Should I get a DVC?

[Figment632]

I get a Discount as a CM and my GF is all about is but I see no reason to purchase.

1. I just see no benefit??? You shell out 20K but you still have to buy park tickets.

2. Even then you are never guaranteed a room.

3. This is the main reason I am against it there is a $600 annual fee. SO after the initial 20K over the life of the DVC they wan another 30!

4. I don't see any extra benefits. Like (if they did this I would sign up today) Guarantee me a room whenever I want no matter what time of year it is and priority access to restaurants in WDW.

 

[kamik86]

You might not see much of a difference being a CM but for me the rooms are much cheaper then we could get for deluxe rooms otherwise (unless you had a good discount but those aren't always available for the dates you want) and I have no problem planning early since I normally like to plan very early anyway.

I understand why they can't guarentee you a room whenever you want because what if all the DVC members want a room at the same time. There just aren't enough so timeshares either don't guarentee or your guarenteed a room but only for YOUR week.

Even with the dues the cost is still lower. I figured out the cost I paid for each point this year by giving the portion of my original cost for this year and the maintenance fees and use that to decide if using the points is a good deal or not. So the maintenance fee cost doesn't bother me at all.

It isn't for everyone so maybe its not really a good deal for you but for me it definitely was.

 

[thebwit]

Ok I was very skeptical as well at first that this could potentially not be a good deal. So let me break down the numbers for you like I did. Keep in mind these numbers are based off of Bay Lake Tower at $120 a point and getting $10 off per point credit (current incentive).

160 points is $17,600 ($19,200 - $1,600 = $17,600).
You must keep this for 50 years. So $17,600 divided by 50 years equals $352 per year.

Anual dues for 160 points is $604.10 a year not including inflation. Total points per year cost is $956.10 which equals roughly $5.96 per point. Lets round up to $6 per point.

Using points for my trip in September it would cost me 102 points to stay in a studio size room (what I had already booked prior to joining DVC). 102 points is 64% of my points for a year.

1 year's worth of points costs $956.10 and 64% of that is $611.90. That is what I would be paying for a STUDIO room using points. My actual cost for the room was $2,171. $611,90 is 28% of $2,171 so I am saving 72% on the room alone if I chose to get only a STUDIO room.

Now I have chosen to get a 1 Bedroom room with a better view than standard which is costing me 196 points. 196*$6 = $1,176. Even getting a BIGGER ROOM with a better view I am still saving 46% on my original room rate.

Now before you start saying well what about the promotions and what not that Disney offers. Currently there are two promotions: Free Dining plan with purchase of a regular resort stay (ie full price) or 40% off your room.

Now we did the math on these as well and if you get the free dining plan or get 40% off your room and buy the dining plan it comes out to the same price.

But lets back track to that 40% off. Room rate of $2,171 discounted by 40% is $1,302.60. Using the numbers above, if I got the SAME ROOM using points it would be $611.90 which is still 54% cheaper than what Disney is offering as a "discount". My larger room with a better view is 10% cheaper than the discounted room rate.

You are complaining about tickets not being included, but tickets are rarely included with any deal that Disney offers. Even their "free dining plan" isn't really free. It's just a marketing ploy.

I hope this helps.

 

[Figment632]

Ok as a CM I get 50 off the room and Tickets for myself. Everyone else has to pay full price for the ticket.

 

[n2mm]

Ok as a CM I get 50 off the room and Tickets for myself. Everyone else has to pay full price for the ticket.

My DH use to be a CM (for 8 years) and we had a hard time with the whole DVC process. We knew he would not be a CM forever, so DVC was the best solution. Will you be a CM for the rest of your career? I thought thebwit did a great job in breaking down the numbers. All I know is that after we paid off the initial purchase, the only thing we pay are the MF. We bought in just months before he quit being a CM and it was the best solution for us.

 

[CNPHILLY]

I get a Discount as a CM and my GF is all about is but I see no reason to purchase.

1. I just see no benefit??? You shell out 20K but you still have to buy park tickets.

2. Even then you are never guaranteed a room.

3. This is the main reason I am against it there is a $600 annual fee. SO after the initial 20K over the life of the DVC they wan another 30!

