Why can't i do this?

[dudelydude]

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF!?!?!?!?!!?!? I have been on this board hundreds of times, reading questions, answering questions, learning the ins and outs and dreaming of being a DVC owner. I will always go to WDW (at least) once every two years if not every single year, so I understand the cost savings from std rm rates.

I have some disposable cash, but have always been such a cautious spender, thinking about all of the what-if's.....what if the economy doesn't recover and I lose my job and my fairly new car has a major issue and etc, etc. But on the plus side, my spouse works for Southwest, so free flights. Free flight, free ME from MCO to WDW and my DVC (for how small or large) will be paid for in cash, so WHY....WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?

PLEASE TALK ME INTO IT....I NEED A NUDGE SO BAD.

 

[Dean]

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF!?!?!?!?!!?!? I have been on this board hundreds of times, reading questions, answering questions, learning the ins and outs and dreaming of being a DVC owner. I will always go to WDW (at least) once every two years if not every single year, so I understand the cost savings from std rm rates.

I have some disposable cash, but have always been such a cautious spender, thinking about all of the what-if's.....what if the economy doesn't recover and I lose my job and my fairly new car has a major issue and etc, etc. But on the plus side, my spouse works for Southwest, so free flights. Free flight, free ME from MCO to WDW and my DVC (for how small or large) will be paid for in cash, so WHY....WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?

PLEASE TALK ME INTO IT....I NEED A NUDGE SO BAD.

Of course the answer relies on your specifics. If you have enough disposable cash and plan to cont the trips, why not buy a smaller package at SSR or similar which you can get for less and see how it goes. By banking/borrowing you can do a decent trip EY or EOY and have minimal commitment.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

PLEASE TALK ME INTO IT....I NEED A NUDGE SO BAD.

Disney has a 50-point direct buy in opportunity going on right now... which is something that many of us would have LOVED as an option when we first bought in (I know first-hand as we just purchased 160 in April and would have greatly preferred only buying 100). In your situation, I would recommend that you strongly look at this option for one of the new resorts. You also get free closing costs and previous year points, so a direct purchase can certainly prove to be less expensive than a resale on the small contracts, even on an older but desirable property, now. If you use this strategy, then you

(1) establish a personal relationship with your own DVC guide
(2) try out ownership on a small scale with minimal investment
(3) get maximum bang for your buck with a property that still has 50 years left
(4) get immediate use of your points
(5) get the "help" with securing your first last-minute reservation
(6) get all the nifty "Welcome Home" goodies that guides often provide to new buyers

If we had the option of free flights to Disney, I can guarantee we would have bought in much, much sooner. It's that 13-hour drive that makes us 2nd think many trips!

If you start with a small contract, you can add on later if you find it is for you, or you can easily resell with 2010 points in tact after having enjoyed a top notch vacation on previous year's points. So, where is the risk?

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Sound advice from all the previous posters.

With a 50 point buy in, you start small and can always grow it.

If you want a nudge - here's a nudge - one of the more common things we hear on the boards is "I wish we would have bought sooner."

I know if I had access to free flights - hey maybe I can talk DW into becoming a flight attendant - I would have done it long ago.

 

[aceys_h0ney]

I have trouble tieing up extra money as well so I feel where you are coming from. My thoughts on that are you know the value of DVC so in reality you will be freeing up more money long term. Also as others pointed out if you get in a jam resell should be fairly easy. We just bought a small contract for our every other year trips and think it was the best decision for our continued trips. So for me I think of the money I will save long term and was able to buy easier.

 

[nukker7]

You will love yourself. Do it! Do it!

 

[DenLo]

I have trouble tieing up extra money as well so I feel where you are coming from. My thoughts on that are you know the value of DVC so in reality you will be freeing up more money long term. Also as others pointed out if you get in a jam resell should be fairly easy. We just bought a small contract for our every other year trips and think it was the best decision for our continued trips. So for me I think of the money I will save long term and was able to buy easier.

I understand where you are coming from as I have always driven my DH crazy because I know we have the money for a vacation in the bank and then turn around and save like crazy to pay for the trip without touching our savings. I call it keeping my cake and eating it too. Heck I'm one of those that determines whether I'll get a manicure/pedicure based on figuring out if I did it myself how much money would I save in a year. I did the same when I worked on whether to eat lunch out to take my lunch.

The thing I had to make myself realize was how much we were spending on vacations without the DVC at WDW. And over ten years how much would we save on those vacations if we bought into the DVC. It blew my DH's mind how quickly I switched my thinking on the DVC.

I realize it will take about three to four years of vacations to WDW before we recoup our initial investment, but after that we are getting our villas for the cost of the annual dues. Much less than we have paid for a moderate room for trip to WDW in the past and now we are able to stay at WDW for more days per trip as well.

