Was this a mistake??

[jspahn]

Ok, so DH and I just bought into DVC over the weekend while we were in Disney on a short trip. We had been thinking about DVC for a while, so we decided to take the tour etc.

We dont plan our trips very far ahead of time usually - 3 months out is probably our average. So, having the 11 month vs 7 month window didnt seem to be too important to us.

Based on that, our sales person talked us into buying into the Grand Californian. I was skeptical at first like, why would I buy in california when I want to vacation in Fl?? But he assured us since we arent people who plan far out that our home resort didnt make a difference. AND it was cheaper for us to buy into GC than any of the ones in WDW.

So we bought in for 225 points at Grand Californian - incentive of last years points as bonus, as well as a $15 per point discount.


We were silly to go along with our sales persons suggestions??? I didnt really read the DVC boards here on the DIS until today (I frequent other part of disboards). But now reading posts about how hard it is to book on short notice etc. I am wondering if we made a mistake in buying into the california one, and maybe even is it a mistake to buy in at all???

HELP!!! Please give me some advice!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

That wasn't necessarily a silly suggestion since you wouldn't plan during the home booking period but I still think it would be better to own at FL since that is where you plan on staying. You might end up having some times you want to plan further in advance and then you'd be stuck waiting with the CA property.

But - honestly - if you are not planning on booking more than 7 months out then you should think about resale at SSR instead. A WDW property and some of the lowest dues for the FL properties. And - you should at least be able to get a contract in the low $70's/pt and maybe could even get one in the high $60's although that has apparently gotten more difficult.

 

[thepops]

Since you just bought in over the weekend, it might be worth it to call DVC back and cancel your contract until you do a little more investigation and see if it's really for you

 

[Crystal_27]

I don't necessarily think that you had a mistake by buying into DVC, but I do think that you might have gotten "salespersoned." You need to do some quick (but thorough) research so you can make sure you made the right decision, and still be within your window to rescind your contract if it turns out you didn't make the correct decision. Using DVC to its full advantage means that you need to book 11 months out. If you don't, you risk having to stay at several resorts during a vacation because one resort is not available for an entire week when you call. If you are fine with that, great, but know that when you are calling 3 months out that's probably going to be the case. Worse, if you want to stay during a peak time, you might not get any availability at 3 months out. If price is a concern (and it sounds like it is because you bought where it was cheaper) check out going resale. If you opt for SSR or OKW, you can get the same 225 points for half the price of what you paid through Disney. Most importantly, make sure that you understand the banking/borrowing rules of your points, and the "nuts and bolts" of your membership. DVC may still be right for you, but being an informed member will save a lot of disappointments in the future. Good luck!

 

[tiggerrifficheidi]

Hi from the wedding side of the board

We bought at BLT because that is where we wanted to stay and thought the 11 month booking window would help at peak times.

Now we're finding out it's IMPOSSIBLE to plan 11 months (or even 7 months) out with the Army.

I had booked 5 nights at BLT for Jan back in Sep. Three weeks before the trip, I had to change the dates. I would have been able to get all 4 nights at SSR, but was able to split two and two at BWV and BLT (all in 1BR). We really enjoyed getting a taste of different resorts.

My point: if you don't book more than 7 months, it DOESN'T matter where you own.

Second point: you can still get some great last-minute reservations if you're willing to be flexible. We had resort-hopped a bit during our honeymoon and didn't like moving all the luggage. But, for a 4-day trip, it was easy and we enjoyed seeing two different resorts.

Third point: it really comes down to OVERALL price. Yes, we could have paid a lot less for a SSR resale, but if you plan on keeping the membership for the lifetime, the greater cost is the maintenance fees. BLT is the lowest, but VGC is right next to it. Sure the fees will change, but history has shown they increase incrementally together. It makes sense that BLT and VGC are low, since the overall footprint of the resort is much smaller.

