Trip Report with pics is up!
- Thread starter Timon
- Start date
Augustheather97
wild about Disney
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- Jun 17, 2000
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really nice job on the scrapbooking.........you are very talented
disneydreamerinny
Elliot’s MiMi
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2001
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- 699
OH my Gosh!! Your website is FABULOUS!! Great job, lots of work...
Thanks for posting..
Thanks for posting..
JonHM
Turn into the spin, Barbie!!!!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
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- 665
*EXCELLENT* website! 2 questions: Did you realize that in the picture of you and your Dad from a childhood trip (the groovy sideburns pic 
) that the people standing behind you in line give you inadvertant Mickey ears? Disney magazine posts photos like that in every issue. Second, have you ever either heard of or looked into the Disney Vacation Club? My wife and I had honeymooned at WDW in 1995 and thought we couldn't afford to come back until last June, but then we learned about the DVC. It's kind of a timeshare, Disney-style, but without all of the negatives often associated with timeshares. Bottom line, it makes it affordable for us to go back pretty regularly to WDW, when we thought we wouldn't be able to again for years. It's very very cool. Just thought, looking at your site, that it might be a really good fit for you guys.
Once again, *fantastic* webpage!
Jon
) that the people standing behind you in line give you inadvertant Mickey ears? Disney magazine posts photos like that in every issue. Second, have you ever either heard of or looked into the Disney Vacation Club? My wife and I had honeymooned at WDW in 1995 and thought we couldn't afford to come back until last June, but then we learned about the DVC. It's kind of a timeshare, Disney-style, but without all of the negatives often associated with timeshares. Bottom line, it makes it affordable for us to go back pretty regularly to WDW, when we thought we wouldn't be able to again for years. It's very very cool. Just thought, looking at your site, that it might be a really good fit for you guys.Once again, *fantastic* webpage!
Jon
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Jon,
Thanks for the great reply! LOL, no..I have never noticed the mickey ears Thanks for pointing it out, it gave me a good laugh! (actually my fave is on my Hawaii trip report, hidden mickey out of the steam from the volcano )
I have dreamed of DVC, often actually But with our crappy Canadian dollar, it's just not affordable to us. I've researched the DVC and if my findings are correct, the minimum point purchase is 150 pts, which right now, at $75/point is $11,250. Which isn't TOO bad, but when you convert that to the CDN dollar, it's $18,000!! It's just not affordable for us right now. We just bought a house a year ago and need things like a fence and a deck this year 
I would LOVE to join, and I am hoping maybe one day we will, but for now, we just can't....but hey! as soon as we win the lottery, we will buy 600 points!!!!
Thanks for the great reply! LOL, no..I have never noticed the mickey ears
Thanks for pointing it out, it gave me a good laugh! (actually my fave is on my Hawaii trip report, hidden mickey out of the steam from the volcano )I have dreamed of DVC, often actually
But with our crappy Canadian dollar, it's just not affordable to us. I've researched the DVC and if my findings are correct, the minimum point purchase is 150 pts, which right now, at $75/point is $11,250. Which isn't TOO bad, but when you convert that to the CDN dollar, it's $18,000!! It's just not affordable for us right now. We just bought a house a year ago and need things like a fence and a deck this year I would LOVE to join, and I am hoping maybe one day we will, but for now, we just can't....but hey! as soon as we win the lottery, we will buy 600 points!!!!
JonHM
Turn into the spin, Barbie!!!!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Messages
- 665
Man, that really stinks about the poor conversion rate of the Canadian dollar. Hopefully that is just a temporary state that will change as the world economy changes. I did want to let you know about a couple of things that you might not know that might make joining DVC *a little* more realistic. Just a few of the things that we didn't know until we took the DVC tour at WDW.
Yes, it is definitely a large amount of money to buy into DVC, on a par with the price of a car. What really helped us, though (we also just bought a house last year), was that unlike any car loan I've ever heard of, Disney will finance a DVC loan over *10* years. That helps tremendously with getting the monthly payments down to a manageable level, which was crucial for us. In connection with that, there is also no early payment penalty - so if, 4 or 5 years from now, you came into some money and wanted to pay it off early, you would be able to do so with no problems.
