What type accommodations prior to DVC?

[Maistre Gracey]

If this has been asked before, I apologize for the repetition.

Please vote for the answer that best describes the level of resort that you stayed before DVC. I would like to get a feel for what level resort DVC is taking from.

My primary resorts have been: The Poly (will still stay there on points), but also some WL & AKL.

THANX!

 

[imgoingtodisney]

Each year we visited Disney World we moved up!

Prior to 1996 we stayed offsite
1996 was All Stars
2001 was Wilderness Lodge
(This Nov 2002 we are on the Disney Magic)
2003 will be at the VWL as DVC owners!!

 

[Doctor P]

Value motels, strictly, on and off site.

 

[MdmMim]

We always stayed at the deluxe resorts--Poly, GF, CR. Then I felt I was "wasting" $, as I could have joined DVC and had it all paid off with the amount I had given Disney to stay in their hotels. I finally caught on--for me, DVC is the best!

(I couldn't vote in the poll either.)

 

[DVC-Don]

Our early trips were always Deluxe. Then in an effort to keep the costs down, we started doing the Moderates. Now that we signed up with DVC 1 1/2 year ago, we are back in First Class!

Here is our list in order:

Beach Club
Wilderness Lodge
Contemporary
Contemporary
Polynesian
Dixie Landings
Carribean Beach
Boardwalk Villias
Old Key West
Villas at the Wilderness Lodge.

 

[Lars624]

For some reason it didn't let me vote, but if you look below you can see all the places we've stayed & our next highly anticipated desination too.

 

[RumpleMom]

Our first visit, 1989 CBR, was chosen because it was brand new and only $85.00 a night. We truly thought this would be the once in a life time trip for financial reasons.

Three years later, All-Stars Music was the newest choice and least expensive.

1995, All-Star Movies. We were beginning to seek the Disney magic and feel we were getting a good value for our vacation dollars.

1998,1998,1999 We discovered the Premium Annual Pass. CS, ASMO,CS Great rates at CS.

2000 Disney's Vero Beach- We wanted a beach vacation to relax. FLA in Aug.(low season)+ Disney quality= a great vacation. We left Vero DVC members. We had begun to dislike double beds(queen at home), soap dispensers in tub at All-Stars, DD turning 18 meant additional room charge and beginning of college tuition years. DVC meant we could budget monthly for vacation. We could have kitchen facilities and stay in fantastic rooms. We are extremely happy with DVC.

 

[mzzbuzzlightyear]

Since WDW opened we have stayed at either the Poly or the Contemporary...Until DVC. In the 70's we had 3 small children and needed the rooms for 5 then. Also ,after our 1st time, the year it opened, I said Never Again! to staying off site!

I was hesitant to buy DVC because I LOVE the monorails! We own at OKW, my favorite because of the rooms...most of the time we travel with family, but DH and I have gone to BWV. In October we will stayat BCV. (My waitlisted days just came in, by the way.)

Now, if DVC would just put us all on the Monorail...!

June

 

[DoeWDW]

My vote was cast for a mix of moderates & value resorts since those have been the majority of our stays in the past. We have stayed at the Beach Club twice but no other deluxes. We are so happy with the wonderful first-class accomodations of DVC and are happy that we'll have prepaid vacations while the kids are in college in 5 - 6 years.

Our first DVC stay will be at our new home at BCV in 59 days!!!

 

[Geebs]

we stayed once at CBR.
All of the other times was stayed at Fort Wilderness...homes with maid service...my kind of camping!!

 

[ZerasPride]

The first year we visited Disney in 1998, we stayed at CBR and BC. Every trip after that was the deluxes so that's the one I voted for. We usually include a stay at the BC with every trip because we love the boardwalk area but have also stayed at the GF and Poly.

 

[DebbieB]

We always did deluxes for our "main trips" - GF, Poly, BC. For "spur of the moment" we did moderate - CBR & Dixie. It seemed easier to justify an extra trip if we went moderate. I was always able to get some kind of discount on my pre-DVC trips, mostly 20% MKC (now Disney Club).

 

[KNWVIKING]

Only two pre-DVC trips were CBR and PO. We loved both,my kids, now 22 & 19 still pick CBR as their favorite,but probably because it was their first trip. While I love my DVC resorts,I think if I was staying on cash I'd still only do the Mod's. I have a hard time justifying the extra $$$ for a deluxe when we really spend very little time at the resort. I would however pay a nite or two cash for concierge(sp) AKL just to do the early morning safari.

