On the fence about buying into DVC! Help!

[brigitteparker]

My husband and I looked into DVS last year but then kind of let it go. I love disney and we have gone three times in 5 years. When we went to Disney this year we did the tour and were really excited about the idea, but then we get home and we're having the what if syndrome. What if it's not a good deal? what if we can't get a reservation? is it really cheaper?

I was wondering if anyone can give me advice. We are looking at BLT 160 points and we are getting a discount where the price would be $101 per pt. Is it really hard to make reservations if you don't do it at the 7 month window. we really like akl but the dues are so high there, but that is where we would like to stay the most. I am also a teacher which means my travel is limited to peak times. we were thinking that it might be cheaper and easier to just stay at value resorts. i really need some input to help us make our decision. THanks in advance.

 

[rentayenta]

As a teacher, you will have to travel during more peaks times so the points cost will be higher than during Value seasons.

For us, having DVC paid off in 10 years tops was key. Our family has grown out of Value rooms and even the Mods don't fit us that well anymore regardless of where we travel so DVC made sense to us. With 3 kids we need more space.

You could always buy BLT through Disney and take your chances with AKV. I think other than concierge at AKV, it don't think AKV is hard to get into at the 7 mos. mark.

 

[BBG-BLT]

For us it made total sense.
1) We have a 6 person family so no matter what we need a 2BR
2) We really love Disney and know we would go there for vacation - so much to do beyond the parks
3) Over the long run it is cheaper, we know we plan to go for the next 15-20 years (#4 is only 19 months old)
4) Choice of places to stay is great so that each time we experience WDW we can experience it differently.
5) We wished we had done it sooner.

But... if you're not sure how often you're going to want to go back to the same place or if you don't really have the money now then you can always rent points or pay in cash.

Good luck - hard choice.

 

[brigitteparker]

Thanks for the info so quickly and i can't wait to get more info from other members!

I know that we will keep going to disney because i am a huge disney fan and i swear my brother keeps telling me i act like i'm 5 when it comes to disney things. I'm not worried about the money so much because i like the idea that it is so much a month. i'm more worried about not being able to get reservations at the time i want. i was looking at another thread where people were having difficulty getting into the resort that they wanted at the time they wanted. my husband is also worried that it doesn't include park tickets or transportation and we are used to paying for everything in a package.

 

[Desnik]

Transportation is included. You can use DME from the airport to your resort and back for free. You can use the disney buses, monorail and water taxis for free when going to the parks. Park admission isn't included, but we get a really great discount on annual passes.

In my experience I have only not gotten the resort I wanted once. That was 2 weeks before our trip over on Easter break! So, it was to be expected. We still did get a room. I sometimes plan 11 months in advance or 2 months in advance, all different times of the year, even in the summer and I have always gotten a room.

For us it just made sense to buy DVC. We go to WDW every year, sometimes twice a year. We have 2 kids so the extra space and washer/dryer and kitchen is a huge plus. We like Deluxe resorts. We see ourselves going to Disney forever, really, we love it that much!

Since you are a teacher you know when your days off will be so planning 11 to 7 months in advance should not be a problem for you. If you call at that exact time you should be able to get the resort you want.

You can also add the dining plan to your reservation if you are use to having that in your package now.

Good luck deciding! The only thing I regret about DVC is not buying in sooner!

 

[dopeynme]

Hi! DH and I just bought DVC in Aug (the BLT 160 points). We go to WDW at least once a year or every 18 months. 2 adults, no kids. I am a teacher also.

We sometimes would do a Feb trip...I take my 2 personal days and a weekend. But the special deals are always blocked out on Presidents' Day......well, no blackouts with DVC! We are going over Presidents" Day 2010! Since we do go often, we plan to buy APs. We should have gotten APs over the past couple of years, but when planning the first trip we hadn't yet planned on the second trip........DVC members get $100 off of APs. We also think TIW will make more sense for us than DDP, since we will have breakfast in our relaxing studio rather than in the noisy food court, may not use a counter service every day. The 20% off on TIW is good at a lot of counter service as well as table service, so we think it will work out better for us overall. Of course, this is all stil theoretical for us so far......many more experienced folks here!

I think you just have to run the numbers in all different ways to find out what makes the most sense for your family. Good Luck!

 

[Caldipus]

You might want to look at the resale market. You could probably get a resale at SSR for $65 to $70 per point. I know alot of people don't seem to like SSR as much but you would get better rooms then in the Value. I think SSR dues are also the second cheapest. I can't say how hard it would be to make reservations overall but from what i read seem you can always get a room at SSR. I should know soon cause I am just waiting on my paperwork to come back.

 

[disneynutz]

Here is my input.
1. Do you vacation at WDW every two years and do you plan to do so in the foreseeable future? If yes, go to #2.

2. Do you have the extra cash for your loan, dues, airfare, and food? If yes go to #3.

3. Buy where you love to stay.

 

[brigitteparker]

sorry i'm a little slow when it comes to all the letter abbreviations!! lol! what does TIW stand for? i'm assuming it has to do with food since it's near the comment about ddp or disney dining plan. thanks so much for everyone's help. it's making me lean more toward buying into it again

 

[brigitteparker]

caldipus,

are you currently buying a resale? the only problem with that is getting financing where as if you buy from disney you already get the financing.

 

[Louiepipbgeeco]

I sat on the fence also--for about 4 years, I think I must have a lot of splinters in the rear !! I too am a teacher and can only go at peak times. In the end, I decided life is too short, reach for your dreams, DVC does make sense if you LOVE it and travel there repeatedly. I sign my papers last night!! So, I say go for it!!
I don't feel worried about not getting reservations. I know we will get Something. Any DVC resort is better than none IMHO> We are pretty easy going. Good luck with your decision!! By the way the view from this side of the fence is pretty darn good.