Just FYI, because the newest DVC resort, Beach Club Villas, is set to open this summer, they are running a promotion right now. As you pointed out, the current price per point is $75 American. But as an introductory special, for the time being if you buy more than 100 points, which you would have to as an initial purchase, they are offering them at $5 off - $70 per point. And the cool thing about that, for those of us who can't afford the huge outlay in one shot to get started, is that they sell them to you officially for the regular price, $75, and then give you the extra $5 per point as a discount on your down payment. So if you were buying 150 points, you'd get $750 towards your down payment. I *think* you can do the loan by putting 10% down if you wish, so that would mean your down payment, instead of being $1125, would instead be $375. You would then be financing $10,125 over 10 years. So you'd be paying $1000 plus interest per year for 10 years, broken down into monthly payments. I know that that's still a lot of money, and you would still have the hurdle of the poor conversion rate, but the fact that we were able to break it up like that and do the payments that way made a HUGE difference to us, so I wanted to pass that on to you guys. I don't know how long that promotion is going to be going on, but do know that they're going to raise the price per point from $75 to $80 starting on June 1st. You would still be able to purchase resales for cheaper than that, but that will probably drive the prices of resales higher as well. By the way, the promotion I mentioned above is similar to one that they've had going for a while called 'Magical Beginnings', but with one significant improvement. When we bought into DVC last June at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, 'Magical Beginnings' allowed us to sell back our first year's supply of points for $5 per point, which we were able to apply to our down payment. With THIS promotion, however, you still get the $5 per point towards the DP, but you do NOT have to give up your first year's points, which is a huge advantage.
And no, before you ask, I DON'T work for Disney
and the state that I live in forbids me from receiving any sort of gift from Disney for referring someone, so if I sound like a commercial, that's just me getting excited about Disney World, and DVC in particular. I just really enjoyed your website and identify strongly with you guys. And we are *so* excited since we discovered DVC last June that we will be able to make regular trips to Disney World, when we thought we wouldn't be able to afford to go more than once every 4-5 years.
We're working on our website and trying to get a lot more of our Disney pictures online - I may end up contacting you with questions about your website, since you did such a great job with it.
Thanks so much for the info on the cruise vacation - we've never been on one before, and have been extremely curious about Disney Cruise Lines. I feel like I have a much better idea of what they're about. Thanks again!
And please let us know if you have any questions about DVC, if there's any way we can help.
Yes, it is definitely a large amount of money to buy into DVC, on a par with the price of a car. What really helped us, though (we also just bought a house last year), was that unlike any car loan I've ever heard of, Disney will finance a DVC loan over *10* years. That helps tremendously with getting the monthly payments down to a manageable level, which was crucial for us. In connection with that, there is also no early payment penalty - so if, 4 or 5 years from now, you came into some money and wanted to pay it off early, you would be able to do so with no problems.
Just FYI, because the newest DVC resort, Beach Club Villas, is set to open this summer, they are running a promotion right now. As you pointed out, the current price per point is $75 American. But as an introductory special, for the time being if you buy more than 100 points, which you would have to as an initial purchase, they are offering them at $5 off - $70 per point. And the cool thing about that, for those of us who can't afford the huge outlay in one shot to get started, is that they sell them to you officially for the regular price, $75, and then give you the extra $5 per point as a discount on your down payment. So if you were buying 150 points, you'd get $750 towards your down payment. I *think* you can do the loan by putting 10% down if you wish, so that would mean your down payment, instead of being $1125, would instead be $375. You would then be financing $10,125 over 10 years. So you'd be paying $1000 plus interest per year for 10 years, broken down into monthly payments. I know that that's still a lot of money, and you would still have the hurdle of the poor conversion rate, but the fact that we were able to break it up like that and do the payments that way made a HUGE difference to us, so I wanted to pass that on to you guys. I don't know how long that promotion is going to be going on, but do know that they're going to raise the price per point from $75 to $80 starting on June 1st. You would still be able to purchase resales for cheaper than that, but that will probably drive the prices of resales higher as well. By the way, the promotion I mentioned above is similar to one that they've had going for a while called 'Magical Beginnings', but with one significant improvement. When we bought into DVC last June at the Wilderness Lodge Villas, 'Magical Beginnings' allowed us to sell back our first year's supply of points for $5 per point, which we were able to apply to our down payment. With THIS promotion, however, you still get the $5 per point towards the DP, but you do NOT have to give up your first year's points, which is a huge advantage.
