Positive things about DVC!!!

[CocosMeme]

We bought 600 points (3 - 200 pt contracts) in 2007 and have never regretted it since! We have 3 sons - 2 who are married - and 6 grandchildren. We have had (since 2007) some really wonderful trips and have been able to give our children and grandchildren some wonderful memories. We have been on 3 trips with just the 2 of us, for Food and Wine and Flower and Garden Festivals, and the early December Christmas things. Our favorite trips have been a Grand Villa family trip at AKV Kidani, and our trip this past November to Aulani. I had no problem getting a 1 bedroom - ocean view room at Aulani at the 7 month window. We took an ABD trip to Italy and also took the Grand Canyon one. We used points for 1 of us and cash for the other on both ABD trips. Our favorite resort is AKV, but we have stayed at OKW, BC, and BLT. I have taken a trip with just my grandaughter last summer (the only girl), and this summer I am taking the 3 teenage grandsons by myself. I love my DVC!! Have fyn and Welcome Home!!

 

[ToddyLu]

DH and I purchased 210 AKV points in 2009. Have loved every minute of it. Our next trip will be treating my parents to their first Jambo House vacation 11/1-11/9. They have stayed at Kidani but I was able to score 2 value studios at Jambo. Last night I was playing around on the members site and was able to get a lake view studio at BLT for Halloween Night. DH and I will fly in a day earlier and meet my parents the following day at Jambo.

Never in a million years did I ever think a nurse and firefighter could afford to stay in these nice rooms on property. That is my positive.

DVC changes your trip to WDW like a Corvette changes your drive to work....I am going to put that on a tshirt one day.

Welcome Home!!!!

**other positives are the remoteness of AKV since getting away from the parks and living in Africa for a few days is cool, Boma for breakfast, Lava Smoothies by the pool, and the terrific CMs who work to bring Africa even closer. When I need a fix I listen to my AKV lobby music playlist.

 

[ELMC]

Thank you! its great to hear feedback on AKV I am excited to start planning our next trip! (even though we just got home from our DCL vacation yesterday) We have only stayed at Port Orleans Riverside (mod) and All Star Music (value) so like you said I can't wait to take advantage of staying a AWESOME resort with out going bankrupt!

Thank you I am super excited! Like I said we have never been to WDW, so I can't wait!!! We sent my daughter last summer for 1 week she stayed with her Gf from Alaska at DWL and she loved every minute of it!!!! I have a feeling we will be borrowing more then banking as well but if that's what it takes to make the stay that much better well then it is what it is. We were told that we could always add on more points. Is it more complicated then it sounds?

OP, could you please clarify here?

 

[Upon a Star]

I would imagine OP means never been to the parks. Stayed on site before going on cruise?

 

[ggriffith639]

OP, could you please clarify here?

We stayed at the resort hotels prior to our Disney Cruises, only visited downtown disney ate at T-Rex cafe enjoyed the pools. We have never been "inside" the parks.

 

[ggriffith639]

DH and I purchased 210 AKV points in 2009. Have loved every minute of it. Our next trip will be treating my parents to their first Jambo House vacation 11/1-11/9. They have stayed at Kidani but I was able to score 2 value studios at Jambo. Last night I was playing around on the members site and was able to get a lake view studio at BLT for Halloween Night. DH and I will fly in a day earlier and meet my parents the following day at Jambo.

Never in a million years did I ever think a nurse and firefighter could afford to stay in these nice rooms on property. That is my positive.

DVC changes your trip to WDW like a Corvette changes your drive to work....I am going to put that on a tshirt one day.

Welcome Home!!!!

**other positives are the remoteness of AKV since getting away from the parks and living in Africa for a few days is cool, Boma for breakfast, Lava Smoothies by the pool, and the terrific CMs who work to bring Africa even closer. When I need a fix I listen to my AKV lobby music playlist.

I love your positives!

 

[Coach81]

Best investment we ever made for our family!

 

[Deb & Bill]

And then came back and said that she wasn't looking for reassurance and asked what ELMC saw.

By the way OP, I saw the same things and a few more - you have VAKL points - its going to be hard to use those points at GCV - its a small resort that books up fast - often rooms are gone before non-owners even have a chance. Booking Aulani hasn't been a cakewalk for non-owners either. You won't be cruising with that small amount of points. Airfare from Alaska to MCO is going to be very expensive for a family of five - make sure that is in your budget.

