Should I buy? Uncertain

[caselaw3]

I am actually looking into that right now - I get very confused bby the renting aspect of things - I have just printed out the newbie page and am going to be reading through that tonight

 

[Missyrose]

Thanks Mav!! It is true we are totally flying high on pixie dust right now, lol although we had considered buying in to DVC before we went on the trip (this was my 5th trip to WDW but my families first). If it were up to me I would go every year 2-3 times a year but lets face it -I know my budget doesn't allow for that! I knew this was the place to go BEFORE i made any big decision regarding buying in to DVC! There is so much information to sort through and so much financially to think about! ... And I was thinking about that extra cost as well - if we are investing in the 150 point deal with 10 year financing - that's just over $3000 a year for just a place to stay - then we need to have airfare and park tickets, food, miscellaneous expenses - i mean yeah maybe after year 10 it would be beneficial but ....

Why not put the money you'd be paying monthly for a financed DVC contract away in savings for a little while and then buy a resale contract with cash? It will give you time to learn, time to breathe and time to figure out where Disney fits after more than just one family trip. If you were to then buy a 150-point contract somewhere at let's say $80 per point, your total with closing and dues would be just less than $14,000. You'd be spending your hard-earned cash on points, not the ridiculous finance charges you pay for financing a timeshare. Then, with all that interest payments you've saved, you'll have more money for MFs and Disney trips!

 

[HokieGCC]

Rule #1 - Disney is THE expert at separating you from your money. Although some may convince themselves that buying DVC "saves you money" it really "enables you to spend more money" at Disney. Everything Disney does is "fine tuned" to earn them more money and they are the best.

I recommend you understand every aspect of DVC compared with just going when you want before buying anything. That way you are fully aware of what you are committing to Disney. This board is great for that.

 

[pirateprincess81]

My husband and I purchased direct from Disney in 2012 and paid $105 per point for SSR, which was a pretty phenomenal deal compared with what the resale purchase price would have been at the time. Since then, the price has risen to $155 per point for direct purchases which is a pretty big jump (although there were pretty good credits and incentives when we initially bought in).

I must say that for us, buying into DVC was a great decision and it has enabled us to do a lot with our membership. We've taken two cruises (I know that many people say it is a waste of points, but you must take into account that it is all-inclusive with no extra money having to be forked out for food and park passes), and enjoyed two vacations at WDW.

There are definitely some perks to being a DVC member, such as reduced rates on annual passes if you are going to vacation multiple times per year, discount on Tables in Wonderland membership so you can get a discount at table service restaurants (personally, I am not a fan of the Disney Dining Plan because it's simply too much food) and feeling pressured into getting the most expensive entree on the menu to get the most for your money.

We have considered adding on to our membership via resale just to have more points to spend on villa accommodations at one of the DVC resorts, but we're still doing our research. I think you're doing the right thing by asking for opinions on this forum and other places, but for us, the numbers made sense because I did take into account the full period of ownership versus what an annual trip to Disney would cost, not even taking into account inflation over 40 years and the numbers worked out in favor of DVC membership. Hope this helps your decision.

 

[Msmithmd]

Considering that SSR was selling resale in the $60's- low $70's in 2012, I'm not sure how $105 would have been a phenomenal deal. But it beats the current direct pricing, there we can agree.

 

[pirateprincess81]

Considering that SSR was selling resale in the $60's- low $70's in 2012, I'm not sure how $105 would have been a phenomenal deal. But it beats the current direct pricing, there we can agree.

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places, but I didn't find any resale points for less than $85 per point, plus the hassle of trying to secure my own loan, and being locked out of using points for anything other than WDW DVC resorts justified the additional cost per point for us. I know that if we hadn't purchased direct from Disney, we probably never would have gone on a Disney cruise, and we're going on our 3rd this August. To us, price isn't the only factor that influenced our decision.

 

[Missyrose]

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places, but I didn't find any resale points for less than $85 per point, plus the hassle of trying to secure my own loan, and being locked out of using points for anything other than WDW DVC resorts justified the additional cost per point for us. I know that if we hadn't purchased direct from Disney, we probably never would have gone on a Disney cruise, and we're going on our 3rd this August. To us, price isn't the only factor that influenced our decision.

Listing prices can be very different from what people are actually paying.

 

[Msmithmd]

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places, but I didn't find any resale points for less than $85 per point, plus the hassle of trying to secure my own loan, and being locked out of using points for anything other than WDW DVC resorts justified the additional cost per point for us. I know that if we hadn't purchased direct from Disney, we probably never would have gone on a Disney cruise, and we're going on our 3rd this August. To us, price isn't the only factor that influenced our decision.

If you bought direct, took out a loan to buy direct, and then used those points to pay for multiple cruises, then yes, I'm quite certain that money wasn't the only factor that influenced your decision.

But hey, it's your money. More power to you. Glad you're enjoying the membership...

 

[disneynutz]

Perhaps I was looking in the wrong places, but I didn't find any resale points for less than $85 per point, plus the hassle of trying to secure my own loan, and being locked out of using points for anything other than WDW DVC resorts justified the additional cost per point for us. I know that if we hadn't purchased direct from Disney, we probably never would have gone on a Disney cruise, and we're going on our 3rd this August. To us, price isn't the only factor that influenced our decision.

I think that the important message for the average reader is that just because Disney says that you can use your points for something, doesn't mean that you should assume that it's the best deal.

Everyone has their reasons for how they use their points, what's important is that they are your points and you can use them as you see fit. What works for you and your family may not work for the next guy and that's the beauty of the options that are offered.

Bill

 

[Dean]

If you bought direct, took out a loan to buy direct, and then used those points to pay for multiple cruises, then yes, I'm quite certain that money wasn't the only factor that influenced your decision.

But hey, it's your money. More power to you. Glad you're enjoying the membership...

The difference between buying less point resale for just DVC and more points direct plus the loan costs in this situation would be around $17-20K early in the process plus the lost money compared to other options for non DVC options of maybe average $1K difference per non DVC trip. I used 150 pts to use only for DVC and 250 to use for DVC and other, specifics will change the numbers but not the principles. Invested, that's quite a large difference over someone's life.