Should we join DVC

[jjlm33]

My sister and I are thinking about joining DVC with either AKV or SSR being our home resort with 250 points- the incentives are very good at these two right now. However, I am now having reservations if it is really worth it. We just returned from Disney and I don't think we will be going back for a year or two - I don't think I can convince the DH to go back soon. I have two kids who are now 12 and 10 and think that they may be getting too old to enjoy disney on a yearly basis. I was looking at joining more for the other places we can go. Is is worth it? My sister (who is single) is a disney nut so would probably go more often than we would. We would not be financing and would be splitting the cost. So, is it worth it? I was thinking more long term - that in the next 47 years my grandkids could enjoy going.

 

[Tigger031266]

Well you certainly need to love Disney World to join. Otherwise it is probably not worth it. You just got back so it may not be the best way to decide. Usually in a couple weeks, I can't wait to go again. If you still dont feel and dream about Disney World in a couple weeks, I would not buy.

Disney is great for Teens and long as you let them do their thing. Dont do parks every day. Try swiming, go to beach, Disney Quest, Water Parks, horseback riding, segways, just relaxing......

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Some things to think about would be:

What kind of room do you/your sister usually book?
How would you & your sister share the points?

Have you taken a DVC tour? If so, what did you & your sister think?

 

[mjy]

I was looking at joining more for the other places we can go. Is is worth it?

An answer pretty consistently given is NO!

If people join more for other places to go, it would be more cost effective to purchase a plan elsewhere.

If, however, you are joining to go mostly to Disney, DVC is a good deal. Even if you go every other year. You can always bank point for one year and have two years worth of points to take the families.

 

[rentayenta]

The two main questions we asked ourselves were:

• can we afford it?
• how much do we love Disney because ultimately that's where we will vacation the most?

We plan to use our DVC points outside of Disney but WDW/Disneyland will be the majority of our vacations, most likely every other year at Disney.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My sister and I are thinking about joining DVC with either AKV or SSR being our home resort with 250 points- the incentives are very good at these two right now. However, I am now having reservations if it is really worth it. We just returned from Disney and I don't think we will be going back for a year or two - I don't think I can convince the DH to go back soon. I have two kids who are now 12 and 10 and think that they may be getting too old to enjoy disney on a yearly basis. I was looking at joining more for the other places we can go. Is is worth it? My sister (who is single) is a disney nut so would probably go more often than we would. We would not be financing and would be splitting the cost. So, is it worth it? I was thinking more long term - that in the next 47 years my grandkids could enjoy going.

It only my opinion, but I don't really think DVC is for you for these reasons:

1. Husband doesn't want to go back anytime soon.
2. You think the kids are too old to enjoy Disney on a yearly basis.
3. You don't think you'll be going back for a year or two.
4. Joining to go other places
5. Joining with sister and splitting the cost

If your family isn't going to enjoy going to Disney at least once a year, you need to think about buying a different timeshare. If you get an RCI timeshare, you would be able to trade into Disney (at least for now; used to be Interval International, but that just changed; before it was II, it was RCI).

You're thinking about the future with your grandchildren. Unless you have more children other than the 12 and 10 yr old kids, you are thinking waaaay off in the future (unless you have a little hot mama of a preteen ).

Joining with another person not in your immediate family (meaning spouse, kids) could be a bad idea. What happens if she decides she doesn't want to own any more? What happens if she decides she wants to own more - she'll have to purchase another new contract unless she goes resale? What happens if she decides she wants to sell - would you be able and willing to buy her out?

If I were you, I'd think long and hard about this before you plunk down any money for DVC.

 

[wdrl]

My sister and I are thinking about joining DVC with either AKV or SSR being our home resort with 250 points- the incentives are very good at these two right now. However, I am now having reservations if it is really worth it. We just returned from Disney and I don't think we will be going back for a year or two - I don't think I can convince the DH to go back soon. I have two kids who are now 12 and 10 and think that they may be getting too old to enjoy disney on a yearly basis. I was looking at joining more for the other places we can go. Is is worth it? My sister (who is single) is a disney nut so would probably go more often than we would. We would not be financing and would be splitting the cost. So, is it worth it? I was thinking more long term - that in the next 47 years my grandkids could enjoy going.

