Should we join DVC?

[brando5111]

We've been contemplating a DVC purchase for some time now, and I lurk on this board constantly. We just returned last Saturday from a great 10 day vacation @ WDW. I almost had my husband convinced to go on the tour once again (we've done it every time we visit), but alas, he just didn't want to spend the time going through it once again. We have not seen SSR other than from across the river, but it looks nice (although many here seem to not like it). Anywhoo, we visit yearly for approximately 7-10 days. This year we actually travelled to the world 2x's due to the purchase of an annual pass.

Is DVC something we should invest in? We know we will always return to WDW, even when our son is older (he's 12 now - and LOVES WDW). We are official Disney nuts. I feel like I really want to join, but having a committment fear....

Financially is this a sound investment? I was hoping to start with a small purchase first to get our feet wet, then buy a larger contract if it's worth it to us. With all the fees, etc., do you ever regret this purchase, especially when they come out with great passholder rates?

I guess I'm wondering if we're better off using passholder rates on the room or investing in DVC? If we plan on returning yearly or every other year, is this the better way to go? Please help me sort this out!

Thanks,
Brando

 

[CarolMN]

IMHO, if you are going to continue visiting at least once a year and if you would stay in at least a moderate on site resort, you will save $$ if you purchase DVC instead. Of course you know that you still have to pay for transportation, food and park admission. DVC just covers the lodging potion of the expense.

When I say it will save you $$, II am assuming that you will continue the same pattern of an annual WDW visit - and not go more often than you are now. Many here end up going more often or getting larger accomodations than they normally would so that they can invite friends and family along. If you do that, you'll end up spending more on WDW vacations than you would if you didn't buy DVC. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly isn't a route to "save" money, LOL.

Passholder discounts are not as plentiful as they have been in the past and they are not as generous. There is no guarantee that Disney will continue to offer them. However, if you are not going to return to WDW on a regular basis, keeping an eye out for discounts when you do is a better way to go.


Best wishes -

 

[chuckg0413]

If your pattern of WDW visits stays constantant, then I would think that purchasing DVC would be a good choice.

Several things come into play, which have been discussed back and forth for years, but here are my feelings in no order.

Don't buy any timeshare because it is a good investment, they are not, ask anyone who has sold theirs about how much they made on the deal. Buy because you want to stay there.

Don't buy because you want to have 'trading' power for some other place. If you want to stay at WDW, buy WDW, if you really want to stay in Fuji, buy in Fuji, I find the whole trading thing very frustrating, at least it has never worked for us.

Buy resale, (see my first point).

Disney room rates will incease every year. Buying DVC will lock the rate you pay for accomodations at this years rate.

The ability to cook some meals can be a cost savings, even if it is no more than cereal, coffee, and toast in the morning.

You can pack really light, since there are laundry facilities in the rooms (except studios, but you can use the ones by the pools).

Think of it as pre-paying your vacations for 40 years. It is great to know that all you have to have to go is enough for the trip there and back and for the food you'll eat, (and we eat even when we are not on vacation, so it's not too much more).

One of the best things for us is the ability to invite friends and family that may never have wanted or been able to experience WDW to come as our guests. In fact, it has been years since we have gone down 'by ourselves', I think it would feel funny to us to do so now.

It really does feel like coming home.

We have aquaintences who were doing what you are doing now, for years we tried to get them to buy. When they finally did, all we heard was 'Why didn't we buy sooner, look at all the money we spent over the years when we could have put it into points', I think after you buy, you'll be saying the same thing.

Chuck

 

[Bill K]

I will keep it simple. YES!!!

 

[JimMIA]

I think Carol and Chuck have pretty well nailed it. I will offer one additional comment -- or rather, a link to a whole bunch of comments:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=778634

This is a thread we started some time back for people considering taking the plunge. It starts off with a discussion of home resort questions, and many DVC vets have contributed mightily throughout the thread. Like any long thread, it wanders off occasionally, but if you skim through it and read the good stuff, you'll get a lot of insights from a lot of different viewpoints.

Good luck, and happy hunting!

 

[HUFF590]

If you go every year yes , but I want to say peoples views of the resorts like SSR are just that. Go see it for yourself we love SSR and so do many many others.

 

[JimMIA]

If you go every year yes , but I want to say peoples views of the resorts like SSR are just that. Go see it for yourself we love SSR and so do many many others.

