We want to buy DVC!!!

[Lynn5700]

Hi!!! Were hoping to buy DVC when we go down in October..Do you think we should get it and would it be worth it? We go every year and this year we are going twice..we went in May and are going back in October.. I kind of get how it works but if any of you have any info on any of it could you please share with me.

Would I have to wait to be in Disney to buy it or could I just call....

see the thing is it is just DH and I,newlyweds no kids yet so I don't see the point of us renting out a villa...can you stay at any deluxe resort or can you only stay in a villa?

Any info is greatly appreciated!!!! thank you very much

 

[JudyS]

.....Would I have to wait to be in Disney to buy it or could I just call....

see the thing is it is just DH and I,newlyweds no kids yet so I don't see the point of us renting out a villa...can you stay at any deluxe resort or can you only stay in a villa?

Any info is greatly appreciated!!!! thank you very much

I think you can buy DVC while at home; some timeshares require that you be present in Florida (because they don't have real estate licenses in other states), but I think Disney has permission to sell outside of Florida. The DVC also has sales offices in California and Illinois. Sometimes, the Illinois office offers special deals not available elsewhere.

As for staying in other deluxe Disney hotels -- you can use DVC points to stay in non-DVC Disney hotels; however, it is almost always a poor deal. But, the DVC studio "villas" are very, very similar to a deluxe Disney hotel room, and should work fine if you don't need a larger unit. A studio generally costs half as many DVC points as a one-bedroom, and can be an excellent deal compared to staying in a deluxe Disney hotel room, especially on weeknights. If you like a particular deluxe resort with DVC units, such as Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom, Beach Club, or Boardwalk, you would do best to buy there, which may require buying a resale.

For the months you plan to travel, it is sometimes possible to trade into the DVC using other timeshares. This can be a much less expensive option than buying DVC, but is more work and gives much less flexibility. I have written up a file with information on trading into the DVC resorts; email or PM me if you are interested. Renting DVC reservations (see the rent/trade board here) is another option.

Generally, if you plan to regularly stay at deluxe Disney resorts, you can save quite a bit of money in the long run by staying in a DVC studio instead, either as a DVC owner or renter, or by trading in.

 

[cseca]

Hi Lynn!!!
We meet again!!!
I've been a DVC member since 2000 and loved it!
Mind you I bought it waaaaay before having kids were even an option for me.
If you're planning to go to disney at least every year and only use it for DVC resorts buying into DVC is a good option.
But understand that for people who prefers staying at Value Resorts might not be good candidate as owners because the "ROI" (I understand this is not an investment, I'm using the term loosely) is MUCH longer if not ever.
If you LOVE staying at deluxe resorts or at least do your stays at moderate then DVC is a great option for you.

Oh and since there's only the 2 of us now we only stay at studios. Yes it''s a hotel room with a kitchenette but we don't have any real use for a full kitchen anyways. So we always pick studios and have always been VERY happy with it.
Once we have small tagalongs then 1 br will probably be nicer.

Anyways, pm me if you have any questions.
I love my DVC and my only regret was not getting them earlier...

I'm jealous you're going back in October... we're going to Europe instead so our next disney trip isn't until next year... oh well.

ps: oh and make sure to check on resale first before buying direct through disney...

 

[Disney_Villain]

Hi Lynn.

As you're asking where you can stay in terms of DVC resorts and other deluxe non-DVC resorts, I'd recommend reading a bit under "DVC Program Information" on www.dvcnews.com. The section under that entitled "Points Charts" shows where you can stay on your points and for how many points.

If you're going in person this October, you can always ask for tours of the various DVC resorts before you buy - as well as see the Animal Kingdom mock-up suites at the preview center. This might help you make your decision. Buying sight unseen never troubled me but it did for many others I know (who are now happy DVC members).

I bought DVC through resale initially, then did my add-ons directly from DVC. Either way is a good way to go for different reasons (covered in "DVC Program Information" mentioned above).

Yes, if you go once or twice every year (like I do) then DVC is probably a very good choice for you!