4. I don't see any extra benefits. Like (if they did this I would sign up today) Guarantee me a room whenever I want no matter what time of year it is and priority access to restaurants in WDW.

1. Yes (with the exception of the "no benefit" stuff)

2. Of course not...I don't know why you would think that every DVC member who wants a specific room on, say, New Year's Eve would get that room.

3. Yes...someone has to pay for the property taxes and maintenance.

4. Plenty of extra benefits, including with APs. Your other requests are a little unreasonable and/or unrealistic.

It sounds to me (judging from your questions) like you don't have a full understanding of how DVC works, or haven't thought through the potential value over the period of the contract. While it may or may not be right for you, a basic background presentation on how DVC works may be helpful.

 

[chalee94]

I get a Discount as a CM and my GF is all about is but I see no reason to purchase.

as long as you are getting 50% discounts as a CM, there is no reason to purchase DVC IMO.

but if you stop working for disney and still want to go to wdw on a regular basis and wind up having to pay wdw hotel prices like the rest of us, it is a great option to have.

 

[skruggie]

Ok as a CM I get 50 off the room and Tickets for myself. Everyone else has to pay full price for the ticket.

I would suggest that you ask these questions on the CM board, there are several CM's with DVC that could explain the benefits.

 

[Disneypubgal]

Ok as a CM I get 50 off the room and Tickets for myself. Everyone else has to pay full price for the ticket.

I was a cast member for just over ten years... and I can assure you that DVC is a better deal for CM's than the cast discount...

As a cast member you are not guaranteed a room or the 50% off... sometimes it is less (25%) and you will not get a room if there is full paying customer that booked before you. Your discount will always be off of current rates which will always go up... will DVC dues increase? Yes they do increase, but not at the same rate as cash reservations do. As a dvc member you are not guaranteed a room... but most likely if you call at the 11 month window at your home resort you will get a room. Do you plan on staying with Disney for the rest of your life??? Probably not.... when you leave the discount you got on your DVC remains, you are not asked to pay the difference...

 

[starstruck93]

Ok I was very skeptical as well at first that this could potentially not be a good deal. So let me break down the numbers for you like I did. Keep in mind these numbers are based off of Bay Lake Tower at $120 a point and getting $10 off per point credit (current incentive).

160 points is $17,600 ($19,200 - $1,600 = $17,600).
You must keep this for 50 years. So $17,600 divided by 50 years equals $352 per year.

Anual dues for 160 points is $604.10 a year not including inflation. Total points per year cost is $956.10 which equals roughly $5.96 per point. Lets round up to $6 per point.

Using points for my trip in September it would cost me 102 points to stay in a studio size room (what I had already booked prior to joining DVC). 102 points is 64% of my points for a year.

1 year's worth of points costs $956.10 and 64% of that is $611.90. That is what I would be paying for a STUDIO room using points. My actual cost for the room was $2,171. $611,90 is 28% of $2,171 so I am saving 72% on the room alone if I chose to get only a STUDIO room.

Now I have chosen to get a 1 Bedroom room with a better view than standard which is costing me 196 points. 196*$6 = $1,176. Even getting a BIGGER ROOM with a better view I am still saving 46% on my original room rate.

Now before you start saying well what about the promotions and what not that Disney offers. Currently there are two promotions: Free Dining plan with purchase of a regular resort stay (ie full price) or 40% off your room.

Now we did the math on these as well and if you get the free dining plan or get 40% off your room and buy the dining plan it comes out to the same price.

But lets back track to that 40% off. Room rate of $2,171 discounted by 40% is $1,302.60. Using the numbers above, if I got the SAME ROOM using points it would be $611.90 which is still 54% cheaper than what Disney is offering as a "discount". My larger room with a better view is 10% cheaper than the discounted room rate.

You are complaining about tickets not being included, but tickets are rarely included with any deal that Disney offers. Even their "free dining plan" isn't really free. It's just a marketing ploy.

I hope this helps.

