What the costs like?

[Supercod]

Hi, having been a few times now I noticed the DVC stuff but never fancied looking to far into it encase I got swept in to a time share hard sell.

Now I done a little checking and I worked out that if I wanted the kind of Holiday I just had I be looking at forking out £90k, now granted from what I could see that allow me to do the same holiday every year for 40 years (minus the dinning plan, park tickets and travel) it looked pretty expensive and I am sitting here wonder how many people can afford that outlay up front. Unless I totally got my calculations wrong! What type of prices did others pay to get on the DVC ladder? Unless that's too cheeky to ask.

 

[Bexx]

My intial outlay was just over $14,000 (inc. closing costs) for a 210 point OKW resale. Obviously that would have been great value if I had bought last year, but no, I managed to buy when the pound was at its weakest!!

Anyway, now that bit is out of the way, I just pay my yearly dues, which this year will be approx $4.25 per point for OKW. Just wish I could pay those monthly, rather than in a lump sum.

But I don't visit WDW every year, so I was able to buy a smaller number of points and will be making good use of banking and borrowing!

 

[mark&sue]

This has been the happiest year of my life. for our 520 points (which is probably way too much) it was about £25,000. We bought our points after a very disappointing stay at the Grand Floridian (£7,000 no spending money). You need to visit SSR to see it. I have used my points to go to DLP, am going to Devon for a week at half term and taking two other families away with us next October and still have points left over. I can't believe I have this for the next 48 years!

The down side is for the next five years the flights during the school holidays are wayyyyyyyy tooooo expensive.

Good luck in your decision.



Susan

 

[Pootle]

I started off with 150 points at OKW in 1996, which cost £6135 with annual dues of less than £300 a year.

This was fine for a few years and I was originally sure that was all I would need Since then we have added on more at OKW and also a small number at both VB and BWV. My total purchase costs for all 330 points was almost £14,000, all bought direct from Disney - and worth every penny to us.

Next year I am expecting my annual dues on 330 points to be in the region of £850.

I usually visit 3 times a year for that. This year we had 5 nights at Disney's Hilton Head, South Carolina and stayed at OKW twice; once with a large family gathering using a 2-bedroom and a studio for 6 nights, then 3 nights overlooking the ocean at VB with DH. Later in the year with a friend, I went to OKW again for 5 nights in a studio. I love that flexibility.

When we retire, we hope to do 3/4 weeks in Florida in the winter and now have enough points to do that by being frugal with weekend nights (but we don't avoid them altogether).

Whether it would be worth it to you will depend upon many factors, but one thing, you will definitely not get the 'time share hard sell' you mention. It's not the way DVC works.

I hope this helps.

 

[jjpenguin]

I can't see where you could get a figure of 90K unless you need masses of points to stay in a Grand Villa at Peak time every year

We started with a 220 point contract at OKW via resale which was approx $15.000 We've had it for 5 years now and I figure we're at the break even point ( = if we had done the same holidays and paid rack rate we would have also spent that amount.)

Up till now we've been every year, staying in Studio's or 1 br.

We love our DVC and even DH who isn't as big a Disney nut as I am want's more points!!

 

[Hilary]

Now I done a little checking and I worked out that if I wanted the kind of Holiday I just had I be looking at forking out £90k,

Were you pricing a DVC purchase to stay at AKL (your signature shows that's where you had you last trip)? If so, that may be why it's coming out as so expensive (although £90,000 seems like a heck of a lot of points you're looking to buy !!). Using DVC points to stay in WDW resorts isn't good value - DVC probably isn't right for you if that's what you were hoping to do. DVC points work well for DVC accommodations

 

[Supercod]

Yes I think that's where I got confused, I did base it on AKL and the party size of 8 so that's how I came up with the figure. As said just fishing with the idea, but I need to work my little cotton socks off before I be investing in DVC as I like something that I could have enough points to take 8 people along comfortably, plus chances are we wouldn't go every year and from what I understand you can spend them next year for something more special.

I seen a place near Downtown Disney being built starting with “S”, they where pushing that all over the place and that looked like it would be cool but I don’t get this whole home resort thing yet and from what I been reading you can have more than one home resort but I might be wrong.

 

[Bexx]

The resort you choose to buy your points at is your "Home Resort" It means you can book your stay there as early as 11 months in advance. The people who have their points at a different resort, can't book at your resort until 7 months in advance. It means you should always be assured accomodation at the place you bought into. You can have more than one home resort, but then that might make the 11/7 month windows a little more complicated!!!

I seen a place near Downtown Disney being built starting with “S”, they where pushing that all over the place and that looked like it would be cool

That would be Saratoga Springs - the only resort you can currently buy direct from Disney. All the others are available via resale.

I found this FAQ very helpful.

 

[Supercod]

Thanks for the FAQ link.

Wow the Grand Villa at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa looks the business, however when going to Disney I like to stay for about 2 weeks and if wanted one of them 2 weeks every year it be an out lay of £83k but then 12 people can sleep in it. But when you look on it a £83k divided by 48 years it doesn’t sound that bad, but then I wouldn't be going ever year I don't think so paying half and banking point to do it every 2 years sounds like the better plan.. 24 holidays for the whole family for £41,500 over 48 years doesn’t sound at all bad.. and yes need to factor in flights and the like plus some times it wouldn't be everyone going so could go in a group of less then 8 and would mean we have enough points to go twice a year (is stayed for 1 week at a time), nuts However I just need to Wish a lot hard and get working a lot more if something like that was to become a reality... by the way I take it any member of your family can use your points, i.e. you don't have to go with them so if you did do it where you had 2 holidays 1 year, it wouldn't have to be the same people or do the have rules for that?

 

[jjpenguin]

The great thing about DVC is the flexibility, you don't have to take the same people, stay at the same time or in the same size of accommodation. You can stay with 2 in a studio or 12 in a Grand Villa, all depending on your needs at that moment. If you go in a group less than 8 you can stay in smaller accomodations needing less points. It also depends on when you go, peak season is more points and off season less.

You have good taste! A Grand Villa is the most expensive of the lot though (points wise) A 2 bedroom vacation home would also sleep 8 and be half the points. If you're not going every year you could do a 2 bed vacation home 2 weeks every other year for 320 points which would be a lot less than the 83k you're looking at. Also look at the other properties, for $30k you could get 400+ points resale at OKW. OKW uses the least points per stay, so you probably could get a two week stay every other year alternating in a 2 bed and a grand villa

 

[Hilary]

If you own the points, you can use them to take whoever you wanted to go with you, or you could book someone else in as your guest without you being there with them. DH and I have the points in joint names, but I think you can have up to four people named on the deed (not absolutely sure without checking).

Don't forget to add in the cost of your annual maintenance bill - at around $4 per point this year. For the number of points you're talking about, that would be a considerable annual outlay on top of the initial buy-in cost.