Outrageous pricing

[Marionnette]

I think that the original question in my post was not communicated properly or just not understood in the way that I meant it.

I know that the $2000 pricing I have is good, I was more curious about the $700 a night AK or other rooms and how people afford that ontop of tickets and dining (oop or ddp).

I'm successful in my job and make just shy of 6 figures but I still couldn't afford $700 a night. It just seems unreal.

I don't think that I could afford it either.

We purchased DVC at a time when prices on the resale market were great. We paid cash for each contract - no loans! Our only OOP costs going forward are our annual maintenance fees. Grand Floridian. Boardwalk Villas. Animal Kingdom Villas. We own a little piece of each of them. I'm not convinced that purchasing DVC is the bargain today that it was in the past. But owning DVC today has turned out to be quite the money-saver vs. staying in Deluxe Resort hotel rooms. If you were to price out what those villas would cost on the Disney website, your jaw would drop.

Owning DVC means being able to book a villa with a kitchen. Thus, breakfast -a real breakfast! - can be made in the room. Evening snacks, "happy hour" with family, etc. is all more affordable after a grocery run compared to dining out in the restaurants. (But we still eat out when we are in the parks because, after all, we ARE on vacation!)

We get Annual Passes for a discount because of DVC. We go at least twice during the year that the passes are valid and then we skip buying them for a year. Cheaper than buying tickets for separate visits and the passes come with perks like passholder events and merchandise discounts.

And one last thing: Vacationing is a priority for us. So instead of a new car every couple of years, we are still driving a 2005 model with over 100K miles on it. We rarely dine out. We don't go to the movies or concerts. This is how we can pay those maintenance fees and buy those APs.

 

[holden]

We bought DVC resale years ago and paid cash (so no loan). We visit WDW two to three times a year and stay in a 2BR unit. We never get the dining plan because we eat at least one meal a day in our room, usually breakfast. The DVC discount on annual passes is nice too.

When we go do WDW, we stay in rooms that would cost $1271 night rack rate (this example is Villas at Grand Floridian). Our maintenance fees for a week's stay in that room make our price $427/night. That's much easier to justify than $1271/night or even your example of $700/night.

 

[robinb]

The only way we could afford deluxe resorts is because we own DVC. We also bought DVC over 20 years ago with no loans. Our maintenance fees are now $2000 per year and with that I've booked 10 days in a Boardwalk Villas studio (rack rate more than $500 per night) and 5 days in an Animal Kingdom Concierge studio which includes free breakfast, snacks, "dinner" & desserts (rack rate more than $660 per night). AND ... I have points left over to book more! Even ignoring my extra points, I am paying an average of $133 per night with no additional taxes. AND (knock wood), I'll get at least what I paid into DVC if we sell.

I would never, ever, ever ever (x 1000) pay Disney for their deluxe resorts. I would rather stay offsite that fork over that kind of change for a hotel room. I've stayed everywhere except the YC & the campground and it's just not "all that" for me. We can certainly afford it, but I would rather save my money for retirement or an international trip to experience something new. I totally agree that the prices are outrageous but Disney had never been a cheap vacation.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I would never, ever, ever ever (x 1000) pay Disney for their deluxe resorts. I would rather stay offsite that fork over that kind of change for a hotel room. I've stayed everywhere except the YC & the campground and it's just not "all that" for me. We can certainly afford it, but I would rather save my money for retirement or an international trip to experience something new. I totally agree that the prices are outrageous but Disney had never been a cheap vacation.

I would love one day to stay at the AKL, but even with my FL resident discount it hurts my pocket just a little bit. I believe last time I looked for the time we're going, it's about $244 a night. That would be $1000 for 5 days and 4 nights had I booked that for our trip in June. Tickets would be a little over $400 and Memory Maker would be $169. So that would be, rounding up $1600 before adding spending money. Some would say, that's not bad at all for a Disney trip at a deluxe resort and true, it's not. But when ALL of our trips have been under that amount before spending money, I guess I've spoiled myself. Our current trip is at $1200 before I tack on the $600 in spending money. This June trip is just son and I as of right now, I haven't factored in tickets for husband as he hasn't decided if he's going or not yet. The most hubby and I have ever dropped in Disney, before our son was born, has been $2000, but we also went to Universal too for a few days. That was back when he was still in the military and we didn't have rent or utilities to pay so it didn't hurt at all. Perhaps what I might do on our next trip is start saving that extra $100 plus for a stay at the AKL. All Star Sports is costing us $122 a night....another $120 would pay for AKL. I can manage that easily saving for another trip. That probably won't be for another 4 years after this one.

