Potential Buyer Looking for Some Seasoned Input. Is DVC right for me?

[peppy20]

Hello all,

I am a life-long fan of Disney, long-time lurker of the DIS boards and YT channel and first time poster. I have done a fair amount of research to piecemeal some answers to my questions but wanted some input from some owners.

Before I get into it, I am looking at buying a resale contract at the Grand Californian at Disneyland; since I am from San Francisco, I believe I would get most use out of making that my home resort. I have also read that if you don't own there, forget trying to get any room at 7 months or less. My wife and I are both 34 with a 16 month old and hopefully 1-2 more children in the future. We also usually travel with one of our mothers, so we currently get by in studios, but ideally would like to stay in a 1-bedroom as our family grows. Between Oahu, Disneyland (or Los Angeles area) and WDW, we probably go to 2 out of 3 of those locations (minimally) over a span of 3 years. Last year we did Disneyland twice, Oahu once this year (and again this coming October 2019) and WDW this past January 2019. We would not be financing our DVC and would be paying it outright; which at the point amount we're considering would be about 10% of our bank savings (not including other assets, investments, equity, 401k, etc.).

Some of my questions/concerns are as follows:

1. Considering we go to minimally 2 out of 3 cities with DVC properties at least twice during a 3 year period, do you feel it is still a cost saving proposition? Keeping in mind that current GC resales are going for approximately $190-$200 a point. In the 10+ years that me and my wife have been together, we also average 3 week-long trips a year and have never not taken at least two vacations.

2. We are currently looking at 200-250 point contracts; going in with the mindset that studios are too competitive and would prefer a 1-bedroom for minimally the next 15-20 years anyways. Do you think this is enough points or too many points? To Clarify: We are looking to buy enough points for 1 week-long vacation at a DVC property per year. We would still take other non-DVC related trips during the year though.

3. Although GC will be our home resort, we have every intention of trying to use our points at Aulani and WDW. We are not super picky about resorts and typically travel off-season anyways. However, with the increase of DVC popularity and "walkers," we are concerned that even at 7 months, there may be issues. What are your personal experiences booking at 7 months ? (I am currently going through the Predicted DVC Booking Pattern Thread to also increase my own knowledge on what resorts are typically available)

4. For owners of GC specifically, is there anything that you dislike about this property and would you recommend it to others to buy resale? Any other information about owning at GC worth sharing?

5. With "Walking" seemingly becoming a growing trend (which I refuse to ever do) and pretty fierce competition for the lower point rooms, would you still recommend DVC to others today?

More questions may arise, but I certainly welcome any insight and opinions you may have. It is a considerable investment, both upfront and with yearly dues, and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision for me and my family.

-James

 

[Wakey]

Just the point re availability:

1. Lack of availibility at 7 months is somewhat overstated. Skier Pete’s charts are still as good an idea of availibility as you will find, study those and consider them pretty accurate- I actually find them slightly pessimistic on 1 beds, probably because Pete isn’t on right at 8am on a given day (maybe, he will clarify if I’m wrong on that) as you would be when booking.
2. You are talking 1 beds. This is a whole different ball game. Currently, and I haven’t really seen it tighten like I have with studios (simple fact is with ever increasing cost of buy in, ever more are chasing studios and cannot afford 1 beds more than ever) and you have plenty of choice in 1 beds. Say if you go to WDW in summer, you can get every resort no issues. You may struggle with BLT Standard (albeit good waitlist chance), AKL Concierge but I’ve even had AKL value available at summer in 1 beds. This coming Xmas and New Year I’m in Beach Club for 6 nights, then BLT Lake View for 5 (got lucky with latter which popped up availibility on morning of booking but not former which was wide open). I did a split stay on purpose. I could have chosen Boardwalk, SSR, OKW or Boulder Ridge or pieced together a stay from other resorts of 3-4 nights each. Also would probably have had luck with waitlist. However a week later and now very little left. Basically with 1 beds you can just book at 7 months.
3. SSR and OKW are good options anyway. SSR refurb is starting in 2 weeks and they may also be redoing the main building I suspect. It will be a much more desirable resort when the revamp is done, but that may take 3 years.
4. Are you saying you’ll be using the contract for 3 trips a year in 1 beds of a week each, some being at VGC which is very expensive points per night? I’d say you need nearer 500 if that is correct.