Hope one day to welcome you home to the DVC family.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Why can't you do it? Because the price is too high now and the dues keep going up.

 

[lilpooh108]

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF!?!?!?!?!!?!? I have been on this board hundreds of times, reading questions, answering questions, learning the ins and outs and dreaming of being a DVC owner. I will always go to WDW (at least) once every two years if not every single year, so I understand the cost savings from std rm rates.

I have some disposable cash, but have always been such a cautious spender, thinking about all of the what-if's.....what if the economy doesn't recover and I lose my job and my fairly new car has a major issue and etc, etc. But on the plus side, my spouse works for Southwest, so free flights. Free flight, free ME from MCO to WDW and my DVC (for how small or large) will be paid for in cash, so WHY....WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?

PLEASE TALK ME INTO IT....I NEED A NUDGE SO BAD.

Free flights? Holy moly. You just cut about 50% of vacation budgets for everyone else around here (ok, well for me anyway). We take lots of vacations. Most of the time, my flights for the family cost about 50%-60% of the trip (we're west coasters). We literally travel based on flight fares and the cheapest fares we can get for the general time period we want to travel.

We bought into DVC because we chose to vacation at WDW this year. This was the first year where I realized that staying on-site at a Deluxe was ironically going to cost us more than the Ritz (got a bargain last year due to Swine Flu), the Four Seasons (honeymoon), Fairmont Orchid (also snagged a great rate) and other posh spa resorts we've stayed at for getaways. No offense to Disney, but I was slightly appalled when I realized that I was going to pay more for staying on-site than at a full service resort with "the servers will spritz Evian on your face while you're laying out by the pool" hotel like the Four Seasons. Realizing that the room itself would cost more than our flights altogether and our cruise, I looked into DVC and figured it would save us in the long run. My goodness, if I had free flights, I wouldn't even think twice!

The only *free* flights I *have* are to Hawaii, from my FF miles. Aulani (for us) is not a "if," but a "when to purchase and how many points."

My vote is, get on your free airplane ride, and take your *behind* to Disney, at a DVC resort!

Edit: I just re-read my own post I hope I'm not coming off like we're stuck up, staying at nice places. We usually get our trips at *insanely* good deal prices. I can't turn down a good travel deal, so that's why we travel. To me (for our purposes), DVC is a GREAT deal.

 

[dudelydude]

Why can't you do it? Because the price is too high now and the dues keep going up.

The price is too high? Some prices are quite low, but I do know what you mean about increasing dues. You and I have discussed this before and I recall that you were selling some of your contracts due to being not-so-pleased with some DVC issues.

A 50 point contract is where my dream began, knowing that this would get me started with a few nights stay. Then I thought, for the price of 50 points at BLT, I could almost get 100 points at SSR or OKW and could the longer stay trump the location....maybe?....maybe not? I know the whole jag on buying where you want to stay. So many decisions when I decide to take the plunge.

Anyway, Thanks for all of the advice. I wish I knew about DVC and bought-in much earlier, as many of you folks said, but I can still see the value even now.

Thanks again, Joe

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm in a similar position. We've been debating DVC for almost 3 years. And we keep going back and forth on whether or not it's for us. We're about to go on our 5th trip to Disney since January, 2008. We always stay deluxe or in a villa so I'm not sure why it's so hard for us to commit!

Amanda

 

[mdsd8700]

It is a lot of money, although you can get a re-sale contract for a good deal and as many others said you can start with a small contract and see how it works for you without too much of a monetary issue, since you have the cash to pay for it. We have done a Disney trip every year for 13 years and have thought and thought about DVC. Came close a couple of times, but it was always the MF's for 40/50 years that would "talk us out of it". We just finally purchased about a month ago. This unstable economy definately makes me a bit nervous about spending that money from our savings, but somehow the time seemed right for us. We bought a smaller contact, only 100 points, but for now it is what we were comfortable with and the MF's are affordable without pinching us monthly. I think the right time for everyone is different and when the time is right for you, you will be able to take the plunge and not look back. Good luck with your decision.

 

[stefanospops]

The price is too high? Some prices are quite low, but I do know what you mean about increasing dues. You and I have discussed this before and I recall that you were selling some of your contracts due to being not-so-pleased with some DVC issues.

A 50 point contract is where my dream began, knowing that this would get me started with a few nights stay. Then I thought, for the price of 50 points at BLT, I could almost get 100 points at SSR or OKW and could the longer stay trump the location....maybe?....maybe not? I know the whole jag on buying where you want to stay. So many decisions when I decide to take the plunge.

Anyway, Thanks for all of the advice. I wish I knew about DVC and bought-in much earlier, as many of you folks said, but I can still see the value even now.