And no, before you ask, I DON'T work for Disney
and the state that I live in forbids me from receiving any sort of gift from Disney for referring someone, so if I sound like a commercial, that's just me getting excited about Disney World, and DVC in particular. I just really enjoyed your website and identify strongly with you guys. And we are *so* excited since we discovered DVC last June that we will be able to make regular trips to Disney World, when we thought we wouldn't be able to afford to go more than once every 4-5 years.We're working on our website and trying to get a lot more of our Disney pictures online - I may end up contacting you with questions about your website, since you did such a great job with it.
Thanks so much for the info on the cruise vacation - we've never been on one before, and have been extremely curious about Disney Cruise Lines. I feel like I have a much better idea of what they're about. Thanks again!
And please let us know if you have any questions about DVC, if there's any way we can help.
- Joined
- Aug 18, 1999
- Messages
- 9,211
Jon,
Haha...no...not scared off
But I do think that Disney should hire you!
I am very glad that you are so very happy with your purchase. Not many people can get that worked up over a time-share! You did share a few things with me that I didn't know, but still, we are unable to afford it
I think it's a fabulous deal and if our dollar ever gets better, perhaps we WILL buy into it! For us, however, going to WDW isn't just about not being able to afford the accommodations (especially on site!) but about everything else.
For two of our trips, we were able to use Aeroplan Miles from Air Canada, but normally, it costs us $1300 for the two of us just to fly there! I see all these posts from you lucky Americans about getting deals to Orlando for $99 US or $199 US and I just tremble with envy! If getting there was more affordable, we would go more often! Plus there is the cost of the passes, transportation (as we like to have a car at all times) and FOOD! We normally stick to counter service food, as we spend almost ALL our time in the parks, but it is still about $20 US for a meal of burgers and fries...which...of course...in Canadian $$ is like $3.8 billion dollars! (okay, well...I may be exaggerating a smidge!)....more like $32!!!
Now, don't get me wrong...not complaining..really! I mean, it's OUR choice to go there and pay $4 CDN for a $1.69 bottle of Diet-Coke But when you add all of that up...we're talking no less than about $6000 for a trip. ...plus some spending money, of course
So, I hope you enjoy your DVC for many many years to come....and when you are sitting in your nice comfy little on-site fabulous villa at the Wilderness Lodge...just think of us poor old pathetic Canadians, whose dollar is caparable only to Monopoly money ....and ENJOY yourself!!!!
As for your website, feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or anything! I spent countless hours putting mine together and I just LOVE it when I get feedback about it! Makes it all worthwhile! Looking forward to seeing yours!
Haha...no...not scared off
But I do think that Disney should hire you!
I am very glad that you are so very happy with your purchase. Not many people can get that worked up over a time-share! You did share a few things with me that I didn't know, but still, we are unable to afford it
I think it's a fabulous deal and if our dollar ever gets better, perhaps we WILL buy into it! For us, however, going to WDW isn't just about not being able to afford the accommodations (especially on site!) but about everything else. For two of our trips, we were able to use Aeroplan Miles from Air Canada, but normally, it costs us $1300 for the two of us just to fly there! I see all these posts from you lucky Americans about getting deals to Orlando for $99 US or $199 US and I just tremble with envy! If getting there was more affordable, we would go more often! Plus there is the cost of the passes, transportation (as we like to have a car at all times) and FOOD! We normally stick to counter service food, as we spend almost ALL our time in the parks, but it is still about $20 US for a meal of burgers and fries...which...of course...in Canadian $$ is like $3.8 billion dollars! (okay, well...I may be exaggerating a smidge!)....more like $32!!!