 

[Best Aunt]

Just a few thoughts:

a) Make sure you are aware of what the room occupancies are in 1-bedrooms. Even though it seems like they have more space than a studio, the occupancy often is less. Disney has been putting pull-down beds in studios but not in 1-bedrooms. It sounds like you are talking about self, spouse, mother (or mother-in-law), and possibly 2 or 3 kids. That may be more than is allowed in a 1-bedroom.

b) Make sure you are aware of what the bed configurations are. A room may have a sofa bed which DVC counts as sleeping 2 people.

c) Calculating the cost savings is tricky. If you book a DVC room on points, you can go to the disney website and look up what Disney would have charged someone to pay cash for the same room. You can use that figure to calculate your cost savings. But realistically, if you were not a DVC member, would you stay in the same room and pay cash for it -- without discounts? For example, look at one random night in November. If not a DVC member, would you stay in a BCV 1-bedroom for $719, or would you stay in a standard view room at Port Orleans Riverside for $255? You can't really say "I'm staying on points, I saved $719" if you wouldn't have stayed there if you had to pay $719 in cash.

d) If you are planning to have more kids in the near future, are you being realistic about assuming that your travel plans will be the same with 3 young kids as they are with 1 young kid? I don't have kids so I don't want to offer advice, just wanted to raise the question.

e) Make sure you understand that Disney World keeps introducing events so that there no longer is an "off-season." Food and Wine and marathons are bringing people in at times which used to be quiet. I can't comment on what happens in California or Aulani.

 

[MickyLynn]

4. Are you saying you’ll be using the contract for 3 trips a year in 1 beds of a week each, some being at VGC which is very expensive points per night? I’d say you need nearer 500 if that is correct.

I would split that across two contracts.

 

[kniquy]

1. Considering we go to minimally 2 out of 3 cities with DVC properties at least twice during a 3 year period, do you feel it is still a cost saving proposition? Keeping in mind that current GC resales are going for approximately $190-$200 a point. In the 10+ years that me and my wife have been together, we also average 3 week-long trips a year and have never not taken at least two vacations.

Considering your travel habits i would actually look at 3 different contracts. Not only would this likely save you money it would be easier to downsize without totally getting rid of one whole contract. This is all recommending going resale for your purchases. For your situation i would be thinking a contract at Aulani (resale market it just at or slightly under $100 per point), then If you want a budget resort at WDW I would go with SSR (least expensive and has the lowest dues). That is unless you have a preference for a certain resort. Then your 3rd would be a VGC contract.
If you travel to each location certain times of the year then this would play into what Use Year you pick. I recommend this because you certainly would not want to buy all the points you needed at GC for $200 per point. That would be insane! You could start with one contract, get familiar with the system and then add on.

2. We are currently looking at 200-250 point contracts; going in with the mindset that studios are too competitive and would prefer a 1-bedroom for minimally the next 15-20 years anyways. Do you think this is enough points or too many points?

You can never have too many points! Use the davids dvc calculator. Figure out when you want to travel and what the points cost would be. If you want to travel to aulani every other year then you purchase a contract for 1/2 the needed points, then with banking or borrowing you will have enough points. And this would go the same for VGC and a WDW property. But it does get dicey if you were to only travel to a location every 3 years -- this puts you at a higher risk of losing point if you needed to cancel for some unforseen reason.

3. Although GC will be our home resort, we have every intention of trying to use our points at Aulani and WDW. We are not super picky about resorts and typically travel off-season anyways. However, with the increase of DVC popularity and "walkers," we are concerned that even at 7 months, there may be issues. What are your personal experiences booking at 7 months ? (I am currently going through the Predicted DVC Booking Pattern Thread to also increase my own knowledge on what resorts are typically available)

7 month difficulties really depend on when you want to travel and what room size you want. If you are looking at June in Aulani -- then it is very competitive, but other times of the year are a bit easier. On property at WDW - Oct through Jan is very competitive but if you are open to where you are staying and want a 1BR then you will have better odds. Like a PP mentioned - not all 1BR are equal, some will only accommodate 4 with 4 sleeping surfaces so if you want to bring a 5th person at some point then you will need to being a sleeping surface for that 5th person. It wouldn't be too bad while the kids are young because the rooms do have pack in plays, but as everyone gets older it could pose an issue. Some other resorts will offer a sleeper chair for the 5th person.
Availability at WDW between mid Jan to mid September -- you should have really good options. But studios do book up first, so competition is pretty high for these rooms.