I agree. First of all, you will see negative posts about each of the resorts, and new resorts usually draw the most fire.

Secondly, many of the negative posts (but certainly not all) are from people who have never stayed there...and sometimes from people who have never even visited the resort.

Third, some of the negatives you will hear about a resort under construction are speculative rather than real. Many of the concerns will be fixed as the resort is built out.

And finally, DVC offers many different options for many different needs...including the option of using all of the options.

Some people like the convenience and amenities of a hotel-like resort, and therefore, they are underwhelmed with resorts like OKW and SSR. Other people like the more spread-out, relaxed atmosphere, and the parking at your door, of a place like OKW or SSR (I personally fall into that group). There's no right or wrong answer for those choices, and for many of us one resort suits us better for one type of visit, and another might be perfect on different style trip.

 

[Lesli54]

If you are going every year for the amount of time that you are and you plan to continue that, then over the long run you will save money. Is it an investment? No. But it is a prepaid vacation.

Figure out how much you are paying on accomodations currently and figure that that price will continue to increase over time. What will it be in 10 years? 20 years? If you buy a 150 pt contract through Disney (of course you coud go resale), you would spend $15,000. How long at your current vacation expenditures would it take you to spend the cost of the contract? A couple of years? After that, you figure that you are basically getting your vacations for the price of the annual dues. I know that I could not stay at BCV or BWV for $650, not for any length of time. A few years ago, we stayed at YC (before buying DVC) for 4 nights and the cost was much higher.

You are getting more bang for your buck in terms of accomodations. A villa with kitchen and laundry facilities vs. a room.

Look at the points charts to see how many points you would need to stay in the villas for 7-10 days. That will give you a good idea as to how much you would need to buy and help you figure if the cost is worth it compared to your current vacation budget.

 

[FanOfStitch]

To answer your question about regretting it....I have buyer's remorse....bad!!
I can't go to the grocery store without feeling bad about spending so much. Not once have I ever regretted buying into DVC. It's the best purchase I ever made. Without it, there is no way that I would have been able to go to WDW every year. Sometimes twice!! Go for it!!

 

[JimC]

Here is a thread for those looking to understand a great deal about the various resorts.

http://130.94.75.33/showthread.php?t=428249

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Divamomto3]

I don't think you'll ever regret joining! And by the way, we love SSR!!

 

[sagwanamu]

Regret? No... As matter of the fact, many of DVCers are planning to add more points...

 

[cruise-o-matic]

Ditto to Carol, Chuck & Jim......

When I say it will save you $$, II am assuming that you will continue the same pattern of an annual WDW visit - and not go more often than you are now. Many here end up going more often or getting larger accomodations than they normally would so that they can invite friends and family along. If you do that, you'll end up spending more on WDW vacations than you would if you didn't buy DVC. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it certainly isn't a route to "save" money, LOL.

Let's see....just bought the MVMCP tix....PAP's are next along with the DDE card...will need to book airfare for January's 1/2 marathon trip, which will be 4 weeks after our pre-Christmas family trip....then may take a 2 week summer vaca in 2006, instead of the normal 1 weeker...then a 4th trip to squeeze out the value of the PAP's and DDE before they expire....Yep, DVC looks like a real money saver to us....

 

[tamu91]

You won't find too many members here that will try to talk you out of it myself included.
DVC offers so much that I can't believe we waited as long as we did before purchsing. However, do your homework and this is a good place to start. DVC will only makes sense if you visit or plan on visiting WDW on a regular basis and you normally stay on-site in a moderate or above. It that's you, it makes no sense not to look into DVC IMO.

 

[TammyAlphabet]

YES!!!! You are perfect candidates for DVC. It makes Disney "home", for a Disney fan, that is the ULTIMATE.

 

[J and R's mom]

We are official Disney nuts. I feel like I really want to join, but having a committment fear....

I seriously doubt you'll regret your decision BUT if you ever decide after buying that you just don't want the contract anymore, there are PLENTY of folks who'd be interested in buying it resale if you posted it on the timeshare store. I hear that most of those contracts go pretty quickly!

I was like you, though. We go regularly and stay at delux resorts but still weren't sure about committing. We decided for a 150pt contract to start us out and will add on later if needed. I'm glad we went that route, too, because I bought a few years before I ever learned about the DIS board, or resales, or anything like that. Now I'm armed with more info if I do decide to buy more points...and I'll go RESALE!

Good luck deciding.