slo’s MONDAY 3/24 poll - Traditional Timeshares or Disney DVC

[CynBeth]

We do not own a timeshare or DVC.

 

[cvjw]

We have owned DVC since 2007 - with points at BWV and BLT. Owning has worked out very well for us.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We are DVC members, and love it. I was raised as a DVC member, my parents bought into OKW the first year it was offered, so I’ve been staying DVC since childhood. They had enough points to bring extended family along with us on our yearly trips and I’ve got so many great memories of those trips. DH and I bought into DVC ourselves about ten years ago, and will be getting my parents memberships soon also as they don’t visit anymore due to health issues. All that being said, if I didn’t already own DVC I likely would not buy in now. Too expensive, at current prices it’d be cheaper to just rent points for our yearly trips. Currently we do one 2 week trip per year, but as we get older we plan on visiting more often. We certainly wouldn’t stay as long as we do there without our points. It would cost a fortune to spend 2 weeks in a villa at cash rate.

 

[slo]

I’m looking at maybe buying a new contract with my daughter so she’ll have something way beyond my life…

We have the same thing in mind with us possibility getting a DVC contract.
We will be 93 years old when it expires. We'll either be dead or possibility unable to go if still alive. Our daughter will have it though, which she would love. We did ask her if she is willing to continue paying the dues if we pass on before it expires and she said yes. We asked our DVC Guide if we could put a DVC contract into our trust, and she said yes. So, my DD21 will be getting this to hopefully enjoy with her family one day. We also like the idea that we can save our points to give to her towards a honeymoon one day - maybe a trip to Hawaii?

 

[bakerworld]

We had looked into DVC thrice thru the 90's but it seemed costly. Finally, we went to a presentation in '08 and DH said we should have joined sooner. Truthfully by '08 our kids were grown and travelling was easier/cheaper without kids. Also, we'd had traveled US and Europe pre-kids so our travel needs by '08 were more towards relaxation then activity. We felt DVC had a lot of versatility between the points system, the resorts, the different themed resort venues, the villa size and the amenities offered on property.

We've always enjoyed owning DVC. We bought it for us (me ). We've shared it with family and friends. A few times we even rented points so renting to offset maintenance dues is a very viable option. Yes, it changed the way we organized our vacations. I use to wait until 60 days out and look for deals. With DVC if you wait 60 days out you are either enjoying a split stay or at Saratoga. To stay where we want I'm on the computer at the 11 or 7 month deadlines and I don't find this particularly onerous. And, yes, I still sometimes cannot get exactly what I want but I can always get something.

I can see why long time owners complain because the big perks of owning DVC have vanished but after all this time the way we vacation now has significantly changed so the perks that vanished aren't perks we use anymore. Times change. The price of eggs is astronomical. Do we care or do we want eggs?

 

[tony67]

I looked into DVC back at the beginning when they still gave you free park tickets etc..
I'm sure it works for many folks - but not for me.

The math just did not work IMO - for what I paid in fees and such it was cheaper to stay where I want when I want.
It helps having top level status at Hilton and Marriot - in the end it was far less money to stay at the Swan and Dolphin back then and get upgrades and perks - maybe not so much now - I cant say as I did not keep up on the costs for DVC and Swan Dolphin no longer have a Club Lounge and Disney has lost its luster.

So now that I rarely if ever go to Disney I am really glad I did not buy in. Its just not the place it was back then and I have no interest in going back for more than a day or two every few years - and currently I see no reason to go back at all.

I still do 2-3 trips a year to Universal - but again the hotels are so cheap when you have an AP at Universal I cant see being tied to DVC or any timeshare.

 

[VandVsmama]

This topic has been heavy on my thoughts since we’ve been home, because we went on a DVC Open House at the end of our trip. My family isn’t new to the timeshare world - my in-laws had 2 traditional timeshares. One was in the Clearwater, FL area and another was in Orlando, FL. They were both very nice, but nothing I wanted, so they sold them. They weren’t very happy with me, since we go to to WDW, but I just like staying on property when we go to WDW. If we do decide to become DVC members, we will most absolutely not be telling them about it. So I’m curious today about your thoughts on traditional time shares or Disney DVC. So let’s talk about timeshares today…….

