Skeptical about timeshare! Help!

[rach2674]

Well, we've always been very skeptical about buying a timeshare. In fact we got one once and changed our mind on the way home. The only reason I would consider DVC is that I love staying at Disney. We now live in FL again and I know we'll go often, so I'm just wondering if it's a deal or if I'm better off just getting a room on the occasions we go. From what I could tell on the point system, it's definitely better to do a week at a time. How do the points convert to the DCL? And I'm sure like with any other timeshares you can use the around the world. Do you know if there are any all-inclusive resorts that you can use your points at? I think I saw someone answer the yearly maintenence fees. Are there any other fees associated with it? And can you pass on the membership to your children? I'm sure I'll have more questions, but I'll get those answered for now! Thanks all!

PS...I'm assuming a resale is a better deal. Do you usually get any freebies if you buy through DVC?

Rachel

 

[DVCLiz]

Actually, I like DVC so much because I can do LESS than a week at a time. There's so much flexibility with the point system, I can choose the number of nights and size of accomodation to suit me and my family. It is probably better to think in terms of a week's worth of points averaged over seven nights if you are going to stay for the weekends, as they are considerably higher than the weeknights, but there's no special reason to stay a full week otherwise.

There aren't any fees other than yearly maintenance fees, which average about $4.00 per point. And you can use your points to trade into other properties, but it's often the case that availability is limited, and it's an "expensive" use of points. As many others have pointed out on these boards, DVC works best for the person who is accustomed (or wants to be!) to staying at a deluxe WDW property at least every other year, and uses the points primarily for WDW locations. I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions - it's a great source of info whether or not you decide to buy!!!

 

[Tink10]

I agree with DVCLiz.....

My hubby & I would have never considered a traditional timeshare, and it took quite a bit of thought to make the DVC decision. Now that we are DVC members, we think of other timeshares & Disney to be two totally different things.....Like comparing apples to oranges.....

The flexibility is wonderful & Disney, being such a magnet for lawsuits, will never do anything that could be construed as misleading or fraudulent.....I feel totally safe with them & I know that we won't end up losing money on our ownership.

We decided that if we don't use all of our points, we'll rent them & it definately helps make the payments. Add up the numbers & compare the money you would spend on resort rooms to what DVC costs......

Whatever you decide.....enjoy Disney & most importantly, enjoy the time with loved ones....

 

[DVCLiz]

I don't know if any of the tradeout resort locations are considered "all-inclusive". I really don't think so, but someone else might know the answer to that!!! You can leave DVC to family members, but it is a deeded lease, instead of a permanent ownership, so your contract will expire in 2042 or 2054, I believe, depending on which resort you buy. At that time, all reverts back to Disney (and I'll be 85, so what do I care??)

You can use points for the DCL, and there are two schools of thought about that. One says, "It's a better deal financially to rent out my points to someone wanting to stay at WDW and use the cash to pay for the cruise" and the other says, "These are my points and I'm going to use them to do what I want." This is based on the assumption that renting a DVC point will usually bring you about $10.00, and that the number of points required for the DCL, if rented, would give you more cash than you would then pay to go on the cruise. Make sense?

I bought a contract each way. With Disney, I got a nifty backpack and a print of my "home" resort, as well as $100.00 in Disney dollars (actually a gift certificate instead of the Disney dollars) because I took advantage of a special "slipped under my door" invitation to tour DVC on my last stay. When I bought resale, I didn't
get anything, but several months later my sales rep sent me a Mickey Mouse snowglobe and several pins of the DVC properties and Mickey Mouse. Both were nice and unexpected.

Ask away - others will help fill in the gaps!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

First of all, DVC is about as much like a run of the mill timeshare as WDW is like a run of the mill theme park. They don't compare! We too were VERY skeptical about timeshares in general, and after we did our first DVC tour, we went home and started looking at other timeshare properties to compare. While we found the DVC tour to be low key and not pushy at all, we found the others we attended to be very high pressure and some even told us we could trade into DVC easily. We already knew that not to be the case, because we knew they were not on DVC's list of direct traders. It didn't take an Einstein to figure out the difference. We purchsed DVC, and it has been one of the best decisions we ever made.

As others have said, the flexibility is the key to DVC. If you are used to traveling to WDW at least once a year, and stay in deluxes or moderates, it is a no-brainer. For those who live in Florida, it is even better, because you can do a few days at a time if you want to. I will say, that it is best used for on-site Disney stays in DVC resorts though. To cruise or stay at the non-DVC resorts on property is considered an out of system exchange, so the points needed for those activities will change yearly, and are a lot more than using the points at DVC resorts. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, because I think DVC accommodations are far better than the deluxe WDW resorts we stayed in previously. It is really the best if you plan on staying in a 1,2 or3 bedroom villa. If you are always using studios, it probably isn't as enticing.

 

[rach2674]

So how many points is it usually to book a 3 night cruise? Does anyone know. I'm assuming it's a lot more than you have each year.

Rachel

 

[AJKMOM]

Before buying, you need to compare what you would pay at a deluxe resrt vs. DVC. It isn't for everyone, but you'll find most people here think it's for them. You will get mostly positive, but honest evaluations from the DIS experts.

We bought 200 points, sight unseen, because we decided to plan another trip to WDW, and there were incentives at SSR. When we called, they offered us BWV instead, and we bought them, no regrets. Except, now with 2 kids going to college, we can't get all the scedules together to plan another trip.

 

[tjkraz]

The lowest class room in Value season is 67 points per adult, based upon double occupancy. Points for staying a night in a DVC resort really can't change by law, but the points for a cruise can and DO increase annually. So take that into consideration.

I wouldn't buy into DVC with the intention of consistently using points outside of the DVC program. That will always be the best value. But it certainly is nice to have options like this available.

 

[dianeschlicht]

So how many points is it usually to book a 3 night cruise? Does anyone know. I'm assuming it's a lot more than you have each year.

Rachel

That would depend on how many points you have purchased and on how many people are cruising and at what cruise level.

 

[DVCLiz]

Rachel - A 3 night cruise ranges from 71 points for a standard inside stateroom during value season to 263 points for a deluxe family stateroom with verandah during the Christmas week cruise. Those are points per person, based on the first two adults in the stateroom. Additional persons range from 18 to 115 points, depending on whether they are 3rd/4th adults or children and again, what the seaon is.

It's almost always a better decision to pay cash for a cruise, from a purely economic standpoint, but again, if you have the points already then they are "free" and you don't have to pay any cash, so it's really a personal decision based on your circumstances at the time.

 

[CarolMN]

My advice is to think very carefully - not because DVC is a timeshare or a bad deal, but because you live in Sebastian, Florida and it's probably not a good deal for you. JMHO, but I don't see how DVC can make much economic sense for someone who lives about 90 minutes away from WDW. Isn't Sebastian just north of Vero Beach?

If you want to spend the night on site, Florida residents can get some very good resort rates. Living in Sebastian, I'm thinking you would visit most often on the weekends. Due to the way DVC set up the point charts, weekends (Friday & Saturday nights) cost a lot more than the weeknights (Sunday - Thursday).

There is no economoic value in buying DVC just to use it to cruise or for trading - it's either cheaper to pay cash for cruising or to buy a less expensive timeshare if you want to trade.

Best wishes-