Now, don't get me wrong...not complaining..really! I mean, it's OUR choice to go there and pay $4 CDN for a $1.69 bottle of Diet-Coke
But when you add all of that up...we're talking no less than about $6000 for a trip. ...plus some spending money, of course So, I hope you enjoy your DVC for many many years to come....and when you are sitting in your nice comfy little on-site fabulous villa at the Wilderness Lodge...just think of us poor old pathetic Canadians, whose dollar is caparable only to Monopoly money ....and ENJOY yourself!!!!
As for your website, feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or anything! I spent countless hours putting mine together and I just LOVE it when I get feedback about it! Makes it all worthwhile! Looking forward to seeing yours!
Mrs. Snowgod
<font color=red>A <font color=blue>very <font colo
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2002
- Messages
- 1,033
Really enjoyed your site and trip report, but particularly enjoyed your WL pictures. We stayed there 1 week before you, in Oct. '00, celebrating our 25th anniversary.
That shot with the stream in the foreground, and the whole lodge surrounding the background, was tremendous! Thanks for sharing.
That shot with the stream in the foreground, and the whole lodge surrounding the background, was tremendous! Thanks for sharing.
JonHM
Turn into the spin, Barbie!!!!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2001
- Messages
- 665
Oh my GOD! That is *insanely* expensive! Yow! Hopefully the Canadian Dollar will rebound (or maybe we'll just go to a north american dollar - the NOMERO? ), and that would at least help a little. Hey, let me know if you guys ever decide you want to spend a few years down here. I have a friend who's been here for several years from Toronto on a work visa with his wife, and he could probably give you the ins and outs if you ever decided to do something like that a few years from now. Central NC is actually very nice - the ocean is a few hours east, the mountains are a few hours west, and between the universities and Research Triangle Park, there's lots of good jobs to be had. And it's a great place for a DJ business , my good friend Brian has had his own DJ business for years now. Oh yeah, and just a 10.5 hour drive or $100-$120 flight from WDW...
You see, I'm just an endless set of commercials.
I definitely will contact you with questions about the website, it is really obvious how much time and effort you put into yours. Definitely one of the best that I've seen.
Were you living in Calgary back when the winter olympics were there? It looked really beautiful on TV, unfortunately the only place we've ever gotten to go in Canada has been Toronto. Don't get me wrong, I love Toronto, but would love to see Montreal, Calgary, Banff and various other places. But besides cost, we have a 20 month old, so we have to wait until he gets considerably bigger before we'd be able to travel that far.
), and that would at least help a little. Hey, let me know if you guys ever decide you want to spend a few years down here. I have a friend who's been here for several years from Toronto on a work visa with his wife, and he could probably give you the ins and outs if you ever decided to do something like that a few years from now. Central NC is actually very nice - the ocean is a few hours east, the mountains are a few hours west, and between the universities and Research Triangle Park, there's lots of good jobs to be had. And it's a great place for a DJ business , my good friend Brian has had his own DJ business for years now. Oh yeah, and just a 10.5 hour drive or $100-$120 flight from WDW... You see, I'm just an endless set of commercials.
I definitely will contact you with questions about the website, it is really obvious how much time and effort you put into yours. Definitely one of the best that I've seen.
Were you living in Calgary back when the winter olympics were there? It looked really beautiful on TV, unfortunately the only place we've ever gotten to go in Canada has been Toronto. Don't get me wrong, I love Toronto, but would love to see Montreal, Calgary, Banff and various other places. But besides cost, we have a 20 month old, so we have to wait until he gets considerably bigger before we'd be able to travel that far.
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