Please try to convince me NOT to buy DVC. No, really.

[ajseagles3]

Many people have already said many good things. The key is that you will not "save" money, unless you are in the habit of trotting down to WDW every year or two and staying at a deluxe on-property hotel. DVC is a very large financial commitment, and the up-front costs and dues don't even tell the whole story. The bottom line is that Disney is expensive, and you will be going there more. You could be much more comfortable in a more spacious on-property accommodation, but don't kid yourself into thinking that you didn't pay for it!

The key is your financial situation. My personal opinion is that this is not an "investment" and should not be financed with debt. If you cannot relatively comfortably pay for the points with cash or if you have a significant amount of credit card or other debt, it is simply unwise to buy in to DVC. You should let your head make this decision... not your heart.

All that said, I love it. We just got back on Friday from our last trip, and it was probably one of my worst overall trips to WDW (oppressive heat, family tension, illness, etc)... But I STILL can't wait to go back. And since I have DVC, I know I'll be back relatively soon!

 

[bookwormde]

Here are a few reasons, not experiances,

You do not want to do enough research to pick the best DVC resort to purchase for you preferences or end up with a home resort to use year that does not work well for you.

You do not want to take the time learn and manage the complexities of the points reservation and management system that DVC uses.

You have to have daily housekeeping but would be unhappy about paying extra for it.

You want to stay primarily on weekends but still want to maximize the value of you points.

You want to stay at other WDW resorts and are not interested in doing cash split stays to accomplish this.

You do not to like to plan well ahead (preferably 11 months but at least 7 months) but still expect a broad selection of accommodation to be available for specific dates.

bookwormde

 

[FindTheMickeys]

I know this sounds crazy, but before I bought into DVC, I had to force myself to spend money on a vacation. Therefore, my kids and I might go somewhere every 3 years. Also, before DVC, I was in the World 4 whole times ('78, '86, '94 and '05). Since owning DVC, I only go once a year but I have been EVERY year. I bought what I could afford and that was only 150 pts at SSR but that gets me a 2 br for 5 nights during off season (I can't do the heat of summer in Orlando!!). I do have add-on-itis like most other DVCers but I am forcing myself to wait until I get a few other bills paid off first I splurged on 10 day Ulitmate Park Hoppers with no expiration that we are still using so for the last 3 years, I have only paid airfare and food... I have a Disney Rewards Visa that I use to earn Disney Dollars so that pays for my souvenirs... This year we are driving so that will be a renewed adventure ( I haven't driven to Florida since 1978)

 

[ckg]

Many good things written here. For me the downsides are:

When you are told you can trade for a Cruise or Adventures by Disney or travel the world through II/RCI. While all are possible the point cost for staying at a non-DVC resort is a extremely poor value.

The newer DVC resorts are very nice but the ones a little older do not wear well. I have been in rooms at Vero, Boardwalk, Old Key West that definitely needed repair. I am not a incredible perfectionist freak either so my standards (I think at least) are pretty moderate. Of course this is subjective but when I get comment cards I am happy to note my opinion. At the newer resorts such as Animal Kingdom and Saratoga Springs the rooms are in much better shape. In my opinion I think they are also more upscale than the older resorts.

Financial considerations have too many factors to explore.

As mentioned here also the non daily housekeeping and in some resorts lack of room service may be an issue. Generally these rooms are more like condos than a full service hotel. That may or may not be an issue. It is definitely geared towards more of a self serve atmosphere.

With this said we do love the product as it is so flexible and is great for larger families like ours and to enjoy good times with friends. You are rather limited though to Disney on-site property other than Vero or Hilton Head many other systems of this caliber have many more properties but they have their own unique issues to contend with ... nothing is perfect.

 

[ddgckg]

Thank you all so much!! This is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm really wanting the WHOLE picture so we can make an educated and informed decision.

