Once you became a DVC member, (how) did your vacations change?

[Fargoman2]

We have been to WDW eight times and expect to keep going back again and again and again. Thus, we are all but signed, sealed and delivered to become DVC members.

One of the many appealing factors for joining DVC is having the comfortable, spacious accommodations that would encourage a more relaxed approach to our Disney vacations. As in, we may indeed welcome a change from the up at the crack of dawn every single day to catch rope drop and race through the park til you drop strategy. Instead, a little less hurried, more laid back approach might allow us to savor the vacation in different ways.

Have you changed your vacationing style since joining DVC? How so?

 

[MatterhornMiss]

I'm using it as an excuse to go more frequently!

 

[DVC Mike]

One of the many appealing factors for joining DVC is having the comfortable, spacious accommodations that would encourage a more relaxed approach to our Disney vacations. As in, we may indeed welcome a change from the up at the crack of dawn every single day to catch rope drop and race through the park til you drop strategy. Instead, a little less hurried, more laid back approach might allow us to savor the vacation in different ways.

Have you changed your vacationing style since joining DVC? How so?

The more you get to go to WDW, the less the need to be a park "commando" and spend every waking minute on rides. Our trips are definitely more relaxing as DVC members.

 

[bwvBound]

Simply put: we book longer stays.

Our primary purpose is a work-related conference with busy daily schedules. Having DVC allows us to add 1 or 2 nights on either end of the conference for rest, acclimation, networking and play.

 

[wdw1972]

I always went frequently, but I go more frequently (10 or so trips per year). I spend less time in the parks, but that's a factor of going so many times - not because of dvc.

The biggest change is the quality of my lodging - no more offsite motels, no more value resorts, and no more moderates. Best of all - no big bill on my doorknob the day I leave!

 

[vandy]

Much more relaxed in our vacations. We actually look forward to coming back to the room and stretching out, watching TV, napping, etc. We couldn't do this in a regular room. We also spend more time doing things outside of the parks. We seem to have more variety and enjoyment than before. (Oh and I agree with previous poster: Now we stay 10-12 days instead of 5-7).

 

[Goofy's apprentice]

We go more often, now three times per year.
We never do the commando thing anymore. In fact, in the last three trips we haven't even hit the parks. (that is probably not the norm among DVC members)
We spend more time enjoying the resorts and the Orlando area.
We bring friends and family.
Depending on the group we are travelling with we cook some of our own meals.
We rarely feel pressured to do or see something because we know we will be back soon.
We are always in vacation planning mode.
We see hidden Mickey's everywhere we go (even at home).
....Some of our friends at home think we are nuts!!!

 

[Lisa Anne Colling]

We now go every year instead of every other year. WE are also able to take parents along whom may not be able to afford it because of fixed retirement income! The rooms are so spacious they accomadate us all quite awesome! It sure has made some great family memories! Only regreet is we didn't buy much earlier!

 

[ahorrigan]

We still only go once a year, but we don't feel the need to do everything before we leave because we know that we are going to go back next year. We just make a list before we get there of all the rides we want to go on during each trip.

 

[lingber]

I was just telling my DH that when we start using our DVC points our vacations will change. No more running to get everything in. He is not a big fan of marathon park days! We can just relax and take our time knowing we will be back again soon. I love the Disney atmosphere. What does everyone do when they are not in the parks?

 

[TomD]

We do not do commando any more. We also tend to be more relaxed since we know if we do not do it this trip we will be back.

The extra space and ammenities are also a bonus

 

[photobob]

We have been to WDW eight times and expect to keep going back again and again and again. Thus, we are all but signed, sealed and delivered to become DVC members.

One of the many appealing factors for joining DVC is having the comfortable, spacious accommodations that would encourage a more relaxed approach to our Disney vacations. As in, we may indeed welcome a change from the up at the crack of dawn every single day to catch rope drop and race through the park til you drop strategy. Instead, a little less hurried, more laid back approach might allow us to savor the vacation in different ways.

Have you changed your vacationing style since joining DVC? How so?

I think you've pretty well nailed our changes in your second paragraph. We are much more laid back in our touring style and the villas make for much more relaxing time in the room. I still like to get to the parks at opening to beat the crowds and usually have an early TS lunch before heading back to the resort for napping and/or hanging at the pool. We may head to another park in the evening we may not.

My wife and I went on a short three nighter in February this year and we just strolled around, we actually didn't do that many attractions, but I think we used every mode of Disney transportation available.

 

[Donald is #1]

I agree with the previous posters. I have found that my trips are much more relaxed because I know that I will be going back every year and there is no pressure to see everything each trip.

 

[Tiger926]

Just like everyone else, our trips are more relaxed. We sometimes only go to a park for an hour or two to eat lunch or dinner, and then back to resort, ride monorail or people watch. We never did much of this before as we were busy taking it all in! My hubby is so happy that our crazy commando days are far behind us and to tell you the truth, so am I! We also have experienced stays at almost every WDW resort except GF (it's always booked when we want to go), and are slowly getting through our DVC list as well. We have experienced several concierge stays too - we never would have done any of this without DVC as we wouldn't have been able to afford it.

