Thinking about DVC

[DEDisney]

I am thinking about DVC at BLT & aprox. 180 points. We were offered a $5 incentive. The only things holding us back are:

1) We were looking at a cruise with our next Disney trip; however, it does not seem worth it to use the points for a cruise. We were told that they were running an incitive for current memebers for an free cruise with the purchase of an additional 100 pts. While we would love to be able to join at 160 pts. & buy the additional 100 pts. for the free cruise, 260 pts. is way more than we would want to doe now.

2) We would "lose out" on any promtions (specificly the free dining plan).

The ultimate question we have is will DVC be worth the upfront cost. We travel to Disney aprox. every 18 mo. & just want to make sure the value of DVC is in-line with what we can get on our own. Any recommendation/opinions/advice is appreciated!

 

[Sandisw]

If you get the name of a current member (there is a referral thread) you should be able to qualify for an additional $6.00 off or a 3 day cruise, in addition to the $5.00 off.

I just bought in to DVC because of BLT. We have been going since 1994 but love the CR and MK and knew that we were ready to buy DVC when BLT came along.

We priced out things, including what we save with all the promotions and to be honest, we still make out, if you cost average things out over the life of the contract. Even when I price it out over 20 years, I still end up paying less then I would if I got 30 - 40% discount or free dining. Of course, I am comparing to deluxe accomodations or a studio.

Good luck!

 

[Tigger031266]

The ultimate question we have is will DVC be worth the upfront cost.

Well that depends on you. At 180 points being used every 18 mo, I think you will find that DVC pays for itself in 7-9 yrs or something like that. The value really comes in staying in top notch hotels with incredible features and benefits (jacuzzi, washers/dryings, full kitchens, park discounts, free internet.....).

However, I think there is more. It is a blast to plan points out and have the ability to go more often and invite other family and friends. Its about the "welcome homes" that guards say and talking with other DVC'ers on this forum. Lots of fun...

The risk is that you will love it so much much, pretty soon you will just do a little add on, then another, then another..... It is easy to used to 1 bedrooms (instead of studios) and pretty soon the once in 18 mo becomes once every 4 months....

Good luck with your decison but most of us love of DVC.

 

[backyardponder]

Welcome to the boards.

Before investing in DVC, please make sure you can afford the investment, both the initial buy in plus the annual dues. Kids' college tuition and other things are far more important than investing in DVC.

Next, consider buying resale. You can save a lot of money by buying from someone who no longer wants to be members. There is a huge resale market out there. There are a number of brokers who can help you, including the sponsor of these boards, a link is at the top of the pages. We bought resale through this company and were quite happy. Note that if you buy resale once you are in the system, you are treated no differently by DVC than if you bought direct.

Good luck!

John

 

[JoQuo711]

Also, remember that if you go every 18 months a 180 point allotment will give you an average of 270 points every trip with banking and/or borrowing. Traveling once every 18 months, that's about a 5-6 nights every trip in 2 BR, or one week in a 1BR, or two weeks in a studio, unless you're traveling at peak holiday times.

 

[DEDisney]

I've been doing some research & noticed that there are many different incentives. I saw that the incentives are greater through DCL or a recent webcast than what is out there now. I have also noticed that in the past dining plan or annual pass incentives have been offered. My question is how often are the incentives changed & how do the current incentives compare to those offered in the past? Thanks!

 

[disneynutz]

The incentives change all the time. Disney is really good at marketing. Usually they will tell you that the current incentive will be going away on a certain date to instill panic and get people to buy now.

They are also good at setting a price like $112 per point, waiting a while and giving a magic incentive that affectively lowers the price to make you feel like your getting a deal and that the price will go up at any time.

Bottom line is, do your homework and consider resale if you really want to save money.

 

[S'sMom]

I got a call from the young lady that has helped us. OF course after all these years we are just now ready to buy. Anyway she called and offered an incentive that was only valid until Saturday. Unfortunately, I had gone out of town so I was unable to get the message in time. She said something about $19 off per point for AKL for 160 point. Which results in about $3040 off the original cost. ENding totoal: $14,800 final cost. They did have incentives for BLT but it was different just not as many incentives. Of course you still get the points up front and more in February.

I am afraid that we have missed out on that. How often do they come around. Should I hold out until later?

I've been doing some research & noticed that there are many different incentives. I saw that the incentives are greater through DCL or a recent webcast than what is out there now. I have also noticed that in the past dining plan or annual pass incentives have been offered. My question is how often are the incentives changed & how do the current incentives compare to those offered in the past? Thanks!

 

[toniosmom]

she called and offered an incentive that was only valid until Saturday. Unfortunately, I had gone out of town so I was unable to get the message in time.

Call the guide. She may honor the original incentive she offered you. Something similar happened to me when I was at WDW and was considering buying in for the first time. I waited until I got home to commit myself. They told me they would honor whatever deal was offered to me while I was there -- even though at the time they told me it was only good for the duration of my vacation.

Good luck!

 

[DEDisney]

We are down to BLT as our home & we were offered the following incentives (with a member referal):

1. $11.00/point for 160-199 or $13.00/point for 200+

OR

2. A 3 night (160-199 points) cruise for 4, a 4 night (200-269 points) cruise for 4, or a 7 night cruise (270+ points) for 4. The cruise dates are in Sept. to Dec. of 2010.

The only problem with the cruise is that we would need to add an extra child. I was told that it would increase the cost by $80/person (due to the room upgrade) plus the charge for the extra child. How does this compare to incentives anyone has seen in the past? At this point we are just debating whether to do it now or try to wait for better incentives.