On the other hand, our magical experiences - we don't have many points ourselves and go every other year. Its allowed us to spread out in a one or two bedroom, to bring friends and family. Having a kitchen and washer/dryer turns out to be wonderful - we return with clean laundry and have a filling breakfast in the room each day. I suppose that is rather prosaic for magical - scrambled eggs and clean laundry - but most of the "magic" happens for us because we spend time together as a family - and that happens with or without DVC - or even with or without Disney.

I agree with Crisi about going home with clean clothes in the suitcase. And having the kitchen is great. I love having the king sized bed and stand up shower (no shower in the tub when I am vacationing). We like settling in to our villa and enjoying the villa as well as the parks. We're not on the go all the time. BTDT.

But I also like the fact that if I can't get BCV for October F&W Festival, I still can book at OKW or VWL (my home resorts) and still attend F&W. Will you feel that way, OP, if you can't go to DL or Aulani on your AKV points? I see no need for cruising (but you can if you like it) especially since they negotiate the number of points required each year. I see no need for ABD for our family. We've done the national parks several times and will go in the future on our own.

 

[cbnsoul]

I feel that DVC is the single best purchase I have ever made. The enjoyment we get out of our trips (about 3 a year) is immeasurable.

From one Griffith to another, Congratulations!

 

[sskem96]

We bought 185 AKV points direct from Disney in 2008. I have nothing negative to say about DVC. No vacation is perfect, no hotel room or villa is perfect, but our Disney vacations are by far our favorites.

Disney and DVC have never done anything to "ruin" a vacation for us like you hear some people complain, but we're so relaxed when we're there that not much bothers us. I think sometimes it's more people's personalities and attitudes that determine their level of satisfaction with their vacations or DVC ownership than the service or amenities they're receiving.

Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your membership as much as we do. The only negative effect it's had on me is that I'm spoiled now and have a hard time sharing a regular hotel room with my family!

 

[spruce]

$16,000 worth of dvc rack rate rooms last October for 20 people for the cost of the dues on about 600 points..... What's not to love?

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Omg don't get me started lol. How many hours could I bore you lol. Me and DW bought SSR in 2008 and omg best thing we ever did. It's paid for itself as we come at least once a year ( from UK ) . It's saved my life. I live to come back since becoming very ill since we purchased. Just got back from Kidani at AKV first time stayed there. Omg what a wonderful resort! Just changed our september plans from SSR to there because we were so taken with it.

What you get is friendly, good quality accommodation. I am quite ill and disabled now unexpectedly but DVC just adapted with us. Now we just have an accessible room, all pools are zero entry anyway! It's perfect!

We love the routine, the parks, the kitchen but having the food courts and restaurants there at the same time, it's not a hotel I have flexibility but I am not at home feeling it manages to achieve. I don't want to spend my vacation cooking but I do like breakfast in my room, to do some washing in the laundry etc.

All resorts are beautiful and each one unique. SSR and it's grounds and location to Downtown Disney, OKW and it's location and wonderful resort feel, Beach club and Broadwalk so near Epcot, Wilderness Lodge near Magic kingdom ...the Bay Lake...top of the world lounge...

I can't get enough!

 

[Coach81]

Agree...agree...agree!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Need I say more..

 

[ELMC]

$16,000 worth of dvc rack rate rooms last October for 20 people for the cost of the dues on about 600 points..... What's not to love?

How did you manage this?

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I think that to have a positive DVC/Timeshare experience, one has to have realistic expectations of what you've purchased! It's a timeshare, not a deluxe hotel with daily room service and constant maintenance!! Personally, as a 12 years DVC owner, it continues to meet and yes even at times surpass those expectations!

We bought DVC to use 1-2 bedrooms (now always 2) , to have the kitchen, the washer/dryer and to be on-site! But really it was to have a place for us to be all together instead of each in our own hotel rooms! We've benefited 4 times in being able to book GV's for family reunions and special occasions, something that having to pay rack rates would never have been possible! Albums full of fantastic memories, facilitated by DVC!

I have resort preferences but in the end would not hesitate staying at any of them to get my dates! I've been very successful at the 7 month mark and even less!

So DVC continues to work for us and we look forward to each new trip, and as you can see I have 3 future trips already booked!

Is it for you, only you can answer that! Good luck and hey, happy soon retirement!

