Questions: DH and I STRONLY considering DVC membership

[mikesmom]

Even if you don't want to cook on vacation, the value of that kitchen as your little ones grow is astronomical, in my opinion. DS was an eating machine. We not only made breakfast in the room but kept a supply of fruit, ice cream, chips, deli meat and cheeses, pizza, etc in the fridge. DS (and friend) was always hungry and those items can be pretty expensive on vacation.

I suspect the fridge saved us a LOT of money on our WDW trips.

 

[mgilmer]

Well DVC is very close to being too good to be true despite the crabby opinions of some here. As for the dues, just look at some timeshares offsite that get good reviews on the Dis. For example, Cypress Pointe. Their yearly dues for one week are about $780 a year. 160 points at the BWV is about $800. Not much difference for what you get and you get a lot more at BWV than Cypress Pointe and CP is a good offsite timeshare. And you also have the option to rent your points and recoup your dues for a year if you cannot go (shoot, you can rent your points for enough to pay your dues for 2 years easy -- try that at CP). I do not think "most of us DISers" would think that DVC is a bad thing.

DVC is NOT too good to be true. Its good for certain types of people. For MOST of us DISers, it becomes a much more effective way for Disney to remove money from our wallets.

DVC is a timeshare. That means you'll pay dues every year. For the timeshare world, DVC dues are pretty high. You'll pay those dues when you are excited for your Disney vacation, and you'll pay them the year you discover both your kids need braces and you need to find money for that.

In addition to dues, you'll need to afford that Disney trip every year - park tickets for the whole family, meals out (since you don't cook in your room), transportation. Currently, there are a lot of DISers reeling from increases in airfare. Non-DVC people can much more easily choose to stay close to home this year. DVCers have to use or loose their points.

Disney and your family will both change over the years. Many DISers have owned DVC for ten years and still love it as much as the day they bought it. But a lot of people have also bought and sold over the years, some have been disappointed in Disney and/or DVC enough that they've chosen to sell, others have just "moved on." DVC has - in the past - held its value well enough (through ROFR) to make moving on not quite as painful (and often profitable) compared to other timeshares, but there is no guarentee this will continue.

We've owned since 2002 and - while I continue to be content - I wouldn't purchase today.

 

[crisi]

Well DVC is very close to being too good to be true despite the crabby opinions of some here. As for the dues, just look at some timeshares offsite that get good reviews on the Dis. For example, Cypress Pointe. Their yearly dues for one week are about $780 a year. 160 points at the BWV is about $800. Not much difference for what you get and you get a lot more at BWV than Cypress Pointe and CP is a good offsite timeshare. And you also have the option to rent your points and recoup your dues for a year if you cannot go (shoot, you can rent your points for enough to pay your dues for 2 years easy -- try that at CP). I do not think "most of us DISers" would think that DVC is a bad thing.

Please point out in my post where I have been in the least bit crabby. Or is this simply an unjustified attack?

 

[Mtnman44]

There are some good common sense reminders given here. Don't be totally caught up in the emotion and the marketing. Remember, the DVC program exists not to save you money, but to make MORE money for Disney. They didn't create the program to help you or I spend less money on our WDW vacations. Always keep that in mind.

DVC does make sense for some people with particular vacation habits and needs and does in fact save them money but for most of us, we just start spending more or traveling to WDW more often.

 

[Mtnman44]

I just want to make sure I'm not missing something... MYW 10 day parkhopper is ~ $ 290
and the DVD discount AP is $369.

So if I know I only need 10 days in a 12 month period, is the MYW the best way to go?

Some other things not yet mentioned.

If you plan on staying for 10 days and were planning on buying 10-day MYW passes, you might consider getting AP's instead. With the $100 discount (that's about $107 discount including taxes), it may be cheaper. I think the break even point is somewhere around 8 days.

 

[kim_d]

I just want to make sure I'm not missing something... MYW 10 day parkhopper is ~ $ 290
and the DVD discount AP is $369.

