Seeking information from LONG TIME DVC members...

[friends with mickey]

We have been DVC owners since the first year of it's existence. It has been the BEST family investment we have ever made. OKW is our home and still our favorite place to stay. The rooms are the largest of the resorts and the grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. What do we miss the most , the Concierge Collection keeps shrinking. One thing that I never see mentioned on the boards is using DVC points to stay other places besides Disney. We have planned every family vacation since we joined based on where can we go and use our points to stay. We have been to Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Maui, Sonoma, Berkley,Disneyland and Paris Disney. The places you stay using DVC points are Deluxe, and we could not afford to pay for the great accomdations. When DVC first began you could only use your points away from Disney only after you had used points to stay at Disney, now there is no restriction as to where you use points. We still love Disney and go once a year, but the real value to DVC is using your points to explore the world. We are going on our first Disney Cruise in October using points, and then to WDW for Food and Wine. Our kids have grown up with DVC and now use points for trips with out us and we go with out them as well. Since Disney allowed charter members to add 15 years to our contracts at a commemorative price of 15 dollars a point, we will be using our membership until 2057. The club has gotten better every year! I hope this helps and enjoy your membership.

 

[Dean]

My wife and I first bought into DVC in September of 2008 at Animal Kingdom Villas.
Before we bought in we had been in DVC's communication plan as prospects and had received a lot of information about the program including a hardback 'dream book' which we were blown away by! What a beautiful and quality publication! But we haven't received once since - we keep getting the paperback version - and don't have any problems with it - but it's not as nice.
Does anybody else miss the nice hard bound edition dream book?

Also from reading up on DVC history over the last few years I have found that yearly point charts hadn't really changed much until the last 3-4 years. Is this correct?

Also when we showed up an Animal Kingdom Villas last December expecting free Valet service - we were shocked! That was one of the selling points for us for DVC - it's a step 'above' staying at a Deluxe- resort, not only because of the same standard of customer service - but for the 'perks' that are exclusive to members of the Disney Vacation Club!

I guess what I am saying is that we miss some perks that were park of the program when we bought just a few short years ago - and are wondering "What will disappear next?"

With all of the pricing and promotional offers that are out there for the general public to stay on Disney property - I feel like 'perks' should not be disappearing. DVC members cannot use points and take advantage of free dining, DVC members are not offered reserve X number of nights - and get X number of nights free, and I guess most importantly DVC members are no longer the only ones greeted by 'Welcome Home!" It has spread to almost all of the resorts!

DVC is - based on my research - one of the most expensive timeshares/fractional ownership/vacation clubs out there - not only to buy into but to maintain as well - and we expect a lot out of our membership.

So, DVC should be doing more to keep its members happy, satisfied, and coming back.

What perks do you miss that you have been removed since you became a member?
How many times has your point chart changed since you purchased?

Do you keep an eye on the various DVC resale groups to see if your investment is holding its value or if the bottom has dropped out?

I guess I'm just curious to hear from and start up a conversation with the 'old guard' - people who are charter DVC members - or bought into DVC when there were only a few resort options, and people who have been members for 8-10+ years.

My wife and I are 27 and 28 respectively - so we are young - and we consider ourselves SO very fortunate to be owners - and have the ability to call member services anytime and know that a getaway could just be a day away!

Thanks in advance for all of your posts!

What it boils down to is that all you were guaranteed was the ability to make a reservation at your home resort for "around" the same number of points you were looking at when you bought. We all hope for more but that is the essence of the legal commitment.

 

[csharpwv]

We have been DVC owners since the first year of it's existence. It has been the BEST family investment we have ever made. OKW is our home and still our favorite place to stay. The rooms are the largest of the resorts and the grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. What do we miss the most , the Concierge Collection keeps shrinking. One thing that I never see mentioned on the boards is using DVC points to stay other places besides Disney. We have planned every family vacation since we joined based on where can we go and use our points to stay. We have been to Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Maui, Sonoma, Berkley,Disneyland and Paris Disney. The places you stay using DVC points are Deluxe, and we could not afford to pay for the great accomdations. When DVC first began you could only use your points away from Disney only after you had used points to stay at Disney, now there is no restriction as to where you use points. We still love Disney and go once a year, but the real value to DVC is using your points to explore the world. We are going on our first Disney Cruise in October using points, and then to WDW for Food and Wine. Our kids have grown up with DVC and now use points for trips with out us and we go with out them as well. Since Disney allowed charter members to add 15 years to our contracts at a commemorative price of 15 dollars a point, we will be using our membership until 2057. The club has gotten better every year! I hope this helps and enjoy your membership.

