On the fence

colten.c

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 20, 2020
My wife and I put a deposit down on 150 points at Riveria before the summer discounts expired. I am on the fence about moving forward with the purchase. We are big Disney fans but also in our mid 20s amd hoping to have kids soon. My worry is that I will have buyers remorse and then we will have a few years soon when we have babies and may not want to bring them to Disney world while they are really little. Anybody dealt with a similar situation?? Help please! I’m also over analytical and keep trying to find a way to make the math not work out in favor of DVC
 
You can always rent out your points for a couple years when babies happen if you want and of course bank them for a year as well so there's some time flexibility. I mean the incentives are pretty sweet - it's why we bought in. I'd say if it's not a hardship, go for it and start living the Disney dream!
 
My wife and I put a deposit down on 150 points at Riveria before the summer discounts expired. I am on the fence about moving forward with the purchase. We are big Disney fans but also in our mid 20s amd hoping to have kids soon. My worry is that I will have buyers remorse and then we will have a few years soon when we have babies and may not want to bring them to Disney world while they are really little. Anybody dealt with a similar situation?? Help please! I’m also over analytical and keep trying to find a way to make the math not work out in favor of DVC
I am in the same boat, two little ones, looking to by DVC and overly analytical (I have the spreadsheets to prove it!). Given all that though, we opted to buy anyway (yesterday); you're age makes it so you could actually take advantage of the entire life of the deed, so as @UrsulaWantsYourSoul said, "if it's not a hardship, go for it". If you're anything like me, you'll question the purchase until it's done, and then you switch to "how can I can take the most advantage of this purchase" 😁.

Good luck and stay safe!
 
My feeling is re timeshare-even DVC which u love and own-when in doubt, rescind. It’s too much money to not feel fully confident about and it isn’t going anywhere, there will always be another deal.
 


This may be an unpopular opinion, but I would cancel. We did not go to WDW with babies and I would not have wanted to. Its an expensive vacation and I would not have enjoyed taking my babies and having to worry about diapers, naps, bottles, etc. We started each child with a solo trip when they turned 4, were old enough to enjoy the experience and old enough to forgo naps. The parks are not going anywhere and neither is DVC.
 
If you are not sure, cancel.

If you can afford it and are comfortable/have a home, go for it. Perhaps buy 100 or 125 points instead. You will have direct benefits. You can bank and borrow. Might not hurt the wallet as much. Can you pay it off within a few years? You can always add on a few years down the road. DVC will always be there.

How far are you from Disney? 2 hour flight? 5 hour flight? 2 hour drive? 16 hour drive? Might not get you too many nights - take shorter trips. Have someone transfer points, buy the one time use of points. Just some other scenarios to think about.

We did not take our kids when they were "babies" but my sons have taken trips with their "babies". It can be done - just know the expense that is involved and the patience/what to expect with little ones. With little ones - the expense is not that much more. 3 years and up - start spending a few $$.

As a pp suggested, you can rent them out for a year or so when you need to.

Only you know your family/financial situation. Good luck. Let us know how you make out :)
 
If you are already worried that the next few years may change your habits for Disney trips with your plans for a family, I think you should cancel,

DVC is a lot and is a long term commitment and owning something that might be difficult to use doesnt make a lot of sense to me because you are paying MFs.

I know people may mention renting, but honestly, given what has happened this past year, I don’t think anyone should go in with that needing to be part of the plan.
 


Not a fan of the restrictions placed on RIV if you need to sell. It’d probably be hard to find a buyer. 4-5yo is a great starting point. No strollers, diapers, etc. Won’t hurt to wait it out or better yet buy a smaller resale contract elsewhere for a lot cheaper.
 
If you are already worried that the next few years may change your habits for Disney trips with your plans for a family, I think you should cancel,

DVC is a lot and is a long term commitment and owning something that might be difficult to use doesnt make a lot of sense to me because you are paying MFs.

I know people may mention renting, but honestly, given what has happened this past year, I don’t think anyone should go in with that needing to be part of the plan.
 
I’m not so much worried about the future! Just the next 3-5 years! I know we would get great use of it after that but I sure see a lot a crying babies at Disney!
 
I would cancel if you aren't comfortable. Listen to that little voice - that is why it is there. We bought in 1996 when our son was 8. Our first trip with him was when he was three and potty trained. He enjoyed the trip immensely as did we. He was a wide eyed little boy holding Tigger's hand and I'll treasure that photo forever!

If you are still thinking you want to give it a go, why not buy a small resale in the UY you are interested in and you won't be out that much $$.
 
I’m not so much worried about the future! Just the next 3-5 years! I know we would get great use of it after that but I sure see a lot a crying babies at Disney!

I will add this. I begin taking my kids to Disney when they were babies and we went anyway. Even my son went last year with a 4 and 1 year old and to be honest, spent more time at the resort because he was staying on my DVC vs cash. Didnt feel the pressure to do it all because he knows they will be back.

