To DVC or NOT to DVC, this is the question?

[mickeymyfavorite]

Hi Everyone, I'm so on the fence if we should buy DVC or not.

I was a member of the DVC back when AK opened $82.00 Per point, we had 160 points. which gave us about 2-3 vacations of out of the year if I planned during off seasons etc. if I remember correctly the dues were much cheaper than now I think about $500 a year ( I could be wrong ), but I loved the perks. So I sold my DVC membership when my son got older and we weren't able to go as often as we used to, as a single mom for me it really wasn't financially beneficial to have this expense if we weren't using it, so I sold my DVC. FAST FORWARD 20+ years.......I found my prince charming and we had a little princess and now it seems like we will be going often again.

How much as being a member changed? Points are so much higher now, like $100 more per point, not sure how to justify this to hubby, does anyone also the pro's and con's to purchase thru resale? what are the difference in benefits?

We are heading to Disney World in May my daughter is 2 1/2 years old and this will be her 2nd trip already

Thanks everyone I hope I can get some input TIA

 

[dumaresq]

The problem with DVC is you kind of either want it or don't.... I'm not sure how you convince someone.... lucky for me my wife wanted it
You can try to do it from a financial perspective but there are probably better ways to save money For me financially it made sense because:
1) We can only go for 1 week every year, and we want to go every year. This means I couldn't look for weeks with cheaper rooms, I have colleagues who get very good deals on deluxe resorts because they are flexible about when they travel.
2) I bought SSR resale, and this means that this year my points cost about 9.30$ a point. If I look at the room I am staying in and tried to pay full rate for that I am saving 3K this year.
3) I am hoping that if I ever decide to get out of DVC I will be able to sell the points for at least what I bought in for. This is risky and could not happen, and I don't really care about this, but history has shown so far, this is true.

The biggest reason I did it, was emotionally I wanted too, I can't justify it, I just wanted it

If you don't stay (or at least want to stay) at deluxe resorts and don't go at least once every 2 years financially it just won't make sense.

The point value changes a lot if you buy direct from Disney, the points will cost you a lot more, but you will get full membership rights, my current situation does not give me these, and so far I am not sure if I care or not. Next year I may buy the minimum (currently 75) points direct from Disney to get full benefits, again this is not because it makes sense financially (It doesn't) it is because I may just want it!

 

[DduzDis]

We have two young DDs (6 and 3). We knew were going to be going frequently as well since we were both fans even before kids. We thought we might do Art of Animation and found we really liked the family suites and not studios especially for nap times mid day. These are not inexpensive by themselves. So after a trip or two in the DVC resorts on rented points in 1 bedrooms we decided to take the plunge. We bought resale and then direct for the min (when that was 25 points) for the extra benefits.

The only real monetary benefit I can see is on the Gold APs for DVC members (that have the member benefits which you would not have currently as a resale owner). If you are going to buy Annual Passes frequently this could make some difference with finances. Otherwise, it's mostly the feeling of being a 'second class owner' as some have put it. You don't get access to the parties and some of the lounging areas (though you do still have access to Top of the World Lounge at Bay Lake either way).

Disney has been adding restrictions to resales as well. Since Jan 19th, any resale contract purchased has access only to the original 14 resorts and not anything that comes out new (right now Riviera would be the only one, but there are others in the works).

 

[aoconnor]

Buy resale and save thousands. The only monetary benefit of direct ownership is the annual pass discount. The member events, etc are nice but it's luck of the draw whether one happens to fall during your trip.

 

[DduzDis]

Buy resale and save thousands. The only monetary benefit of direct ownership is the annual pass discount. The member events, etc are nice but it's luck of the draw whether one happens to fall during your trip.

This is a much more concise way of saying what I was trying convey... Lol!!

 

[mickeymyfavorite]

So pretty much resale is the way to go I kick myself for giving up what I had put hate to have to spend what the price is now per point.

 

[DduzDis]

So pretty much resale is the way to go I kick myself for giving up what I had put hate to have to spend what the price is now per point.

Direct has gotten ridiculous.

 

[kniquy]

How much as being a member changed? Points are so much higher now, like $100 more per point, not sure how to justify this to hubby, does anyone also the pro's and con's to purchase thru resale? what are the difference in benefits?