So if I know I only need 10 days in a 12 month period, is the MYW the best way to go?

I just checked allearnet.com- so I think I got the prices correct.

AP for DVC for an adult is $392.99 including tax

10 Day MYW PH $518.66 including tax (no expiration/no plus option/with park hopping)

 

[mgilmer]

There are some good common sense reminders given here. Don't be totally caught up in the emotion and the marketing. Remember, the DVC program exists not to save you money, but to make MORE money for Disney. They didn't create the program to help you or I spend less money on our WDW vacations. Always keep that in mind.

DVC does make sense for some people with particular vacation habits and needs and does in fact save them money but for most of us, we just start spending more or traveling to WDW more often.

I agree with you that no purchase should ever be made on emotion, especially one as expensive as DVC. However, while the DVC does indeed make TDC money (or else they would not do it), it can also be a money saver for the right kind of traveler (one who prefers deluxe, who will go every year for 10 or more years, who will take advantage of the facilities to make your own meals, will go for enough days each year to avail themselves of the AP discount, etc.). I think you are correct that for others, it will not save money and may indeed cost more than just "getting a room" in a resort. Like all things, the scales of life must be used to see what the balance is for each individual.

 

[Mtnman44]

Yea but if you need all 10 days for one trip, then you don't need the no expiration option so now I think I see the breakdown. An important factor is WHEN you need to use those 8 to 10 days.

Ok, thanks.

I just checked allearnet.com- so I think I got the prices correct.

AP for DVC for an adult is $392.99 including tax

10 Day MYW PH $518.66 including tax (no expiration/no plus option/with park hopping)

 

[Mtnman44]

Now, just to be fair, let's dig into this comparion a little. How much does a 2BR week at Cypress costs to purchase? A quick check of ebay listings shows Platinum 2 BR weeks in the $8k to $12k range and I'm guessing that may be on the high end for resales (this was for Grand Vista, didn't see an CP listings).

Anyway, for BVW mid-season (dream), a 2 BR week is 286 points for a Standard view. So the equivilant DVC purchase price may be around $24k ($85 x 286). Dues for the Marriott are around $850 vs. about $1,350 for the DVC points. These figures could scale up or down depending on room sizes/# of points but you get the idea. DVC IS more expensive than even Marriott.

Well DVC is very close to being too good to be true despite the crabby opinions of some here. As for the dues, just look at some timeshares offsite that get good reviews on the Dis. For example, Cypress Pointe. Their yearly dues for one week are about $780 a year. 160 points at the BWV is about $800. Not much difference for what you get and you get a lot more at BWV than Cypress Pointe and CP is a good offsite timeshare. And you also have the option to rent your points and recoup your dues for a year if you cannot go (shoot, you can rent your points for enough to pay your dues for 2 years easy -- try that at CP). I do not think "most of us DISers" would think that DVC is a bad thing.

 

[kim_d]

Yea but if you need all 10 days for one trip, then you don't need the no expiration option so now I think I see the breakdown. An important factor is WHEN you need to use those 8 to 10 days.

Ok, thanks.

Right...with 14 day expiration:
10 Day MYW PH $305.66 with tax

However, AP does give you certain discounts that might make it an option even for a 10 day stay (i.e. DDE)

 

[mgilmer]

Now, just to be fair, let's dig into this comparion a little. How much does a 2BR week at Cypress costs to purchase? A quick check of ebay listings shows Platinum 2 BR weeks in the $8k to $12k range and I'm guessing that may be on the high end for resales (this was for Grand Vista, didn't see an CP listings).

Anyway, for BVW mid-season (dream), a 2 BR week is 286 points for a Standard view. So the equivilant DVC purchase price may be around $24k ($85 x 286). Dues for the Marriott are around $850 vs. about $1,350 for the DVC points. These figures could scale up or down depending on room sizes/# of points but you get the idea. DVC IS more expensive than even Marriott.

