Thoughts on dvc

[Jennygt]

I have been thinking about dvc the past few days, We go to wdw every other year, with the prices we are paying I was thinking about getting a dvc. Does anyone have any experince with it, good or bad?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

We've been members for a few years now and our experiences have been very good. I have never had a problem renting the points out when we could not use them ourselves and actually sold a contract very recently and got my initial investment back after using it for awhile -- which is almost unheard of as far as timeshares go.

If you do go to WDW every year you might want to give it serious consideration. With the 100 pt buy in @ AKV available right now, it has made DVC affordable to a lot more people (the regular buy in is 160 pts). Once you're a member you can do add-ons in increments as low as 25 pts.

Also, if you are in a situation where you live close enough to drive...that would definitely be a plus because you aren't dependent on air travel to be able to utilize the points.

First and foremost though -- only consider DVC if your finances can handle it as right now no one really knows how much worse our economy will slip before it starts going up again. So don't get yourself in a bind over purchasing a "want" instead of a "need".

 

[two-foxes]

We've only been members since 2006, but we travel annually for the most part, to WDW. Living in Colorado, we are obviously closer to DLR, which we have used our points at as well. So far, we love it. With the addition of our little monkey man, Merrick, our budget has changed DRASTICALLY, but DVC is the one thing we are not willing to scrimp on or see if we can get out of....meaning, although it won't be paid off for a while, we realize the long term investment this is for us and guaranteed family vacations in the future. The accomodations really make it more like home, too.

My favorite part of it all was the purchase. The guides do not put you under one bit of pressure....they just give you the facts (and just a little bit of a sales pitch!) Typically, when we make a big purchase like a car, I get buyers remorse. I never had one thought that we were doing something wrong for us with DVC. Next trip down, meet with a guide and they'll figure your future spending on vacation with your current habits. You'll be able to better tell if it is a good fit for you.

 

[ChelleinNC]

I posted my thoughts on this very same question in a different forum yesterday http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=26674185#post26674185

Also, check out the DVC forums here on the Dis, you'll find lots of information

 

[carol1231]

We've been members for 10 years and love it! It works perfect for our family. Definetly check out the DVC boards, there is a lot of good information to be found there.

 

[starwood]

We love it!

What finally convinced DH to buy in was the fact that if we ever decide to sell it down the road (not likely) we will get back almost what we paid for it and have had some great vacations. If you asked him about it now he will say his only regret was not buying in sooner.

We started with 100 point resale (DH thought that would be more than enough). After our first trip in a studio he said we should get more points so I bought 35 from disney. After our next trip he said we needed more points again so I got another 50. Our last 2 trips we stayed in a 2 bedroom with friends and DH is hooked. He keeps asking how many days can we stay in a 1/2 bedroom. When I tell him we don't have enough points for that I'm hoping we can add on more.

 

[ADP]

We are members and think its a great program for families who love to travel to WDW. DVC has allowed us to travel to WDW more often. Using the member perks and privalages has made it even better. The $100 off APs is a great perk. We stroll in and out of the parks at our leisure and it gives us more time to enjoy the amenities at our DVC resorts.

If you consider joining there are some pretty good incentives going on right now for buying into AKV.

 

[Launchpad11B]

I have been thinking about dvc the past few days, We go to wdw every other year, with the prices we are paying I was thinking about getting a dvc. Does anyone have any experince with it, good or bad?

Do it! It's awesome, you won't regret it.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

My best advice - do some math. Run some numbers and do a quick estimate of how much you would spend over the next 10 years in Disney vacations. Then, pick some resorts and room category, add some inflation values to the next several years, and total it up to compare that to what you would want to pay for the appropriate amount of points that would get you through a standard year. To figure that out, get a copy of the points charts for all DVC Resorts off the web and determine the point values for the type of rooms you are most likely to use when you stay with DVC. That's a way to see what you really need to spend to make yourself happy. We, personally, can't really live with anything under a 1-bedroom and often take friends in a 2, so we know realistically that we will burn through our points - especially with 2 -3 nights a year at DL resorts, too. If you think you want to try out the other resorts, and not just your home one - we do that all the time, make allowances for that, as some DVC resorts burn more points/night than others.

I've been a member for 15 years (this month to be exact ) and I have never had any issues whatsoever. I even won the deed in my divorce from my first marriage (and boy was he mad) ! I bought when living in Missouri in 1993, moved to Los Angeles in 2000, and have used every single point of my 250/year! I would say that my investment actually paid for itself (in actual room dollar costs) after the first 3 years.

Best of luck and if it fits your families needs, Welcome Home!
Nancy

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

if you can afford it and you know you will be happy vacationing at WDW every year or every other year it is worth it.