To compare, I took our purchase price at BLT and divided by the # of points and number of years (came out to $2.10 per point/per year) and added MFs (2009 was 3.69, I think). So, it came to 5.79 per point for my 2009 points. If we had bought resale at a really good price at SSR, the MFs pushed my per point price for 2009 higher than it was for BLT.

So, that's a lot of verbiage to say I don't think it was a bad idea, if you plan on keeping DVC for the long haul (especially since you're young). If you wanted it for a short time, a less-expensive resale might have been the better option.

But that's just my opinion.

 

[backyardponder]

CANCEL YOUR CONTRACT!!!! Then do some research. Read these boards. Consider re-sale. Make sure you can really afford this...don't forget park tickets, meals, transportation is an unseen expense.

On resale, contact one of the major re-sale companies or go to their web site. TSS is one of these major companies which sponsors these boards. Their link is at the top of this page. They have a good frequently asked question page.

For your reference, here's the current dues information (copied from WebmasterDoc):
Year OKW VB(s) VB HH - BWV VWL -BCV SSR AKV -BLT VGC

2010 4.87 5.18 6.61 5.57 5.36 5.20 5.15 4.46 4.95 3.78 3.94
2009 4.73 4.97 6.41 5.36 5.21 5.04 5.00 4.34 4.85 3.67 3.82
2008 4.56 4.71 6.04 5.16 5.04 4.87 4.80 4.21 4.71
2007 4.40 4.39 5.63 4.98 4.85 4.73 4.63 4.12 4.62
2006 4.24 4.12 5.27 4.34 4.69 4.61 4.48 3.98
2005 3.86 3.84 4.87 3.86 4.41 4.35 4.27 3.83
2004 3.68 3.67 4.67 3.70 4.25 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 3.37 4.37 3.69 4.11 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.33 4.17 3.49 3.92 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 2.70 3.98 3.32 3.83 3.63
2000 3.16 2.87 4.07 3.25 3.94 3.62
1999 3.16 2.82 3.99 3.18 4.02
1998 3.17 2.76 ---- 3.20 3.94

 

[z28wiz]

You do have the 10 day right to cancel. All you have to is send an email to:
wdwdvccancelrequests@email.disney.com

And also call member services just to make sure they received the email.

I would investigate more then purchase. Disney very well could make you only use your home resort down the road as well.

 

[lugnut33]

#1 rule of fight club.... errr I mean DVC is purchase at the resort you love. Buying into VGC might sound like a good idea right now, but what about 10 years from now when you have kids, and those kids are in school? You'll only be able to vacation during breaks and you'll need that 11 month window.

Or what if you want to take family members down and you'll need a Grand Villa? You probably won't get one at 3 months out or even 7 months out.

Or, what if 20 years from now your husband has a job that only allows him a break at Christmas? Now you'll need that 11 month window.

Life comes at you fast, so you need to be flexible as you can be. Being locked into a resort that you don't plan to visit regularly is being short sided. Pay less now, but in the end you could end up paying a lot because you'll want to sell and buy a new contract at the resort you love (and want to stay at).

There are lots of people on the boards that bought into a resort only to find out they love another one and want that 11 mos. window to make sure that is where they stay.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I agree. Cancel your contract and look into it more before you actually buy. Buy where you would want to stay if you could book at 11 months out. Because there may come a time when you can book at 11 months out and you will want that (insert special location here) and it will be hard to get otherwise.

 

[jspahn]

Thanks everyone for your input!!

It's not that we couldnt afford to buy in at BLT or AKV, but at the time, it didnt seem worth it to me to have those as a home resort if we were never booking 11 months out. The cheaper price at VGC didnt make that much of a difference to us financially, but the reasoning from the salesperson made it seem like the right choice. And yes we did factor in unseen costs of meals, gas, food etc. Again, financially we are in a position that those things arent a concern.

We dont ever intend to have kids. ever. so that's not affecting our decision either.