 

[Brian Noble]

The basic value proposition of DVC is that you promise to come back to Disney most years for the next several decades, and in return Disney gives you a nice break on the costs of your lodging. Owning is less expensive, but less flexible. In light of that, here are some reasons why owning might not be a good idea:

• You are sometimes willing to stay offsite, where much less money can get you similar or even better lodging.
• You are in a situation where your income is not reliable. The cost of lodging is well less than half (and possibly closer to 1/4) of the total cost of a Disney vacation. Your lodging is (mostly) pre-paid, but your theme park tickets, airfare, meals, etc. are not.
• You are not sure you're going to want to go back to Disney most years. DVC is a very poor bargain if you use it for non-DVC lodging.

If any of these three describe you, DVC could well be a poor fit.

 

[tjmac11]

50 years is a very long time!

How old will you be 50 years from now? You will likely not only pass this on to your children, but also your childrens children and maybe even beyond. What will the condition of these resorts be in 20+ years, never mind in 40 - 50 years. Some of the resorts aren't very old right now and are already showing signs of wear.

Another thing to consider are the annual dues. They will also increase over time. No one has any way of knowing what the annual dues will be in the future, but they will most likely be several times what they are today. Do you want to pass that burden onto your family. Of course they could always sell it, but that could be a headache in itself.

Think of the total cost of ownership over 50 years. As I said in the beginning 50 years is a very long time!

 

[logan115]

Thank you all so much!! This is exactly what I'm looking for. I'm really wanting the WHOLE picture so we can make an educated and informed decision.

Another important piece in the DVC purchase picture : buy via the resale market UNLESS you have to have BLT/GCV as your home resort. Any other resort can be had much cheaper via resale than by purchasing direct thru DVC. DVC will charge $106 to buy at BCV, yet it can be had $20 cheaper resale. With the current incentives SSR can also be purchased $20 below. Not many BLT resales (yet) so if you want BLT then buy direct. AKV is basically a push, can pay roughly (resale may be a bit cheaper) the same resale/direct, and many feel that it may be worth a bit extra to buy direct as opposed to resale.

Good luck,

Chris

 

[ajseagles3]

Another important piece in the DVC purchase picture : buy via the resale market UNLESS you have to have BLT/GCV as your home resort. Any other resort can be had much cheaper via resale than by purchasing direct thru DVC. DVC will charge $106 to buy at BCV, yet it can be had $20 cheaper resale. With the current incentives SSR can also be purchased $20 below. Not many BLT resales (yet) so if you want BLT then buy direct. AKV is basically a push, can pay roughly (resale may be a bit cheaper) the same resale/direct, and many feel that it may be worth a bit extra to buy direct as opposed to resale.

Good luck,

Chris

Excellent point, Chris. The primary reasons many people buy directly from Disney are simple (could be a combination of the following):
1. They are unaware of resale options and prices.
2. They feel more comfortable working directly with Disney and/or the difference in buy-in price is negligible to their financial situation (a.k.a. very wealthy people).
3. They require ease of financing and may also need to put the down payment on a credit card.
4. They want BLT or GCV.

IMO, 1 & 3 should not be used as primary reasons to avoid resale! 2 & 4 are completely valid based on your situation...

 

[Lost in Neverland]

Honestly, I really do want to own DVC.

I asked for some info from a guide today. He's mailing it to me and it just can't get here fast enough.

I haven't gotten any info other than the DVD that highlights the benefits and what I can glean from these discussion boards.

Heck, I haven't even discussed this with my husband! LOL

But at this moment I'm really needing to hear about the downside to ownership. Even if you are DVC's biggest fan, you must have some bad experience to share. No matter how good something is, there is always a downside.

In our family, I am Positive Patty and hubby is Negative Nick. Once I show hubby all the info I'm being sent and we start discussing it, I want to be ready for all the negative things he's gonna ask me about.

So please, any bad stories, experiences, etc. you were part of that you could share with me?

Honestly I looked for the catch and could not find one. We have been doing WDW for several years now and would have paid for our membership at least twice if we had bought in when we first started going to WDW.The only suggestion I have is to look at resale as well as through Disney. You can get a larger number of points for less money and have the exact benefits of buying through Disney. As for issues if you can find them I would like to know what they are also because I could not find any.