No doubt that DVC costs more, but I would argue that you also get more. You get to avail yourself of free Disney onsite transportation, you can walk to two parks from the Epcot resorts, you get free valet parking on site, free theme park parking, discounts on APs, discounts on restaurants, the Disney "magic" (theme, characters, pools, decor) etc. that you do not get with any other offsite timeshare. If you consider also the time and traffic quotient you have to consider, then I would argue that the DVC stacks up well.

 

[Mtnman44]

I think most everyone on this forum would agree. You are preaching to the converted.

No doubt that DVC costs more, but I would argue that you also get more. You get to avail yourself of free Disney onsite transportation, you can walk to two parks from the Epcot resorts, you get free valet parking on site, free theme park parking, discounts on APs, discounts on restaurants, the Disney "magic" (theme, characters, pools, decor) etc. that you do not get with any other offsite timeshare. If you consider also the time and traffic quotient you have to consider, then I would argue that the DVC stacks up well.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I looked on mousesavers and it said that the DDE card costs $60 for an AP holder, but saves you 20% in certain restaurants. I looked at another site (wdwinfo) that listed the restaurants and noticed that certain ones are not included in the DDE (Chef Mickey's, for example, which we love and would definitely go to again because the kids enjoyed it so much). So, how does this save you money? Also, if we were going to get a 5-day or even a 6-day BASE ticket, how would the AP even be worth it for even one of us? It would cost so much more.

I did not crunch any numbers, but it seems to me that it is possible that the dining plan and the regular base tickets may be more the way to go for us, and may save us more money (we do a lot of character meals for the kids so the DDP saved us a lot this recent trip). As I had said anyway, one of the things I learned through this thread is not to join DVC simply for the perks, because they keep changing and someday between now and 2042 they just may be gone altogether, none of us know if that will or will not happen. The opportunity to stay at BWV every time we go to WDW, to go every other year until the kids are in college (and then every year or 2 with just DH and myself), to still have 10 years left on the contract when we retire from teaching and be able to go twice a year for long stays during off-season...those are all worth it to us and those are the things we are considering when we think about buying.

On the other side I do not want to make one of those impulse decisions and buy something this huge. That is why we are researching this now and making our decision over some time, looking to purchase some time next year if we so decide. Many factors are going into this, not just a rash decision.

 

[JimMIA]

I looked on mousesavers and it said that the DDE card costs $60 for an AP holder, but saves you 20% in certain restaurants. I looked at another site (wdwinfo) that listed the restaurants and noticed that certain ones are not included in the DDE (Chef Mickey's, for example, which we love and would definitely go to again because the kids enjoyed it so much). So, how does this save you money?

First of all, I assume you know that DDE has absolutely nothing to do with DVC. It is available for AP holders and Florida residents only.

But if you get an AP, whether you buy DVC or not, the DDE will save you some money. Like every other promotional thing at WDW, DDE does not work in every venue. (I would look at the official Disney Dining info for which restaurants honor the card, because it's a moving target and it's pretty difficult for private boards to keep up with.)

But DDE gives you 20% off in most sit-down restaurants. And that is 20% off of everything -- it's the only discount plan where the discount applies to alcoholic beverages.

OTOH...currently the DDE card also triggers an automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill because of provisions of Disney's labor contract with their servers. If you would normally tip that much anyway -- 15-20% is the normal expected range of tips -- it really doesn't matter much. When we used to have the DDE, we just looked at how much the 20% discount was and added that back in as the tip...so DDE paid our tip. That automatic gratuity just went to effect this Jan 1, so it could go away with the next labor contract.

One other very big, and often underestimated, benefit of DDE is that it is not just good for one person. It's good for TEN people at each meal, provided that the DDE cardholder pays the check. So, you would only need one card for your family, and if another family joined you for a meal, they could get the 20% discount as well. You can take the discount and settle up later.

You'll probably find more precise info on DDE over on the DIS Restaurants board.

