Novice potential DVC'er - is GCV even possible? Or smart for us?

[bethy]

Hi,
I need a wee bit of hand-holding on this. I am a TOTAL novice when it comes to DVC and am reading furiously trying to bring myself up to speed. We are finding ourselves to be huge DLR fans. We plan on going to DLR every single year for about 4-5 nights every year at least until our children are out of college. And then taking the Grandchildren (God willing!) We are not as drawn to WDW. I know I will love WDW when we do visit someday but DLR is quite close to home and is our first love for many reasons.

We are native West-coasters and our last name is even the same as one of the main characters - it's fate that we are so drawn to DLR.

Soooo . . . three questions:

1. If we are not interested at all in buying into a "home resort" in WDW will it ever be at all possible for us to buy ownership in GCV? In any capacity?

2. If so, is it even worth it for us to become members of DVC at all? In short, I am married to DLR and have an emotional pull there that I'd love to formalize via DVC. BUT DH is very skeptical of time-shares in general. He is an independent spirit and not what you'd call a "joiner." OTOH, he LOVES DLR! He gets that magic spark in his eyes when going there. It is the only place we have vacationed where our entire family has a fantastic time. You know how it is . . .

The thing is, we don't really care where we stay at DLR. As long as it is within walking distance and clean we like everything from the basic hotels right on Harbor to the DLH (though the rooms need updating for the price) to the GCH. Of course we enjoy luxury accomodations but it is not CRITICAL for us at DLR because there is so much to do and enjoy outside of the resort.

So in that case, would DVC even be worth it for us financially? Emotionally I think it would be awesome but I'd like to know that locking in our room rates ahead of time makes at least some financial sense. That's the only angle I have with DH to make this happen (if we'd even have access to GCV in the first place.)

3. And last but not least, what exactly are the perks of being a "founding member"?

I have read the last couple of threads on GCV but my head is still spinning - eep!
Thanks for your time!

 

[kerickson]

1. If we are not interested at all in buying into a "home resort" in WDW will it ever be at all possible for us to buy ownership in GCV? In any capacity?

This is difficult to answer. With only 50 units in the current plan, the thought on these boards is that they could sell out during the Founding Member period (those who recently purchased SSR or AKV from DVC DL) If not then, then it's highly likely it will sell out once open to the rest of the existing membership(although it hasn't been announced whether the existing membership will have a pre-sales period). There are also rumors that DL is planning to another buildout (either at GCV or possibly DLH/PPH) to add another 200 units. That will increase the chances for a new member to buy, but that buildout would be a few years away at a best if ever...

2. If so, is it even worth it for us to become members of DVC at all? In short, I am married to DLR and have an emotional pull there that I'd love to formalize via DVC. BUT DH is very skeptical of time-shares in general. He is an independent spirit and not what you'd call a "joiner." OTOH, he LOVES DLR! He gets that magic spark in his eyes when going there. It is the only place we have vacationed where our entire family has a fantastic time. You know how it is . . .

This is really a personal decision. We purchased at WDW to have a jump on the chance to buy GCV, but also plan to vacation at WDW or use the points for cruises, etc. Admittedly, non DVC stays are not as cost effective, but we see this as prepaid vacations, so using points for non DVC trips is still worth it to us...Eventually we hope to be able to book at Disney Hawaii at the 7mo mark with our WDW points, if not, may sell and add on there instead. But that's also a few years away...

The thing is, we don't really care where we stay at DLR. As long as it is within walking distance and clean we like everything from the basic hotels right on Harbor to the DLH (though the rooms need updating for the price) to the GCH. Of course we enjoy luxury accomodations but it is not CRITICAL for us at DLR because there is so much to do and enjoy outside of the resort.

So in that case, would DVC even be worth it for us financially? Emotionally I think it would be awesome but I'd like to know that locking in our room rates ahead of time makes at least some financial sense. That's the only angle I have with DH to make this happen (if we'd even have access to GCV in the first place.)

If you are looking for a purely financial benefit, the typical profile is that you travel to WDW (or eventually DL) at least every other year and stay in Deluxe accomodations. If emotional as well, there are many ways to justify membership (forced to plan and take family vacations, allows you to bring extended family/friends with you and provide accomodations)...

3. And last but not least, what exactly are the perks of being a "founding member"?

Primary perk will be a 90 day pre-sales period prior to being offered to the existing DVC membership and public. You also receive your name on a 'Founding Member List' and a gift worth $100...but I see the latter as insignificant...

 

[bethy]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful response. I really appreciate your time on this.

It looks like we'll just have to wait and see and if it works out it works out and if it doesn't it doesn't. I keep reminding myself that DLR will always be there no matter what and I can go as often as I like no matter what my arrangements for accomodations.

It would be neat to be owners in some capacity there someday. We are going in April and so I think I will seek out someone to talk to there about this. You just never know what can happen.

DLR is relatively so much more expensive to visit than WDW that it will be interesting to see whether that has any impact on the DVC dynamics there.

 

[kerickson]

Lisa DeRosa is my guide at DL. I had a great experience with her (although things went pretty quick so we didn't have that much interaction). Others have said nice things about her too.

 

[Mtnman44]

They are NOT going to sell out to founding members! I figure there will be approx 750,000 points to sell at GCV.

If you plan on visiting DLR every year and normally plan on staying a week at a Disney property anyway, then yes DVC makes sense. That's anywhere between $2,100 and $3,000 per year in hotel expenses.

If you are happy looking for nearby deals, then DVC would probably not save you any real money, but staying in Disney Deluxe accomodations is a much better vacation IMHO AND you will be staying in 1 or 2 BR villas with kitchens, etc! A far cry from a standard Harbor Blvd 2 queen hotel room.

