decide to join, the other DVC resorts outside of Florida may appeal to you, especially if you are retired as your plans are more flexible. If you want to take a trip to Hawaii or Hilton Head for the golf, sight seeing, or just change of scenery then DVC would allow you to do so easily.

Buying in to take short trips to WDW is great, too, especially if you like SSR or OKW, as there is almost always availability at these resorts. SSR via resale is relatively inexpensive in relation to other point costs. Remember, now is a good time to consider this, as the variance between the Canadian and US dollar is very low (almost 1 to 1). Inflation is also low at this time, so the dollar is possibly worth more than it will in the future.

Many members use their points for cruises, too. Personally, I think the value is based on my perception rather than pennies.

Hope this helps.

 

[cayman01]

Use your DVC points for DVC use only. If you want to go to the Bahamas , etc. head up or down the coast to the cruise terminals and climb aboard. Much better bang for your buck there.

You can also use DVC points for none DVC rooms at WDW ( like port Orleans,
Grand Floridian, etc.) you'll have to hunt down a point chart for them.

Just make sure you plan ahead for your stays especially if they're going to be on the weekend. SSR and OKW you can usually find a place to stay (especially in off-seasons), but don't expect to call up on Monday to get a BLT room for the coming weekend It doesn't happen.