 

[nytimez]

It's a big investment in an uncertain time and it's NOT the cheapest way to stay on Disney property long-term (although it is the cheapest way to get deluxe-type accommodations long-term). It's also not a great value if you plan to use your points outside of DVC hotels. And it MAY not be great if you have no flexibility in your vacation planning, always need to stay in a certain hotel or generally can't (or won't) plan ahead.

I hope that helps. In the end, if you're not comfortable with it don't do it. We like to think we're members of some special club, and it feels like it at times, but in the end you can enjoy Disney World regularly without joining DVC.

 

[disdad09]

As a new DVC member who recently purchased at BLT, I would like to say that I am very much looking forward to my first DVC stay at SSR on development points and to my first stay at my home resort at BLT in march 2010.

I also know that trading out to one of the resorts at RCI is not the best value but you also need to know that oter time shares require you to buy a certain week at one site that you need to go every year or try to trade out to another resort which may not be available since you bought a lower priced time share at a less desirable season.

I have already booked a weekend trip through RCI with my development points and while I agree most of my vacations for value will be spent at DVC properties I for one enjoy being able to occasionally use some of my points for RCi exchanges which I feel DVC gives you more choices at than if you had a regular timeshare through Marriott.

My family was going to Disney at least once a year before we purchased DVC and because we have small children who will be small for at least 10 yrs to come we plan on going to Disney at least once a yr and heck before we had kids DW and I went to disney over other resorts because we just felt we were getting so much more value and great memories than what we got through other resorts.

I love Disney my family loves Disney and if you love Disney then buy DVC.

 

[crisi]

Many people have already said many good things. The key is that you will not "save" money, unless you are in the habit of trotting down to WDW every year or two and staying at a deluxe on-property hotel. DVC is a very large financial commitment, and the up-front costs and dues don't even tell the whole story. The bottom line is that Disney is expensive, and you will be going there more. You could be much more comfortable in a more spacious on-property accommodation, but don't kid yourself into thinking that you didn't pay for it!

The key is your financial situation. My personal opinion is that this is not an "investment" and should not be financed with debt. If you cannot relatively comfortably pay for the points with cash or if you have a significant amount of credit card or other debt, it is simply unwise to buy in to DVC. You should let your head make this decision... not your heart.

All that said, I love it. We just got back on Friday from our last trip, and it was probably one of my worst overall trips to WDW (oppressive heat, family tension, illness, etc)... But I STILL can't wait to go back. And since I have DVC, I know I'll be back relatively soon!

Even then, you won't save money if you expect the same level of service. Daily housekeeping (which, granted, a lot of members discover they didn't actually want) will eat up a lot of your savings. Then there is the "bed problem" with studios - sleeping on a pullout is not a "Deluxe" experience. But a two bedroom to get two real beds - they are nice, but now - again - are you saving money?

 

[Coach81]

Down sides of DVC:

1. Too expensive. It is a "luxury item" that is not needed. It is very expensive... do the math on the entire thing from buy - in to all you'll be spending on dues.. it's insane. Also you still have to pay for your tickets, dining, travel...etc.!!!
2. You are basically "locked in" to Disney for the next 50 years! Sure you can go to other places, but you will pay BIGTIME for them. The most efficient use of your points is Disney World, pure and simple. Are you sure you and your family want to go to Disney for the next 50 years???
3. You have to plan for your vacations.. very difficult to go to Disney on the "spur of the moment". Too much planning is involved.
4. The so-called "perks" are not that great, and they can and will be changed or dropped at Disney's discretion.


That's all I have for now....

 

[Brian Noble]

you also need to know that oter time shares require you to buy a certain week at one site that you need to go every year

While a few still operate on a fixed or floating-weeks model, increasingly they are points-based, just like DVC. Of the major multi-site developers, Marriott is just about the only holdout.

 

[circhead]

I have to agree that DVC is expensive. Buying is a very personal decision. I love WDW - we were going more than 1x a year before we brought so it made sense for our vacationing habits.

