Timeshare options

[umbluegray]

Hello, all. New poster here.

First, I just stumble on DIS a couple of days ago. WOW! What a great site.

Second, my wife and I took our daughter (who's now 4) to DW last August. It was incredible. We did the econo hotel stuff by doing the timeshare presentation stuff. We're glad we did.

We went to Orange Lake and Silver Lake. We also did the DVC presentation. Needless to say we're excited about the possibilities.

Here's the question: for those who weighed the choices between DVC and other timeshares, what were your deciding factors?

Thanks.

 

[mickeyc]

In my opinion if you plan to stay onsite DVC is a good value. I would recommend you try to purchase a resale. It is my understanding you can save in the area of 20% of the current DVC price direct from Disney. However, you would receive ten more years. It is great staying on property. DVC is also a very flexibile program.

In addition to DVC we also own a Marriot which is also excellent. We enjoy our stay at Cypress Harbour it is very quiet. Also, the accomodations are larger than at Disney. Although it is not as convenient as staying on property we usually park at the Ticket Transportation Center and fine park hopping easy when we part there.

I would also recommend you visit another website that discusses timeshares. It is: www.tug2.net. I think you will find the information invaluable.

Good luck and enjoy!

 

[jekjones1558]

umbluegray

Welcome to the DIS Boards! You can fire as many questions as you like. Folks here will tell you like it is.
We bought DVC after stopping at a kiosk in WDW. We really had no idea what we were getting into except that we love Disney vacations and liked the accommodations. I would be hard pressed to name anything else that money can buy that has made us happier than DVC. Once you have stayed in a DVC resort while at WDW, you will find it hard to go somewhere else, IMHO. That was the deciding factor for us. We have used our points to stay in luxury in Hawaii, but the best value is staying on DVC property. Best proof that we don't regret our purchase? We have added points 3 times so that we can go more often and take friends/family.

 

[Chuck S]

Welcome Umblegray,

Except for trading out, which I've never done, Jekjones1558 could have written my post. Mom & I bought in 1992, added on 3 times at OKW and have not stayed at any other resort since purchasing. If you enjoy staying onsite at WDW, and you'd normally stay in a moderate or delux class Disney hotel at least every other year..DVC is (IMO) the way to go!

 

[mbw12]

Besides my love of Disney....the definite deciding factor for me was money! When we found ourselves visiting WDW atleast once a year, sometimes twice a year, and always staying in either deluxe or moderate resorts....I just saw my money going "poof." Friends suyggested that we try staying off site, to save some $$....my response was "ummm....no, I don't think so....I don't DO "off property"", (got labeled a "Disney Snob" for that statement!!!!!" and personally I LIKE that nickname!)
So. we looked into DVC and just found it to just make sense for our traveling needs.
Bought it back in 2000, and haven't regretted it once!

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

Since you have not yet stayed on-site, it is a little hard for you to understand exactly why DVC is the best deal. We too looked at other timeshares after we checked out DVC, and figured it was a "no brainer" after we started staying on site. We did the economy hotel thing the first couple of trips too (back in the early 80's), but one stay on-site and then our DVC tour in '92 made us realize it was a good deal! Unfortunately, we didn't purchase for a few more years, and THAT is our only regret! If we would just have done it when we first heard about it!!!

 

[bwvBound]

Originally posted by umbluegray
Here's the question: for those who weighed the choices between DVC and other timeshares, what were your deciding factors?

A few questions to ask yourselves:

A) What value, to you, is it to "stay on property" vs staying at a lovely resort "nearby"? (On property may allow you to walk to a Disney attraction, grants access to the Disney transportation system, and means you'll enjoy the constant feel of staying "in the magic"?)

B) What value, to you, are the other DVC member perks? (Discounts at selected restaurants, valet parking at some resorts, etc.)

C) What are you anticipated travel plans in the future? Is Disney area an "annual or bi-annual" expectation ... or will you hope to use timeshare ownership to travel all over the US/world?

D) How much do you expect to spend for initial purchase? (I'm still listing "deciding factors" -- not asking you to answer here.)

E) How much do you expect to pay for annual maint fees/dues?

F) What level of "sales experience" can you handle? (You can get great deals on timeshare ownership all over the country/world that will trade into Orlando-area resorts ... but would you enjoy the "thrill of the hunt" just to get a bargain?)

