Should I buy?

[Disney Kim]

Hi,

I'm just wanting to get some opinions on the Disney timeshare, Me and my husband went to disney last year in August and loved it!
We stayed at Port Orleans and loved it but this year I want to stay in one of the deluxes (We are thinking to go in August again or sept, we don't have any kids so that time of year is great for us)

Looking at the prices I am wondering if it is worth it to buy into the timeshare.. considering every year we vacation is going to cost us 3-4 thousand dollars anyways..

We are a young couple (almost 25 ) and we would need to finance most of it.. is it still worth it than??? And is 150 (or 160 as the lady from disney on the phone said in March 160 is the new minimum to buy) is that too many points? she said most people find when they buy less they want more..

But are we better to buy less (from a re-sale) for now considering we would probably only stay in a studio anyways (being on the two of us) and than buy more points later? or should we buy the whole amount and rent (gift) them to our friends/family? Or maybe go twice a year...

I would love advice from some people who already own part of it..

Thanks

Kim

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Kim,

You're going to get tons of responses on this one that will take you in 10 different directions! We looked into it when we were close to your age, but decided to wait, as we had just purchased a house. Now at 36, we just purchased 390 points at SSR. We also financed, as we got a great deal through our current mortgage lender. Here's what I've read on the boards...

* Most feel you get your money's worth if you travel to Disney at least every other year.
* Most feel it's not a good investment if you have to finance. In crunching the numbers and banking on costs of accommodations going up, we thought we'd, at minimum, break even.
* Most feel that you can sell down a little ways down the road for a profit. Be careful, as all resorts except SSR and AKV expire in 2042. SSR expires 2054 and AKV in 2057. This may impact resale in the future (depending on where you buy).

In terms of the number of points, think of when you travel and what type of room you'll need. For us, that's changed through the years. When we were your age, we were having our son, so a 1 bedroom or studio would have been plenty. We have 2 kids and travel with my parents a good bit, so we wanted to be able to get a 2-bedroom. We also travel in the summer, as DH teaches. When you think through that, go and play around with the points calculator and see what you feel you'll need. I would then suggest buying accordingly if it fits within your budget. You can always add more points down the road. Please remember, in addition to the buy-in cost, you have to pay maintenance fees, which on SSR is $4.12 per point. This is due in January every year and our guide told us to plan on a 3 - 5% increase every year. SSR is either the lowest or next to lowest, so that will give you an idea for fees.

If you are going down this year, read the boards, look at resale and go for a tour when your down there. That will help you decide if it's the right move for you. Bottom line, take the time to make an informed decision and you won't go wrong!

Best of luck to you!!!
Bridgett

 

[Deb & Bill]

The king sized bed and the jacuzzi tub in the one bedroom villa is really nice for a WDW stay. That's even more deluxe than you can get in most of the deluxe resorts unless you stay in a special room.

If all you would stay in is a studio, that's not much more than a regular hotel room. The one bedroom is a big step up.

 

[goodcook5]

DVC is increasingly difficult to book at your desired dates. If you are not very very flexible it is not worth your money to travel in non peak times just to stay on property. One extra house payment a year will save you thousands and thousands of dollars. You can then use that money after your house is piad off to vacation anywhere.

 

[sanbornangel]

My DH and I went to Port Orleans last year as well. We are not as young as you (early 40's), but it is just the 2 of us now. Over the last few years everytime we would look into a vacation we would end up planning Disney. So this year when we were planning we decided to take the plunge. We have just purchased and actually just received our membership cards. I am so excited. We purchased 190 points, this gives us enough to take 2 trips to any resort any time of the year (practically). We can still invite family (even in a studio..it sleeps 4). We don't usually spend much time in the room anyway. Some years we can do other things, such as a cruise, beach, or another country. Many years passed by without vacations, I am not letting that happen again. Owning a time share kind of forces you to take time to enjoy life! I am ecstatic that we are members

 

[Deb & Bill]

You always hear "you won't spend much time in your room anyway", but I'd bet a lot of DVC members do spend a lot more time in their villa, just relaxing or taking in the atmosphere.

It can be difficult to get a DVC reservation if you want to stay in a specific place or type of unit or you can't plan. DVC really requires planning and you can't wait until a month or so before making your reservation. Lots of DVC members have one or two reservations made at a time, 11 month or 7 months out. If you have specific wants or needs, buy where you want to stay the most (or at least where you won't mind staying the most). If getting a GV is important, you'll want to buy where there are GVs available. If you want to stay close to Epcot and Disney Studios, you'll want to buy at BWV or BCV.

 

[HockeyKat]

We are a bit older (30s) but DH wishes he had done this 10 yrs ago.

