Tell me why you bought DVC...

[brertoad]

We bought DVC because we were already spending too much OOP on hotel rooms. We're going to use it for years to come. I don't see us getting tired of it anytime soon.

I was convinced it would be the best way to save money in the long run. Maybe more up front, but the money spent OOP was already adding up. I just wish we did it sooner, but as they say, better late than never. It has definitely been better than we expected, we're thrilled with it. I love the pool hopping ability.

Becoming a DVC member came just in time for us get in on the PAP promotion for $399 last year. We bought vouchers for 2014 too. The cost for the pass would have been $595 each, so we saved close to $800 just on those 4 passes.

 

[Tcsj]

We started taking our kids to Disney in 2006, and have gone every year since. Trips are 14-17 days at a time, the last 3 trips, we split between 2 different DVC resorts, 2 bedroom villas. Of course, cash price was thru the roof....

Resisted the sales "pitches" for several years, finally asked in 2011 about the cost. Given the cash we laid out for our 2 bedroom villas every year , we paid cash for 320 points at Aulani November 2011. We just returned from 10 days - first trip to Aulani (2 bedroom ocean view), and get this: the street cost of our room this trip almost equaled the cost of our DVC purchase of 320 points, excluding the MF. So, our purchase costs will be more than covered by the end of 2013 when we return to WDW, and we still have 48 years of travel left. We did not buy for, and have no intention of using RCI or anything, purely bought for the Disney Parks and Aulani.

Our points will benefit our kids, and (hopefully) grandkids for years to come.
Our kids are Disney fanatics- and HEY, we work hard all year- 2 weeks together at Disney every year has become a "tonic" for our family unit to re-connect.

We are looking now at buying at WDW now, probably 320 points. Only question, re-sale or direct? Have had some interesting discussions with our Guide lately....

 

[texhanddoc]

Few reasons.

1. We go to Disney every year and will do so for the foreseeable future.
2. We have a family of 5 and we are cramped in a normal "hotel room" sized room.
3. We like having a kitchenette
4. I plan to use DVC far into the future to take my kids as they get older and their kids.
5. You really cant beat the theme park view of BLT

 

[ELMC]

We started taking our kids to Disney in 2006, and have gone every year since. Trips are 14-17 days at a time, the last 3 trips, we split between 2 different DVC resorts, 2 bedroom villas. Of course, cash price was thru the roof....

Resisted the sales "pitches" for several years, finally asked in 2011 about the cost. Given the cash we laid out for our 2 bedroom villas every year , we paid cash for 320 points at Aulani November 2011. We just returned from 10 days - first trip to Aulani (2 bedroom ocean view), and get this: the street cost of our room this trip almost equaled the cost of our DVC purchase of 320 points, excluding the MF. So, our purchase costs will be more than covered by the end of 2013 when we return to WDW, and we still have 48 years of travel left. We did not buy for, and have no intention of using RCI or anything, purely bought for the Disney Parks and Aulani.

Our points will benefit our kids, and (hopefully) grandkids for years to come.
Our kids are Disney fanatics- and HEY, we work hard all year- 2 weeks together at Disney every year has become a "tonic" for our family unit to re-connect.

We are looking now at buying at WDW now, probably 320 points. Only question, re-sale or direct? Have had some interesting discussions with our Guide lately....

But would 320 points be enough to cover your 2 BR ocean view villa for 10 days? If not then it's not a fair comparison. You should also look into renting DVC points as an option for your extended stays, as then can be had for 10% of the buy in cost.

As for the discussions with your sales person, let me guess...he said you should buy direct.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Because it pays for itself in 5-7 years.

Ever since we bought, each time I make a reservation I also go online and make plan a stay as if I were paying cash. And I have kept track over the 9 years that we have been DVC owners. My running tally as of 2013 is $21300. if I would have paid cash. Verse the $12,000 we spend on the DVC.

And with it being Disney you know you are getting a high quality room. One that is always maintained to a higher level and will not be neglected over time and become a dump.

 

[Alice Sr.]

I bought BWV after my divorce to insure my DD's would have a good vacation every year, in a safe place that would allow them freedom as they grew up but provide me with sense of security while they were allowed to explore on their own. We always brought at least one of their friends (usually one for each DD) and/or family member and it has worked out exactly as I had hoped. Always really enjoyed taking kids that had never been to WDW, especially our exchange students from Japan and Germany. My oldest DD and I went in October for the F & W Fest and had a great time. We are going again in 3 weeks with her BF (who has never been). I am really looking forward to hanging out with him and getting to know him better. We do not spend much time at the parks these days but still love going, there is so much to do besides the parks. I am going to Aulani in October with my BFF, really looking forward to that! My youngest DD (my DD's are now 22 and 25) has blessed me with a beautiful little baby GD so I am also in the process of planning her 1st trip next March with our whole family including my ex. From a financial standpoint for me, buying DVC was as safe a bet as I could make timeshare wise and a very good hedge on vacation inflation. The last couple of years I had more points than I could use so I rented them through David which is a wonderful option. I had let points expire in the past because I did not want to take on a 'point renters' bad (credit card) debt liability. I had recently thought about selling some points but now that I have a GD I almost feel like I need more. Sorry for the long story but wanted to give you the who, what, where and why for me and give you some things to consider. Best of luck to you either way.