So there are a number of things that have changed since you have owned. I believe you mentioned if you want to buy resale or direct. I think resale seeing you are talking about pricing in the $100 range. The major changes over the past couple of years have been DVC has been stripping resale purchases of perks, so basically when you buy a resale you are solely buying your accommodations - no discounts, no special parties. But you will save a ton compared to direct. The newest restrictions now exclude resale buyers from using the new and coming resorts (Riviera and Reflections and beyond). You still have access to 14 resorts - so not necessarily a bad situation. Of course the MF will continue to rise but the flip side of this is that hotel rooms on property will continue to rise likely at the same rate.


I have only been an owner since 2015 but the storm that has been brewing is a ton of smaller contracts are purchased so studios book up quickly - at CCV it seems studio competition is strong - at current direct prices people can only afford a small number of points, yet they sell a ton of points based on the CCV cabins. Basically if you want a studio anywhere book at 11 months and you should be ok, but if you wait you might be only left with SSR or OKW to choose from.

Buying in if you plan to go at least every other year is still a smart move (despite the restrictions). If you have to stay in a moderate or deluxe room for your trips - it will save you money. The only comparison that doesn't make sense is those people who are satisfied with staying at a value or off site -- then DVC really isn't a good buy.

Make sure you thoroughly look over points charts (I'm sure those have changed since you last saw them), also look on the ROFR for ideas as to what the resorts are selling at.

Be fully aware of the new resale restrictions coming with Riviera - that will create a bad financial situation if someone needs to get out of their contract.

 

[mickeymyfavorite]

actually I'm thinking we would probably go twice a year and when we do go we normally like to stay at a deluxe on the monorail line otherwise we would stay at a moderate resort.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

actually I'm thinking we would probably go twice a year and when we do go we normally like to stay at a deluxe on the monorail line otherwise we would stay at a moderate resort.

If you want to stay monorail, you need to buy on the monorail.

 

[jerseyduke]

actually I'm thinking we would probably go twice a year and when we do go we normally like to stay at a deluxe on the monorail line otherwise we would stay at a moderate resort.

If you are planning on booking a studio on the monorail, you probably should only consider buying Bay Lake or Poly. While I love the Grand Floridian, (and I own there), there is only at most 47 studios. It can be hard to get one at certain times, even at 11 months.

Since there are 4 of you, and you are saying twice a year, to me that says Annual Passes. You may save about 400$ a pop there, depending on gold or platinum. That could be 1600 a year....over 5 years, that is 8,000$ That COULD destroy your resale savings, depending on how much you will buy.

Remember also, that you only need 75 points direct to get those benefits, so you can buy both direct and resale as long as you use the same UY, get the benefits you want, and save some $$$.

perhaps 1 contract at 1 resort bought direct from Disney, say Bay lake, then a poly resale and alternate stays?

Just some food for thought...

 

[disneynutz]

The only way to tell is to decide how often you will vacation, where you want to stay and what type of room you will be wanting to stay in. It's all about the numbers!

Bill

 

[Lumpy1106]

As an older parent myself I can relate (kids 16, 13 and 5). We bought @ BLT which you can get resale for about $145/pt. AKL resale is now about $110/pt. Dues are quite a bit lower @ BLT so it may be a wash between the two over the life of the contract. I would not buy direct - just can't justify the added cost. For us it was resale or we were out.

To be honest, we had stayed at POR several times and loved it, but couldn't get a room there on our last trip and took an ill-fated chance on CBR. We hated it so much we moved to a 1BR @ AoA which we also loved...especially the small kitchen, separate bedroom and second bathroom...that we now feel are near necessities for our family of 5. If we had been able to get a room @ POR we probably wouldn't have been able to justify buying DVC, but now we have tasted the greener grass and it makes sense.

See you at TOTW (because you know you want to )

 

[siren0119]

Buy resale and save thousands. The only monetary benefit of direct ownership is the annual pass discount. The member events, etc are nice but it's luck of the draw whether one happens to fall during your trip.

Starting with Riviera, resale won't be able to book in the new DVC resorts if they own in one of the original 14. That will include Riviera, the new resort going in near FW, and anything that is built after that. Just another thing to consider.

 

[mickeymyfavorite]

Thank you everyone