Wow... you did a great job breaking all of that down. DH has a degree in engineering and could not even do this!.... When we decided to buy he said "I like DVC because we're locking in a price for the hotels"; for him that was enough... oh, and I was really wanting to "Own" a bit of the magic and pushed for it!. I'm going to be sure to show this to him' thanks for posting it! April

 

[starstruck93]

I was a cast member for just over ten years... and I can assure you that DVC is a better deal for CM's than the cast discount...

As a cast member you are not guaranteed a room or the 50% off... sometimes it is less (25%) and you will not get a room if there is full paying customer that booked before you. Your discount will always be off of current rates which will always go up... will DVC dues increase? Yes they do increase, but not at the same rate as cash reservations do. As a dvc member you are not guaranteed a room... but most likely if you call at the 11 month window at your home resort you will get a room. Do you plan on staying with Disney for the rest of your life??? Probably not.... when you leave the discount you got on your DVC remains, you are not asked to pay the difference...

Yes... so true.... Not to mention, DVC can be used at so many other locations besides Disney. Therefore you're getting a discount all over the world.

 

[ToddyLu]

Plain and simple, DH and I cannot afford to pay cash for our yearly trip to WDW and stay in a studio with savannah view. That would be $3500. So we opted for DVC instead. This past Nov we got 2 studios with our points for a total of $7000. In our early 40 and mid 40's DVC is our luxury vacation and we love it. We had only stayed at values unitl our purchase...now DH and I are resort snobs and really enjoy the amenities at AKV.

Some people golf, hunt or go boating...We go DVCing And for us it was a great way to spend our money.

 

[Figment632]

1. Yes (with the exception of the "no benefit" stuff)

2. Of course not...I don't know why you would think that every DVC member who wants a specific room on, say, New Year's Eve would get that room.

3. Yes...someone has to pay for the property taxes and maintenance.

4. Plenty of extra benefits, including with APs. Your other requests are a little unreasonable and/or unrealistic.

It sounds to me (judging from your questions) like you don't have a full understanding of how DVC works, or haven't thought through the potential value over the period of the contract. While it may or may not be right for you, a basic background presentation on how DVC works may be helpful.

The package I was sent said discounts on hotel amenities and other things of that nature. To me that are not enough for the 40K I am going to be paying.

 

[Disneypubgal]

$40K, how many points were you looking to purchase????

 

[Figment632]

$40K, how many points were you looking to purchase????

It was 160 so it was 17K then 50 years of a $600 annual fee I just rounded to 40 K.

 

[CNPHILLY]

It was 160 so it was 17K then 50 years of a $600 annual fee I just rounded to 40 K.

The problem is that you are just counting the overall costs (and your calculations are a little skewed because you don't count inflation, etc.) without figuring whether the benefits over the years outdo those costs. It sounds from your posts as if you've made up your mind that you don't want to do DVC, and as such want to pretty much ignore all of the benefits received by being a member. I think the other posters in your thread have been more than helpful in going over the benefits of DVC. If it's not for you, then it's not for you.

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

It was 160 so it was 17K then 50 years of a $600 annual fee I just rounded to 40 K.

It'll actually be far more than $40K over the next 50 years, because the MF's will go up each year and there's a lost opportunity cost with the money you initially invest, but don't forget that for that money, you also get 50 years worth of hotel rooms at a Disney deluxe resort. You have to compare like products over a like time frame to get an accurate picture.

Thebwit did a great job in their post of breaking down the ROI. Most math geeks and accounting nuts (like myself) will be able to show that if you're committed to DVC it will pay off in the long run, but if it's an impulse buy or a place you may want to go once in a while, you're likely much better off keeping the money in the bank, drawing off it each year to pay for your vacation, and handling it that way.

I hope that helps!

 

[Disneypubgal]

It was 160 so it was 17K then 50 years of a $600 annual fee I just rounded to 40 K.

So using your math, that would be about $800.00 per year for a deluxe room for a least a week for the next 50 years... Not a bad deal if you ask me.

 

[Figment632]

^^^

You are right I am biased going into in my GF is trying to convince me.

 

[thebwit]

So using your math, that would be about $800.00 per year for a deluxe room for a least a week for the next 50 years... Not a bad deal if you ask me.

That's why I broke it down like I did. So I could see exactly how much it really was costing me.