Thanks again, Joe

I know you can't see the value NOW, but that is really it, isn't it? DVC is about implied future value. Assuming everything goes up, your buy in costs have not. Sure your fees will go up but will they go up as much as the cost of the rooms? Of course not. For one night in a Savanna view at ALK on a Saturday night the DISCOUNTED DVC price was $400. One night. That is double what the fees on a 50 point contract at AKL will be for the year.

So it comes down to how will you vacation (deluxe vs. value rooms). If you prefer deluxe then it makes sense, if you are indifferent then it doesn't. I don't look at the buy in amount at all. If DVC no longer makes sense I will sell the contract. After 20 years I figure I give up maybe 50% of the value of it, maybe. Even if I give up the whole value I still come out ahead. I never considered the resale aspect when I bought and was very uneasy about buying in. It wasn't until after finding these boards that I now feel that much better about the decision.

 

[dianeschlicht]

The only advice I have is related to my own experience. We did much the same as you...only we kicked the idea around for 5 years!!! When we finally made our first DVC purchase in 1997, it was an eye opening experience, and we have continually kicked ourselves ever since by not buying in when we first heard about DVC back when Disney Vacation Club (OKW) was being built. In fact, we were so bummed about having missed the first 5 years, we went ahead and purchased a second contract almost as large as the first one a year later! It is possiblly the single best purchase we have ever made! I just wish we had done it sooner.

SO...Don't make the same mistake we did.

 

[Sammie]

I would agree with the others, start small, and see how you like it. You can do all your research but until you experience how it works for you and your family, the research is just what works for others.

I am glad we bought in small contracts as they are easier to get rid off and yes we are getting rid of some of ours.

I know we have saved money over the cost of getting the same accommidations from Disney paying cash. But our vacation wants and needs are changing and we don't need the big rooms as much anymore.

I don't like staying in DVC studios, I would rather stay in a regular deluxe room over a studio. I am keeping just enough points that when I do need the larger two bedroom, about every other year, I have it available.

The money that was being spent on dues is now going into a Vacation account to go and see and do others things rather than Disney. We will still go but with the decline in service and upkeep, we just do not have any desire to go as often as we used to. When I can stay at a Residence Inn by Marriot that puts the DVC villas to shame in comfort and upkeep and service, it makes me very unhappy with the current situation.

I would have hated to have a single large contract, instead of the smaller ones, that I felt stuck with and forced myself to take Disney vacations because it was paid for.

 

[charvel67]

We started small a year and a half ago with a 60 pt. resale. Through our points that came with the contract and renting a few, we will be taking our 4th trip, this one just my wife and myself, in October. If we had free flights I would imagine we would own around 300 pts. or more. We always say that if we weren't 1500 miles from Orlando and we could drive there (won't drive that far with three kids) we would probably visit way more. I envy your benefit of free flights. What are you waiting for, you should've bought yesterday!!!

 

[janni518]

The bottom line for us was that it forced my husband to go on vacation. That to me is worth any amount of money. It was money well spent and I don't regret a penny of it.

 

[FindTheMickeys]

WOW... Free flights!! I'd add on a lot more points for that!!! I started out with 150 points. That lasted 5 years and I have just added on another 2 contracts for 50 points each... Mind you, I never stayed Moderate OR Deluxe before DVC, just Value or off property, but once I stayed in that Deluxe Villa after I bought, ahhhh - heaven! Even a Deluxe Studio is awesome Now, the only costs I have are my flights (definitely NOT free) and food and MF. I have paid off my DVC so most of my vacations are taken care of

 

[mopee3]

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH MYSELF!?!?!?!?!!?!? what-if's.....what if the economy doesn't recover and I lose my job and my fairly new car has a major issue and etc, etc.
PLEASE TALK ME INTO IT....I NEED A NUDGE SO BAD.

WHAT IF you die on the way to: work, store, kids house, what if the economy really goes south, you loose your J.O.B., What if, what if, someday you will be old and wish you had gotten over the what if's and just LIVED, and if that means buying into DVC, go for it NOW!!

OPPS, that’s my motto, sorry I was so harsh.

My bride and I are over 60 and realize these are our GOLDEN Years , so we better enjoy them while we can because we may die tomorrow or be so incapacitated we can't use our points.

If you need someone to hold your hand.........just call and I will come a running!!

Moe

 

[dbs1228]

Life is too short and if you can afford it now along with maintance fees go for it! I have to agree with Mopee3 life is too short! We have gone to Disney for so many years, never bought in but keep going back and finally did it! No regets, I just realized the time was right. Free airfare, that is why I charge everything to my rewards card, I mean everything, lay out the budget and pay credit card instead of paying direct for cell phone,groceries, cable etc.... it makes trips possible for a family of 5! Good luck with your decision and I have always lived by the motto go with your gut!