To buy or not to buy...

[jmillikan]

My husband and I are interested in DVC membership. We live in the Orlando area and already have season passes. Our main interest in the DVC is for the non-Disney travel, the Disney Cruises, and the Disney Adventures. We could occasionally stay in a Disney Resort for a night or two just for something fun for our kids. Our kids are a preschooler and a toddler. Being tied to a monthly payment could cause some hardship for us at this time, so if we did it we were considering renting our points for the first few years to pay for the timeshare and then begin using it later when the monthly payments were not so much an issue or when the timeshare is paid for. Then our kids would be a little older and would more appreciate and enjoy the trips we could take at that time. Has anyone rented out their points so that they were nothing out of pocket? Is that easy to do? Any suggestions on the best method for renting successfully?

I am also concerned about some of the threads I am reading where it sounds like making a reservation anywhere is difficult and has to be done so far in advance.

Thanks for your help!

 

[disneynutz]

Renting out your points can be a pain. DVC's best value is for DVC Resort stays. Based upon the info that you provided, I would not recommend membership at this time.

 

[bookwormde]

You can do any of the offsite items as economically by paying cash as you can committing to a DVC property.

bookwormde

 

[Lynne M]

DVC is really only a good value when you stay at the DVC resorts. That's what it's 'meant' for, and how the great majority of members use it. Most of us will only use the trading options occasionally.

Here's a couple of things off the top of my head that would prevent me from buying in your situation:

• Point costs per night at the DVC resorts are essentially fixed over the life of the contract. Point costs for the non-Disney travel, the cruise, and ABD are NOT fixed, and can and do go up every year. The costs for the cruise and ABD are already extreme, in my opinion. Over the term of your contract, you'll likely need to add more points if you want to continue cruising and using ABD.
  
• The ability to use points for non-DVC options is not guaranteed in the contract. They could severely restrict any of those options, or take them away altogether at any time. When I joined in 2001, there was a $75 exchange fee to use points for the Disney Cruises. A couple of years ago, they raised the fee to $95, and now you need to pay it for ANY of the non DVC options (except the DL resorts).

I think most members view the ability to trade out of the DVC system as a nice perk, to be used occasionally, but certainly not the primary purpose of our membership. I think you'd end up spending far more for your vacations than you would if you simply paid cash.

 

[janni518]

Sounds like you'd do better with a different kind of . My SIL owns through Marriot and she stays all over as well as at Disney.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I'll have to agree with everyone else...don't buy if you're strictly looking to stay or trade outside the DVC resorts.

 

[CarolA]

The Florida resident rates on cruises are a much better deal then you will get paying for points to cruise (and I use my points to cruise)