Questions for the DVC members!

[snickerharley]

I don't know if this is the right place to post this but.....I am interested in learning more about DVC ownership. I have visited the disney website but still have some questions. What resorts are included in the DVC and which one is generally the cheepest? How much is the initial cost, and what are the yearly dues? After the 50 (i think) years do you have the option to rebuy your vacation property? As you can see I am very green on this subject so any and all help will be appriciated

 

[bpmorley]

The resorts for DVC are Old Key West, Boardwalk Villas, Beach Club Villas, Villas @ The Wilderness Lodge, and Saratoga Springs in Disney World. They also have Vero Beach & Hilton Head outside of DW.

Generally OKW takes the least amount of points.

The only one for sale from DVC is SSR. The others you would have to look for resales. Points at SSR are going up to $101 on July 1st and the minimum purchase is 150pts. I think I just paid around $1100 for my maintenance fees for 2006. That's for 270 pts. There is no rebuying after the initial 50 yrs. I was told that after 50 yrs they will knock down the resort and build a new one. Supposedly it's cheaper to rebuild than to maintain. If you want them to send you a packet email me with your name and address and I'll have my guide send you something. Hope this helps.

 

[spiceycat]

some more stuff to read

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/index.html

before this year OKW was the cheapest in annual dues at WDW. but something happen this year and it is no longer the lowest.

if OKW kepts raising their maintence fees - I want to know why.... it doesn't have room service or valet parking - both big expenses that VWL, BCV and BWV all have.... If I am going to pay the same maintence fees as BWV I want the room service!!!!!!!!!

I happen to love OKW - but it does not have the services that the other have - so it shouldn't be paying the maintence fees that the others have.

 

[bpmorley]

I know a couple owners at OKW. I never heard that before. But you are correct if you have to pay more you should get more

 

[bongo59]

OKW had major renovations to its pool and a ton damage recently by termites that was uncovered and recently repaired and within the last 6 months new baiting traps installed..............it is the oldest resort and needed the most repairs...............it also sustained more damage than any other WDW property in the hurricanes of the last couple of yrs and it also now has new problem................the hand railing manufacturer went belly up several yrs ago and now DVC found out that the railings were manufactured substandardly and will need to be replace much earlier than anticipated.....................due to early rust out. Things happen.

 

[spiceycat]

yes but when things happen at BWV - they made the contracter pay for it....

 

[LisaS]

How much is the initial cost, and what are the yearly dues? After the 50 (i think) years do you have the option to rebuy your vacation property?

If you purchase directly from Disney, the initial cost varies by resort. You can purchase ANY resort, not just SSR. I'm not 100% certain that I have the correct prices here, but these are approximately correct: $101/point at SSR; $95/point at BCV, BWV and VWL; and I think it's $92/point at OKW and slightly less at VB and HHI, but it's possible that OKW, VB and HHI are all $95/pt as well for first-time buyers.

You can purchase any resort directly from Disney provided they have points available, otherwise you can go on a waitlist. There are currently no closing costs when purchasing from Disney, but that may change on/about July 1st. There are usually incentives available if you purchase SSR, for example, an $8/point discount on the initial purchase price has been offered in the past.

You can also purchase any of the resorts on the resale market. Click on the "DVC Resales" link at the top of the page to see a list of contracts available from The Timeshare Store, this board's sponsor. Add $500 for closing costs to the total price. As you will see from the listings, for any property other than BCV, you can save quite a bit by buying resale.

Dues vary by resort. Here is a link to a table of the dues for each resort for every year since DVC began. As you can see, dues go up about 4% per year, so you should factor that in to your calculations: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1128118

The end date for ownership at SSR is Jan 31, 2054. The end date for all other resorts is Jan 31, 2042. So anybody purchasing SSR today will have about 47-1/2 years left on their contract; anybody purchasing any of the other resorts will have 35-1/2 years left on those contracts. Disney has not announced what is going to happen when the contracts expire so it's not known at this point whether you would have an option to extend your contract.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I'll point out the negatives. Don't buy into DVC unless you can clearly afford it. We spend so much more money on vacationing now that we are DVC members. We go to FL at least twice a year. This year we are also hitting DL twice, and driving through the national parks, forests, etc of the SW.

We bought when points were much cheaper. Because of our stay at the Polynesian on our first trip, our point ultimately cost about $50 a point. And they have gone up since.

Right now Disney hasn't said anything about repurchasing the use to the points after 2042 (most DVC resorts) or 2054 (SSR). I won't have to worry about it anyway. Our son will have to do that if he still wants it.

If value resorts are you choice because of cost, DVC might not be a good fit. It clearly isn't cheap and is actually more expensive if you only vacation occasionally.