 

[Philsfan77]

Hello all,

I am a life-long fan of Disney, long-time lurker of the DIS boards and YT channel and first time poster. I have done a fair amount of research to piecemeal some answers to my questions but wanted some input from some owners.

Before I get into it, I am looking at buying a resale contract at the Grand Californian at Disneyland; since I am from San Francisco, I believe I would get most use out of making that my home resort. I have also read that if you don't own there, forget trying to get any room at 7 months or less. My wife and I are both 34 with a 16 month old and hopefully 1-2 more children in the future. We also usually travel with one of our mothers, so we currently get by in studios, but ideally would like to stay in a 1-bedroom as our family grows. Between Oahu, Disneyland (or Los Angeles area) and WDW, we probably go to 2 out of 3 of those locations (minimally) over a span of 3 years. Last year we did Disneyland twice, Oahu once this year (and again this coming October 2019) and WDW this past January 2019. We would not be financing our DVC and would be paying it outright; which at the point amount we're considering would be about 10% of our bank savings (not including other assets, investments, equity, 401k, etc.).

Some of my questions/concerns are as follows:

1. Considering we go to minimally 2 out of 3 cities with DVC properties at least twice during a 3 year period, do you feel it is still a cost saving proposition? Keeping in mind that current GC resales are going for approximately $190-$200 a point. In the 10+ years that me and my wife have been together, we also average 3 week-long trips a year and have never not taken at least two vacations.

2. We are currently looking at 200-250 point contracts; going in with the mindset that studios are too competitive and would prefer a 1-bedroom for minimally the next 15-20 years anyways. Do you think this is enough points or too many points?

3. Although GC will be our home resort, we have every intention of trying to use our points at Aulani and WDW. We are not super picky about resorts and typically travel off-season anyways. However, with the increase of DVC popularity and "walkers," we are concerned that even at 7 months, there may be issues. What are your personal experiences booking at 7 months ? (I am currently going through the Predicted DVC Booking Pattern Thread to also increase my own knowledge on what resorts are typically available)

4. For owners of GC specifically, is there anything that you dislike about this property and would you recommend it to others to buy resale? Any other information about owning at GC worth sharing?

5. With "Walking" seemingly becoming a growing trend (which I refuse to ever do) and pretty fierce competition for the lower point rooms, would you still recommend DVC to others today?

More questions may arise, but I certainly welcome any insight and opinions you may have. It is a considerable investment, both upfront and with yearly dues, and I want to make sure I'm making the right decision for me and my family.

-James

Personally...I'd try to buy 2 contracts resale with the same UY (will make it easier to manage those points for the stay at 7 months at WDW). Get the one at the Grand Californian for the points you think you need to stay there when you typically go, and then buy a resale contract at Aulani (Disney never takes these in ROFR) and their price per point and the number of years left on the contract are very favorable, seeing as you already seem to go there once a year as it is. Then you could combine leftover points from those contracts or bank/borrow if one year you want to take a trip East to WDW. Just how i'd go about it personally.

 

[Wakey]

Just a few thoughts:
c) Calculating the cost savings is tricky. If you book a DVC room on points, you can go to the disney website and look up what Disney would have charged someone to pay cash for the same room. You can use that figure to calculate your cost savings. But realistically, if you were not a DVC member, would you stay in the same room and pay cash for it -- without discounts? For example, look at one random night in November. If not a DVC member, would you stay in a BCV 1-bedroom for $719, or would you stay in a standard view room at Port Orleans Riverside for $255? You can't really say "I'm staying on points, I saved $719" if you wouldn't have stayed there if you had to pay $719 in cash.