 

[hakepb]

I looked on mousesavers and it said that the DDE card costs $60 for an AP holder, but saves you 20% in certain restaurants. I looked at another site (wdwinfo) that listed the restaurants and noticed that certain ones are not included in the DDE (Chef Mickey's, for example, which we love and would definitely go to again because the kids enjoyed it so much). So, how does this save you money? Also, if we were going to get a 5-day or even a 6-day BASE ticket, how would the AP even be worth it for even one of us? It would cost so much more.

I did not crunch any numbers, but it seems to me that it is possible that the dining plan and the regular base tickets may be more the way to go for us, and may save us more money (we do a lot of character meals for the kids so the DDP saved us a lot this recent trip). As I had said anyway, one of the things I learned through this thread is not to join DVC simply for the perks, because they keep changing and someday between now and 2042 they just may be gone altogether, none of us know if that will or will not happen. The opportunity to stay at BWV every time we go to WDW, to go every other year until the kids are in college (and then every year or 2 with just DH and myself), to still have 10 years left on the contract when we retire from teaching and be able to go twice a year for long stays during off-season...those are all worth it to us and those are the things we are considering when we think about buying.

On the other side I do not want to make one of those impulse decisions and buy something this huge. That is why we are researching this now and making our decision over some time, looking to purchase some time next year if we so decide. Many factors are going into this, not just a rash decision.

An AP does not save you vs a 5 or 6 day base ticket, but an AP can be used for 365 (or is it 366) days, so if you time vacations (say begin on June week 3 one year then June week 2 next year) you can get 2+ trips on an AP. And then, once you realize you realize you're already paying for DVC, and you have an AP, why not borrow a few points and take one more mid-year short trip. It "only" costs airfare and food to go to WDW! That's where I just found the magic with DVC.
(Yes, I realize I'm not really, really saving vs some uber budgeting guy, but it still seems like magic!)

Another DDE advantage to me is feeling less locked into the "plan" With DDP I felt I must use it every meal. With DDE, as long as I break even, I'm OK with eating off the "plan" either on WDW or off WDW.
With DDP no longer including gratuity, most character breakfasts / lunches are much cheaper than the DDP price, so unless you must eat a character dinner or nothing..

 

[WDWmom08]

I have a question about the DDP. I know you have to get the plan for all gets for the length of stay - what happens if someone joins the trip late. We are hoping to have my MIL join us for a vacation but she can't do the whole week. If she joins us for the last 3 or 4 days how does that effect the plan?

 

[hakepb]

I have a question about the DDP. I know you have to get the plan for all gets for the length of stay - what happens if someone joins the trip late. We are hoping to have my MIL join us for a vacation but she can't do the whole week. If she joins us for the last 3 or 4 days how does that effect the plan?

Yes, you must buy the DDP for your MIL for all days in the stay. (Keeps people from "gaming the system" but kinda stinks for those real circumstances.) Either take advantage of the extra credits on more Signature dining, forget the DDP altogether, or make 2 reservations at 2 different resorts. (Although each reservation's DDP points need to be used up during each reservation)

 

[kim_d]

I looked on mousesavers and it said that the DDE card costs $60 for an AP holder, but saves you 20% in certain restaurants. I looked at another site (wdwinfo) that listed the restaurants and noticed that certain ones are not included in the DDE (Chef Mickey's, for example, which we love and would definitely go to again because the kids enjoyed it so much). So, how does this save you money? Also, if we were going to get a 5-day or even a 6-day BASE ticket, how would the AP even be worth it for even one of us? It would cost so much more.

I did not crunch any numbers, but it seems to me that it is possible that the dining plan and the regular base tickets may be more the way to go for us, and may save us more money (we do a lot of character meals for the kids so the DDP saved us a lot this recent trip). As I had said anyway, one of the things I learned through this thread is not to join DVC simply for the perks, because they keep changing and someday between now and 2042 they just may be gone altogether, none of us know if that will or will not happen. The opportunity to stay at BWV every time we go to WDW, to go every other year until the kids are in college (and then every year or 2 with just DH and myself), to still have 10 years left on the contract when we retire from teaching and be able to go twice a year for long stays during off-season...those are all worth it to us and those are the things we are considering when we think about buying.

