Regrets?

[MakiraMarlena]

I regret not buying more points 20 years ago

 

[holden]

We’ve owned at BLT since 2014. No real regrets. I sort of wish we had more points (we have 400), but that’s really only so we could stay in GV every time we go.

 

[turtle36]

No regrets! Love our Aulani points and the memories we are able to create with our family.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

No regrets. We bought in 2011/2012 time frame resale. We were obsessed with Disney vacations up until 2019. The pandemic made us change our vacation habits and I realized I like to visit new places more than chasing nostalgia and waiting in lines for rides I’ve already ridden dozens of times before. So I rented all my 2020 and 2021 points. It was easy and renting those points paid for the dues plus additional beautiful accommodations in other locations. The drive to return to Disney will likely return in the future, but for now I’m still a happy owner because I can easily rent my points and make a nice profit while I’m at it. It doesn’t hurt that I could also outright sell all my points for over twice what I paid.

 

[PinkPixel]

I'm only one year in - no regrets. I did a lot of research but I would say I've learned two things....
1 - I didn't buy enough points. Get a larger contract and take advantage of the lower prices that usually come with that. I have already added on and could have saved money.
2 - I didn't pay much attention to use year and I wish I had. I figured out that my most consistent travel dates are actually in the window between banking and end of use year. Wish I would have paid attention to it on the front end.

Can you explain what that looks like for you? The equation of what month you bought, when you would have preferred to have bought?

 

[sanibel93]

Regret not buying sooner and more points!!!

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Do any of you have regrets buying DVC and what aspect have you found the most challenging?

No regrets yet. Even with some of the issues/decisions DVC has made recently that don’t sit well with a lot of owners, it still fulfills it’s purpose. I love the resorts and being in the WDW bubble, and DVC makes it much more affordable.

The only thing I have found a little challenging is managing the points. Trying to plan the future trips and how to bank/borrow to make them happen. Actually, that part is even a little fun

 

[DougEMG]

The only regrets is not buying more points in 2010-2012 and not spreading my points out at different resorts rather than focusing solely on price.

 

[808blessing]

I wish I bought GCV in 2012 when my friend told me about it.

 

[Gary Carter]

We regret not buying earlier and not buying more points. We're kinda priced out of buying new points :X

 

[TeamRiley]

No regrets at all. I have never had such relaxing vacations. You can visit Disney for less money than buying into DVC, but you could never match the benefits and stress free element for anywhere near the DVC costs. Bought at the Grand Californian way back, and added Aulani more recently. If you live on the West Coast where flights are easy and inexpensive, Aulani resale is the best deal in the universe.

 

[Jperiod]

No regrets. We bought in 2011/2012 time frame resale. We were obsessed with Disney vacations up until 2019. The pandemic made us change our vacation habits and I realized I like to visit new places more than chasing nostalgia and waiting in lines for rides I’ve already ridden dozens of times before. So I rented all my 2020 and 2021 points. It was easy and renting those points paid for the dues plus additional beautiful accommodations in other locations. The drive to return to Disney will likely return in the future, but for now I’m still a happy owner because I can easily rent my points and make a nice profit while I’m at it. It doesn’t hurt that I could also outright sell all my points for over twice what I paid.

Just curious what other places you've found the visit that you like? I'm looking for ideas! Our go-tos have been Disney and Hawaii for years - neither of which we want to go to in the current state of things. We did the forest last year, mostly hiking. It was kinda meh. All the hikes started to look the same each day.

 

[dominickolas]

Well it looks like the results are in. People on this board do not have any regrets about buying their DVC.

To help the original poster, I have seen many people share various regrets.

There are legitimate reasons for people to have regrets. Remember, DVC is not for everyone.

If you could not afford it, but hoped your income would rise to ease the burden, you may be in a pickle.

Some people do not hold their contract long enough to reap all of the rewards. On average, people hold their contract 7-8 years. On this board I think they hold it much longer.

Some people change their feelings towards Disney. Maybe their kids don't like it as much as they did.

Some people regret buying direct and not getting more points by buying resale.