This is a very good point. I think for me and many DVC owners, the value is not in what is hypothetically saved, because I would never pay 719 plus tax per night for a one bed.
The value for me is best measured in that I am instead staying in the top locations when otherwise I would not have done because I couldn’t bring myself to part with so much money.
That measure of value is actually quite satisfying.
For example that BLT one bed over Xmas and New Year I am staying in is ridiculously priced, think it’s about $1300 a night. I’d never pay it. But I’ve little doubt it will be a fabulous stay being able to walk back from MK when the busses are rammed. So the fact my DVC has enabled me to experience that at a reasonable price is where my value is.

 

[peppy20]

Thanks everyone for the replies thus far. To clarify a couple great points brought up, the points I would be buying would be used for 1 week-long DVC location vacation per year. My family takes about 2-3 week long trips a year but the other trips would be to non-DVC locations. I'll edit my original post to clarify this.

Realistically, I think having one other child (2 total) is a more likely scenario plus my mother or MIL in tow; 5 people maximum in a room. Eventually, this will get tight as the family grows, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

In terms of savings, Wakey and Best Aunt make great points. No way would I spend 700+ on a room; specifically that room. Typically, I cap myself at $500 max per night for a hotel room and have only spent over $700 for an over water bungalow years ago during my honeymoon. For some context, I stayed at the Grand Californian last September in a studio room mid-week/off-season and paid a discount rate of $405 per night (without taxes, fees, parking); I think the total with valet parking was close to $2000 for 4 nights in a standard room.

I did have a question regarding the booking window. Say its June 1, 2019 and I want book at a non-home resort for a trip starting January 1, 2020 (exactly 7 months out) through January 8, 2020. Could I book that entire length of stay on June 1, 2019, or would I have to wait until June 8, 2019, when the check-out date (and not just the check-in date) is exactly 7 months out?

 

[Philsfan77]

you book the entire length of the stay on the date you want your trip to start

 

[disneynutz]

Select the best UY for your vacation patterns.
Buy where you love to stay.
Book at 11 months.
Buy resale if you can.
If you buy additional contracts, keep the same UY and names on deeds.
After buying resale, if you intend to buy a small direct contract for the perks, buy now before the minimum increases.
DVD/DVC marketing can change the perks at any time.
Perks and policies tend to change when management changes and DVD/DVC upper management just changed.
Expect to spend more on Disney vacations after you buy DVC.
Bill

 

[Deb & Bill]

From the member website:

1-Bedroom Villa (from 31 to 76 points per night)
View Floor Plans- Modal
1 king-size bed, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, 1 single pull-down bed (29" x 67")
Sleeps Up to 5

2-Bedroom Villa (from 46 to 108 points per night)
View Floor Plans- Modal
1 king-size bed, 2 queen-size beds, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, 1 single pull-down bed (29" x 67")
Sleeps Up to 9

3-Bedroom Grand Villa (from 94 to 224 points per night)
View Floor Plans- Modal
1 king-size bed, 4 queen-size beds, 1 queen-size sleeper sofa, 1 double-size sleeper sofa
Sleeps Up to 12

 

[starry_solo]

I think one thing to think about is, how far in advance do you plan your vacations? For VGC, to get what you want, you'll need to plan between 7 months & one day and 11 months, prior to check-in.

 

[Deb & Bill]

GCV only has 23 dedicated two bedroom villas, 23 lockoff two bedroom villas (meaning combo of studios and one bedroom ) and two grand villas. That's why it is hard to book or buy there.

 

[RichVIII]

All great advice so far. The only piece I would add is that we have spent far more money and gone far more many times since we purchased DVC. So I will warn you now, any *potential* savings is spent with the mouse, just not in his house. We ended up with annual passes (and six years later keep renewing them). We have purchased two additional contracts and trying to stop ourselves from a fourth. My wife is catching up with an old friend so my daughter and decided to fly down for the weekend for a daddy-daughter trip, 54 points for a Poly Standard view later and two plane tickets, we are having a weekend we would have never done it before. No regrets, stayed in nine resorts and loved GC and Aulani.