Friends with Mickey,

Your post really did brighten my day! You know it's kind of funny - DVC really does make us want to explore the world. After staying at Animal Kingdom this past December and listening to a native South African make a presentation about her home country - we really want to do the ABD Safari now!

Plus we are planning an Alaskan Cruise next year - in conjunction with a trip to see Mickey at his original homestead

You will LOVE Disney Cruise Line - for every reason you may get tired of WDW even just a sliver. Cruises are so relaxing - and Disney KNOWS what their guests want - and they provide that - and more! We had our first cruise this past December (we made our own land and sea DVC package )

We have out next cruise THIS December thanks to our add on at BLT when the promotion was a 7 nights cruise.

I don't doubt that it was a good investment - it's just that when things change - and services that added value to your resort stay are removed it just makes me think that it's a downhill slide. But - as long as we can go see Mickey and friends once or twice a year - and sail out into the big blue world - we will be sitting on a treasure all our own.

ALSO - thanks for sharing what the contract extension price was! We had wondered about that - you got a great deal in extending the life of your OKW points!

That's something else I have wondered - what will DVC do when all of their resorts reach the lifespan of the current RTU contract dates? There is no way they would ever just discontinue the program and release ALL of that room inventory to chash reservations only- but I also find it hard to believe that they would totally begin member sales phases on the DVC resorts all over again. What a major expense that would be!

But - that's way too many years down the road to worry too much about!

So - until then - We will explore the World - AND the WORLD!

 

[cseca]

Hmmm, maybe I spoke too soon about discounts decreasing in quality and quantity. Just saw this:

2011 Discount Rumors - posted by Pete W on 8/14

(But I'm still happy with our DVC purchase).

GAH!!!!

goodbye decent dining with reasonable booking window...

The better reason to have my points, now I have that option to actually cook in my room... ok, when I say cook I mean calling in deliveries... Thank goodness for fridge and microwave!

Regarding the missing perks, I don't really use alot of them except for AP discount. I hope hope hope they keep that on for a long long while. And free internet... I like that too.

I pay lots of $ for this timeshare and all I really want is clean and well maintained units and amenities. Other than that they could do whatever they want with the perks. Without a good place to stay in there's no perks in the world would make me keep my membership.

That's JMO of course.

edit:
Oh I just did some number crunching (love me some math.. ).

Comparing these rates for 2 Adults for January 2011 visit 5 nights (Friday-Wednesday)

AP room rate discount + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
vs.
Free Dining (FD) package
vs.
$500 gift card package
vs.
DVC points (assuming $7.2pp ownership cost) + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix

with AP room rate discount + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
BCV or BWV studio = $ 2130
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 2586

with FD package
BCV or BWV studio = $ 2447
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 3207

with $500GC ALREADY taken out:
BCV or BWV studio = $ 1947
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 2707

DVC points (assuming $7.2pp ownership cost) + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
BCV studio = $ 1520
BCV 1 br = $ 1995

BWV studio = $ 1370
BWV 1 br = $ 1787


There you go, apples to apples to apples to apples comparison.
The only variable would be your ownership cost pp. I calculated mine at around $7.2 for 2011 use year.
With those numbers you can see that your membership is worth it, at least for the next year or so.

 

[kimberh]

GAH!!!!

goodbye decent dining with reasonable booking window...

The better reason to have my points, now I have that option to actually cook in my room... ok, when I say cook I mean calling in deliveries... Thank goodness for fridge and microwave!

Regarding the missing perks, I don't really use alot of them except for AP discount. I hope hope hope they keep that on for a long long while. And free internet... I like that too.

I pay lots of $ for this timeshare and all I really want is clean and well maintained units and amenities. Other than that they could do whatever they want with the perks. Without a good place to stay in there's no perks in the world would make me keep my membership.

That's JMO of course.

edit:
Oh I just did some number crunching (love me some math.. ).