 

[bwvBound]

DVC changes your trip to WDW like a Corvette changes your drive to work....I am going to put that on a tshirt one day.

CNN Opinion piece, 'Use your money to buy happier time,' seems to disagree. Snippet from the article concerning that better car:

It may seem reasonable to solve the commuting problem by investing in a nicer car. Wrong. Sinking more money into a car is a bad deal for happiness.

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/opini...ppiness-time/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

 

[bbn1122]

I was worried that we bought a little late ...oldest son was 16 and now is in college....but then I realized we would not be taking any vacations if we had not bought DVC with college expenses.

Since, buying in 2010 we have stayed at our home resort BLT...then AKL, taken a cruise , stayed at HHI. took another short cruise and now we are going back to BLT in a month.

Last year we had a great stay at HHI before my son headed off to college.

Now we have pretty much a prepaid vacation every year. We drive to Florida and SC, so cost are kept low. We did no parks when we went AKL and had a blast.

Just being able to spread out, eat breakfast, lunch or or all meals in your villa if you want. All the resorts I feel are gorgeous and fun in their own way. We absolutely love Disney commitment to excellent service. The Disney touch and theming is unmatched. We are not Disney fanatic, but appreciate the Disney way....the pixie dust...

We are looking forward to visiting Aulani in a few years. We are planning to visit VB before a cruise next year. Then maybe an RCI exchange then back to HHI and then maybe Saratoga Springs or OKW. So, much to do so little time.

I think you know you made the right choice. After a few DVC vacations it will put your mind at ease.

Enjoy the fun of planning .....All the Best and welcome to DVC...

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

Positives:

You stay deluxe for the price of moderate.

You get huge rooms (1 bdrm and up). Full kitchen, washer and dryer and king size bed.

You can choose from 12 resorts, including one on the beach in Fl, one in Hawaii,and one in Hilton Head.

You have so much flexibility of what week you come, which resort you stay at and what room size you pick.......taking the parents a 2 bdrm or just you and hubby a studio..... You can stay at a different resort each trip so there is always omething new to discover. I've stayed at BW, the Bc, the AKL and the BLT.....and hopefully the VGF very soon Each resort is so unique and being right near a theme park where you can walk home is great.

You save a ton of money with the kitchen and its so nice to come home and have a cold drink out of the refrigerator ......or ice cream......or fresh baked cookies........ And did I mention the washer and dryer...... Don't have to pack so much which is great, I take 2 suitcases for 4 people (2 adults and 2 teens).

Also every room has a balcony and if you get the one bedroom and up, your room is separate from the kids so you don't have to go to bed so early....but you may need to since you are at Disney

All the resorts have great pools and restaurants.


Discounts at restaurants and now at the stores....and AP's

You don't have a room bill at the end of the vacations.. MF are due in Jan so you pay in Jan

Your vacations will now become more relaxed .... Ahh a true vacation....

You can always sell it if you feel you don't want it anymore.

It's DISNEY!!!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Positives:

You stay deluxe for the price of moderate.

You get huge rooms (1 bdrm and up). Full kitchen, washer and dryer and king size bed.

You can choose from 12 resorts, including one on the beach in Fl, one in Hawaii,and one in Hilton Head.

You have so much flexibility of what week you come, which resort you stay at and what room size you pick.......taking the parents a 2 bdrm or just you and hubby a studio..... You can stay at a different resort each trip so there is always omething new to discover. I've stayed at BW, the Bc, the AKL and the BLT.....and hopefully the VGF very soon Each resort is so unique and being right near a theme park where you can walk home is great.

You save a ton of money with the kitchen and its so nice to come home and have a cold drink out of the refrigerator ......or ice cream......or fresh baked cookies........ And did I mention the washer and dryer...... Don't have to pack so much which is great, I take 2 suitcases for 4 people (2 adults and 2 teens).

Also every room has a balcony and if you get the one bedroom and up, your room is separate from the kids so you don't have to go to bed so early....but you may need to since you are at Disney

All the resorts have great pools and restaurants.

Discounts at restaurants and now at the stores....and AP's

You don't have a room bill at the end of the vacations.. MF are due in Jan so you pay in Jan

Your vacations will now become more relaxed .... Ahh a true vacation....

You can always sell it if you feel you don't want it anymore.

It's DISNEY!!!

Wish there was a like button on disboards...anyway would press it for your post!