Our breakeven was 7 - 8 years, then we get a deluxe accomodation for the same price as a value resort for the same length of stay, (cost of dues) but we are in a 1-bdrm with full kitchen.

so if it fits your budget I recommend everyone in those circumstances to give it a serious look.

it is the one big ticket indulgence in life I have not felt guilt or regret over (ie boat, auto I really didn't need, impulse buy etc....) I have never regreted it not once. And it forces me to take a vacation, something I never seemed to find time to do in the past.

 

[jbucci]

We have been DVC members for 6 years and love it!!!

We have had positive trips staying at every DVC resort we have tried. Our theory with buying was that we might not be saving money on the trips (when you consider the buy-in and annual dues) but we got to stay in MUCH nicer rooms for what we would have payed to be off property or in an All-Star level resort. We love having a 1 bdrm with a full kitchen and washer dryer-- it makes traveling with kids so much easier and is fun to bring friends along. The discount on APs is also a really nice perk.

I do agree with what was said on the podcast-- buy if you plan to travel yearly or every other year to the parks. It is very worthwhile for the DVC resorts, not so much as a trade in to go other places-- use the points for Disney or rent them to pay for a vacation elsewhere if that is what you want a particular year.

The only other "negative" is that you have to plan ahead for trips if you have specific dates in mind-- some rooms/resorts fill quickly so it is much better to plan trips at least 7 months ahead. This has not been a problem for us because as soon as we leave Disney I want to start planning my next trip.

 

[lorax123]

we have thought about it as well. I can see the long term savings, but they are far enough in the future, I can rationalize reasons why not to buy in as well.

It does seem like, if you manage it correctly, you can do very well.

We've been fortunate to find good deals on on-site stays. Our major expenses are the airfare, meals & tickets.

But we are renting a 2 bedroom at OKW. We'll see how we like that and go from there.

It just seems we would want 200 points for what we want to do. That seems salty!

 

[disneymom8589]

We've been DVC members for 2 years now and are glad we took the plunge. We just returned from our trip to WDW and a stay at the BWV. DH and I mentioned on several occasions that we are so happy we bought into DVC. Having a 1 bdrm. with the spacious room, including a washer and dryer in the unit is so nice!!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

We've been DVC members for 2 years now and are glad we took the plunge. We just returned from our trip to WDW and a stay at the BWV. DH and I mentioned on several occasions that we are so happy we bought into DVC. Having a 1 bdrm. with the spacious room, including a washer and dryer in the unit is so nice!!

Agreed on the washer and dryer aspect - even more valuable to us now that it costs us to carry luggage on the airplane! I know we as a family will be packing half of what we normally take and will be doing laundry every couple nights.

Nancy

 

[starwood]

Forgot to mention that I use our Disney Visa Reward Dollars to pay part of the dues every year. Last year we only paid around $400 out of pocket for 185 OKW points.

 

[two-foxes]

Agreed on the washer and dryer aspect - even more valuable to us now that it costs us to carry luggage on the airplane! I know we as a family will be packing half of what we normally take and will be doing laundry every couple nights.

Nancy

Let me jump on this as well. With having a baby or little ones, the washer and dryer is HUGE. In December, we used that thing constantly to wash clothes, burp cloths, bibs, burp cloths and the stroller seat cover when we weren't quick enough with those burp clothes. The studios don't have the washers, so we try to go during the less busy season to ensure we have enough points to do at least a week in a 1 bedroom annually.

So if you decided to buy, like others have said, really take time to figure out what accomodations you'd like to stay in regularly. We initally signed at WDW for one contract, then on the plane trip home, we realized that we needed to add more points because we wanted to be able to stay in more than a studio on a regular basis. We called them right away and they were able to modify our contract as we were still in that time frame.

Good luck!

 

[Jennygt]

Thanks for all the input guys! Not sure what we will do but at least we are better informed.

 

[LilGMom]

Our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. We drive and make 2-3 trips a year, stay on-site and have been vacationing like that since 2001. After watching resort prices climb higher and higher it was getting to a point that we were going to start being priced out of the deluxes. We ran numbers like crazy and in 5-7 yrs. (depending on how many trips we make each year) it'll have paid for itself. If you do buy in be forewarned of 'addonitis'!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

Our only regret is that we didn't do it sooner. We drive and make 2-3 trips a year, stay on-site and have been vacationing like that since 2001. After watching resort prices climb higher and higher it was getting to a point that we were going to start being priced out of the deluxes. We ran numbers like crazy and in 5-7 yrs. (depending on how many trips we make each year) it'll have paid for itself. If you do buy in be forewarned of 'addonitis'!

That's why I jumped on it in 1993. I knew this was something I wanted - I was 23 at the time and had just paid off my car, so the 3 year contract for $13,500 was like adding a 2nd car financially (that was how much I paid for my new Escort wagon, back then). I made up my value in 3 years, especially when we did a Grand Villa at OKW with friends!

JennyGT - Good luck in whatever you decide!
Nancy

 

[drakethib]

You have asked a Million Dollar question.

Hard decision to make.

My only advice is that DVC has ended up costing us more as we have been making more and more trips since becoming members.