What are these maintenance fees I've heard DVC owners talk about? And it seems if you visit Disney often, DVC is the way to go?

 

[Searc]

I would love one day to stay at the AKL, but even with my FL resident discount it hurts my pocket just a little bit. I believe last time I looked for the time we're going, it's about $244 a night. That would be $1000 for 5 days and 4 nights had I booked that for our trip in June. Tickets would be a little over $400 and Memory Maker would be $169. So that would be, rounding up $1600 before adding spending money. Some would say, that's not bad at all for a Disney trip at a deluxe resort and true, it's not. But when ALL of our trips have been under that amount before spending money, I guess I've spoiled myself. Our current trip is at $1200 before I tack on the $600 in spending money. This June trip is just son and I as of right now, I haven't factored in tickets for husband as he hasn't decided if he's going or not yet. The most hubby and I have ever dropped in Disney, before our son was born, has been $2000, but we also went to Universal too for a few days. That was back when he was still in the military and we didn't have rent or utilities to pay so it didn't hurt at all. Perhaps what I might do on our next trip is start saving that extra $100 plus for a stay at the AKL. All Star Sports is costing us $122 a night....another $120 would pay for AKL. I can manage that easily saving for another trip. That probably won't be for another 4 years after this one.

What are these maintenance fees I've heard DVC owners talk about? And it seems if you visit Disney often, DVC is the way to go?

DVC is no longer the value it was, even five years ago. Those who bought back in the early days of DVC and up until 5-10 years ago got a great price and a great value. That is no longer the case with DVC.

Your DVC maintenance fees vary, depending on how many points you own and where you own.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ That tends to happen with most timeshares. Maybe was a good idea/value when first purchased, but less so as time passes.

 

[auralia]

We bought Old Key West resale 50 points for 78$ per point during the recession and bought 30 point add on for 100$ per point direct from disney before prices went up to be sure we also owned "disney" points. We are an every other year family and those 160 points can let me stay in just about any studio I want every other year for 7-12 days depending on the studio. my dues are about 560. Points are 2057 June use year so we are good until we are 75 years old. I hope to be retired to Florida by then ... Also hubby is military and will be retired military next year so we get great ticket prices and will continue to as log as they do them since he is retiring. Also we use a disney visa card... our trip this april is at 8 nights at the grandfloridian villias in a studio... 5 day military disney tickets were 1250 for four people with park hopper plus and we have 600$ in credit card rewards to cover food... my DVC dues come out of my bank account automatically about 55$ per month... so it is pretty cheep to stay in even the most deluxe resorts

 

[marcyleecorgan]

Disney has always been expensive. But with the levels of discrepancy occurring with today's economy, Disney pricing seems ... divisive.
My parents saved for an entire year - to take me to the WDW only like 3 days ; we stayed offsite and we ate sandwiches. I remember a fruit salad was the Treat for the trip, no Mickey Bar!
We got lucky on our 2017 trip. Now I have set my Disney goal far in the future because COL doesn't let you save like you once could...

 

[robinb]

^^ That tends to happen with most timeshares. Maybe was a good idea/value when first purchased, but less so as time passes.

I disagree. The problem with a DVC is that the resale prices continue to rise. Most timeshares don’t hold their value as much as DVC does.

 

[Marionnette]

^^ That tends to happen with most timeshares. Maybe was a good idea/value when first purchased, but less so as time passes.

No. It's still a great value for those who purchased when the time was right. The time is no longer "right". The price per point has skyrocketed over 100% over the past 10 years. I could sell most of my contracts for double what I paid for them and my VGF contracts (it opened in 2013) would sell at a 30% profit.

Not that Ill be selling anytime soon.

Current direct prices (purchasing from Disney) just went up and they are outrageously high. BWV sells for $190/point. I bought my points for $53-$65/point before resale restrictions hit.

My point is: DVC was an affordable purchase when I bought in. It isn't so affordable to purchase today.

 

[starry_solo]

I only go once every five or six years, stay at DVC. It's still pricey, but our group likes the deluxe accommodations and we split it 3 ways.

