Owning DVC is still better than eating broccoli

[BeachClub2014]

I'm a single data point. I haven't been to Disney since - 2017? We've used our points for HHI mostly - and Aulani once (and I don't have that many - we were every other year people to start with). I've thought about selling, but it doesn't work out.

I can rent my BWV points and make a profit - I've owned for twenty years, so the initial buy in wasn't that much - and the capital I'd get from selling it isn't significant. It makes more sense for me to rent when I don't want to use points. Our points work well for a mid-Winter HHI trip when its easy to get HHI as seven months - and and HHI we are using Disney for the room and the room alone.

So for me, yes WDW has gotten "that bad" but since there is a market for rental and availability at HHI for a mid-Winter trip, I'm not selling at this point. For other people, their DVC room is a place to sleep for Universal. Maybe in another two or three years I'll revisit selling. But I wouldn't assume, with an active rental market, that the lack of resales indicates people are happy since there are other things that they can do with their points. So, I like HHI. I like being able to rent out points if I don't want to go to Disney - which I really do not want to do anytime in the near future.

In the 40 years I've been going to WDW I've come to recognize that the parks have a cyclical pattern of up and down. I think we are pretty down right now, but I also think it won't last. I think Disney is feeling a huge pinch from their covid exposure - from people not traveling to people not going to movies they were really exposed - and the issues with the labor market right now aren't helping. All that is contributing to a more expensive and hassle full vacation. And I'm overexposed on the stuff that's old, and the stuff that's new I don't want to deal with crowds on - I can wait until the lines get a little shorter.... But all that will settle and there will be a time - two years, ten years - from now where I'll enjoy Disney again.

Thanks for sharing.

If I'm understanding you correctly, the only good thing about DVC is the ability to rent your points.

I don't assume anything from resale information, which is why I asked the question.

 

[DVC92]

I don't have any suggestions about DVC, but try roasting your broccoli in a little olive oil, sprinkled with salt. It's a game-changer.

Okay, that's not quite true. The two best things about DVC (and, really, any timeshare) is that (a) the use-it-or-lose-it nature makes taking vacations a priority rather than something you fit in around everything else, and (b) having a more comfortable home-like place to stay make the stay qualitatively better.

At some point during most of our timeshare stays, my wife and I will be sitting in the living room, relaxing, and look at each other and say: "Hotel rooms. Huh." As in: we understand that families take vacations of more than a day or two in a hotel room, but we don't understand how or why.


DVC owners are not Disney's target customer. DVC buyers are. It's no accident that most of the Blue Card perks sound better in theory than they are in practice.

It's even worse than that. The point of a loyalty program is to make the product more "sticky" in the MBA sense. DVC owners are already "sticky" customers, because selling takes serious work. There's not much of a need to add more reasons for them to stay.

I disagree. If you make owners happy, they spread the word so it becomes attractive to new buyers. Also, current owners would add on more points.

 

[Micca]

I've come to the conclusion that the best thing about buying fresh broccoli is that you get a complimentary rubber band.

I like DVC, things change but I still enjoy staying in accommodations that we would never otherwise pay for.

 

[TeamRiley]

I guess it is all about perspective. I love WDW, but everything about it is a massive pain sometimes. Waiting for busses, being a million miles from your room all the time, etc. etc. We primarily go to DL and stay at the Grand Californian. Being that close and having no hassle is always infinitely relaxing. Even if Genie+ sucks.

 

[BeachClub2014]

I guess it is all about perspective. I love WDW, but everything about it is a massive pain sometimes. Waiting for busses, being a million miles from your room all the time, etc. etc. We primarily go to DL and stay at the Grand Californian. Being that close and having no hassle is always infinitely relaxing. Even if Genie+ sucks.

It is definitely a matter of perspective!

What do you love about WDW and/or DVC?

 

[Her Dotness]

No amount of melted cheddar has made broccoli palatable

That's because you're using the wrong cheese entirely.

The best cheese on broccoli is Velveeta. Chop off a chunk of it, put into a bowl or measuring cup and add a splash or two of heavy cream. Eyeball it. Whole milk will do but cream is lots better.

Nuke for about a minute, stirring briskly to melt any lumps. Nuke a tad more if they don't melt readily.

Load up the broccoli and chow down.

Yes, its detractors call Velveeta "plastic cheese." Truly, though, it's broccoli's best buddy.

As for what we like about DVC: It's one heckuva lot cheaper GF stay once you've broken even. We used to stay club level. We broke even in a couple years. Now, every stay feels like it's free.

It'll take a lot more icky Cheapek decisions for us to decide to sell.

 

[limace]

Like a previous poster, I also have always been a DL fan-I like WDW but it’s so much work. So, re DVC, I still love my VGC points-the resort is amazing, and it’s so wonderful to have a tradition of taking my three kids and usually at least one of their friends, doing a 2 bedroom for four or five nights every other year. My dad died last summer, and so this year my mom and sister are joining us on our November trip and I was able to use my AKV points to pick a couple nights up in a studio for them (and cash rates at that hotel start at $800 for our dates).

Now, we would still go without DVC. We sure wouldn’t stay at the Grand and definitely would not be able to take six or eight people and pay for their lodging. Historically, we’d grab a room on Harbor and those were totally fine in a lot of ways-super close, relatively cheap-but the VGC experience, the entrance into the park, being able to get back to the room in a few minutes and be in the pool or nap.

We also love not having to eat three meals a day out when traveling. I like to cook and do it a lot when on vacation, but even just being able cook eggs for breakfast (my adult daughter-if you don’t get protein into that girl first thing everyone pays!), fancy cheeses and dips and wine for afternoons on the balcony, frozen pizza or lasagna…all of that is just a wonderful addition for our trip and is why we now mostly travel with Airbnb or timeshares in general.