 

[5forDiz]

We are down to BLT as our home & we were offered the following incentives (with a member referal):

1. $11.00/point for 160-199 or $13.00/point for 200+

OR

2. A 3 night (160-199 points) cruise for 4, a 4 night (200-269 points) cruise for 4, or a 7 night cruise (270+ points) for 4. The cruise dates are in Sept. to Dec. of 2010.

The only problem with the cruise is that we would need to add an extra child. I was told that it would increase the cost by $80/person (due to the room upgrade) plus the charge for the extra child. How does this compare to incentives anyone has seen in the past? At this point we are just debating whether to do it now or try to wait for better incentives.

Go to dvcnews.com to read up on the latest incentives being offered. Also, ita with poster disneynutz who said consider getting into DVC by purchasing via resale market to save $; and note that a smaller resale contract is an option if you don't want to commit to buying 160 pts at the get-go and in the future, if you need, add on points if your travel habits prove you'd require more ( add-ons often qualify for incentives too based upon number of points purchased ).

Incentives come and go all the time and there have been many over the years. If you are absolutely & positively comfortable with the whole DVC system of vacationing and ready at this moment to go ahead with making purchase then take advantage of what is currently available and don't dwell on what may have previously been offered or what may come up in the future because it can be maddening. Many here will tell you that no sooner did their contract close within a couple weeks a better incentive was offered - - yes, that can be very frustrating but it is typical of many member's experiences.

jmho, I feel $ off per point is better value than cruise incentive.

Best wishes on your planning and take your time thoroughly researching the resale market as well as direct purchasing through Disney to see where your real savings lie.

 

[Sandisw]

We are down to BLT as our home & we were offered the following incentives (with a member referal):

1. $11.00/point for 160-199 or $13.00/point for 200+

OR

2. A 3 night (160-199 points) cruise for 4, a 4 night (200-269 points) cruise for 4, or a 7 night cruise (270+ points) for 4. The cruise dates are in Sept. to Dec. of 2010.

The only problem with the cruise is that we would need to add an extra child. I was told that it would increase the cost by $80/person (due to the room upgrade) plus the charge for the extra child. How does this compare to incentives anyone has seen in the past? At this point we are just debating whether to do it now or try to wait for better incentives.

The incentives for BLT are a little less than they were last month so there is always a chance they could get worse.

I don't think BLT is a bad deal right now, if BLT is what you want. I could not take advantage of the cruise option so the straight discount was better. If you feel that the cruise is something you would do anyway, then that works out better than the price discount. However, if you have to spend money to go on a cruise you would otherwise not go on, then to me, its better to take the straight discount.

Waiting can be tricky as incentives could be worse. However, if you decided to buy BLT today and the incentives change before your contract closes, you can ask to re-write the contracts and get the new incentives. That is what I was able to do.

But it also depends on when you are hoping to book your first vacation. Remember, you can book 11 months out so being a member so you can get a room when you want it is important. When you buy, you can call for a reservation within days, much faster than the resale route.

In my experience, Disney usually puts out there that incentives are going to change, at least a few days or weeks before they do. You can always time your purchase around that but truthfully, if you think what they are offering now is a good deal, then go for it.

 

[DEDisney]

Any idea of how often the incentives change? I guess it would hurt to just call & ask. Also, I am wondering if we could possibly use points to bring our 5th person.

 

[rowbear]

The ultimate question we have is will DVC be worth the upfront cost. We travel to Disney aprox. every 18 mo. & just want to make sure the value of DVC is in-line with what we can get on our own. Any recommendation/opinions/advice is appreciated!

That is something you really have to figure out for yourself. For me it was one of the greatest purchases I have made but I go twice a year typically and the room is extremely important to me.

For what you will spend in the purchase, dues, and if you finance interest you can go on a ton of disney vacations if you watch for vacation deals and manage your money.

If you were spending the money to get the room that you would get with your points it is true that membership pays for itself after only a few years. If you are a bargain traveller who doesn't care to stay at the moderate or cheaper resorts it might take years and years and years for it to catch up.

We go so often that we spend more time in the room. We have done almost all of it so many times there are times we go and hang out at OKW and barely even touch a park.

 

[Sandisw]

Any idea of how often the incentives change? I guess it would hurt to just call & ask. Also, I am wondering if we could possibly use points to bring our 5th person.

Since they annouced BLT in the fall, the incentives have changed about 4 times. It started out as just $5.00 off. Then in, I think, November (about a month or two after sales began), they added matching developer points. In January when they added the cruise optin in lieu of developer ponts. April 1st, then increased the price per point discount and then on June 15th, the lowered it.

I don't know about paying for the 5th person with points--that would be a question for the guide. But I have heard that once you book, you can not change the reservation. If you can't go, you end up with nothing.

 

[DEDisney]

I'm starting to think that the cruise may not be the way to go versus the extra $6/pt.; however, we definately want to do DCL soon. Is there any "good way" to use our potential points for the cruise? We were under the impression that there were ways to use our points versus cash for DCL.

 

[Sandisw]

I'm starting to think that the cruise may not be the way to go versus the extra $6/pt.; however, we definately want to do DCL soon. Is there any "good way" to use our potential points for the cruise? We were under the impression that there were ways to use our points versus cash for DCL.

Yes, you can trade in the points for a cruise. But, from what most say, it is not the best use of points. Members are better off trying to rent their points and then taking the cash and pay for the cruise outright.

My family has no interest in doing the cruises so I have never really paid much attention to that option.

But, to give you an example, I just looked in the members' planner and a cruise that leaves in August this year, for 7 nights, in the same room that you would have to upgrade to for 5 people, Cat 4, would be 231 points per person.