 

[pineapplepalms]

If you're not super picky about resorts, can be flexible when you travel, and are mostly looking to book 1BRs, I would echo @Wakey that SSR could be a good buy (perhaps as one of two home resorts if you have another one you absolutely love). With the upcoming refurb it looks to be really nice, especially if you value proximity to DS. We are in a somewhat similar situation (in our 30s with an infant and a toddler) and drive down to DLR multiple times a year, and in the last year or so since we bought SSR resale we've been able to use those points to book several VGC stays. This includes a full week in a 1BR this November and a few nights after Christmas in a 1BR that I booked right at 5am at 7 months out, as well as some pretty last minute weekend trips booked when I saw availability pop up combined with waitlisting. Since we don't have to book flights, we can be flexible with timing and go whenever we can find availability. If you don't want to gamble with staying at VGC, then you're better off owning there and booking at 11 months. But if staying at VGC isn't super important, you could try to book there at 7 months and have a backup plan otherwise (when I waitlisted, I booked a nearby hotel as a backup on reward points and ended up canceling without penalty when the VGC waitlist came through). As for using SSR points to book at various resorts at WDW or Aulani, it really depends on when you go. Summer in a 1BR booked at 7 months is doable, but this isn't necessarily true at other times of the year like Oct-Jan at WDW.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If you love VGC then it makes sense to own there but if that isn't a must when you go to DL then maybe you want to consider a WDW resort and purchase points to use in the range of every other year. Use the DVC for WDW and Aulani and then VGC if you happen to be able to get it. It's just that SSR or a couple other resorts cost far less to buy in so if VGC itself isn't necessary maybe you want to consider the most economical for WDW and Aulani.

 

[skier_pete]

I saw my Booking Pattern thread invoked, and thought I would step in to comment. There are some super-sharp DVC posters already commented on this thread many of which taught ME the ins and outs of DVC - but I will add my 2 cents to expand on what others said.

1. Considering we go to minimally 2 out of 3 cities with DVC properties at least twice during a 3 year period, do you feel it is still a cost saving proposition? Keeping in mind that current GC resales are going for approximately $190-$200 a point. In the 10+ years that me and my wife have been together, we also average 3 week-long trips a year and have never not taken at least two vacations.

It's hard to consider DVC a "cost-saving" proposition, especially at $200 a point buy-in. I mean, yes, it is a cost savings versus what you would pay cash for a 1-bedroom. For us, we would stay regularly at moderates. With DVC, we now stay deluxe at a similar or slightly lower price point - as we bought resale. However, we travel to Disney more. What I think of it as is a "vacation upgrade". YMMV.

2. We are currently looking at 200-250 point contracts; going in with the mindset that studios are too competitive and would prefer a 1-bedroom for minimally the next 15-20 years anyways. Do you think this is enough points or too many points? To Clarify: We are looking to buy enough points for 1 week-long vacation at a DVC property per year. We would still take other non-DVC related trips during the year though. .

I agree with what some others are saying. GCV is such a premium resort - it may make more sense to get a smaller contract at VGC (say 100 points) if you are only planning on staying there every 2-3 years. Then you can back and borrow your points and have 200 points every other year for a stay. Understand while VGC is very difficult to get in at the 7-month mark, its actually not bad at all for owners there - with the exception of the occasional holiday.

I would then say get a second contract of maybe 100-150 points at either a Florida resort or Aulani. If you are going to Aulani not in June or for holidays, it's really not that hard to get in at 7 months. (See my resort charts for studios - 1-bedrooms would be way easier.) so you don't truly need to own there. WDW might be a better choice to own, especially if you have a specific resort in mind, but again 1-bedrooms are generally not much of an issue and have honestly gotten easier to get over the years.

3. Although GC will be our home resort, we have every intention of trying to use our points at Aulani and WDW. We are not super picky about resorts and typically travel off-season anyways. However, with the increase of DVC popularity and "walkers," we are concerned that even at 7 months, there may be issues. What are your personal experiences booking at 7 months ? (I am currently going through the Predicted DVC Booking Pattern Thread to also increase my own knowledge on what resorts are typically available)

First walking is not really "becoming more of a problem" in my view - except in that it is making those hard-to-book categories even harder to get. Most room categories remain no issue at 11 months for owners at home resorts. Walking also does NOT affect the 7-month window. You can't really walk a 7-month reservation with any hope of success, because owners at the resort can still book in front of you. I suppose maybe some people try it.

