To buy or not to buy, that is the question.

[GoofItUp]

I am so on the fence about this and thought some of you might be able to help me through this. I'm certainly not going to rush into anything, but the more I think about it, the more I can't make up my mind! (DH is on-board if I want to do it.)

We have vacationed at WDW about 1.5 times/year for the past few years. We have stayed every where from off-site to deluxes, with the latter being my definite preference. We have an 18 mo son and one on the way, so I don't expect our vacation pattern to change in the next few years. (WDW is actually our relaxing vacation because we don't feel we have to do everything - or anything - to have a good time!) In fact, we have an extended family vacation with DH's group (3 families, 10 people) coming up in Mar '09 and another with my family (4 families, 17 people) coming up in June '09. This is why I thought this would be a good time to buy if we're going to do it. We could use '08, '09, and '10 points to accomodate both trips and have the families pay us for using the points which would help us pay off our DVC. If the Contemporary DVC (hate the name BLT) were finished by then, this would be the ideal place for both/either family vacation which makes me think this would be a great time to buy-in there. This would probably be the only way some of the group could afford to stay somewhere like the Contemporary.

The down sides that I'm thinking about are: (1) We like to stay at different places, but I understand some places are harder to get into at the 7-mo window. I don't want to buy and have limited choices on where I can stay. (2) We are slated to pay our house off next month, and I really was not wanting to go right back into debt. Not that I couldn't, it's just that I hadn't intended to. But when I think of the 1000's of dollars that those 2 family vacations could help us pay down, I think it might make sense, too.

Sorry this is so long, but I've literally been mulling this over for 2 weeks now and getting no where. Hopefully y'all can give me some things to mull over that I haven't thought about that will help me make up my mind! TIA!

 

[SophiasDad]

I'm in the same boat too! I have two little ones DD3 and DS2. DW and I have been mulling over buying into DVC for the past year. We travel to WDW/DCL at least twice a year. I think we are just waiting on what happens with BLT. Due to the kids being so young, it would be convenient to get to MK and Epcot. Looking for advice or someone to convince us too!!!

 

[browniemtb]

As most will say, "We wish we bought in sooner". Well I'm on board with that statement. DVC is a great option if you stay in deluxes and travel to Disney often. We waited a few years before we bought but are pleased now that we have. With young kids we also know that Disney will be a destination for many more years to come and having DVC makes it easier to paln and go!

 

[MILLZ]

One of the best decisions my wife and I made. It was an investment in our family.

 

[AlexTina]

We are also in the same boat. We have been going back and forth with this for the past 6 months, just waiting to see what happens with the Contemporary at this point. We have 3 kiddos 6, 3, and 1 and so we spend most of our time at MK with only about 1/2 day devoted to the other parks each trip. My kiddos love WDW in fact my DD 6 cried for 2 days after we got home because she wanted to go back and my DS 3 actually got angry with me the morning we were to leave because I was packing up and he had "told me not to do that because he was not ready to go home", LOL. So I definately don't see our vacation habits changing anytime soon, I can easily see us getting at least another 15 years out of it before the possibility of anyone getting bored with it arises and even longer than that really. I've been going to WDW and DL since 1977 and I'm still not bored and I still haven't done everything that there is to do!

We actually just got back from WL and I took that opportunity to get some opinions. It seems that just about everyone on these boards loves DVC and you constantly hear "we should have done it sooner" but I wanted some person to person "real" experiences so staying at WL gave me a great opportunity and I ran into quit a few DVC owners while staying there and actually spent quit a lot of time talking with them while at the pool or on the boat back from MK and just like these boards I could not find anyone with anything negative to say and again got the standard "we love it, we should have done it sooner", LOL.. DH actually said "do they indroctrinate these people or what?" He used to laugh because I would show him the posts from everyone saying how great it was but to actually run into people in real life and be able to talk to them was an eye opener for him and while he was on the fence before he is totally on board now. So we wait to see what happens with the Contemporary and then hopefully make a final decision. I'm hoping that by this time next year we'll be owners .

 

[nvrenoughdisney]

Wow! I am in the same boat as all of you. My sister is a DVC owner and we have been contemplating it for about a year now. I think we have decided to do it, but now I want to wait and see how much BLT is going for. I figure we can always buy resale if that doesn't work out. We also have two young kids, DD4 and DS2, so we go at least once a year. However, I think with the flexibility we would probably eventually take advantage of some of the other destinations across the country. We'll have to keep each other updated if we decide to take the plunge!

 

[Josh125]

I totally understand, something of this financial matter should never be rushed into.

My wife and I have been looking, crunching number, researcing, and saving for over 2 years now. We always stop by to say hi to our guide each year when we visit but have not pulled the trigger yet.

We have come to the conclusion that we can afford it, there is value in it for us, would primarily only use it for DVC (no trades), like to stay in higher end accomodations, love Disney!!, would provide many great memories, and we can give these experiences to others in our family over the years.

Now, DVC just needs to announce BLT and the trigger will finally be pulled.

Last item, we have been to many other timeshare pitches with different companies. I must say that Disney is clearly a different class operation, I guess it just sells it self to some degree.

 

[Disney_Villain]

If you're flexible about what seasons you travel in, you will wind up able to book all of the WDW DVC resorts over time. I've had little trouble booking them on my OKW & SSR points (keeping in mind that Food & Wine and the first few weeks of December can be problematic, I've usually defaulted to my home resort for these periods).

In the end I find I stay at my home resorts about 50% of my visits to WDW. Make sure you are happy with your home resort as you may be there frequently.

 

[bethy]

This thread is great reading. I'm in the same boat but I'm waiting for VGC. With this economy it makes me a little nervous but I think we'll still pull the trigger if the sales open up to the general public. The speculation on the high cost of points and room point requirements have me leary too. But we just need 4-5 nights per year in a studio. I'm sure that won't be too, too expensive right?

 

[thepops]

First off, congratulations on paying off your house! I'm sure there are a lot of us that would like to be in your boat there! One other thing to think about, is you could also buy at VWL (either from Disney or resale) which also puts you near the MK without having to wait for a BLT to show up. Best of luck and I hope to offer you a "Welcome Home" soon.

 

[joech]

One of the best decisions my wife and I made. It was an investment in our family.

It also a committment to our family.

 

[GoofItUp]

Thanks for all the great responses. There's so much to think about! I'm 90% sure that we're going to do it ..... just a few more things to research and understand.