Should we consider DVC even though we don't visit WDW every year?

[diznee25]

Hi everyone!

Just out of curiousity, would it be worth it to buy into DVC even if we only vacation at WDW once every 2.5 to 3 years, with each trip ranging from 8-12 days? (We live on the west coast and it would be hard to try and visit Florida every year. Which is why our lengths of stay are a week or longer.)



Thanks,
Michelle

 

[traycie2201]

we bought in in 1999 and go every other year , you can bank your points so that every other year you would have 2 years worth of points to use on your stay so could stay in a larger villa / higher grade hotel etc or save them for a cruise, also don't forget they can be used worldwide, rented out etc.
For example we didn't go last year and won't be going next year so we banked and borrowed and this year we are doing a week in the boardwalk and then a 7nt caribbean cruise , we took the 150pt option which has always been enough for our family of 3. since buying in we have done 1 week wilderness lodge studio, 1 week boardwalk 1 bed villa, 3 nts disneyland paris, and now 1 week boardwalk and 1 week cruise, DVC has now paid for itself through these trips and we don't regret buying in one bit, friends and family can also use your points if you're not or rent them from you. I'd do it again in a heartbeat but it depends obviously on whether it's in your budget. Good luck .

 

[Mark099]

Hi Michelle,

We live even further away than you. We were told you probably need to use your points at least every 2nd year to make DVC work. That said, should you be able to use all your points when you travel (even if only every 3 years) then you will still get your money's worth.

 

[lovesdisney]

Being from the UK, its not practical for us to go little and often with the cost of airfares, so we purchased just enough points to enable us go every other year in a 1 bedroom by banking and borrowing. This works out perfectly for us as well as allowing us to vacation elsewhere in the world in between 'Disney years'.

 

[MrsG]

Absolutely. The great thing about DVC is the ability to trade out, bank points and borrow pts, and not be held to a specific week each year. We only visit WDW approx every 3 years. So far we have used points for a Disney cruise, a weekend in Manhattan, and finally a week at home.

You won't regret your decision to buy.

 

[lisareniff]

It would definitely work well for a trip that was every other year for what ever length (assuming you purchased the appropiate amount of points). I would think it would be harder to use all the points only once every three years (not due to the number of points but using the exact amount). It would take a bit of planning. Has anyone had any sucess going every three years??

 

[Dean]

As long as you can use up all your points AT DVC resorts, you would do well as long as you planned well and went every 3 years or more. Decide how many points you'd need for an every 3 years trip and buy just a few extra. Plan on a 1 BR or larger, not a studio. Just realize that small changes in your plans wil affect the reasonableness greatly.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We're West-Coasters as well and bought with the intention of going to WDW every other year. As posted previously, just determine how many points you would need to accomodate the size of your family for the number of nights you plan on going. You also need to take into account what season you travel.

Use the DVC Points Calculator at the top if this page to help you determine how many points you would need.

For example: Two weeks in a 1-bdrm. @ OKW during "Magic" season (typical summer vacation months) would require 436 pts. Using three years worth of points would require a contract of at least 145 pts. A resale for a 150pt. contract would run approx. $10,500 w/yearly maintenance fees of approx. $555.

I'm sure you can do the math yourself and determine whether or not DVC is right for your circumstances. Also, keep in mind that you can use the points elsewhere as well as renting them if something happens and you know you won't be able to use them as planned. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Granny]

Michelle....I think one question would be....do you plan on going to WDW every other year for the next 38-50 years ?(depending on whether you buy SSR or another DVC resort)

If you have children, every other year might mean you would be going several times with children, but many more times without as they become adults.

So to me a part of whether DVC works for you is whether you would go without your children. Otherwise, you might be better off just renting the points for a few trips rather than locking in to 38-50 years of dues.

DVC fits us well, as we go every year. But we know that it just isn't for everyone. Good luck in your decision!

 

[diznee25]

Thanks for the info everyone!

Granny,

Yup. That question has gone thru my head quite a bit. My husband and I have made 2 trips to WDW within a two year period, as shown in my signiture. But we won't be able to keep up that pace of vacationing at WDW!