Now, re WDW specifically? I love the variety of accommodation types and there is nothing like AKV anywhere else. We have been happy with every resort we’ve stayed in-and we’ve also been really happy with our stay a 2 bedroom at bonnet creek which cost us $550 for a week.

 

[Brian Noble]

I disagree.

Well, unless someone here is an executive with DVC, we can't know what Disney thinks about this. But, we can watch what they do. And, what they do tells me they care a lot more about buyers than owners.

That's not to say they don't care about owners, they do. After all, it's easier to sell more points to someone who already understands the product.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Love broccoli. Brussels sprouts on the other hand…

 

[BillPA]

Nice photo, is that the new CEO of Disney? Mr Paycheck?

 

[Matty B13]

You can toss pretty much anything with olive oil and salt, and then roast it at 450' and it will be good.

Have you heard/tasted Buffalo Broccoli???? It is amazing..... just roast your broccoli in hot sauce, comes out almost as good as Buffalo Wings.

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

We primarily go to DL and stay at the Grand Californian. Being that close and having no hassle is always infinitely relaxing. Even if Genie+ sucks.

OK can I just say... imagine any resort at WDW. You're standing in your hotel room and start a stopwatch. How long until you are past security and standing inside a theme park? I clocked it on my last trip to Disneyland from my VGC room to standing in front of Goofy Sky School. Under 3 mins and I didn't run!
Also I used to hate broccoli and cauliflower until I started steaming them - now I love them.

 

[BeachClub2014]

That's because you're using the wrong cheese entirely.

The best cheese on broccoli is Velveeta. Chop off a chunk of it, put into a bowl or measuring cup and add a splash or two of heavy cream. Eyeball it. Whole milk will do but cream is lots better.

Nuke for about a minute, stirring briskly to melt any lumps. Nuke a tad more if they don't melt readily.

Load up the broccoli and chow down.

Yes, its detractors call Velveeta "plastic cheese." Truly, though, it's broccoli's best buddy.

As for what we like about DVC: It's one heckuva lot cheaper GF stay once you've broken even. We used to stay club level. We broke even in a couple years. Now, every stay feels like it's free.

It'll take a lot more icky Cheapek decisions for us to decide to sell.

Using Velveeta is perhaps the best advice that I have ever received here! I may have to try that.

Ah yes, the "breakeven" threshold for DVC can be awesome. We like to compare what our stays have cost us owning DVC versus comparable rooms had we been paying cash. Ain't even close.

 

[BeachClub2014]

View attachment 696439

Love broccoli. Brussels sprouts on the other hand…

Awesome pic!

 

[BeachClub2014]

OK can I just say... imagine any resort at WDW. You're standing in your hotel room and start a stopwatch. How long until you are past security and standing inside a theme park? I clocked it on my last trip to Disneyland from my VGC room to standing in front of Goofy Sky School. Under 3 mins and I didn't run!
Also I used to hate broccoli and cauliflower until I started steaming them - now I love them.

If steaming broccoli eliminates its awful taste, then I am supportive.

I think one of the benefits of DVC at WDW is the close proximity to the parks, generally speaking. It's gotta count for something that I can walk out of Beach Club and be at the Rose & Crown Pub having a pint in about 10-minutes.

 

[BeachClub2014]

Have you heard/tasted Buffalo Broccoli???? It is amazing..... just roast your broccoli in hot sauce, comes out almost as good as Buffalo Wings.

So the real trick to downing broccoli is to kill off your tastebuds with hot sauce? I like the concept!

 

[DonMacGregor]

Awesome pic!

California veggies. Nothing comes even remotely close...

 

[Brian Noble]

Brussels sprouts on the other hand…

Again: olive oil, salt, and 450'. My wife hated them until I started making them this way.

To be completely fair, they also benefit from tossing in some pancetta, and finishing the whole thing off with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

And, in order to pretend this has something to do with Disney, I will see your broccoli-with-sunglasses and raise you a band.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Again: olive oil, salt, and 450'. My wife hated them until I started making them this way.

To be completely fair, they also benefit from tossing in some pancetta, and finishing the whole thing off with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

And, in order to pretend this has something to do with Disney, I will see your broccoli-with-sunglasses and raise you a band.

View attachment 696441

Brussels sprouts are the sole exception to the "olive oil and salt makes anything taste better" theory. Unless you roast them to the point where they are charcoal and you can then barbecue something that's actually edible over their remains.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

(b) having a more comfortable home-like place to stay make the stay qualitatively better.

At some point during most of our timeshare stays, my wife and I will be sitting in the living room, relaxing, and look at each other and say: "Hotel rooms. Huh." As in: we understand that families take vacations of more than a day or two in a hotel room, but we don't understand how or why.

My favorite and least favorite things about DVC are all wrapped up in this idea. I really like 1BR and 2BR accommodations, particularly the King beds, but I think DVC Deluxe Studios are a significant downgrade relative to comparable hotel rooms at the same resort. I don't consider them a "qualitatively better" experience. I find the kitchenettes to be entirely a waste of space, and until the recent murphy bed conversions, the pull-out sofas were unusable. A Deluxe Studio to me is a hotel room with no housekeeping and a worse sleeping situation.

My own answer to the OP is that I've recently developed a huge appreciation of resort-only or parks-lite trips. Disney could raise the price of Magic Kingdom admission to $500 per day and Saratoga Springs would still be a place I can go sit and read by the pool for a week when it's 20 degrees at home.