We bought in to DVC because we love disney, we go 2 or 3 times a year. We even got married there in October.
Now going forward, will we always go that often? probably not every year for the next 50 years
but we liked the idea of using our points at other places (disneyland paris, other partner resorts etc).

I guess my concern really comes down to, if we only ever plan our vacations 2-3 months out, will DVC really work for us? And, if we decide to use our points at other resorts - partnered through RCI for example - is that really a good use of points...

 

[Deb & Bill]

...Now going forward, will we always go that often? probably not every year for the next 50 years
but we liked the idea of using our points at other places (disneyland paris, other partner resorts etc).

I guess my concern really comes down to, if we only ever plan our vacations 2-3 months out, will DVC really work for us? And, if we decide to use our points at other resorts - partnered through RCI for example - is that really a good use of points...

Don't buy DVC with plans of using it outside of DVC. The partner resorts change from time to time and they aren't always available. DVC is a pretty expensive timeshare to use for trading. Find another (try TUG) for trading and solely use DVC for DVC. Even the non-DVC Disney options are pretty expensive and you can usually get the cruise for less that you would using points.

Be a DVC member to stay in DVC resorts.

Forgot to add - getting a trade at three months out would be difficult. Usually you'll need a year or more to get something specific.

 

[WendyinNC]

I agree. Cancel your contract and look into it more before you actually buy. Buy where you would want to stay if you could book at 11 months out. Because there may come a time when you can book at 11 months out and you will want that (insert special location here) and it will be hard to get otherwise.

This is great advice. 50 years is a long time and just because you don't book far in advance now doesn't mean you won't in the future.

 

[Starr W.]

Thanks everyone for your input!!

It's not that we couldnt afford to buy in at BLT or AKV, but at the time, it didnt seem worth it to me to have those as a home resort if we were never booking 11 months out. The cheaper price at VGC didnt make that much of a difference to us financially, but the reasoning from the salesperson made it seem like the right choice. And yes we did factor in unseen costs of meals, gas, food etc. Again, financially we are in a position that those things arent a concern.

We dont ever intend to have kids. ever. so that's not affecting our decision either.

We bought in to DVC because we love disney, we go 2 or 3 times a year. We even got married there in October.
Now going forward, will we always go that often? probably not every year for the next 50 years
but we liked the idea of using our points at other places (disneyland paris, other partner resorts etc).

I guess my concern really comes down to, if we only ever plan our vacations 2-3 months out, will DVC really work for us? And, if we decide to use our points at other resorts - partnered through RCI for example - is that really a good use of points...

Any timeshare exchange is not going to work how you want it to with your planning timeframe. It requires ADVANCE planning. Example I'm going to Hawaii for 2 weeks this summer.

1st week, booked in November 2008 for 7/16/10!

2nd week, I put an ongoing search in March 2009 for July 2010, I got the exchange in November 2009.

I own DVC and Wyndham points, along with a Starwood unit in Colorado for ski season and a summer week in Northern Michigan. I've got things planned out to Thanksgiving 2011 already!

I have dates I have to call in for reservations marked in my blackberry! 11/7 months for DVC, 13/10 months for Wyndham, 12 months for Starwood etc etc.

I'd be more than willing to answer any questions

 

[denegate]

Thanks everyone for your input!!

It's not that we couldnt afford to buy in at BLT or AKV, but at the time, it didnt seem worth it to me to have those as a home resort if we were never booking 11 months out. The cheaper price at VGC didnt make that much of a difference to us financially, but the reasoning from the salesperson made it seem like the right choice. And yes we did factor in unseen costs of meals, gas, food etc. Again, financially we are in a position that those things arent a concern.

We dont ever intend to have kids. ever. so that's not affecting our decision either.

We bought in to DVC because we love disney, we go 2 or 3 times a year. We even got married there in October.
Now going forward, will we always go that often? probably not every year for the next 50 years
but we liked the idea of using our points at other places (disneyland paris, other partner resorts etc).