On the other side I do not want to make one of those impulse decisions and buy something this huge. That is why we are researching this now and making our decision over some time, looking to purchase some time next year if we so decide. Many factors are going into this, not just a rash decision.

Unless something is changing in 2009, DDE does work at Chef Mickey's.

Participating Restaurants and Lounges in the DDE as of February 2008:

All-Star Music Resort
Intermission Food Court

All-Star Sports Resort
End Zone Food Court

All-Star Movies Resort
World Premiere Food Court

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Boma-Flavors of Africa
Jiko-The Cooking Place
Victoria Falls

Beach Club Resort
Beaches & Cream Soda Shop
(eat in only)
Cape May Cafe
Martha's Vineyard Lounge

BoardWalk
Belle Vue Lounge
ESPN Club
Flying Fish Cafe
Spoodles

Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge Golf Club
Sand Trap Bar & Grill

Caribbean Beach Resort
Shutters at Old Port Royale

Contemporary Resort
California Grill
Chef Mickey's
Concourse Steakhouse
Outer Rim Lounge

Coronado Springs Resort
Maya Grill

Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground
Crockett's Tavern
Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue (9:30 p.m. show only, offered seasonally)
Trail's End Restaurant

Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
1900 Park Fare
Cítricos
Garden View Lounge
Grand Floridian Cafe
Mizner's Lounge
Narcoossee's
Victoria & Albert's (excluding Chef's Table)

Old Key West Resort
Olivia's Cafe

Polynesian Resort
'Ohana
Kona Cafe
Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show (late show only)
Tambu Lounge

Pop Century Resort
Everything Pop Dining
Classic Concoctions

Port Orleans Resort
Riverside:
Boatwright's Dining Hall
River Roost
French Quarter:
Scat Cat's Club
Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory

Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
The Turf Club Bar and Grill
Artist's Palette

Wilderness Lodge
Artist Point
Territory Lounge
Whispering Canyon Cafe

Yacht Club Resort
Ale and Compass Lounge
Crew's Cup Lounge
Captain's Grille
Yachtsman Steakhouse

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Marketplace
Cap'n Jack's Restaurant

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Pleasure Island
Raglan Road

DOWNTOWN DISNEY West Side
Planet Hollywood

Epcot
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall
Biergarten Restaurant
Bistro de Paris Restaurant
Chefs de France Restaurant
Coral Reef Restaurant
Tutto Italia Ristorante
Le Cellier Steakhouse
Nine Dragons Restaurant
Restaurant Marrakesh
Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room
San Angel Inn Restaurante
The Garden Grill Restaurant

Disney's Hollywood Studios
50's Prime Time Cafe
Hollywood & Vine
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
The Hollywood Brown Derby
Tune-In Lounge

Magic Kingdom
Cinderella's Royal Table
Liberty Tree Tavern
The Crystal Palace
The Plaza Restaurant
Tony's Town Square Restaurant

Animal Kingdom
Tusker House Restaurant
Pizzafari
Flame Tree Barbecue
Restaurantosaurus

Disney's Vero Beach Resort
The Green Cabin Room
Shutters Restaurant
Sonya's Fine Steaks & Chops (Sunday Brunch not included)

Entertainment & Dancing:

DOWNTOWN DISNEY Pleasure Island:
Half price admission to Pleasure Island Clubs for members and guest;
except for specially priced events

Atlantic Dance Hall - Disney’s BoardWalk:
Admission is free for members and guest

 

[WDWmom08]

take advantage of the extra credits on more Signature dining

So others in the reservation could take advantage of her extra credits? That's not a bad idea; thanks!

 

[JimMIA]

For those interested in DDP, the DIS has an entire board devoted to DDP. If you go to that board and look at the appropriate "Sticky" at the top of the page, you'll find a very thorough explanation of just about every aspect of DDP including links to the official brochures.