Why did you purchase DVC over purchasing Hilton or Marriott timeshare ? It looks like every other timeshare is wayyyy cheaper than DVC by the 1000s$

TheSnowWhite_

Earning My Ears
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Why did you purchase DVC over another timeshare company like marriott, Hilton, Wyndham. It looks like you can pay 5k for a week of points at Hilton grand vacation club unlike spending $20k+ for a DVC contract. I just purchased direct at Grand Villas and everyone I talk to thinks I’m insane to have spent over 50k on a dvc timeshare. Those people are owners of Hilton grand vacation club.
 
Why did you purchase DVC over another timeshare company like marriott, Hilton, Wyndham. It looks like you can pay 5k for a week of points at Hilton grand vacation club unlike spending $20k+ for a DVC contract. I just purchased direct at Grand Villas and everyone I talk to thinks I’m insane to have spent over 50k on a dvc timeshare. Those people are owners of Hilton grand vacation club.
We bought DVC first by resale in 2021
Then we bought a small direct contract.

Our resale contracts can sell on the resale market for the same price we paid.

My grandfather owns Marriott Vacation Club.
Deeded week and points.
His resale value is minimal compared to DVC.

We are a Disney family that enjoys vacationing with Disney.
Whether that is at the beach, DLR, or WDW.
 
Why do you think the resale values of other timeshares are minimal compared to dvc ? Do you think it’s because of ROFR ?
 
Why do you think the resale values of other timeshares are minimal compared to dvc ? Do you think it’s because of ROFR ?
Supply and demand

The DVC resorts near their parks have higher resale value.
DVC beach resorts have less resale value, but normally more than others.

TUG is a good way to compare.
Or check out the DVC board on the DISboards.
 

Cost, convenience, satisfaction, salvage value…

No matter how you slice it or dice it, timeshares are a huge commitment. Spending future time and money, I want confidence we’re unlikely to regret or feel like we’re compromising. Maybe that’s partly the stage of life we’re at? Life’s too short. Make it count!
 
Cost, convenience, satisfaction, salvage value…

No matter how you slice it or dice it, timeshares are a huge commitment. Spending future time and money, I want confidence we’re unlikely to regret or feel like we’re compromising. Maybe that’s partly the stage of life we’re at? Life’s too short. Make it count!
I like this !! Yeah I just dropped 50k+ and another 20k+ previously on dvc timeshare and I kept thinking my future self will thank me when I take annual trips 😂😂😂 and crossing my fingers this wasn’t a bad use of money. I know vacations are luxuries and I try to not to think of the loss of future value of the money I could have made if I didn’t drop this money on dvc.
 
I like this !! Yeah I just dropped 50k+ and another 20k+ previously on dvc timeshare and I kept thinking my future self will thank me when I take annual trips 😂😂😂 and crossing my fingers this wasn’t a bad use of money. I know vacations are luxuries and I try to not to think of the loss of future value of the money I could have made if I didn’t drop this money on dvc.
The expense is an important part of the equation - like if I’m going to devote a week+ and expenses every year for the rest of my life it should be making us happy happy happy!

If that stops happening I like the idea of exchanging it for something else. Not guaranteed of course but the outlook is good that I could either get a good return on a nice week at VGF and use those funds toward another destination, or get out altogether without begging someone to take it and maybe even get a sweet lump of money. I’m betting on the future strength of Disney, WDW, MK/location, terms of resale contract, etc. Between my own and extended family I doubt we’ll find it hard to keep using our DVC.

I like the other possibilities too. Visit Aulani, HH or Disneyland. Maybe not even do parks but enjoy WDW resort for winter sunshine.

Other timeshares seem less predictable to me.
 
We thought very seriously about Hyatt Vacation Club née Hyatt Residence Club. We passed on them for the following reasons:

Marriott Vacation Club is their corporate owner, and is known for sketchy business decisions.

We know that we will ALWAYS want to go to Disney… Can we guarantee we will always want to go to Hyatt properties (which have a limited footprint).

The onsite amenities at DVC resorts tend to, overall, be better than a lot of Marriott/Hyatt especially at the DVC resorts we like which are BW/BC and VGF/BLT/Poly…. Even AK is superior in many ways… Hyatt Bonita Springs in the HRC property has one limited service restaurant… the hotel building has more options, but it is not as easy to get to as walking outside your VGF villa and heading to the main building…

We like the idea of having access to VB and HHI - neither of which Hyatt offered.