 

[maxiesmom]

Affordable is subjective. I make way less than the OP. My last few stays at Disney have not been at value resorts. I afford them by:

Packing my lunch to work every day.
Not going out to eat very often at all. Once a month maybe, probably less often than that.
Driving a car that is 16 years old and still kicking.


I could go on and on. I did splurge and buy an AP this past October, so while I have 3 trips planned that I can use my pass for, I still have to budget for room and food and whatnot. One of those trips is a 3 night stay at the All Star Music that I searched and found for $115 a night on Travelocity.

We all decide what is important to us to spend money on. Some spend it on Disney Deluxe resorts.

 

[Darcy03231]

We do it by using a variety of methods:

1. We never pay rack rate for a deluxe room.
2. We live frugally throughout the year. DH and I both drive older, paid for cars, we aren't big consumers of goods (clothing, electronics, etc.), if we need something to try to buy it 2nd hand first, while we eat out once week we don't go to expensive places, we don't drink/smoke, etc., I pack my lunch every day and take my own coffee (DH is retired). All of this frees up money for travel.
3. I churn credit cards for points, which we exchange out for airline tickets/gift cards.
4. We don't get the dining plan. We spend much less by paying out-of-pocket.
5. I sell on eBay to make more money for travel.

These are just some of the things we do.

 

[Dakota731]

We don’t go often and wait for a great deal! And it’s not just how much you make it’s how much you spend too. WE don’t buy new iPhones every year or eat out often. I don’t get manicures, I color my own hair, don’t go to Starbucks every morning and don’t buy a new car every few years. I’m very frugal on an every day basis so we can take a great trip every three or four years.

 

[MomToOne]

I guess I could afford to pay for Deluxe, but I never will - I just don't think hotel rooms (Disney or otherwise) are worth those kind of prices. I'd rather put that money to work for me in other ways. Vacations for me are mostly about the experiences outside of the room, not the room itself. Hotel rooms are beds and bathrooms to me - as long as the room is clean, safe, well located and "comfortable enough", I'm good.

Part of it is also perspective I guess. If all hotel rooms were that expensive, I might spend it out of necessity. But I'm spending less than $225 a night incl. taxes and booking fees for a great one-bedroom beach-front condo literally steps from the ocean in Hawaii in June. As long as I know other options like that are out there, I won't be paying $700/night. I would rather use that cost difference to address other aspects of life.

But to each his own. I have a relative who can't imagine staying anywhere other than 5 star hotels, usually in a suite. That's what they enjoy and value in their vacations, so they are willing to spend their money on it. It's just not what I value, so I don't.

 

[Marionnette]

But to each his own.

This pretty much sums it up in answer to the OP's question. While a hotel room is just a bed and a bath for some, the whole resort experience is as important as the destination to others.

 

[Dakota731]

How much are yearly maintenance fees for DVC?

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

How much are yearly maintenance fees for DVC?

Roughly 6-8 dollars per point
A 160 point contract maint fee is about 1120 a year (using 7 dollar average)

edit: that would allow you to use a studio once a year for all but the peak periods.
If you had about 220 points you could do the same and get a 1 BR place. Fee= 1540

 

[Brett Wyman]

My secret is never pay rack rate and never buy a Disney "package" and especially never buy the dining plan!

I have never come close to $700/night at a Deluxe. Last year, we stayed at the Tower Club level of the Contemporary for about $589/night, including taxes, followed by the Beach Club in a Deluxe room for just around $539/night. Both were club level, so we had the added bonus of included food and drinks, which substantially lowered our OOP food costs. Over 10 days, our family of 4 only spent $800 on food.

There are always room only discounts to be found. That's the best way to go.

This is exactly what I was going to post. We only stay deluxes because unlike other we DO spend a lot of time at the resorts as our kids are still very young. We also are okay paying a bit more to have close proximity to the park. We consider any day we don't see a bus a good day.

But we never pay rack rate. We wait for large discounts to rack rate rooms, 25-35%(we are AP holders), or we rent DVC points. That being said our trip cost is usually between 3-5k for 6 nights, so not quite as low as 2k for sure. 2k is a great deal! We are staying at a BWV 1 bedroom for $417 in november and we are staying at a VGF 2 Bedroom for $713 in September(check the discount off of the rack rate for that VGF 2 bed, its HUGE!).

 

[Searc]

How much are yearly maintenance fees for DVC?

It all depends on how many points you own and where you own.

https://dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-p...29-sharp-increases-to-hit-owners-in-2019-dues