G) What about your expectations regarding booking your reservations? Do you want to simply call a qualified, friendly and helpful Disney Member Services rep ... book your vacation and be "done" ... or could you be happy working the exchange companies each year? (Before joining DVC I got up at 3:00AM Pacific time daily trying to book my annual BWV stay through Interval International. It works and provides a great "HIGH!" once booked ... but not all folks will enjoy the process.)

Just a few thoughts. Good luck in your decision process!

 

[Diznut84]

First of all, <b>NEVER</b> buy from the developer at either Orange Lake or Silver Lake. You can do much better through resale or Ebay.

To me, the operative question is how important is it for you to stay onsite? Staying onsite has tremendous advantages. If you value it, consider buying into DVC. You might try renting points to test your preferences.

If staying onsite doesn't turn out to be important for you, you'll find that the Orlando area has some of the nicest resorts that are very easy to trade into. Go visit TUG for advice:

www.tug2.net

A couple of timeshares that will get you into Orlando regularly include South Africa timeshares in RCI (cost of $400 with annual dues of $150), and Foxrun in Interval (cost of $1500 with annual dues of $390).

I've been there, done that. Now, however, I've finally settled on the fact that I can afford DVC, and I believe it is worth the money to stay onsite!!!

Good luck!

 

[JudyS]

The real purpose of owing at the DVC is so that one can stay onsite (or in 1 of Disney's 2 resorts on the Atlantic Ocean) in a very nice suite at a lower cost than renting similar accomodations from Disney for cash.

If you are willing to stay *offsite* (not in Disney's own hotels/condos), then there are many much, much cheaper options. You don't need to even buy a timeshare to stay someplace nice in Orlando; www.skyauction.com rents Orlando timeshares *very* cheaply.

If you do decide to buy a non-DVC timeshare, I wouldn't buy in Orlando. It's much cheaper to buy elsewhere and trade into orlando. Also, if you buy a non-DVC timeshare, *please* check out www.tug2.net first. The nice folks there can prevent you from overpaying by thousands of dollars!

My suggestion is: first try staying onsite to see how much it matters to you, then decide if you want to buy DVC.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Hi, umbluegray! First, WELCOME to the DIS Boards!

The best way to answer your own question is to go visit all the resorts that you are considering. It looks as though you have seen the off-site two, but you need to go see all of the DVC resorts. I suggest all of them, because each has it's own personality.

Once you have seen them all (preferably back to back), you will see there is not even a remote comparison between DVC and the others.
I recently did just that, as I have stated in this previous thread.

Good luck!

MG

 

[crisi]

I don't like Florida. I like Disney. We go straight from MCO to Disney property and don't leave. Eventually, we will branch out to spend a few days at Universal.

We like the idea of having the Disney resorts available to us - things like golf and mouseboats and restaurants and lovely themed pools.

 

[dlr25]

I'm afraid I'm a bit like crisi in my love of Disney more than Florida. However, we have branched out a bit. I love SeaWorld and we had two fun days at Universal.

The DVC properties are so nice and there is so much to do other than the parks that you can really have a relaxing vacation or a jam packed one or a little of everything which is what we usually end up with.

I think crisi really is onto something here. If it's Disney that you love, buy DVC and you'll be thrilled. If you really like Orlando maybe another timeshare is going to work for you. I know that some of them are very nice. However, the one thing I have learned from these boards is that if you buy a timeshare other than DVC you really should buy a resale.

 

[spiceycat]

go the resale route if you can.

Disney is my love and I love my DVC - but the latest price increase - if I were buying now - I would not be able to afford it.

I still think it is a great buy.

but go over the figures carefully - do not get in a financial blind on your vacation time.

Disney is great - if you must stay on Disney property.

I have another timeshare SouthAfricia - that i use for my off-site Disney stays - you can even find a better bargin these days with a United States timeshares - there are bargin out just know using

www.tug2.net

what you are buying and where it is located.

I also love the Marriott's there are several in the area. Also almost priced out of my league - although you can really get some good bargin in resale - that I can afford.

Now if you must stay on Disney property - then DVC is a must!!!! Otherwise there are several great timeshares for much less than DVC - look for something near you on a beach (if possible) in the resale market.

 

[bwvBound]

If you decide that "staying on-site" isn't your primary goal .. be sure to research the many non-DVC options thoroughly. Don't be in any rush!

Should you choose a non-DVC route ... consider buying something near your home (w/in a reasonable drive) offering various owner-advantages.