When my wife and I decided to buy DVC, it was for a variety of reasons. First, we could afford the initial buy-in costs, and we felt comfortable taking on the yearly expense of the DVC maintenance fees. We did some number crunching and concluded that a DVC membership was cost effective compared to paying rack rates for Disney hotels; we think we'll "recover" our initial buy-in costs after 6 or 7 trips, if not sooner. But the most important reason why we bought was because we wanted to not only enjoy vacations at WDW and Disneyland, but because we want to share our fun with our family members. We don't have kids, but we have 5 brothers and sisters, 8 nieces and nephews, and 4 great-nieces/nephews (and #5 is due next month). We have our first DVC trip planned for March 2010 for just the two of us, but after that we are planning trips with family members all the way through 2014. Our only problem with DVC right now is our fear that we don't have enough points!

If your sister is a Disney nut, then she might want to visit Disney at least once a year. If so, then maybe you and your family would only "have" to go once every 2 or 3 years. With the variety of things to do at WDW (the Parks, water parks, golf, pools, Disney Quest, Downtown Disney, visiting Universal, etc), I don't think you'll have to worry about being burned out on Disney after just a trip or two. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge in June, and spent a day at the Lodge just watching the animals and swimming in the pool.

If you and your sister are thinking about buying at SSR, then consider the resale market for SSR points. At the top of this page is a link to the resale listings offered by the Timeshare Store (a sponsor of this board), and you'll see some really appealing prices on SSR contracts. If you decide to buy direct from Disney, then be sure to get a member referral. A member referral can save you $6 or $8 a point on AKV or SSR contracts from Disney. BTW - the member referral discount is suppose to end fairly soon.

Good luck on your decision!!!

 

[Sandisw]

Just based on what you said, it sounds like joining DVC may not be something that you should do right now, without a bit more research about the program as well as thinking about your own travel habits for years to come.

We have been taking our kids since they were little and are now 20, 16, and 13. We just bought in to DVC because they built BLT (we never bought before now because we wanted to be at a resort close to MK). My kids still love going to Disney but more importantly, so do my DH and I. We go almost every year and see those trips continue even as the kids get older.

In your case, it sounds like you really want to have more variety in your vacations and not necessarily visit Disney on a yearly or every other year basis. If that is the case, then buying so many points at Disney would not be the best deal for you (as I have heard that there are much better timeshares out there for that).

And, a 250 point contract is big. If you do go through with it, at least get the contracts in smaller increments (ie: 100, 100, 25, 25) that would allow you flexibility if you wanted to sell down the road. Since 125 of those points would be yours, if you decided DVC was not for you, you and your DS could sell some of the points (your 1/2) but your sister would still have hers.

Good luck!

 

[5forDiz]

jmho, your sister and you should buy your own DVC contracts; no matter how close you are & how well you think you can coordinate things it is not worth subjecting yourself to situations that can possibly crop up & maybe cause a rift between family members. By purchasing on the resale market you can buy a contract with less than 160 points which is Disney's required minimum if you direct purchase through them, so you and your sister can each buy a contract at the number of points that work for each of your individual needs both travel wise & financially. Buying into DVC with a contract at less than 160 points doesn't impact your membership in any way - so no worries there that your membership is flagged or treated any differently.

It pays to take a good look at the resale market and buy SSR resale in amount of points that will cover your travel habits. For travel to WDW every other year buy 1/2 amount of points that an annual visit would be - by banking or borrowing your covered for EOY trip, if you plan to go every 3rd year with both banking & borrowing you'd cover that.

ita with other posters here who don't recommend buying DVC for travel outside of DVC resorts.....DVC's best value is to use your points at DVC resorts so if you do decide to purhase only buy a contract with sufficient points to do DVC trips & if you wish to travel regularly to other destinations there are better & much better priced timeshares to do that sort of travel with.

Best wishes on your planning

 

[Dean]

My sister and I are thinking about joining DVC with either AKV or SSR being our home resort with 250 points- the incentives are very good at these two right now. However, I am now having reservations if it is really worth it. We just returned from Disney and I don't think we will be going back for a year or two - I don't think I can convince the DH to go back soon. I have two kids who are now 12 and 10 and think that they may be getting too old to enjoy disney on a yearly basis. I was looking at joining more for the other places we can go. Is is worth it? My sister (who is single) is a disney nut so would probably go more often than we would. We would not be financing and would be splitting the cost. So, is it worth it? I was thinking more long term - that in the next 47 years my grandkids could enjoy going.

I'd proceed with caution. It does sound like you might benefit from owning DVC but there are red flags in your post. First, NEVER buy with another person that you are not legally committed to. You can both buy separately if you want and use your points together or one can buy with a tentative agreement to for use (rent) to the other person. Also NEVER buy with the intent of using for anything other than DVC accommodations, never buy to exchange including RCI, Concierge collection, non DVC Disney hotels or DCL. Also, I'd suggest not financing. You may want to consider a smaller points package resale at SSR as a trial run. You can always add on later. I'd consider 75-150 points at the most in the situation you describe, preferably on the lower side.

