Perspective to buyers from a 14 year DVC owner

[Cbaur88]

To those considering DVC and trying to project costs

My rationale for buying in at DVC was we preferred the higher end resorts

I think the biggest question you need to ask if considering DVC is are you typically one who prefers the higher end resorts?

I agree with this sediment very much and is huge consideration when buying. I've been a DVC member for over a decade and I am on the opposite end. I don't need the higher end resorts, they don't mean that much to me or my family. We aren't there enough to fully appreciate them. We are out and about at the parks or pool constantly. For the amount we pay in annual dues I could stay at Pop Century for a week and still have money left over. Pop Century and Art of Animations are just fine for us and my family. Some look down on them as budget low end rooms and beneath them. Everyone has different wants and needs. DVC rooms are super nice and we enjoy them very much but not sure how much it is worth it for us any longer. I am beginning to find managing it is becoming a bit of hassle over time and Disney overall seems to always be race and competition with reservations, hoppers, etc...

If you visit Disney often, want a super nice rooms and nice resorts and financially ok I think long term it makes sense. Especially if your kids become Disney lifers and you pass onto you kids. Its provided us with some wonderful wonderful memories especially with my folks and it still does.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

For me, it was a family investment vehicle. One that ensured the work/life balance was enforced. One that would make it so we HAD to go on vacation every year. One that the kids knew not if, but when we come back next year. It just puts a whole different perspective on each visit. I can't explain how owning DVC made that difference.

...

Therein lies the value of DVC for me. The fact that I can walk away right now with what I initially paid for it.... makes that decision one I'd do all over again.

Every post you’ve written here, I completely understand! We are small business owners with 6 kids (with various needs- from significant physical limitations to food allergies) ... vacations had become hard from every angle, but DVC changed that for us. We are all safe there & everyone enjoys it!

All our kids LOVE Disney and they are not growing out of it (4 of them are 15yo+)! We look very much forward to our trips to WDW, yet it’s also comfortable. It has been so good for us all!! So much so, that we added on (with a family as large as ours- there’s no such thing as too many points).

The memories we’ve made (& will continue making for many decades more) are absolutely priceless. A “family investment” well spent. ❤

 

[eleven24]

Every post you’ve written here, I completely understand! We are small business owners with 6 kids (with various needs- from significant physical limitations to food allergies) ... vacations had become hard from every angle, but DVC changed that for us. We are all safe there & everyone enjoys it!

All our kids LOVE Disney and they are not growing out of it (4 of them are 15yo+)! We look very much forward to our trips to WDW, yet it’s also comfortable. It has been so good for us all!! So much so, that we added on (with a family as large as ours- there’s no such thing as too many points).

The memories we’ve made (& will continue making for many decades more) are absolutely priceless. A “family investment” well spent. ❤

That's the intangible that you can't put a value on. If I looked at it strictly from a cost perspective I'm sure I would've saved some money doing the same trips every year if I found deals, packages and whatnot.

I can't tell you how many trips I book at the 7/11 month window while also saying "I'm sure we'll end up having to cancel this because I'll probably be too busy at work". But they we always end up going.

Because I work my schedule to fit the vacation, not the other way around.

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

If I looked at it strictly from a cost perspective I'm sure I would've saved some money doing the same trips every year if I found deals, packages and whatnot.

Now, on this I’m going to have to respectfully disagree. Maybe for the first several years you could have saved money (while still taking those same trips), but if you sell now (thereby negating the initial investment)- then I don’t think that’s true... and if you keep it & keep going, then you’re past the “initial investment” portion of your trips and the rest of your trips will be “dues only” as far as cost goes. So, either way, you’re ahead (strictly from a Disney trip to Disney trip comparison - no stock market arguments) ... but again, to your initial point- if you hadn’t taken the DVC jump, you might not have taken those same vacations and made that time a priority.

Because I work my schedule to fit the vacation, not the other way around.

100% this. Well put.