I guess my concern really comes down to, if we only ever plan our vacations 2-3 months out, will DVC really work for us? And, if we decide to use our points at other resorts - partnered through RCI for example - is that really a good use of points...

From my experience, I'd have to say "no" and "no" to both your questions. DVC booking is not for the last minute traveler - you have to be able to plan your trips to get the best accomodations for your needs. If you don't mind staying at some of the less appealing DVC resorts you may be able to get last minute reservations but very unlikely at the more popular ones. Also, I've learned that you should never buy into DVC based on being able to use it for non-DVC vacations. This is almost always not an economically smart decision (meaning you could actually pay out of pocket for a non-DVC vacation and save money over using your membership). Sorry, hopefully you will get more advice on these boards which will assist you in determining what to do next.

 

[Disneypubgal]

This is great advice. 50 years is a long time and just because you don't book far in advance now doesn't mean you won't in the future.

Couldn't agree more!! When I bought my DVC I was in my 20's and not married... Now I am married to a teacher and have a 4 year old daughter... life changes and having your DVC where you want to stay is VERY GOOD advice... who knows what the future holds!

 

[kristie03]

I'm new to DVC, so I could be totally wrong, but I'm guessing that if you now book a Disney resort in short window you currently run into times when your first or second choice is booked.....and that is probably OK with you in regular reservation land, so I'm thinking you would just run into the same thing with booking through MS.....so it doesn't sound like a bad thing to me.

 

[TLPL]

Don't listen to these people. I agree with the saleperson. VGC is the cheapest with all the discounts you got and the bonus points you got. The Annual dute is lower than other DVC that is for sale right now. Since you don't care about the 11 months/ 7 months booking windows, why not get VGC? If you go with resale, you have to pay the higher closing cost, and older DVC resorts has earlier expire year. I think it is a great ideal to buy there. I am happy for you!

 

[robinb]

I would recommend that you call and cancel your purchase until you do a little more research. I see you're newlyweds. What works for you NOW won't work for you if you plan on having kids. Once those kids reach school age you just can't drop everything and make a last minute reservation. You will most likely be limited to school holidays: spring break, christmas break and summer. All of which are FULL 2-3 months in advance.

I recommend that you look into the resale market at one of the DVC resorts. You'll get a better deal than what you paid for at GCV and you'll have a WDW resort for less.

ETA: I just read that you don't intend on having kids. I didn't either when I was married. You may find yourselves perfectly happy being child-free for the rest of your lives. Or maybe you won't. Things happen and people change and I now have a 10-year old DD born after we bought into DVC.

 

[mnra]

I have been an owner since 1993 and I would say cancel your contract as fast as you can. If you plan on going to florida most of the time then buy their. Since you say cost is not the issue find the resort you like and buy there wether it is a resale or from disney. My experience has been last minute travel simply doesn;t work with dvc (in general). There will be time that you will be able to make a reservation from central reservation for a dvc property and not be able to use your points since those rooms will all be full.
The sales person did not do you any favors he did themselves a favor by doing there job which is to sell you something.

good luck

 

[lugnut33]

Don't listen to these people. I agree with the saleperson. VGC is the cheapest with all the discounts you got and the bonus points you got. The Annual dute is lower than other DVC that is for sale right now. Since you don't care about the 11 months/ 7 months booking windows, why not get VGC? If you go with resale, you have to pay the higher closing cost, and older DVC resorts has earlier expire year. I think it is a great ideal to buy there. I am happy for you!

I just don't see the big advantage to buying simply where it is cheapest if it ends up being an inconvenience farther down the road. Like I said earlier, #1 rule is buy the resort you love.

Also, the way DVC is changing things there's a good possibility they could implement a stay where you won policy. Or, you have to stay where you ownd during the weekends. Or some silly thing. We just don't know what will be in store going forward.

What I really recommend is she gift me the points she's buying at the VGC and then buy more points for herself where she really wants to.