Look for things like:
1) bonus time (discounted nightly rentals) directly through the resort
2) day-use of resort ammenities
3) affiliations with multiple exchange companies (RCI, II and/or others)
4) affiliations with multiple resort locations (a 'club' like Worldmark, Fairfield, Blue Green or similar)

A big key: Be sure to buy something you would enjoy using. That extends to resort name, resort location, unit type, time period, and other criteria.

 

[jekjones1558]

Should you choose a non-DVC route ... consider buying something near your home (w/in a reasonable drive

Any suggestions for those of us in Minnesota? We are not fans of Wisconsin Dells or Branson. We LOVE Door County, Wisconsin but in my little bit of research have not found any affordable options there. Any advice appreciated!

 

[umbluegray]

Thanks for all the responses.

We decided we want to purchase a non-Disney timeshare as well as become a DVC member. Unfortunately we can't do both at the same time.

We found out about the resale market and that's really exciting.

We're leaning to buying the non-Disney timeshare first and the the DVC later.

Orange Lake is a really nice facility but the main advantage it has is the Kemmons Wilson name. He started it and his family runs it. As a Memphian, I really respect KW for what he accomplished in the lodging industry. So naturally his association with Orange Lake makes it a BIG plus.

Orange Lake is affiliated with RCI. It's listed as a Gold Crown Resort, RCI's highest distinction.

We thought having a Gold Crown resort as our home resort will give us an advantage when we try to book elsewhere. We also thought having OL as our home resort (since it's in the world's number one vacation area) would increase our ability to rent it out when we choose to.

We thought that, down the road in 2-4 years, we could rent it out and use the revenue to apply toward our DVC payments. In essence we're trying to figure out how to let one resort pay for the other (or at least help pay for the other).

We stayed at Port Orleans during our honeymoon. That was a while back. I believe PO had just opened. Staying on property was fantastic.

The main thing is I just want to ensure that my wife, daughter and I are able to spend many wonderful vacations together. And I also look forward to letting my daughter have the property when she has her own family -- in 25 years or so.

Any thoughts (pro or con) on our strategy? We really appreciate the input.

 

[ripleysmom]

We looked at Silver Lake and were this close to buying. If their financing had been more attractive we probably would have gone for it.

The next day we went on the DVC tour and that was all I needed. At the time, DVC was less than the 3BR we were looking at at Silver Lake and the financing rates were better.

The closer for us was being on property at Disney. The ability to take the bus, charge to our rooms and just not have to drive so far at the end of the day was important.

DVC gave us the chance to stay onsite yet enjoy the type of space and amenities we were looking for from other timeshares.

 

[ripleysmom]

I see that you made the decision to buy non DIsney.

Something to keep in mind when buying regular timeshares is if you buy an Orlando timeshare it does not keep it's value as well as some others. There are so many timeshares there that they are basically a dime a dozen.

 

[tiffany123]

Umbluegray

I sent you a pm

 

[Dean]

Originally posted by umbluegray
Thanks for all the responses.

We decided we want to purchase a non-Disney timeshare as well as become a DVC member. Unfortunately we can't do both at the same time.

We found out about the resale market and that's really exciting.

We're leaning to buying the non-Disney timeshare first and the the DVC later.

Orange Lake is a really nice facility but the main advantage it has is the Kemmons Wilson name. He started it and his family runs it. As a Memphian, I really respect KW for what he accomplished in the lodging industry. So naturally his association with Orange Lake makes it a BIG plus.

Orange Lake is affiliated with RCI. It's listed as a Gold Crown Resort, RCI's highest distinction.

We thought having a Gold Crown resort as our home resort will give us an advantage when we try to book elsewhere. We also thought having OL as our home resort (since it's in the world's number one vacation area) would increase our ability to rent it out when we choose to.

We thought that, down the road in 2-4 years, we could rent it out and use the revenue to apply toward our DVC payments. In essence we're trying to figure out how to let one resort pay for the other (or at least help pay for the other).

We stayed at Port Orleans during our honeymoon. That was a while back. I believe PO had just opened. Staying on property was fantastic.

The main thing is I just want to ensure that my wife, daughter and I are able to spend many wonderful vacations together. And I also look forward to letting my daughter have the property when she has her own family -- in 25 years or so.

Any thoughts (pro or con) on our strategy? We really appreciate the input.

OLCC is a nice facility. Still, it's one you can exchange into with ANYTHING almost any time of the year. I'd also seriously doubt the wisdown of expecting to rent it out for a downpayment, you'd be lucky to get enough to pay your maint fees.