 

[Jimbo]

At the time we purchased our OKW resale (1997), we had never been to WDW. We were planning a trip with our daughter, SiL and our 3YO granddaughter, staying in a 2BR at BWV. It was to be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. But then we found out granddaughter #2 was on the way. We knew there'd be more trips coming, so we looked into DVC.

At the time, most OKW resales included park passes, and the price per point was around $50 (or maybe less). Our trip would have cost about 40-50% of what a 300 point resale cost, if I recall correctly. So we decided to spend our trip money on the resale instead. It was kind of risky to buy before we'd even seen OKW or WDW, but grandparents think differently than 'normal' people.

 

[dkellumw]

My first trip was offsite in 1996 (Honeymoon). DW had been to WDW once before in the early 1980s.

We went back in 1998 and stayed onsite at the AS Movies.

We then moved up to Port Orleans in 2000.

We became DVC members last year and this November will be our first trip to VWL.

 

[sgtdisney]

I answered Deluxes, but that was because you didn't have an option for Home away from home resorts.. Before we bought in to the DVC in 1992 we used to stay in what is now known as the Disney Institute. We stayed in the Treehouses and Townhouses for the most part. I stayed at the Polynesian on my honeymoon as well, again this was right before we bought into the DVC.. Since then it has been OKW for the last 10 years!

 

[Beth]

Jimbo,

I'm so glad to read your post - I really thought there was no one on this board that could relate to mine and DH's scenario.

We stayed 2 nights offsite in 1996, and that was the ONLY time we stayed over at WDW! We only live about 50 minutes away - both born and raised here - so we had made NUMEROUS day trips - just didn't stay over.

We had never considered the thought of a timeshare, either. Just everything about DVC seemed so appealing to us - we debated for a year and bought in April '97.

Now - we're over there at least every other month for a night or two.

So, our DVC purchase did more than just change the "way we vacationed at WDW," it actually caused us to begin vacationing at WDW!!

 

[DeeP]

I did not vote because a combination of deluxe, moderate, value and home away from home was not listed. Before we bought DVC we stayed all over the world and actually we still do. I very much enjoy experiencing the different resorts and different trips require different types of resorts. If I am going to FL for a business seminar and many are held in the Orlando area, Yahoo!, my employer is paying the bill and I am not using my DVC pts. I have always been able to get a room at WDW with my various discounts that I am eligible for, for less than the resort in Orlando that is hosting the seminar! So then I get a WDW resort at the best rate I can and stay whichever is the best rate within the company budget of course! When I travel to WDW with family and friends we stay at DVC but the size of the unit varies depending on the size of the party and we also often will check in or out on a Fri and stay Fri and Sat night at a different WDW resort to save pts and experience a different resort experience for a few days, so we are still all over WDW resorts. Bottom line, Disney lost money on what I now spend on WDW non DVC resorts because now I only pay cash for a couple days per trip. But it is not just from 1 or 2 categories because we always have and I guess always will stay at different resort locations and levels depending on our mood, budget for vacation, time of year, size of party, etc But on the other hand what Disney is losing from me in resort rm fees they are gaining in food, etc because before we bought DVC we went 1-2 a year now I am up to at least 4 trips in a 12 month period. Boy that disney is smart, aren't they! LOL!

 

[BCVOwner2002]

Before purchasing in June, we always stayed on WDW properties - Coronado Springs x1, Carribbean Beach x 3, Yacht Club x 2.

We stayed once at the Hilton at Downtown Disney. Let me just say that I would never recommend the Hilton to anyone!! It may be rated 4 star but I'd like to know where the people who rated it stayed in the past.

From now on, we will never stay anywhere but DVC!!!

 

[Cruelladeville]

I have stayed at every resort on Disney property since we started going down in 1975. We always used to stay at the luxury resorts until the early 1990's when the costs were going up so fast, so that's when we switched to the moderates. Our kids, 25 and 22, started going as babies, and it's home to them. When they began asking,"when are we going to Disney this year?" I knew that our vacations will forever be a family affair, so I looked in to DVC. Now I have 450 pts, my daughter has 250, my brother has 200, and my sister bought at Grand Vista near Disney, so we are destined to spend our vacations at Disney. We hardly ever go to the parks anymore, we just lounge around at our resort, golf, and check out what Orlando has to offer.