We love DVC immensely as it has changed our vacation lifestyle so much - we talk about DVC each day, and are so thankful that we have been able to afford to become members. Just today we discussed how great our vacations have become and despite being there so often, they still continue to evolve and bring us new and exciting memories.

Love our DVC, Tiger

 

[jfulcer]

Ditto on pretty much everything.

We get to stop and smell the flowers instead of running past them for the next ride.

 

[katmittens]

We used to go every two years, then it was once a year and then once we became owners at OKW we now go three times a year. We love the large rooms. We also spend more time relaxing and enjoying the resort. We do still love the parks and we go on every trip, but it is much more relaxed, since we know we will be back.

 

[javamom]

Wow it's hard to describe. Having the comforts of home, without the hassles of home makes for a great and relaxing stay.

Tossing a load of clothes into the washer isn't a big deal, packing lighter is! Making a quick snack in the kitchen, isn't a big deal. Enjoying a glass of wine on the balcony is!

Waking at the crack of dawn, is something that we still do but the difference is that we do it so that we can hit our favorite rides early, then come back to the room for some down-time while the masses begin to swarm the parks. We can return in the evening all rested and ready for some night-time fun! Yes, this is something that you could do in any room, but our DVC room allows us do all of the thing that I listed above during that down time.

Knowing that there is going to be years of trips, doesn't make any one thing mission critical unless it is something temporary. We can take our time and hit some of things that we might have skipped in favor of main attractions. In short, the overall pace is slower.

Bottom line, we have more choices and better spaces to enjoy our time there.

 

[bangzoom6877]

We have only taken one family vacation to WDW, last month, and are now awaiting ROFR on a resale at BWV. One reason we bought DVC was because DH and I vowed to do Disney totally differently from now on, than we did last month. To give you an idea, last month we stayed 5 nights at Pop Century, and did 5 days at the parks. We were up before the crack of dawn to make it before rope drop and we did not get to relax much. We were in a value resort and although we took an afternoon break everyday (which helped a lot), we felt like we were so far away from everything. DH also insisted on staying deluxe from now on so we could have a queen bed AND be closer to everything. I wanted (originally) to stay on the monorail line from now on, DH said he liked the BC/BW area due to walking distance to 2 parks. DH also insisted on going every other year, 10 nights per trip, and go to the parks every other day, or something like that, so we have down days to relax. So we started looking into DVC when we got back. Here is a description of our future Disney trips as DVC members:

-10-night stays
-One-bedroom accommodations so we can stay up later than the kids (they are only 3 and 1 right now)
-Still going to parks 5 days out of 10, so we can relax the other days, sleep in, enjoy the resorts
-Not going to AK for a while again, until my kids are older and if they want to go on the more "adult" rides there
-2 days at Epcot, 2 days at MK, 1 day at DHS...we will get to still see everything at Epcot and MK without rushing to get it all done in one day
-STaying at BWV every time, so we can walk to Epcot and DHS. This will especially help on Epcot days after taking an afternoon break and then going for dinner in the WS since it is a nice walk and not a long time driving, looking for parking, or waiting for and riding a bus to get there
-Enjoying the beautiful pool at BWV
-when both kids are old enough, Sandcastles Kids Club one night so DH and I can enjoy some evening BW entertainment...all within walking distance of our room!
-If we choose to do so, we still could afford to go every year on points, if we stay in a studio, for 10 nights each trip


Some things that will remain the same:

-Booking my vacation close to one year in advance (we have always done this)
-Enjoying the restaurants (I hate cooking on vacation...the only thing I will do is frozen waffles and scrambled eggs in the morning when staying in a one-bedroom)
-Breakfast in the room (cereal, waffles, or scrambled eggs though...in a one-bedroom we are not limited to only cereal!)
-Character breakfast on the morning of departure (EXCEPT that this time it will be within walking distance because it will be at Cape May Cafe...last month it was Chef Mickey's and we vowed to always end the trip with a character breakfast so we can enjoy some magic the last morning and not go to bed all depressed the night before!)
-Enjoy the magic Disney...I don't think that magical feeling of walking onto Main Street and seeing the castle up ahead will EVER change for us...

So, I think that overall, the quality of our Disney trips will improve greatly based on becoming DVC members.

 

[mantismad]

We come to Disney much more often than before we became DVC members as it is much more affordable for us now using our points. As our children have grown into adults they bring their friends along and they stay in their own studio or we have a 2 bed and it is great to see them enjoy themselves. We enjoy a much more relaxing time as there is no need to rush around the parks as we know that it will not be long before we return. We have more time to explore outside of Disney and experience other things including eating at some lovely restaurants that we have found. At the end of the evening it is always great to return to the Beach Club.

 

[Chellymouse]

We are able to go a bit more frequently, though that is dependent on airfare. Like everyone else, the 9-10 days of commando Disney are a thing of the past. While we generally don't go off property, we do more of the other things on property that we never had time for like the backstage tours, recreation, ect. We're looking forward to being able to hit some of the other festivals as well. We also love the new accomodations. No more messes, no more cramped hotel rooms. It's wonderful!