What makes owning DVC so special??

[Starr W.]

When it's a rainy day like today at WDW and you are sitting in a Grand Villa and not having everyone fighting over one tv and you can dry your wet clothes in the dryer in your room. And if it rains heavy I can make some grilled cheese for dinner, instead of getting soaked again going out to dinner.

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

When it's a rainy day like today at WDW and you are sitting in a Grand Villa and not having everyone fighting over one tv and you can dry your wet clothes in the dryer in your room. And if it rains heavy I can make some grilled cheese for dinner, instead of getting soaked again going out to dinner.

this is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO true!!!!

thanks everyone for your get info. Does anyone know if like DCL do you get something special for first time as a DVC member? do you have any pics to share? thanks again!!

 

[hakepb]

I think our guide sent a few balloons to our room on our first stay, but that is up to the sales person (guide) and not a DVC corporate policy...

The only other possible first stay DVC "perk" would be asking your guide for an otherwise difficult reservation (using your points) as terms of getting the sale...

 

[DisneyDudet]

We haven't stayed as members yet, but were able to book one vacation for this year and bank the rest for next year. With our 2010 points alone (not counting our leftover banked points), we were able to book 10 days at BLT. We are doing a standard view studio (we are working our way into the luxury of DVC), so if you are frugal with your points, you can have a REALLY LONG vacation. We purchased 200 points. I say we, I mean me. I'm 25 and purchased the membership, with my parents as additional members. We agreed that, since they are taking advantage of the membership, that I will pay the loan, and they'll pay the annual dues.

I will have to say that, if you are just looking for lodging, you can probably do cheaper. For my last minute trip this coming Jan, I didn't want to use points, so I booked 3 nights at All Star Movies for what it cost for 1 month of my loan payment. I just looked to find out the cash value of staying in a standard studio at BLT for the time we are there, and it is $4,440. That is about $1,000 more than my annual loan payments. When you add in my estimated Annual Dues for 2010, I am saving around $200. But that won't use all my points, either. So, I still have a small vacation I can take, staying at a studio that is less points.

Sure, I could probably go more often for the same money, but with increasing costs of the resorts, that may not always be true. With our banked points, we are staying in March, and are planning on October, with the possibility of another December trip. We have never stayed in a monorail resort. The highest level resort we've been able to stay in is BW, and that was just 3 days in 2002. This has given us the ability to stay in places we've never been able to stay.

All this, and I've never even used my membership! I am so very glad I purchased it. This will give me and my family (when I have my own family) the ability to take trips to the best vacation destination for years to come.

 

[dsneygirl]

When it's a rainy day like today at WDW and you are sitting in a Grand Villa and not having everyone fighting over one tv and you can dry your wet clothes in the dryer in your room. And if it rains heavy I can make some grilled cheese for dinner, instead of getting soaked again going out to dinner.

We learned this lesson in May when it rained every day of our trip. We were in a 2 bedroom with my parents at BCV. So we had a full kitchen, 3 tvs and could walk to the Beach Club Marketplace, Beaches and Cream etc. Every day multiple times a day I said "thank god we're not at the all stars, thank god we're not at the all stars" It really is hard to put into words for people who don't have the emotional connection that many of us do. Last trip we were at VWL and went to FtW for the HDDR and the campfire. We started walking back to VWL and DS immediately fell asleep in the stroller. We walked along the path to a full moon in perfect silence and DH and I turned to each other and said "this makes it all worth it" You have the time to "get away from it all" our days of commando are long gone. We don't rush to every ADR (sometimes we order pizza) and it feels like a real vacation.

 

[littlestar]

I like staying in a villa vs. a regular room. Even the studios are much better than a regular room to me - as I like having a couch to sit on to watch TV and I like having the kitchenette. But I prefer at least a 1 bedroom. By owning DVC, I've locked in some of my costs compared to paying cash for my onsite stays. I also like receiving $100 off an annual pass.

What makes Disney resorts special is the theming and location. We own other timeshares (which I adore for their upscale furnishings, etc.) so we stay at many of the other top brands in Orlando. But Disney is the one that transports you somewhere else by the theming. I prefer not to stay at Disney every trip (we fly into Orlando at least 3 times a year), but I do own enough points for a once a year onsite DVC stay. I like variety and mix my trips up with stays at HGVC (Hilton vacation club), MVCI (Marriott), Sheraton, Wyndham Bonnet Creek, and of course, DVC. DVC is the only one that can transport me to the Pacific northwest, an African village, or grandma's beach house, though.

Make sure that you can plan in advance, or a timeshare/vacation club will prove to be nothing but frustrating.

 

[DisneySJB]

Locking in at today's prices for vacations to come which (more importantly) guarantees a vacation every year for our family.

Also, DH and I are already planning to add contracts in the future. Our goal is to have enough points to stay in a 1BR for at least a month when we retire. How cool will it be to retire to Disney World??

 

[rentayenta]

When it's a rainy day like today at WDW and you are sitting in a Grand Villa and not having everyone fighting over one tv and you can dry your wet clothes in the dryer in your room. And if it rains heavy I can make some grilled cheese for dinner, instead of getting soaked again going out to dinner.

I love this. During our last trip my oldest DD was being a total moody tween and I decided to keep her back while the rest of our group went to DHS. We were in a GV and she was mad at me. She was able to go to her room, chill out, and regroup. When she pulled it together we went to Olivia's had had a great meal and even better chat. It was nice not sitting at the POR all cramped staring at each other while getting more angry.


Owning DVC enables us to vacation as our family grows while staying in the best accommodations.

 

[5forDiz]

.....do you have any pics to share? thanks again!!

OP go to very first post atop page here on Mousecellaneous "POST YOUR DVC PICTURES HERE" there are tons of great DVC photos there.