Do you currently own a timeshare?
If yes…… is it a traditional timeshare or is it Disney DVC
What is your opinion of owning either?
Have you owned a timeshare in the past?
Did you sell it or did you give it to a family member?
(multiple choice)



For Me…….As I mentioned above we are currently not owning any type of timeshare or DVC, but we are considering it. I’m like a pendulum in regards to making this decision - one minute the pendulum swings towards doing it and then the next time the pendulum swings towards not doing it. We will be making a final decision by the end of this week.

We became DVC owners this past December. Purchased a DVC resale contract through DVC Resale Market at Aulani. Didn't want to pay the full rate by buying directly from Disney. And yes, we knew ahead of time that meant that we wouldn't be able to stay at the Disneyland Hotel villas or Riviera. We're ok with that. We paid $94/point for a 100 point contract. So we're dipping our toes in the water. Later on, we'd like to probably buy another 100-pt resale contract at Aulani. And I think I'd probably like to own a WDW resort contract eventually, too...AKL or maybe the new Lakeshore/Lakeside Lodge (or whatever they're calling it) or WL (Wilderness Lodge).

I'd encourage anyone to do a lot of HW ahead of time. Don't buy DVC thinking of it as an investment. Look at it as a way to do your Disney vacations for less $$ overall.

I don't care about any of the DVC member perks. As resale owners, we can't use special DVC member lounges or stuff like that. We can't buy annual passes for a discount. That's ok for us.

Edited to add:
Many years ago, my parents spent a lot of money on a Wyndham timeshare in Hawaii. After my mom died, my dad decided he wanted to get rid of the timeshare. And literally was worth pennies on the dollar on the resale market compared to what they paid when they purchased it. In the end, he had to give $$ to Wyndham in order to unload it.

I'd never purchase a non-DVC timeshare. I think those a waste of money. DVC timeshares tend to hold their value much much better.

 

[ronandannette]

...Edited to add:
Many years ago, my parents spent a lot of money on a Wyndham timeshare in Hawaii. After my mom died, my dad decided he wanted to get rid of the timeshare. And literally was worth pennies on the dollar on the resale market compared to what they paid when they purchased it. In the end, he had to give $$ to Wyndham in order to unload it.

I'd never purchase a non-DVC timeshare. I think those a waste of money. DVC timeshares tend to hold their value much much better.

This is the experience of virtually everyone we know who has ever had one and it’s enough of a cautionary tale to ward us off permanently. That, and having witnesses the alarmingly aggressive sales tactics used even on people who already own, when we accompanied friends on a vacation to Cancun at their “home” resort {{shudder}}.

 

[tvguy]

I think Consumer Reports kind of nailed my view on time shares.
They singled DVC out as the best time share but added, no time share is a good investment.
I think that there are law firms that specialize in getting people out of DVC contracts speaks volumes.

 

[VandVsmama]

This is the experience of virtually everyone we know who has ever had one and it’s enough of a cautionary tale to ward us off permanently. That, and having witnesses the alarmingly aggressive sales tactics used even on people who already own, when we accompanied friends on a vacation to Cancun at their “home” resort {{shudder}}.

What's unfortunate is that my parents spent a crazy amount of money to buy that timeshare. They had enough points that they'd be able to take in a studio unit for up to 6 weeks each year. After my mom died, my dad tried going a couple of times with somebody and decided he didn't want to go there anymore...and then he tried to get my sister and I to buy the timeshare from him...despite the fact that our mom had told us that their intent was for us to inherit the timeshare after they'd both passed away (there's a whole huge backstory to that with sordid details...another tale for a different day!). He also tried to sell it to a couple of friends and that didn't pan out either.

In the end, they most definitely did not get the money's worth and it would have been cheaper for them to have just paid cash for the room each time instead since they only went a few times.

 

[ronandannette]

What's unfortunate is that my parents spent a crazy amount of money to buy that timeshare. They had enough points that they'd be able to take in a studio unit for up to 6 weeks each year. After my mom died, my dad tried going a couple of times with somebody and decided he didn't want to go there anymore...and then he tried to get my sister and I to buy the timeshare from him...despite the fact that our mom had told us that their intent was for us to inherit the timeshare after they'd both passed away (there's a whole huge backstory to that with sordid details...another tale for a different day!). He also tried to sell it to a couple of friends and that didn't pan out either.

In the end, they most definitely did not get the money's worth and it would have been cheaper for them to have just paid cash for the room each time instead since they only went a few times.

So true, again in practically every instance I’ve ever heard of. I suppose there are people who really understand what they are getting and successfully manage the beneficial aspects (like many DVC’ers seem to), but many others are just sold a rather unscrupulous bill of goods and end up taking a hit.