 

[WDWLayla]

Thank you all for your wonderful stories and passionate responses! I'm sure this will help many of us decide on our own DVC purchase!

 

[Sammie]

For the two bedroom accommodations.

 

[TheDalys]

We have 2 children and have taken them to disney every year so far (our oldest is 4, so this year will be trip 4). we went over pros,, cons,, expenses and frequency of visits.

Pros - for us, flights to florida are cheap. Have not spent over $90 round trip per flyer yet. So it makes it a perfect getaway location.
- magical express takes care of the car rental costs (even though there are wait times,, but its free so no complaints.
- the full kitchens take care of the the meals. We would eat like we are at home, pack lunches and prepare dinners prior to parks.
- The cost over the years... We bought resale so over the course of our 42 year contract and so far 150pts, it will equal a little over $900 each year for a week each year at disney. ($10,000 for 150pts, $710 annual dues over 42 years, 42x$710+$10,000= $39,820÷42 = $948) there will be annual dues increases but everything goes up in price over the years.

Cons - The lump sum payment to buy the resale. Not so much of a con but the initial thought of "ok, is this what i want to spend $10,000 on". But its over now, vacations are paid for.
- the stress of "is there going the be a room when we book for the week we want".
- with no car, you are stuck on disney property, but with the kids so young it doesnt matter.


We purchased last year and have only used it once and it was awesome, we will be doing aulani in september and will be doing OKW in november. So we will break even soon enough.

 

[TNR Paton]

My wife and I have always had a wonderful time at WDW. We took the kids twice while they were growing up. It was their favorite vacation. We did our 25th anniversary trip with just the two of us. It was magical. The memories we made are precious. We decided that we need to make more memories like that. So we bought into DVC.

 

[Novakm]

Not an owner yet, but I have a contract waiting for ROFR. I took the kids in '93' and made memories they still cherish. I have 3 sets of grand kids now, and i want to make more memories. I want to take 2 grand kids each year, or each one every 3rd year. With DVC, I can justify it once, and not worry about if we should go or not each year.

The other side of the question is what does it cost me for this convenience? It ties up a fair amount of cash, but I figure that since I am buying resale, I can get most of it back if I need to sell. If I don't, it pays for itself in 6 years. So the cost is minimal, could even save me money in the long run.

 

[savannahcat]

We just closed on our first contract today.

We have two daughters ages 7 and 9 who love Disney. The oldest has more than 15 trips under her belt.

My DH and I enjoy going to Disney both with the kids and without. We definitely see ourselves continuing to vacation there after the kids leave the nest.

After having rented DVC points 4 times, we were tired of not having control over our reservations. We knew it was time to join the club.

We bought 100 points at AKV, and plan to add on in the near future so that we will have two identical contracts to pass on to the kids. Then, further down the road, DH and I want a small contract at BWV for F&W once the kids are grown.

 

[disneypoor]

We are Disney people and have been doing everything Disney since our children (who are almost 18 and 15 now) were little. Our kids have been raised on Disney, and they know no different. It's part of their lives. They know that at least once a year, we pull dad away from the dairy farm, and we celebrate being a family doing something that has to do with Disney (WDW, DL, DCL, etc.).

Several years ago, a dear relative of mine passed away and left me an inheritance. The relative always wanted to know about my vacations. He'd call me before I left and call me just as soon as I got back to see how our trips were. I decided to use part of my inheritance to continue our Disney vacations for years to come and to share the Disney experience with friends and family, so we bought in to DVC. I knew he would be thrilled to know that he was part of the reason we'd continue to do our Disney trips for years to come and that my kids would be able to enjoy it with their own families some day if they desired.

What I've loved most about it is the ability to share it with others. We have taken my sisters and their families, my mother, and friends of my children. It is so wonderful to be able to take other people who might not be able to go otherwise. I love sharing my DVC, and I'm so glad we bought in and do wish we had done it earlier. I know my children will benefit from it as adults, and I'm so happy that my husband and I will be able to send them and their families some day (hopefully they'll allow us to tag along).

Susan