On the fence

[Gianni]

To buy or not to buy...that is the question. We like the DVC idea and cannot find a downside... but maybe we are missing some! Can anyone enlighten us?

 

[Disney Doll]

Having owned DVC since `1997, I have yet to find a downside!

 

[jimmytammy]

Let me be the first to say Welcome to the Dis!!

My advice...go on and fall off that fence....to the DVC pasture, where its always green, the suns always shinin' and the place where people cant wipe the smiles off their WDW lovin faces!!

In all seriousness, you wont hear a lot of negativity here on this forum about DVC. Gripes maybe about a bad experience, but out and out pure dislike of DVC, not very likely.
A good way to judge how much DVC folks like DVC, go over to the resales. It might look like a bunch over there, but count how many you see for sale vs. the 65,000+ that have bought into DVC, and I think you will see where this is going.
Just dont do like so many others here have done, debate it for too long then kick yourself when you do decide to buy and pay more for it. Like we did!!
Good luck and hope to be saying Welcome Home real soon.

 

[timC]

If you want to go to WDW every year and you can handle the costs and annual dues, then you're over the fence.

Welcome to the land of the mouse!

 

[JimC]

Welcome! We did not purchase when we first toured in 1992. Could not afford it as we were saving for a new house. It took us a decade of visiting Disney to revisit buying in, even though we could have done it financially much sooner. Lookng back we should have found a way to do both - save for the new house and buy in.

Come on down off of that fence. If you can make the financial commitment to buy and pay dues and you are a frequent Disney guset, then you will save money over the life of the contract.

Good luck.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

You could always wait and watch the price per point go up...;-)

 

[bcvillastwo]

I haven't thought about the downside to DVC because for us there is no downside and I can't imagine a time when there will be a downside for us. However, I will suggest a few things that could be downsides.

1. Buying into DVC at this time is not a good financial decision for you.
2. You don't go to WDW at least once every two years.
3. One of you (adults) is not a real WDW fan and has some reservations about DVC.
4. You aren't being realistic about the number of points you will need. In other words, you may be buying too few points and this could impact how you feel about DVC in the future.

Anything that could bring ******* into your family may be a downside.

One other point, you say you are on the fence. I'm not sure what factor(s) make you hesitate but I remember being on the fence and it took us several years to make our move. Many say that in hind sight they've looked back to when they were on the fence and wish they had jumped off on the DVC side sooner. I don't feel that way at all. I'm glad we waited, watched, and pondered because it gave us time to really think it through. If the circumstances were similar I would do it the same way the next time. Yes, it cost me more money but I also had my piece of mind.

Everyone approaches these things differently. I wish you well whatever decision you make.

 

[IndianaDVCMember]

Everyone's situation is different. I am assuming that you love Disney, you want to vacation regularly, and you can afford to make this purchase. If I have assumed correctly, then do it!

 

[Terry S]

If you think spending quality time with your family on the most magical place on earth is a downside, then there you have it!

 

[tinkgrl]

Hi,

If you go to WDW or any other disney park often. DVC is the way to go. Mom & I only wish that we had done it sooner. We have gone every year since May 2001. Remember that you have to go travel every year or every other. If that works for you then great. Sign up & start planning your trips.

Allison (an associate member)
Officially DVC 7/23/03
Home: BCV

 

[beccasmom]

There are no downsides for us. We enjoy it more each year and are happy to be able to share it with family and friends when we can. We are Disney fantatics, so maybe that is part of the reason, but the words Welcome Home have taken on even more meaning now for us because we really do feel we are home when at DVC.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I agree with the majority here. If you a a Disney nut, and can afford the purchase, it is well worth it!

 

[poohj80]

We are also starting to consider DVC, but have some questions that I haven't found answered in any of the FAQs.

We received the DVC video which includes a letter which mentions a cost around $13,500 to buy in. Does that include the points or are the points on top of that? How much are the annual fees? Are these fees the cost of the points for that year?

Thanks so much!


** Beccas Mom - nice to see another Penny who's a Pooh fan!

 

[bcvillastwo]

poohj80

The $13,500 is not an initiation fee that must be paid first before you are permitted to purchase points. The $13,500 is what it costs to buy your points.

Maintenance fees average around $4 (+/-) a point depending on what resort you buy into. So, for example, if you buy 150 points it will cost you about $600 per year ($4 times 150 points). I believe you can pay your dues in a lump sum at the beginning of each calendar year or monthly (you will need to check with member services to set up the monthly draw).

Hope this helps.

 

[poohj80]

Yes, thanks so much! Now, it's just deciding whether we can afford the large financial commitment over the next 10 years especially when we're still paying off student loans.

 

[mbb]

But we took the plunge! 2 weeks ago, and have had more fun and laughing and talking, and planning, and laughing some more about our next TRIPSSSSSSSS+++39yrs to WDW...still on the fence? Well, like they say, no pain, no gain!LOL Good luck with your decision!

 

[Jimmac]

Downside is the urge to buy MORE points

 

[CaptainMidnight]

OK, possible downsides -

You need to plan your vacations pretty far in advance for peak times.

Using points for locations other than DVC resorts usually isn't a great value for the points required. While several nice hotels are listed in the conciere (sp?) collection, the points required are pretty high.

WDW food and passes are an additional cost that you may not plan to incure if you don't plan on going to WDW every year.

I understand from friend's experiences that there is a period for teenagers where they aren't interested in WDW activities (too cool for them, or something like that... as the bumper stickers says, hire a teenager while they still know everything)

There are many specials and deals available currently with the reduced travel demand that make the pricing of DVC less attractive. This probably won't last long, but who really knows.

Those are ones I could think of, you've probably already thought of them. They may be worth considering, but I aso want to assure you that we we are very happy with our purchase, and on balance DVC still wins out.

Good luck with your decision.