I'm a huge Disney fan, but my husband isn't quite up there with me. He wouldn't mind visiting WDW on a regular basis, as long as the trips are about 3 years apart.
Although he did mention that when we have children, he wouldn't mind going every other year for a while! So we'll see.

Thanks again everyone, and hopefully sometime soon I'll be a DVC member.

Michelle

 

[diznee25]

One more question:

Some of you mentioned that DVC points can be used at other locations besides WDW. What hotels use the points system, and where are they located?

My husband has mentioned he would like to vacation at other places besides WDW, so if we could use points on the "off Disney" years, that would be great!

Thanks,
Michelle

 

[sgtpet]

Your greatest point value would be to stay at one of the DVC resorts. Other Disney properties are cheaper if you rent your points and pay via cash.

If you go every other year then it should be fine. Every 3 or so years doesn't make as much sense to join.

If I were you I would look at timeshares in Hawaii.

Either way good luck in your decision making.

 

[Sammie]

Originally posted by diznee25
Thanks for the info everyone!

Granny,

Yup. That question has gone thru my head quite a bit. My husband and I have made 2 trips to WDW within a two year period, as shown in my signiture. But we won't be able to keep up that pace of vacationing at WDW!

I'm a huge Disney fan, but my husband isn't quite up there with me. He wouldn't mind visiting WDW on a regular basis, as long as the trips are about 3 years apart.
Although he did mention that when we have children, he wouldn't mind going every other year for a while! So we'll see.

Thanks again everyone, and hopefully sometime soon I'll be a DVC member.

Michelle

Put him in a one bedroom villa over a standard room and you might be surprised at how quickly he becomes a Disney fan. It has happened many times.

Definitely when you have kids and you have the luxury of having some privacy and they have their own room, is the closest thing to heaven. Well that is what my Dad says anyway.

 

[mel&me]

We bought in and only plan on going every third year. I ran the numbers and we like staying at deluxe places. For the money it will be worth it. Also some of the years I don't go, I will more than likely give room to close friends or relatives.

 

[diznee25]

Put him in a one bedroom villa over a standard room and you might be surprised at how quickly he becomes a Disney fan. It has happened many times.

Actually, my husband really likes WDW. We spent our honeymoon there back in December for two weeks. But he feels the "Disney Magic" would be lost if we visit frequently. He doesn't want to go on the attractions and have every part memorized in his head. He prefers to try and keep everything new, so when we go back it's not so boring.

I've showed my husband photos of the villas thru DVC and he really likes them. Just not sure that he wants to make a 38 year commitment to WDW. (I'd do it in a heartbeat!)

Plus money is an issue. I'd prefer to save up and pay cash. If we had to take out a loan for $10,000, we'd probably be too broke to vacation anyway!

Michelle

 

[gopherit]

We originally bought enough DVC pts to spend 5-6 days every year in a 2br... and then we discovered what fun it was to plan and take longer trips! So we "do the Disney" every other year. Travel is a mess for us (we're a 15 hr drive, but driving is really our only choice... nearest sizable airport is 2 hrs away anyway, with at least 1 connection, so what's the point in flying?!? Plus with a fam of 5 -- that's a lot of tickets. Even $2 per gallon gas to and from Florida for the long drive in our Toyota minivan is less painful than THAT would be...)

We find every other year works ofr us, but we're also glad that we aren't bound steadfast to that schedule. If this year we want to splurge and spend extra points and go to HHI for a week, we can do it... likewise, when our dd was born, we were able to take a year off and just bank the points with no worries. Very flexible -- we love it. And when we realized we were just a fewwwwwww points short, we simply added on a small amount. WHat can we say -- we wanted our long trips even longer! (Those 2br villas are very spoiling... and with 3 kids, we know we're pretty well locked into the 2 br for a while, anyway!)

 

[crisi]

We are every other yearers as well.

I think every other year works better than every third because of the banking and borrowing issues. Every other you can use current points, banked points, and borrowed points, then you can bank the leftover points from the year you borrowed from for the next trip.

With three year trips, you end up "wasting" points.