So, if its Just the few year, I adjust my answer to say that owning DVC could give your vacations that don’t need to be park open to park close. Think of it as simply a place to go to get away!
 
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I’m not so much worried about the future! Just the next 3-5 years! I know we would get great use of it after that but I sure see a lot a crying babies at Disney!

Yup! Seeing all those parents tending to crying babies and dragging strollers around is not worth the $1000’s it cost. And at that age, they won’t remember a thing.
 
My worry is that I will have buyers remorse and then we will have a few years soon when we have babies and may not want to bring them to Disney world while they are really little.

Last fall it was a just 2 YO and 6 MO at Disney and it was great. Some good pictures, lots of rides even with lap babies, and just the start of good memories.

You know yourself better but you won't be getting direct points that cheap in the future but if you end up selling that won't matter you would have taken a loss.

Also buying now will get you a couple trips in where it's just the two of you. Then you can always take a year or two off banking/borrowing points.

It's a lot of money could be serious doubts or something normal from a large purchase. I cancelled a purchase in July came back and bought more instead the end of August.

Worst case if you cancelled and wanted to buy is that it's slightly more expensive in the future.
 
I took both my boys to Disney as babies. The key to remember is that those trips need to be around your baby’s pace because doing the parks with a little one is very different than when it’s just the two of you. That’s where DVC can be great, because onsite accommodations make it so much easier to go back for naps as needed. Some of our fondest memories are of those trips and watching our kids interact with the characters. My oldest was 10 months and tried to use Pluto’s nose as a teething toy. I remember when our youngest at two would giggle with delight whenever a character came to the dinner table and wanted pictures with everyone. They may not remember it exactly but it does shape them and you can tell they remember Disney when you take them again. And of course you get those memories!

This is a big expense so do make sure it’s right for you and fits into your financial plans. But it can allow you to vacation when they are little. You can also bank and borrow and space out trips 3 years apart while they are babies. Taking toddlers right before they are 3 can make a magical trip before they start costing money for admission or character meals.
 
We had Disney trips when my youngest was 1 and 2, and have our next trip (as new RIV owners) while he is 3. My daughters are 6 and 8. I was not interested in Disney (didn’t know I was missing anything) before having kids - but if I were a fan having kids wouldn’t stop me from going. If Disney is something you enjoy why not take babies? Sure they won’t remember but you will. I don’t think they have to remember every childhood experience for it to be influential or fun or a great photo op. Maybe plan to bank points when the first is a newborn— and by the time the second arrives the first may be ready to enjoy Disney with you. If it’s too expensive to spend a few years with babies or toddlers having more laid back Disney trips back out - but my 2 year old couldn’t get enough of the Casey jr splash section. When he was 1 he was captivated by Navi river. He napped through all of the parks at one point or another. The best thing I could have done was grab a stay at a DVC that didn’t require stroller folding...LOL (can’t wait to use Skyliner or walk from walkable resorts!). Not all trips with babies/toddlers/kids are perfect - and meltdowns happen, but we keep going back for some reason!!
 
If you are worried about buyer's remorse, RIV is probably not the resort for you with the resale restrictions. No one knows what will happen to RIV resale. If you're on the fence, that would be too much for me.

If you had bought resale SSR at any point in the last five years, you could sell for pretty much what you paid, maybe a little one way or the other. Commissions, closing costs, the dues you used. It's not a HUGE commitment, especially if you can find a loaded contract in January. That's why I'm so comfortable with how much SSR I have, and it's a lot.

I took my 18 month old to Disney for two nights, but honestly it wasn't the best. Probably the zoo or the beach would have been equivalent. Disney is not going anywhere, DVC is not going anywhere. THINK. And make the decision right for your family. Don't be pressured into a five figure decision. You can always buy a loaded SSR in January or next year, or three years from now as a present from some future princess.

Another option is to downgrade the purchase to only 100 points. You can always add more resale. We are very good at enabling that on these boards.
 
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You mentioned are big Disney fans and in your 20’s. If the budget works, I think you are making this purchase decision at the perfect time. 150 points I’m sure you will be able to manage with family, if you don’t go yourselves. No remorse with the discount incentive. Now carefully climb down off the fence, you will be very happy with the purchase.
 
So we bought into DVC in our mid 20s before kids and never once regretted it. I am of the opinion of buying it, and going for a few trips pre kids. RIV after Epcot is just about perfect for adults. Once you have kids maybe you don’t go for a year or so, but if you are like us you will bring them. It’s honestly not bad at all with little ones. And the advantage to us of being DVC members is we never feel like we had to do everything in the parks on a single day. So if the baby was tired or upset, no big deal just go back to the room. Once you get over the idea that you have to have full park days because your vacation was so expensive you really begin to enjoy Disney so much more IMO. And DVC helps so much with that cost idea because you will feel like the room is “free” (we know it’s not, but it just feels different as opposed to paying $3000 for rooms each trip). And prices will increase every year, so if you wait 5 years it’s going to be more. We bought at about $102 a point I think so I’m very happy we jumped in when we did.
 

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