 

[shortypots]

If you are happy with the small hotel rooms at POP, you will be perfectly satisfied with the studios at any of the DVC resorts. They are slightly larger than a standard hotel room, and have some basics like coffee maker, toaster, microwave, and a small fridge. Great to do continental breakfasts in! If you do opt for the 1 bd, on top of more space, you get a full kitchen and washer and dryer! This in itself was fantastic for us. We pack less now because we do a load of laundry every day!

It all depends on how often you plan on going back to disney.

For the minimum buy in of 160 pts at AKL, you can get the following:

Value studio-including fri and sat's
Adventure season: 15nts
Choice Season- 14nts
Dream season- 13 nts
Magic season- 12 nts
Premium- 9 nts

Sv studio-including fri and sat's
Adventure season: 12nts
Choice Season- 11nts
Dream season- 9 nts
Magic season- 8 nts
Premium- 6 nts

Value 1bd-including fri and sat's
Adventure season: 8nts
Choice Season- 7nts
Dream season- 6nts
Magic season- 6 nts
Premium- 5 nts (Sun-Thurs)

So if you are ok doing studios, you can really get a lot of time at DW. If you change them to Sun-Thurs only, you can maximize it even more since they are the fewest points.

I would say if you are going to go to Disney every year for at least 10 days and prefer staying in Deluxe accomodations, then DVC is right for you!

 

[Lynn5700]

Wow thank you very much for the info!!!!!!!! What is a resale?????

 

[shortypots]

Resale is when you do not buy directly from Disney. The Timeshare store is supposed to be really good. Click the stork on the top of the screen and it will take you to their store. There are others as well. Just search DVC resales in yahoo or google and you will find several.

 

[cseca]

Wow thank you very much for the info!!!!!!!! What is a resale?????

Hi Lynn,
Resale will give you option to get other resorts currently not sold by disney anymore (unless you ask to be waitlisted) like OKW, BCV, BWV, WLV.
The price is also lower than disney current per point offering.
The downside is disney has the Right Of First Refusal (ROFR) which means that the seller has to offer disney the contract first and Disney has the right to buy it off of them before you. This takes time and definitely patience.

The upside is of course more choices, and cheaper price.

Once you are sure that DVC is for you, your next step is:
1. Picking your HOME resort. Again if you go thru disney you're limited to SSR or AKV (right now I think...).
The benefit of owning in a resort you like to stay is is 11 month booking window. For example if you own at AKV you can book 11 months from your departure date and everybody else who doesn't own can only book 7 months in advance.

2. Another thing to think about is maintenance fee. VB (Vero Beach) has the most expensive along with HHI and BWV.
2008 MF per point
OKW 4.56
BWV 5.04
VB 6.04
VB (subsidized) 4.71 (<- not sure what this means since I don't own at VB)
HHI 5.16
VWL 4.87
BCV 4.80
SSR 4.21
AKV 4.71

Your yearly MF is # of points x MF/point.
For example if you own 100points at AKV your cost is $471/year + your principal payment.

3. The last thing is of course how many points to get. There's a link for charts and calculator to figure out how many points you need:
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

I know this is a lot of info but DVC is actually pretty straight forward.... ask lots of questions!!!!



Oh and 1 more thing.
I remembered the day when we took our DVC tour they said that their incentive offer only applies until x days after the tour (ours was 3 days after). Afterwards the incentive doesn't apply. I'm not sure if this is the case anymore or not. Basically this is their way of saying, buy now since this is the best offer.
Someone could clarify on this. They might have changed their policy in the last 8 years...
I guess what I'm trying to say is before you go on your tour do LOTS of research so you have a clue on what you're getting into... so you won't feel pressured to sign the dotted line while you're there.

 

[Chellymouse]

To help "clear up" the incentive issue....
We toured DVC back in 2003 and the timing just wasn't right. (yes, we kicked ourselves for not buying in sooner! )
We went last August with friends of ours who did the tour and their incentive wound up being BETTER than the offer they received during the tour 2 months later when they bought in. We didn't do the tour but decided to buy in when our friends did and received the same incentive they received. IMO, guides tell you the incentive is only good for x amount of days so that you hurry up and make your purchase, but that just isn't the case. As long as the incentive is offered you can receive the incentive if you make a qualifying purchase.