I downloaded a spreadsheet,that did all the calculations for my point needs (210), and I added what the financing charges would be (we are doing a 5 yr loan). I based our comparison on 15 nights, since we are planning three 5 night trips a year. Our break-even point on full-price deluxe rooms was 2008. On 30% discounted deluxe rooms or full-price moderate rooms, it was 2015. On discounted moderate rooms, it was 2028.

This spreadsheet assumed you took the cash that you are using for DVC and put it into an account that gave a 7% return, and put that 7% back into the account. It also adjusted for inflation on the room costs, and annual dues increases.

-Kat

 

[mb168]

If you like Disney then it is definitely worth looking into, especially if you are considering going on a regular basis. You'll find a lot of people here that are just like you; started off staying at Port Orleans for a week (with kids maybe), heard about DVC after they were hooked on Disney, HOOKED. It just makes sense at some point if you're paying to go that often, to look hard at DVC. The other thing it's allowed us to do is to go more often than once a year. We do a trip every June with 7 of us (me, DW, DD11, DS10, DD8, DD3, MIL) and have a 2BR from Sun-Fri. Then we have enough points for DW and I to go back in October during Food and Wine in a BCV studio from Thur-Sun and be able to walk right in to EPCOT, and then have a few points left over for a spur of the moment trip like we just had last weekend booking a trip one week before leaving.

We had been going every other year since '01 at Thanksgiving from Wed-Sun but have decided to free up those points. It had been empty I guess after 9/11 that first year but gradually built back up each year since so we'll make better use of those points at other times of the year. But seeing WDW decorated for Christmas is awesome. Having enough points (and time) to go more than once a year allows you to see Disney at different times of the year because it changes. Most people think it's the same every time they go because they see it at the same time every year. Another thing it's allowed us to do is slooowwww dowwwwwnnn. We don't have to be park commandos any more. If we don't do it on this trip, we'll do it in a few months when we go back.

I'll caution you though, it's addictive far worse than crack. DVC is a gateway drug if you will. You'll start coming to these boards, and seeing mostly positive things about Disney and DVC. Then if you have any logical brain left over to see through the pixie dust cloud and make an educated decision to buy you'll start going. Then you'll realize you need APs, but they are enablers. They make arrival days turn into park days. You'll no longer be worried about "wasting" a ticket because you go to Orlando at 5:00PM and go straight to EPCOT for dinner, not to mention trying to find more ways to come back because you have a get in free card now. Then you'll realize that you can start using codes to get an AP discount on rooms, and you'll be paying cash to stay at Port Orleans again because you've been there before an dliked it, except it won't seem the same because DVC spoils you, especially if you ever decide to try a 1BR (double that if its at OKW.) Then you'll be back on the boards here looking for advice on if you should add to your contract. Not to mention that now you're a DVC member with APs, you'll be getting 10% off at shops, entertainment, and dining (food only) and then start looking for more and you'll find the Disney Dining Experience card which is 20% off including beverages (alcohol too). Its a vicious cycle, you're now a Disney crack addict. You'll be surfing the boards at work now hiding from your boss and co workers. Yep, then you'll be just like us, happy Disney freaks, hopped up on pixie dust, looking for another high.

Oh my God, we need a support group!!! a 10 step program!!! I guess it's better than real drugs

 

[3DisneyKids]

The king sized bed and the jacuzzi tub in the one bedroom villa is really nice for a WDW stay. That's even more deluxe than you can get in most of the deluxe resorts unless you stay in a special room.

If all you would stay in is a studio, that's not much more than a regular hotel room. The one bedroom is a big step up.

SEE??? It really is all about the King bed for you!! Omg, too funny!

BOP, best of luck with your decision...read, read, read, and read some more...lol...it takes research to make sure the decision is right for you.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

We are a bit older (30s) but DH wishes he had done this 10 yrs ago.

I downloaded a spreadsheet,that did all the calculations for my point needs (210), and I added what the financing charges would be (we are doing a 5 yr loan). I based our comparison on 15 nights, since we are planning three 5 night trips a year. Our break-even point on full-price deluxe rooms was 2008. On 30% discounted deluxe rooms or full-price moderate rooms, it was 2015. On discounted moderate rooms, it was 2028.

This spreadsheet assumed you took the cash that you are using for DVC and put it into an account that gave a 7% return, and put that 7% back into the account. It also adjusted for inflation on the room costs, and annual dues increases.

-Kat

wow!! I'm impressed. We are just starting to look into this idea, and while I have no idea what a lot of what you just wrote means, i am impressed with the work and time you put into figuring it all out!