We also looked into Vistana, and plan to use our Getaways account to stay at some of their properties… But the network was not worth it, and we found the program confusing…
 
The expense is an important part of the equation - like if I’m going to devote a week+ and expenses every year for the rest of my life it should be making us happy happy happy!

If that stops happening I like the idea of exchanging it for something else. Not guaranteed of course but the outlook is good that I could either get a good return on a nice week at VGF and use those funds toward another destination, or get out altogether without begging someone to take it and maybe even get a sweet lump of money. I’m betting on the future strength of Disney, WDW, MK/location, terms of resale contract, etc. Between my own and extended family I doubt we’ll find it hard to keep using our DVC.

I like the other possibilities too. Visit Aulani, HH or Disneyland. Maybe not even do parks but enjoy WDW resort for winter sunshine.

Other timeshares seem less predictable to me.
Very true and good points. It’s good that there’s a healthy resale market to get rid of it, if that were to be the case
 
We thought very seriously about Hyatt Vacation Club née Hyatt Residence Club. We passed on them for the following reasons:

Marriott Vacation Club is their corporate owner, and is known for sketchy business decisions.

We know that we will ALWAYS want to go to Disney… Can we guarantee we will always want to go to Hyatt properties (which have a limited footprint).

The onsite amenities at DVC resorts tend to, overall, be better than a lot of Marriott/Hyatt especially at the DVC resorts we like which are BW/BC and VGF/BLT/Poly…. Even AK is superior in many ways… Hyatt Bonita Springs in the HRC property has one limited service restaurant… the hotel building has more options, but it is not as easy to get to as walking outside your VGF villa and heading to the main building…

We like the idea of having access to VB and HHI - neither of which Hyatt offered.

We also looked into Vistana, and plan to use our Getaways account to stay at some of their properties… But the network was not worth it, and we found the program confusing…
Aweee that is very true. Thank you for sharing your experience I didn’t even think about that in regards to dining options. I noticed at the hotels near amusement parks there are plentiful places to eat and things to do to keep people entertained which is nice to have. I also have heard sketchy things about other timeshares so the Disney name instills confidence already with just the name. That is true always going to Disneyland is a major factor because Disneyland and Disneyworld are always revamping and including new rides, events, shows, parades, fireworks.
 
Multiple reasons we wouldn't consider buying a different timeshare

1. System complexity - in most other timeshare systems, points have different tiers and then you have to pay multiple fees to upgrade your points in order to book what you actually want, DVC doesn't have any of that. The worst thing that DVC has is resale vs. direct points but otherwise 1 point at Vero Beach is 1 point at Beach Club and etc.

2. The Disney brand - when something is branded as Disney, there's a certain level of quality that is expected. Many of these other timeshares we've seen after the first few years of opening have poor upkeep and maintenance and there's really nobody to go after these companies to upgrade/refurbish the rooms. If DVC let their rooms at Grand Floridian for example go downhill to any significant extent, we'd be hearing about it and you know as Disney fans we're extremely vocal when we want to complain about something.

3. Supply and demand - Disney World is the most popular tourist destination in the world. Only with Disney's permission can Disney hotels be built next to their theme parks and etc. Otherwise you're staying somewhere random on I-4. No other timeshare can offer access to these hotels or an equivalent where you can walk into Epcot or Magic Kingdom.

The one benefit of any other random timeshare is they typically focus on other popular vacation destinations like New York, Waikiki, LA etc. and has a more diverse portfolio than DVC BUT so does every other timeshare company and they do not have exclusivity at these locations, meaning what is there to separate your Hilton timeshare from the Marriott down the street? There isn't anything. As a result, the resale value plummets because of the excess of timeshares available and become worthless when the dues exceed the value of owning. We bought DVC because we want to go to Disney, not to go to *insert random vacation destination here*.

I would consider RENTING a Hilton/Marriott timeshare but I would never own one for these reasons.
 
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We bought DVC because we wanted to visit WDW regulaly, at least once a year, and now go multiple times a year. We also wanted to be on property and where we stayed mattered so, if we were doing a timeshare, then having the one that got us at the resort or resorts we wanted is what made sense.
 
I’m definitely not a timeshare person. The only reason DVC made sense for us was because we travel to WDW frequently enough to make it work.

So that’s pretty much the answer, because WDW. In my opinion it’s the reason why DVC holds its value.