I have owned for 10 years - the resale market for my points (VWL) is within $1 to $5 of what I paid and I've gotten 10 years worth of deluxe accommodations. So the MFs are my room rent. Not bad for what I've gotten.

I enjoy my trips more now because I find I'm more relaxed. I know I'll be back no use stressing about what I didn't see. I also do non-park days to just relax and enjoy the other things at WDW and Orlando itself.

I tend to save alot of money on food by having a kitchen available (Not necessarily cooking). I do spend money eating out but it's not every piece of food or drink I have - I have a refrigerator and it's stocked with all the little things that add up. (IE A bottle of water in the parks is about $2.50 - I bring a few cases from home cost about $.50)

As with everything else in life there are trade offs - and only you know what those are and whether DVC will fit your needs and if the trade offs are worth it.

Good luck with the decision.

BTW as other people have already said - once you get Disney's advertising materials you'll be drooling.

 

[dusten]

I am not a DVC owner, but the following would make this a positive decision for me...

1) make the points a permanently fixed value, at least for your home resort based on the buy-in date (it's not fair for a person to buy the number necessary for a week stay, then a couple years later, be unable to stay at their home resort for an entire week without paying more)

2) make the maintenance fee permanently fixed based on your buy-in date

3) permanently offer free or deeply discounted park tickets to DVC members with a home resort in the WDW area

A concession to 2 would be setting a maximum yearly increase on the maintenance fee such as 1 or 2 percent.

 

[genie123]

After reading this thread I'm seriously starting to doubt purchasing. We had intended on using it for more than Disney trips, with Disney maybe every 4 or 5 years. If it's not that easy nor a good value to trade into RCI then maybe we shouldn't.

I'm glad this thread was started.

 

[circhead]

I am not a DVC owner, but the following would make this a positive decision for me...

1) make the points a permanently fixed value, at least for your home resort based on the buy-in date (it's not fair for a person to buy the number necessary for a week stay, then a couple years later, be unable to stay at their home resort for an entire week without paying more)

2) make the maintenance fee permanently fixed based on your buy-in date

3) permanently offer free or deeply discounted park tickets to DVC members with a home resort in the WDW area

A concession to 2 would be setting a maximum yearly increase on the maintenance fee such as 1 or 2 percent.

1. The contract states that reallocation of points is permissable but the total # of points for a given year may not change. I am one of the people upset about the 2010 reallocation of points (I need 2 additional OMG I have to do an add-on ).

2. Do you know what's going to break in your house during any given year? That's an unreasonable condition and I believe there is a maximum it can go up in any given year - someone else that knows much more than I (and ther are lots of you on this board) can answer this.


3. IMHO This would be an extremely expensive nonprofitable perk that is unreasonable (I would love a discount on all theme park tickets not just AP) but I brought DVC to lock in room rates on deluxe accomodations thus assuring my family a nice place to vacation every year

 

[stefanospops]

After reading this thread I'm seriously starting to doubt purchasing. We had intended on using it for more than Disney trips, with Disney maybe every 4 or 5 years. If it's not that easy nor a good value to trade into RCI then maybe we shouldn't.

I'm glad this thread was started.

I'm glad this thread started too. I was prepared to go all out and get the 360 points I need for one week a year at BLT. I have since decided to do half the points. My thinking is that I can add on later if I feel the need to. The one major thing holding me back is the 50 year contract.

I took my family to WDW twice last year for a total of about 10 days over those two trips. Stayed at the Poly the first time and the Contemporary the second time. We are definitely deluxe type vacationers and since we have DS (4), DS (2) and DD (almost brand new) we know we will be back there many times in the next 10 years.

If my kids decide they no longer like Disney then my wife and I will likely use our points for HH or the Hawaiian resort when it opens. Barring that, we may look at selling, even if for a loss. I think that if I went once a year for the next 10 years and factored in all my accomodation costs then sold, that I am likely to come out ahead are at least break even. I work for myself so I know my vacation time will be approved. So for me, I think it makes sense.