What made you take the DVC tour?

[Tomskatt]

and why not make it a Disney vacation?! We knew they were meticulous and couldn't wait to jump on board!
Kathy and her boys

and one due in June!

 

[Grateful11]

Hurricane Mitch was baring down on us in Fall of 98 while staying in a Ft. Wild. Home and we couldn't really do anything else that one day so we set up an appointment after seeing all the Kiosk and ads on TV. We figured we had nothing to lose except a few hours. They came and picked us up and the rest is history. When we got back we kept telling each other it had to be too good to be true. We signed the papers before we left but finalized after we got back home. I searched the internet for everything we could find and it seemed to be a win, win situation. In fact we just got back yesterday. If we could only afford more points, well maybe in a year or two.

 

[mickeys#1fan]

We used to live in FL. Five years ago we left all of our family and friends for NC. We go down at least twice a year now and do WDW every time. Staying on property (instead of with family) for more than one night at a time has been a dream of ours for awhile. Not only did DVC make sense for us, we were kind of hooked emotionally by the possibility of "Owning a Piece of the Magic."

Our family used to live near VB. We always wanted to see it, so we went to have lunch there and took an impromptu tour. DD was just a baby then. We couldn't afford it, but always knew we'd join.

A few years later we were on an annual trip to HH with friends. We rented a 3-BR condo. After we checked out, we decided to take the tour at HH. We agreed to purchase, but bailed out during the cooling off period. Again, affordability was the issue.

Last Christmas we stayed at POFQ. I was just too enticed by the "Own a Piece of the Magic" billboards. DW sent me to the lobby for some of those plastic laundry bags on checkout day. On impulse (and I'm not an impulsive guy) I signed us up for a tour of BWV. Magical Beginnings got me curious. We bought at VWL sight unseen, but went to see the place later that week.

Since then we got a wild hair and spent a Saturday night at HHI. Over the 4th of July we cruised on the 3-day Wonder on points, combined with 5 days of poolside laziness at VWL. Another wild hair took us to a BWV 1-BR over Labor Day for DD's 8th birthday. We had all kinds of family and friends over for the party. It felt great to show off a little. This Christmas (39 days and counting) we'll be at VWL for four more magical days. Now if we just afford more points...

 

[JackDiznee]

We were staying as guests in OKW for 5 days. I asked the CM at the Hospitality House about the club. She tried to talk me into a tour, but since we were doing the parks commando style I told her we did not have time. She offered me a 1 pm checkout time, so how could I refuse?

 

[Boo]

DH and I were enjoying a trip to the world over Labor Day weekend in '98. We saw the DVC kiosks EVERYWHERE!! Finally, curiosity killed the cat and we had to go over and ask what it was all about. Took the tour the next day and knew it was for us. However, being newly married and just spending quite a few clams over the last 8 days on property, we just couldn't come up with the cash and had to turn it down. That December we received an invitation to a DVC reception at the Drake Hotel back home in Chicago. Since we were already heading downtown for Mickey's Magical Lights Parade on Michigan Ave. anyway it seemed like a no-brainer to go. Did they go all out at the Drake! Food was great, Mickey showed up and the presentation had us drooling over the vacation possibilities until 2042! When they introduced Magical Beginnings we couldn't sign fast enough. Now 1 add on, 1 toddler, and 1 on the way later we tell each other all the time it was the best decision we made.

 

[BounceyOne]

We actually took the tour for the free lunch Silly us.

 

[jmminarik]

Days before a 13 day stay at the Wilderness Lodge last year, a friend who had honeymooned at DW mentioned the DVC. Listening to him, it sounded really exciting. Having a friend explain it really helped sell the concept, since like most human beings, we are very leary of the timeshare drones.

The concept of a points based system was new to us. It meant freedom of choice both in terms of rooms and dates. That suits us since we're currently not blessed with human children, but will hopefully be so in the near future. Getting locked into a time of year and/or a style of accomodations isn't appealing.

So while we were on our stay for 13 days we had plenty of free time. We stopped by the desk in the lobby of the WL and did the preliminary reading and set up an appointment for noon the next day (the free lunch at Spoodles helped with the time choice).

While waiting for the CM working the WL DVC desk, at least 4 different families (maybe more, I can't remember) wandering by said it was the best thing they'd ever done. That impressed us. Not many people give unsolitited _positive_ comments about anything. (These boards being an exception! )

The next day, we took the tour. We really liked the Boardwalk. We liked the concept. We liked being able to 'sell' our first year points if we bought at Vero. We liked being able to use points to stay at the Dorchester in London or the Alaskan cruise. So after a quick financial anaylsis, we signed up for 255 points at Vero, financing through Disney. We bought VB since we plan on doing DW only in the value season(s), and most likely will only need a studio or 1br during those trips, so the 7 month window is on for us.

We went to lunch while the paperwork was being drawn up. We then poured through the point charts, "planning" our next 38 years worth of vacations. We had talked through all of the things we could do, including taking my SO's family to DW for vacation (since they'd never get to Disney on their own), as well as giving my best friend a week as a wedding present.

After lunch we finalized the deal. We've yet to go home, but have already added another 50 points at VWL. We've set up my best friends with a week at BWV for their honeymoon, and a week at vero over christmas plus 2 days at BWV with my sister and her family. We've already planned out next year's trip with the in-laws.

My only "regret" was spending almost $6000 all told for our 13 days at the WL. That would have been a good down payment on our DVC.

-Joe

 

[boudreaux0]

When my girlfriend and I started dating in early 2000 she dreamed of going to WDW one day. We were both 21. I took her that summer. I had no idea how much fun I was going to have. It was my intent to take her to make one of her dreams come true, but I ended up having as much fun as she did. During that trip I saw the DVC stations everywhere but had no idea what is was about so didn't even think to check it out. Wouldn't have mattered anyway, I was in college playing on the golf team and not having time for a job. We had so much fun that I planned a second trip this past summer. Toward the end of the trip we were so depressed because we knew that we were not going to be able to come back for a long time (too expensive) even though by this time I had a full time job and finally didn't have to live from paycheck to paycheck. We were staying in the CR and went down stairs to check out the souvinier shops...and there it was, a DVC desk with a cast member there just waiting for someone to ask some questions. I wanted to go check it out, but my shy personallity made me hessitate. As I walked past the desk, I realized that if I didn't check this thing out and find out how it worked I would kick myself in the #*% later. (Boy was I ever right) I told my girlfriend to go ahead and I would catch up. I went and sat down and to make a long story short, I became the proud owner of 200 points at VWL and looking forward to great vacation memories with my future wife and family for many years to come.