 

[Lumpy1106]

I do own DVC, and we do like it. The only thing I don't like is we do like going other places too and we are kinda locked into going to WDW - probably more than we'd like.
BUT...
The biggest benefit we've found of "owning" DVC is it forces us to go on vacation. Without it we might very well get busy and cancel altogether and we REALLY need to get away on a regular basis. Best trip to WDW ever was 2020 when everything was shut down. We were committed so we went. It was BY FAR our best WDW trip. AoA was our regular before DVC and it was closed, so even if we had booked a WDW trip we would have cancelled.

 

[georgina]

No interest in locking myself into a timeshare. We did look at DVC in 2000, I think they were selling the Beach Club back then? Just couldn't commit. I have stayed at DVC properties several times on rental points, have stayed at several Marriott Orlando properties using my Bonvoy points or cash. We just wouldn't use them enough to buy, it is not how we travel these days.

 

[_19disnA]

Never owned a time-share and have ZERO interest regardless of who is selling (Disney or some other company). Perhaps Disney is more reputable due to their visibility, but other companies not so much. Parents used to own a non-Disney time-share and there is a reason most time-share companies have a shabby reputation. Most of what they were told when buying turned out to be false. It is NOT a real-estate investment, there is no active resale market and you basically end up with something that is worthless, can't dispose of and have to keep paying ongoing maintenance fees. The majority of time when they couldn't travel and tried to rent out their unit usually had no results. ANYONE trying to sell you something with aggressive sales tactics should make you ask why and walk away without buying anything.

The time-share company makes their money selling new units, so even though they said they would help when selling, that turned out to be a lie and all they were ever told was that no one wanted to buy their unit. Now a whole other set of shady companies have popped up offering to help sell your time-share or offering to give you some legal paperwork to get out of owning it. NEVER pay anyone upfront who offers to sell your time-share, those are scams to collect the upfront fee then come back a few months later telling you they couldn't find a buyer (and probably never even tried).

My advice would be to take the money you would have spent on a time-share and invest it instead. Then you can use that income to help fund future vacations with no strings attached and aren't locked into going to only those places associated with a specific time-share company.

 

[slo]

BUT...
The biggest benefit we've found of "owning" DVC is it forces us to go on vacation. Without it we might very well get busy and cancel altogether and we REALLY need to get away on a regular basis. Best trip to WDW ever was 2020 when everything was shut down. We were committed so we went. It was BY FAR our best WDW trip. AoA was our regular before DVC and it was closed, so even if we had booked a WDW trip we would have cancelled.

Very interesting that you say that.
We keep putting off going to Hawaii and to Disneyland, and if we decided to get the DVC, we will absolutely go now because we are now paying for it. As you say….we will be forced to go now (in a positive way)

 

[GAN]

I think Consumer Reports kind of nailed my view on time shares.
They singled DVC out as the best time share but added, no time share is a good investment.
I think that there are law firms that specialize in getting people out of DVC contracts speaks volumes.

So they would actually PAY an attorney to get them out of something that could earn them money . Plenty of people have “invested” in DVC and been quite successful at it actually. Now, that’s not for me but I know that if I never used my vacation points again, I could rent them out and net $2000 from them. Some owners hold 50 times me, so do the math….

 

[MamaMermaid]

We own DVC and love it.

 

[tvguy]

So they would actually PAY an attorney to get them out of something that could earn them money . Plenty of people have “invested” in DVC and been quite successful at it actually. Now, that’s not for me but I know that if I never used my vacation points again, I could rent them out and net $2000 from them. Some owners hold 50 times me, so do the math….

Apparently. I would post a link but it might violate the DIS rules on advertising, but a Google search will find you pages and page and pages of law firms that advertise they specialize in ending DVC contracts.

 

[The Mayor]

Don't own any timeshares or DVC. We did look into DVC when they first came out but decided against it as our children were getting older and we were starting to plan for college. However, we do rent DVC points every year and have, mainly from the same person, since 2006. My wife and I I love the BWV and mainly stay there unless the whole gang is going and we stay in the BCV.

 

[GAN]

Apparently. I would post a link but it might violate the DIS rules on advertising, but a Google search will find you pages and page and pages of law firms that advertise they specialize in ending DVC contracts.

I’m not doubting you at all, the attorneys probably get the owners out of their contracts by purchasing their points!