Comparing these rates for 2 Adults for January 2011 visit 5 nights (Friday-Wednesday)

AP room rate discount + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
vs.
Free Dining (FD) package
vs.
$500 gift card package
vs.
DVC points (assuming $7.2pp ownership cost) + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix

with AP room rate discount + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
BCV or BWV studio = $ 2130
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 2586

with FD package
BCV or BWV studio = $ 2447
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 3207

with $500GC ALREADY taken out:
BCV or BWV studio = $ 1947
BCV or BWV 1 br = $ 2707

DVC points (assuming $7.2pp ownership cost) + Regular Dining + 2 5day-MYW base tix
BCV studio = $ 1520
BCV 1 br = $ 1995

BWV studio = $ 1370
BWV 1 br = $ 1787


There you go, apples to apples to apples to apples comparison.
The only variable would be your ownership cost pp. I calculated mine at around $7.2 for 2011 use year.
With those numbers you can see that your membership is worth it, at least for the next year or so.

I was just telling my husband that I was going to break these packages apart. Thanks for doing it. I know that everytime I have checked the free dining againt DVC Villas, DVC comes out much cheaper.

 

[csharpwv]

WOW CSECA!

Thanks for the breakdown - I hadn't thought of comparing all of the current offers.

When we did add ons at BLT and then later at SSR, I did a breakdown that factored in all of the purchase price and then the yearly point maint. fees, and figured out what the total cost of the contract would be over it's lifetime - and while that number was a little staggering - I now see that the savings over all of the current offers in pretty fantastic. I guess that I had come to think of Free Dining as a bird in the hand - but it turns out that Free Dining really isn't free - so no need to bother with worrying about it.

It's nice to enjoy a week worth of meals 'thinking' you didn't pay for it - however - in light of your math - every time I step into our villa - I'll know I got the better deal

Thanks so much!

 

[cseca]

You're welcome both!
I love me some math... a chance to use my brain other than answering DD's "what's that?" a hundred times a day...

Plus I always get curious on dvc "savings" everytime I see new promos get released. It's a fun thing to do and a confirmation for me that DVC is still saving me $ after all these years.

Enjoy your membership!

 

[wdwnut]

I miss the update pages for our binder. I "found" it again the other day on a shelf in a closet. I thought it just made things easier to keep in one place. I loved the excitement for all of us when we would open it to plan our next trip.

 

[tmagg]

We have been members since 1998, and at first with 3 small children we used it all of the time, but now with the kids off to college, we don't use it as much and have points leftover every year. I was thinking about selling it and have looked at the prices and they are definately above the $55/point I had paid for our 230 points at the BWV. But this is not a forever membership and it runs out now in less than 30 years. I suspect the longer I wait the less the points will be worth.

The only perk I really enjoy is out of hours access to the parks. I hate lines and this is the best time to go. But this perk is available to anyone staying at the park.

 

[DebbieB]

WOW cop_op_2000 - that' is a tough pill to swallow - having bought in with the knowledge that you have the ability to vacation 27 days each year and have that down to 17 now - That's frightening! DVC is a sizable investment upfront and each year there after - and to know that a right to use situation is that volatile - is troubling.

That's awesome that you have a CM in the family that can 'get' you in. We have a CM in the family as well - but we never ask them for anything - if offered we jump but otherwise - we leave it up to the 'magic' to encounter surprises!

That's a huge difference. What dates are you comparing? With that many days, you should be crossing over weekends to help balance it out. Or are you doing several weekday trips?

 

[simpilotswife]

The only perk that we have used that I enjoyed was the "free" valet but I agree that people who don't use it shouldn't have to pay for it.

 

[speicher46]

We have been members since 1997 and own 400 points at OKW and 400 points at SSR. I never looked at this as an investment per se but as a way to provide a lifetime of quality vacations for my family. It you look at it this way, it is an excellent deal. I just checked out four nights for a 2 bedroom at BLT and it was somewhere around $4600.00. The same 2 bedroom at BLT takes 192 points. This is a huge difference and what makes DVC so attractive. Points have not increased at my home resorts since joining. In fact we were told that these would never change and that was one of the big advantages of owning. You are able to lock in years of vacations at today's prices. I hope that to still be true.

 

[Sammie]

Perks come and go, and while I enjoy them if we have them, I am ok with them being removed also.

The change that has affected us the most in a negative manner is the change to the banking policy.