And @Wakey caught a really good point on these charts:

1. Lack of availability at 7 months is somewhat overstated. Skier Pete’s charts are still as good an idea of availibility as you will find, study those and consider them pretty accurate- I actually find them slightly pessimistic on 1 beds, probably because Pete isn’t on right at 8am on a given day (maybe, he will clarify if I’m wrong on that) as you would be when booking.

So the trickiest thing to capture on these charts is the 7-month availability (and sometimes the 11-month availability). The reason as he points out is that some resorts will always see availability right at 8 AM on every day at 7-months, but likely won't have availability if you wait an hour or two. And without watching the availability charts every few days, trying to capture what a room is really like at 7 months is not an easy trick.

Here is generally what I do for 7-months:
Resort is considered "Open" (Green) at 7-months if the rooms generally stay available for at least a few days in that room category before getting snapped up.
Resort is considered "Mostly" (Yellow) at 7-months if the rooms seem to generally be available right at the 7-month mark, but disappear within a few hours.
Resort is considered "Spotty" (Red) at 7-months if often you see rooms booked AHEAD of that 7-month mark, or its very difficult to get a room at all at 7 months.

A perfect example of this is looking at the BCV charts. The studios show as "Spotty" or "Mostly" for Jan-Sept at 7-months because they are really hard to get at 7-months no matter what time of year. 1-bedrooms are much easier to get at 7-months in that time frame, so they are listed as "Open" at 7 months, even though at say 6 months and 3 weeks they would not still be "open".

4. For owners of GC specifically, is there anything that you dislike about this property and would you recommend it to others to buy resale? Any other information about owning at GC worth sharing?

Not an owner, but we've stayed at the VGC on points, and it is the only way to stay there! I can't bring myself to buy points at those point prices, but it is a wonderful location. However, as others have stated, I would NOT spend current point prices on VGC points, and ever use those points anywhere else. (I would also consider a buy at Beach Club as the same thing, as those point prices are ridiculous for the # of years left.)

5. With "Walking" seemingly becoming a growing trend (which I refuse to ever do) and pretty fierce competition for the lower point rooms, would you still recommend DVC to others today?

Again, I don't think it's really as big a problem as some people make it out to be. Yes, you want a studio in a standard view room at BWV for Wine and Dine marathon, it's a problem, but not for a Garden/Pool view or Boardwalk view - for example. I still recommend DVC but I always tell people - "Don't buy with the assumption you will be always able to get a low point room." Don't buy AKV contract that you have to get value rooms, don't buy BLT for the standard rooms. Now that hasn't stopped me from trying to GET those type of rooms - we've successfully gotten AKV value studios 4 times (cancelled one though) and also twice gotten Boardwalk standard studios for the "Fall Frenzy". However, I purchased points with the plan being that I wouldn't get those rooms.

As others have said, if you truly intend to stay in 1-bedrooms - then walking is a complete non-issue for you. Just make sure you buy into a resort that sleeps 5 in a 1-bedroom. Many of them only sleep 4, or at least only have bedding for 4. (You can ALWAYS bring a 5th person into a 1-bedroom, but you have to bring the bedding/mattress for the 5th person.)

 

[gscott8075]

Perspective from a former DVC owner - I owned points for almost 20 years and recently sold. We owned at OKW and HHI. Sold OKW a long time ago and sold HHI last month.

You are tying up $40,000 to $50,000 of your capital assets. That is a big chunk of change upfront for a one week vacation each year! And then $1300-$1800 in dues this year, increasing for the next 40 years. Older DVC resorts are closing in on $9 per point...

We learned that our vacation habits evolved over the last 30 years since we were married. We started off going to WDW every year, and then realized there was a whole world to see and we have been once in the last five years. We fell in love with HHI and now that the kids are older, they even said they preferred renting a house on the island instead of the resort.

We were fortunate that we got our original point purchase $$$ back (not considering the decline in the value of the dollar since we bought) And we have many great memories.

