What is it about DVC?

[pickles]

My inlaws have a time share..the kind you can't sell cause no one wants it. So, they are less than enthused about our adventure as future DVC members

They used their timeshare thingy last year to go to Germany and stay in some hotel. The cost of their yearly fee was worth more than the hotel would have been cash out of pocket.
They got me pondering.
For those who have been in a variety of quality hotels..what does Disney do that sets them apart? Have you been to better?
I, obviously, enjoyed my stay, but then when i travel I normally stay at Super 8's, so many hotels would seem better to me!

So, my question for this thread is what is the pros and cons of the Disney Resorts and what makes them better or worse than other quality hotels?

Then, follows..why commit to a timeshare like Disney..it is almost like a marriage?

 

[DVCLiz]

My inlaws have a time share..the kind you can't sell cause no one wants it. So, they are less than enthused about our adventure as future DVC members

They used their timeshare thingy last year to go to Germany and stay in some hotel. The cost of their yearly fee was worth more than the hotel would have been cash out of pocket.
They got me pondering.
For those who have been in a variety of quality hotels..what does Disney do that sets them apart? Have you been to better?
I, obviously, enjoyed my stay, but then when i travel I normally stay at Super 8's, so many hotels would seem better to me!

So, my question for this thread is what is the pros and cons of the Disney Resorts and what makes them better or worse than other quality hotels?

Then, follows..why commit to a timeshare like Disney..it is almost like a marriage?

Well, if it's almost like a marriage, I can predict with some certainty the date of our divorce!!!!

As far as the DVC resorts, yes, I've stayed in better. As nice as they are, in their own way, I wouldn't compare any DVC unit to a real 5 star hotel. But I'm not really after the same experience at WDW. What I enjoy about my DVC is that it is set up, as far as possible, to meet my every resort need associated with a theme park vacation. I want:

Space to spread out - everyone in their own bed, kids in their own room, bathrooms (more than one!) so that everyone can bathe, shower, or use the vanity without crowding.

A washer and dryer. This is really importnat to me - I don't like to pack too much, and when I've been out tromping the parks and I'm hot and sweaty, I can run a load without any fuss or bother.

The kitchen facilities, although I never cook on vacation at WDW. Cheese and crackers, ice cream, cold Cokes at the end of the day without having to go to a vending machine - those are all the kind of things I like to stock in our room.

Location - easy transportation to the parks.

Theming - If I'm in the middle of NYC, I don't really care if my hotel looks like a wilderness lodge, but at WDW, theming is a big attraction, and I enjoy knowing I can see a lighthouse out my window at the BCV, or watch a geyser erupt when I'm sitting at the Wilderness Lodge pool. That's a big part of the experience for me.

I could go on and on - DVC obviously isn't for everyone, but it's a great fit for me and my family!!!

 

[sadler]

DVC has probably worked out well for many of the DVC owners who post on the DIS. In our case, we bought 280 points at BWV in 1998 when our children were ten and three years old. Our points allowed us to have a 2BR unit for 6-7 nights per year during the kids' vacations. We paid about $16,500 for the points and annual dues have ranged from $1100-1300. During this period, the rack rate for a 2BR at BW during the time of year that we go has risen from about $500/night to $700/night. We have been able to enjoy many vacations over the last eight years effectively paying our annual dues of $1100-$1300 for accomodations with a rack rate of $4000-$5000 for the week. Moreover, we could sell our points today and realize a profit of about $5000 before taxes. All in all, DVC has been a pretty good deal for us.

 

[bcvillastwo]

DVCLiz did a good job of hitting the highlights but each person/family has to go through their own decision making process before deciding to make the commitment.

The conventional wisdom is that if you love WDW, plan to go at least once every couple of years, and prefer to stay on site at a moderate or better resort then you could be a good candidate for DVC.

For some, like us deciding to joing DVC becomes an easy decision. Before we ever saw these boards we fit the profile. Before joining DVC in the spring of 2002 we had gone to WDW approximately 5 times. We stayed off site once, on site at one of the All Star resorts once, twice on site at a moderate (CBR) and once at Grand Floridian. After our third trip to WDW we realized that we prefered staying on site in moderate or better resorts. We had done the DVC tour but we didn't start thinking seriously about DVC until we were able to pay cash for our 300 BCV points. We have no regrets, we continue to love our trips to WDW, we go 2-3 times a year.

Of course each family has many factors to consider when deciding whether to join DVC or not. If the OP is happy staying at Super 8's off site then I see no need to cosider joining DVC. Why not try staying on site once or twice before making a decision. Next, maybe rent a DVC studio. Take the tour, mull things over, make sure you can affort it financially, etc.

It's always wise to think things through and not make an impulse buy.