Some people regret buying resale, because they didn't know how much they would like Riviera or that they feel like 2nd class owners.

I just wanted to add some balance here. It is a huge purchase especially direct these days for anyone coming on board.

 

[808blessing]

I sometimes wonder if I will regret not selling it and cashing out. When I sell, I am making my buy-in back, thus reducing my outlay costs entirely. I wonder how I can time that sometimes and if I should. This is my anticipated regret. Lol

 

[RoseGold]

Well it looks like the results are in. People on this board do not have any regrets about buying their DVC

To be fair, those people sold and aren't on these boards anymore, LOL. I am sure there are plenty of people who regret buying DVC or probating an estate in Florida to inherit it. It is a timeshare after all.

 

[JoeA]

We're older, with adult children who are now having children of their own. We have taken many trips with the whole family (i.e. our kids and their spouses and our parents etc,), and trips with just the wife and I, and everything in-between.

We are now excited to start taking grandchildren!

Some trips include the Disney parks, some are Universal trips, and some are just pool and chill vacations.

I think DVC has actually "forced" us to vacation more, which is kinda why we bought in the first place.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

Just curious what other places you've found the visit that you like? I'm looking for ideas! Our go-tos have been Disney and Hawaii for years - neither of which we want to go to in the current state of things. We did the forest last year, mostly hiking. It was kinda meh. All the hikes started to look the same each day.

We do weekly house rentals in Cape Cod in the summer. It is a week of absolute relaxation and family bonding. If you are on the east coast, it is a good option. We also do cruises to Bermuda (out of NYC) and Caribbean (out of Canaveral). All are good options.

 

[bbeagle]

I honestly don't think I could stomach paying rack rate for the Poly at this point. I'd probably stay off property before I paid rack rate for the Poly.

For 200 points, Poly resale is about $40,000 and Poly direct is $48,000. Resale adds another $2000 worth of fees, direct does not. Plus direct gives you a loaded contract. Many resales can’t be used until 2023 as the points from 2021 and 2022 have been used already. Sometimes even some 2023 points have been used.

If you’re taking a vacation in 2022, a loaded direct DVC contract will allow you to take a double-points vacation with your contract this year. Buying resale, you'll have to pay this year with cash, then next year be able to use your DVC.

 

[limace]

For 200 points, Poly resale is about $40,000 and Poly direct is $48,000. Resale adds another $2000 worth of fees, direct does not. Plus direct gives you a loaded contract. Many resales can’t be used until 2023 as the points from 2021 and 2022 have been used already. Sometimes even some 2023 points have been used.

If you’re taking a vacation in 2022, a loaded direct DVC contract will allow you to take a double-points vacation with your contract this year. Buying resale, you'll have to pay this year with cash, then next year be able to use your DVC.

I’m confused by your math here. There’s a 200 point Poly contract with all 22 points that passed ROFR a couple weeks ago listed in the ROFR thread. 34K total. I’m not sure what you mean about $2000 dollars in extra fees and direct you don’t pay any-and I don’t think anyone is paying $200 a point for larger PVB contracts.

The dvcstore.com has a loaded PVB contract listed for $173 right now.

 

[DVCSunDevil]

For 200 points, Poly resale is about $40,000 and Poly direct is $48,000. Resale adds another $2000 worth of fees, direct does not. Plus direct gives you a loaded contract. Many resales can’t be used until 2023 as the points from 2021 and 2022 have been used already. Sometimes even some 2023 points have been used.

If you’re taking a vacation in 2022, a loaded direct DVC contract will allow you to take a double-points vacation with your contract this year. Buying resale, you'll have to pay this year with cash, then next year be able to use your DVC.

I’m not sure this is accurate. Number one, you can get a 200 point resale Poly for around $35k. Number two, resale absolute does not add on another $2k worth of fees. Number three, there isn’t any redirection on using your resale points once you close. There are many loaded resale contracts and those points can be used immediately…you don’t need to wait until 2023. I’m not sure why you think you would have to pay this year with cash and wait until next year to use points.