If I were starting all over today, considering the point value and dues have far exceeded the inflation rate, the value proposition has reduced to the point where I would not buy into DVC.

When we started at HHI in 2001, a weeknight in a 2 BR in HHI was 33 points and the dues were 3.50 ($115 per night) Today, its 41 points and 8.56 ($350) And that's just the cost of maintenance fees.

Yes, cheaper than the cash price, but you are making a $40,000-$50,000 up front investment and you lose the use of that money for a long time. While you might make it back, you also might not. Commissions will take 8%-10% and it is unclear what happens to the resale market as DVC tightens the rules on a regular basis to make resales as undesirable as possible.

Again, great memories, great vacations - but the pricing structure is dramatically different than it was when we started.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[skier_pete]

Perspective from a former DVC owner - I owned points for almost 20 years and recently sold. We owned at OKW and HHI. Sold OKW a long time ago and sold HHI last month.

You are tying up $40,000 to $50,000 of your capital assets. That is a big chunk of change upfront for a one week vacation each year! And then $1300-$1800 in dues this year, increasing for the next 40 years. Older DVC resorts are closing in on $9 per point...

We learned that our vacation habits evolved over the last 30 years since we were married. We started off going to WDW every year, and then realized there was a whole world to see and we have been once in the last five years. We fell in love with HHI and now that the kids are older, they even said they preferred renting a house on the island instead of the resort.

We were fortunate that we got our original point purchase $$$ back (not considering the decline in the value of the dollar since we bought) And we have many great memories.

If I were starting all over today, considering the point value and dues have far exceeded the inflation rate, the value proposition has reduced to the point where I would not buy into DVC.

When we started at HHI in 2001, a weeknight in a 2 BR in HHI was 33 points and the dues were 3.50 ($115 per night) Today, its 41 points and 8.56 ($350) And that's just the cost of maintenance fees.

Yes, cheaper than the cash price, but you are making a $40,000-$50,000 up front investment and you lose the use of that money for a long time. While you might make it back, you also might not. Commissions will take 8%-10% and it is unclear what happens to the resale market as DVC tightens the rules on a regular basis to make resales as undesirable as possible.

Again, great memories, great vacations - but the pricing structure is dramatically different than it was when we started.

Good luck with your decision.

I always like reading posts like this. DVC is not all sunshine and lollipops. It's a big chunk of change up front, with no guarantee you ever get it back or get "value" for it. What I would say though is this is a good reason to buy a contract with a further end date. It is more likely to retain value. Every DVC contract will eventually go to zero in value.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Perspective from a former DVC owner - I owned points for almost 20 years and recently sold. We owned at OKW and HHI. Sold OKW a long time ago and sold HHI last month.

You are tying up $40,000 to $50,000 of your capital assets. That is a big chunk of change upfront for a one week vacation each year! And then $1300-$1800 in dues this year, increasing for the next 40 years. Older DVC resorts are closing in on $9 per point...

We learned that our vacation habits evolved over the last 30 years since we were married. We started off going to WDW every year, and then realized there was a whole world to see and we have been once in the last five years. We fell in love with HHI and now that the kids are older, they even said they preferred renting a house on the island instead of the resort.

We were fortunate that we got our original point purchase $$$ back (not considering the decline in the value of the dollar since we bought) And we have many great memories.

If I were starting all over today, considering the point value and dues have far exceeded the inflation rate, the value proposition has reduced to the point where I would not buy into DVC.

When we started at HHI in 2001, a weeknight in a 2 BR in HHI was 33 points and the dues were 3.50 ($115 per night) Today, its 41 points and 8.56 ($350) And that's just the cost of maintenance fees.

Yes, cheaper than the cash price, but you are making a $40,000-$50,000 up front investment and you lose the use of that money for a long time. While you might make it back, you also might not. Commissions will take 8%-10% and it is unclear what happens to the resale market as DVC tightens the rules on a regular basis to make resales as undesirable as possible.

Again, great memories, great vacations - but the pricing structure is dramatically different than it was when we started.

Good luck with your decision.

If staying at resorts other than Disney owned is an option then DVC will never make sense. It has the possibility of making sense if you always will stay at them no matter if you own or not.