 

[jjlm33]

Okay. So now I have looked at the resales and think that we should buy from there as it is less per point on most places. Is this a wise idea and how have people's experiences been with the resales?

 

[Sandisw]

Okay. So now I have looked at the resales and think that we should buy from there as it is less per point on most places. Is this a wise idea and how have people's experiences been with the resales?

You will definitely save money this way, especially if one of the older resorts interests you as a home resort.

I have both bought and sold via resale. I used the TSS but there are many good resale brokers out there.

Good luck!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Okay. So now I have looked at the resales and think that we should buy from there as it is less per point on most places. Is this a wise idea and how have people's experiences been with the resales?

If you each get your own resale, smaller contract, you could transfer your points to your sister should she need more if you don't plan on using them frequently. Get the same resort and same use year if possible to make it easier to use.

 

[Coach81]

The best way to spend your DVC points is staying at WDW.

 

[Lynne M]

If you don't plan to stay at a DVC resort, either at WDW, DLR, VB or HH, at least every other year.....then there's simply no point in purchasing DVC.

You asked if it's worth it just for the other places you can go....to be blunt, it's not. DVC can be very much worth the money if you stay primarily at DVC resorts. But there are other excellent timeshares that cost a fraction of what DVC does, that will allow you to trade to the same 'other places' that DVC does, and more.

If your primary purpose in buying DVC is to trade out, you'll be spending thousands of dollars more than you need to.

If you do want to stay at a DVC resort regularly, even every three years, then you can still make DVC work well for you. With banking and borrowing, you can combine up to three years worth of points. Look into buying a small resale contract. For instance, if you'd need 150 points for your every-three-year trip to WDW, you can buy a 50-point contract, bank your 2009 points into 2010, and borrow from 2011's points, and then you've got 150 points to use for a trip in 2010.

 

[toniosmom]

I agree with others that if you and your sister proceed with this you should have separate contracts or at least split your purchase up into 2 contracts so that if there is a problem you can sell one if necessary.

 

[jjlm33]

thanks for every one's responses. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have looked at all the resorts and now feel we should buy into the Beach Club if we do decide to buy. We all love Epcot and being able to walk to the World Showcase would be great and the recreation sounds great especially as our kids get older. I still have a few questions: Is it easy to use your points at Vero and HH? These are two places we have never visited and would love to. Also, we are not a family that plans vacations 11 months in advance (we can't with the kids sports schedules and my husband's work schedule). We usually plan 4-5 months in advance. Would this put us at a disadvantage in booking vacations. We usually travel in mid to late August but can be flexible during the year. Any insight?

 

[toniosmom]

If you never book your vacations more than 5 months prior, then it really doesn't matter where you own. You are not taking advantage of the 11 month home resort booking window. At 7 months and lower, you can book at any resort, regardless of where you own. So....you may be best buying at a resort like SSR where your dollar will buy more points than BCV. MFs are cheaper too.

 

[lark]

We usually plan 4-5 months in advance. Would this put us at a disadvantage in booking vacations. We usually travel in mid to late August but can be flexible during the year. Any insight?

We're new DVC members, but fairly experienced at timesharing, and we thought about many of the issues you are addressing before we purchased. When you make a decision like purchasing DVC sometimes there is a tendency to want to sort of justify it in your own mind by suggesting that everyone would love it. So, while reading this thread, I sort of want the answer to be that you should take the plunge. But, if I'm being honest, I think the answer is that timesharing in general and DVC in particular is just not right for you right now. Just my opinion.

 

[Dean]

We usually plan 4-5 months in advance. Would this put us at a disadvantage in booking vacations. We usually travel in mid to late August but can be flexible during the year. Any insight?

IMO, DVC would be a poor choice for one who routinely plans at 4-5 months out. That's true for timeshares in general for most situations but even more so for DVC. At least with a timeshare exchange you can get something somewhere that is fairly decent most of the year even if it's not what you were planning to do. That's esp true for Orlando but is definitely not true for DVC. And even the times that area easier like May, Jan and Sept are becoming more difficult. That's not to say some don't make it work, there are those that do, but to buy in knowing your in that situation would be foolish, IMO. As for the BCV, BWV is similar, cheaper and has the standard view and BW view options as an alternative.