Sounds like your family would very much enjoy DVC ownership at GCV.

 

[jbrowna]

DW and I are also West Coasters, and longtime DL fans. In fact, we had AP's in 1994 before they became cheap, back when they took your picture and handed you a laminated card, much like a driver's license. But after our first trip to WDW we became hooked. Now we visit DLR about once each year, but we go to WDW 3-4 times each year!

Back in the day we used to drive through non-stop to DL (about 18 hours). But now that we're older and empty nesters, we fly. And, to be honest, we often find fares from Portland to Orlando cheaper than from Portland to LA! We only bought into DVC just over a year ago, and actually used points to stay at DLH this past January - if not for that we usually book at the Motel 6 on Disney Way, since we're too cheap to pony up the money for DLH or GCH.

If you're satisfied, as you mention, with a Motel 6 kind of accommodation, then I can't think that DVC would be a good fit. For us, our first few trips to WDW we were content to stay at the All Stars, and DVC just didn't make sense from a $$$$ standpoint. But a couple of years ago, we decided to set ourselves a goal of spending at least one night at each hotel on WDW property -- and once we'd experienced the more upscale resorts we really liked it! Oh, we still stay at the All Stars to avoid the high weekend points, but we really like the more deluxe resorts, and so DVC made sense.

I guess what this rambling post is about is that I'd encourage OP to give WDW a try. You may find it isn't as inconvenient and expensive from the West Coast as it may seem. And if you decide that WDW should be a regular part of your Disney experience, then DVC might just be a good fit for you. However, if all you ever want to do is visit DLR, and are content to stay wherever, then I'm not sure DVC makes real sense.

 

[bethy]

I guess what this rambling post is about is that I'd encourage OP to give WDW a try. You may find it isn't as inconvenient and expensive from the West Coast as it may seem. And if you decide that WDW should be a regular part of your Disney experience, then DVC might just be a good fit for you. However, if all you ever want to do is visit DLR, and are content to stay wherever, then I'm not sure DVC makes real sense.

You do make a good point here. There is admittedly a little voice in the back of my head that says I should visit WDW first before making any major buying decisions. Right now the flight is just intimidating with a 2 year old, energetic little girl. On top of that I just really dislike long flights and question the wisdom of embarking on one when I can spend less than half the time travelling to DLR instead of WDW. I like that we can go to DLR for as few as 4 nights and really get a LOT out of it for relatively less effort and time. DH is busy at work and so shorter, more frequent trips are more up our ally. We also travel to other places and like to save vacation time for those outings as well (DH adores tropical vacations and we'd like our kids to see the World - as in the planet not just WDWorld.) I guess in a nutsell I see regular trips to DLR as just part of our regular family life. Delightful little serendipitous bonding sessions for our family. I see trips elsewhere in the world as the types of vacations we "save up for" and plan extensively and vary from place to place. But no matter what, we always go to DLR at least once a year for a few days. Maybe you could call it an extension of "home." Which is why I keep coming back to DVC.

Also there is a part of me that is just stubborn and likes to walk to the beat of my own drum - I can't help it. When people tell me WDW is soooo much better I admit that I bristle a bit.

As for Motels, of course I like the GCH WAY better than Motel 6. But I'm not put off much by places like the Best Western either. Especially when they are around $300 per night CHEAPER than GCH and are pretty much the same walking distance to the DL turnstiles (if not shorter compared to DLH and PP). Kitchens are not a big deal to me either because I don't really want to cook at all on vacation. All I really need is a fridge to be happy. One bedroom suites are appealing though just so DH and I can have a little time to ourselves. And of course I do appreciate the luxury and Disney magic of being on property. It's just not absolutely critical to me though. But of course if I could get a GCV studio for say the equivalent of $175 - $250 per night amortized over the years then it might be very worth it to me.

Thanks for the food for thought. At the very least I will meet with a rep I think. Maybe I'll call the above-mentioned gal ahead of time and see if we can arrange a meeting. I'll be curious to see how this would go over with DH. He's a CPA and does not make emotional financial decisions.

 

[jbrowna]

Right now the flight is just intimidating with a 2 year old, energetic little girl.

I get that. We just flew down to Orlando with our 4 year old granddaughter, who is also quite the little fireball. Our solution? Take the red-eye. We flew on the non-stop from PDX that left at 10:30pm. She was asleep by the time we lifted off, and remained in that state the entire flight.

We also like to travel -- the 1st of May we'll be in Paris with our DS, his wife, their two kids, our youngest DD and her boyfriend. So our trips to WDW are like your trips to DLR - a part of our regular family life. Of course, I should give this disclaimer: we have another DD who is a WDW cast member (just accepted a statused position as a merchandise manager! ), and our trips are also to visit with her. And the fact that she has a silver pass also helps to make our WDW trips less expensive than going to DLR (since we don't have to pay for admission there).

That all helps to make our WDW trips more relaxing than the typical west coaster who is making that rare trip to Orlando. We don't have to crowd so much into our visit: we can enjoy the Parks, the resorts, the restaurants, the whole encompassing atmosphere. DVC also helps with that -- DVC owners know they'll be back, so they don't have to exhaust themselves every trip trying to take it all in.

I don't know that any of this is making sense, but I wish you the best of luck making your decision. Just remember that the cpa, financial aspect is only one aspect of it -- an important one, to be sure, but not the only one. There is the emotional, family-connectedness, harmony-and-happiness aspect as well. As DW and I have gotten older -- while we still like a bargain -- we also consider those other things to be getting relatively more important.

As I once heard, no one on their deathbed ever wishes they had spent more time in the office!