 

[5forDiz]

caldipus,

are you currently buying a resale? the only problem with that is getting financing where as if you buy from disney you already get the financing.

DVC financing if you direct purchase through Disney is easier to get than many other sources but their rates tend to run higher than other sources as well approx 10.25% - 14.75% so you may want to give a good look into HELOC among other alternative financing sources. And if you purchase directly through Disney you will be required to purchase at their minimum level which I think is presently 160 points but if you purchase on resale market you can buy-in to DVC with a contract with less points than that and in many cases, depending upon resort your choose, save substantial amount of $ over Disney's prices.

Take the time and read, read, read and research and really understand all your options before you commit to DVC purchase and of course, keep asking questions here because the DIS is an amazing source of DVC info & advice

 

[Sandisw]

Welcome. I am also a teacher and only travel during the summer for now (we don't travel during school breaks because it is so expensive to fly from Syracuse to Orlando for a family of 5 that it just wasn't worth it).

If you find that you will be booking less than 7 months out, your home resort is less in important as you are competing for rooms everywhere with everyone.

However, if you really want to be at AKV, then I would buy at AKV as you may find that, once you become a member, you will start planning your trips farther out to ensure you get the rooms you want.

Buy owning at AKV, you could always book based on when you think you will be traveling that year closer to the 7 - 11 month mark. Then, if you decide you won't be going, you can just cancel at least 31 days out and the points go back into your account.

Of course, the key to this is having a UY that is right before your typical time of travel so that you would always be within your banking window still to bank points that you won't use that year. And you would never want to use borrowed points in this situation as once you borrow points, they can't be returned.

I bought BLT because I know that is where I want to stay. I just booked next years trip this week (2 nights in a studio, and 4 nights in a 1 bedroom) At 7 months, I will try to change the 1st 2 nights from BLT to either BCV or AKV since my husbands want to try those resorts. If it works, great! If not, that will be okay too because I will be at a place that I know that I love.

TIW is Tables in Wonderland card--it is a discount card for AP holders that gives you discount (20% I believe) on food and drinks at many WDW Table Service restaurants. If you are someone who does a lot of sit downs when there, it can save, over the cost of DDP.

Good luck!

 

[Checkers]

Here is my input.
1. Do you vacation at WDW every two years and do you plan to do so in the foreseeable future? If yes, go to #2.

2. Do you have the extra cash for your loan, dues, airfare, and food? If yes go to #3.

3. Buy where you love to stay.

I agree with Disneynutz. Good luck with your decision!

TIW card can also be used at some counter service restaurants.

 

[rentayenta]

Here is my input.
1. Do you vacation at WDW every two years and do you plan to do so in the foreseeable future? If yes, go to #2.

2. Do you have the extra cash for your loan, dues, airfare, and food? If yes go to #3.

3. Buy where you love to stay.

Sound advice! Exactly the process we went through!!!

 

[littlestar]

If you enjoy staying at a value resort and are rarely at the resort (in the parks a lot), I'd really think long and hard about joining DVC with a 160 point buy-in. And if you're talking about financing it through Disney, I wouldn't do it in the present economy the country is in. It will definitely be cheaper to stay in a value.

You could try to buy a smaller amount of points - what about buying 100 points at Animal Kingdom? Disney was offering 100 point buy-in's not that long ago. I don't know if they still are or not. Or even buy 100 points or less resale. You should be able to add some cash nights for the high point weekends if you needed to stretch 100 points. When we do this we always make sure the name booked on the DVC and cash reservation are exactly the same, though - Otherwise the front desk can't match it up so we don't have to chance having to change rooms.

There's always renting points, too. Don't get in a hurry. Take your time - DVC is not going anywhere.

 

[brigitteparker]

thank you for all the responses! i love hearing from the different people what their opinions are for vacation club.

 

[Pirate Jack]

thank you for all the responses! i love hearing from the different people what their opinions are for vacation club.

I was sitting on the fence also ...... since 1992 to be exact! My family has taken at least 20 vacations to Disney in that time. We finally took the plunge and purchased a small resale contract this spring. Since then, I have added points at BLT and BWV. We are going to BCV for the F&W festival and in November we will go to OKW and BLT. I can't believe we FINALLY did it! Good luck in your decision. I hope you join us!

 

[RysMomma]

My husband and I are in the same exact boat. I am a teacher and we just returned last week from an 8 day stay at WDW. We went on a tour and I just fell in love with BLT. I SO want to buy in to that one. However, having parents that brought us many times to WDW, we are wondering if it's just cheaper to go and stay at Value resorts in the long run. However, I really do thing we are leaning towards DVC. We want to stay in villas and have more room and bring family down with us. I love Disney and my husband is loving it more and more as well. We can't afford it just now (one in daycare) but hopefully soon!

 

[disneynutz]

My husband and I are in the same exact boat. I am a teacher and we just returned last week from an 8 day stay at WDW. We went on a tour and I just fell in love with BLT. I SO want to buy in to that one. However, having parents that brought us many times to WDW, we are wondering if it's just cheaper to go and stay at Value resorts in the long run. However, I really do thing we are leaning towards DVC. We want to stay in villas and have more room and bring family down with us. I love Disney and my husband is loving it more and more as well. We can't afford it just now (one in daycare) but hopefully soon!

While you are waiting to buy, make it a point to rent and stay at different DVC resorts. That way by the time you are ready to buy, you will know for sure where to spend your money.