Also most of our trips to WDW are 4-6 days. We travel Wed/Thu to Sun/Mon, and we don’t use vacation days for those. We have the option to work remotely with flexible hours, so we use some time of the day to do some work and wanted better accommodations to be able to do it. Also,there’s no way we would do that while paying cash for hotels. Even if we’re paying for DVC, it doesn’t feel as a waste if we have to use some time to work.
 
It took me 3 years of research before I bought my first contract back in 2000.

During those years I did a bunch of research which included going to resorts and going through the hard sell sales presentations. I may have done as many as 6 or 7 and had pretty much convinced myself that timeshares were a bad idea.

During this time I stayed at a DVC in 1997. Loved it but didn't do a sales presentation with DVC. That didn't happen until 2000 and at that point I didn't have to be sold. I knew what I was getting into. I knew what the costs were. I knew that it fit my budget and that there was a resale market if I needed to get out. I sold myself. The guide just had to do the paperwork and I just had to sign. I did listen as you never know when you'll learn something new.

Also got a nice lunch at Spoodles for 5 of us. I was smart enough to let a person at one of the stands offer me an incentive for 'taking a look' at DVC.

EDIT: meanwhile I stayed at many Disney resorts - predominantly the Polynesian.
 
It took me 3 years of research before I bought my first contract back in 2000.

During those years I did a bunch of research which included going to resorts and going through the hard sell sales presentations. I may have done as many as 6 or 7 and had pretty much convinced myself that timeshares were a bad idea.

During this time I stayed at a DVC in 1997. Loved it but didn't do a sales presentation with DVC. That didn't happen until 2000 and at that point I didn't have to be sold. I knew what I was getting into. I knew what the costs were. I knew that it fit my budget and that there was a resale market if I needed to get out. I sold myself. The guide just had to do the paperwork and I just had to sign. I did listen as you never know when you'll learn something new.

Also got a nice lunch at Spoodles for 5 of us. I was smart enough to let a person at one of the stands offer me an incentive for 'taking a look' at DVC.

EDIT: meanwhile I stayed at many Disney resorts - predominantly the Polynesian.
You definitely did your homework! Right on!
 
Why did you purchase DVC over another timeshare company like marriott, Hilton, Wyndham. It looks like you can pay 5k for a week of points at Hilton grand vacation club unlike spending $20k+ for a DVC contract. I just purchased direct at Grand Villas and everyone I talk to thinks I’m insane to have spent over 50k on a dvc timeshare. Those people are owners of Hilton grand vacation club.
Why pick sides, do them all :-)
 
We bought DVC because we are an all in Disney family. We’ve had several milestones occur at WDW and can’t imagine not going.

DH has traveled a lot for work over the years so we have lifetime Diamond with Hilton & lifetime Titanium with Marriott. So much time with those brands makes it hard to imagine committing even more by buying into their timeshare program. Nothing feels special there. We’ve been fortunate enough to use many, many reward nights from all the business travel to have some amazing trips all over the country.

When we talk now about where we want to go for vacation, it’s always WDW. So we love the Deluxe resorts but as of late, the price was climbing higher and higher so we started staying in Moderates to save some money. Buying DVC has allowed us to future proof our budget a bit to stay in Villas for less than Moderates cost. So for us it made sense. We started with resale and then added 150 @ Riviera direct so we now have a blue card and can buy Sorcerer Passes which also saves us over the Incredipass we’ve been buying.
 
Every once in awhile I get a call from Hilton Vacations offering a free stay to hear their presentation. I like to play with them. I’ll say is it on Disney property? They say no but it’s close. I’ll say I never stay outside Disney. I’ll finally let them off the hook and tell them I’m DVC and wouldn’t buy anything else.
 
Back when my late Mom and I purchased, timeshares in general had a horrible reputation. I had been to some of those "scammy" type timeshare presentations where the sales people were high pressure, and promised "wonderful gifts" for a tour.

We were on our way to EPCOT one morning, while staying in a tower room at the Contemporary, which was pricey even then. We overheard a young newly wed couple on the monorail talking about the beautiful condos of DVC. So we had extra time, as we were staying two weeks, and decided to go on a tour of Old Key West (then known as The Disney Vacation Club Resort) We knew we were going to be regular Disney visitors, as we'd both been born and raised in the greater Los Angeles Area, and were Disney fans. When we bought, we compared the price of staying in a deluxe room every year to the cost of DVC for about 50 years...plus the incentive of Free Park Passes until the year 2000, sealed the deal. We initially bought 230 points, and over the next 4 years did add-ons to a final total of 345 points. I still have all those points, and now am able to share my trips with friends and extended family, while staying in the Disney Bubble.
 
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