Why Dvc

[kpace32]

My family and I have just returned form WDW, and did the DVC tour.. We have family in FLwhich allowed my parents to bring me to WDW many times as a child, and I have had the pleasure of experiencing the magic that disney offers for more than 20 years...I have always been a WDW fan and have a strong attachment to Disney.. This last trip(Our sencond as a family and my husbands second as well)my husband looked at me and said "I get it, I have goosebumps" as he was telling me his feelings of being in WDW...

with this being said of course we want to jump right into DVC,... My parents and some friends on the other hand own timeshares outside of Disney.. my parents own 2.. one at bonnett creek(right outside disney gates) and one in Ocean Landings, Cocoa Beach. They are determined to talk us out of DVC... and their main reason is that it is not deeded, Disney is not( how do you feel about this)our thinking is that in about 46 years, I'll be over 80, my kids in their 60's, their kids probably in there 40's and so on..how do we know that they will want or be able to afford a ddeded vacation property... and with DVC we can enjoy it for years , build memories and walk away without the need to sell when it's over WHAT DO ALL OF YOU THINK!!!!.. now Mark, my husband, and I were interested in SSR.. or even a resale on BW(possibly).. we would use no less than a one or two bedroom for the next 10 years (kids are 10 and 13 and they want to bring friends too)... We don't know how much or little to buy in points (thinking at least 160-185)...we are soo confused!!! It is alot of money to finance and a BIG committment... It's taken us a long time to get on our feet financially and don't want to screw up!! PLEASE HELP!!

 

[chalee94]

yeah, leasing works fine for some people, who are happy to pay for their 35-50 years of use and then let disney figure out what to do with the old building after that. if you are willing to pay a premium to stay onsite and know you'll return regularly to wdw anyway, DVC is definitely worth a long look.

the general recommendation here is to buy where you want to stay (or at least where you don't mind staying.) if you want to stay at the BLT, you may want to hold out a little longer and see what the deal is. if you've done the tour at SSR and will be happy just to be onsite, that will probably be a little cheaper with lower maintenance fees...

here is a recent thread that will explain a lot of DVC basics...

and here are more links to DVC FAQs:

from all ears

from tagrel

 

[AlexTina]

I think the greatest thing about Disney is that you are not buying a specific week in a specific room type. With DVC you can use your points how and where you want. If you want a family vacation then use them for that anytime of the year, if you want a short husband and wife trip then use some of your points for that. You can get a studio for as little as 9 points per night I believe during certain time of the year. So a great adults only 2 night getaway could be had for as little as 18 - 20 points. If you want to take all your family/friends one year you could borrow points from the next year or bank points from the previous years and stay in a grand villa. There are just so many options with Disney. I think it's great. I have a super guide if you would like for me to give you his name or have him contact you I would be happy to do so and if you buy I get a $200 gift card which I would be happy to split with you. So in addition to all the great incentives that they have running right now like matching developer points if you buy at AKV, current UY points, and a $500 disney visa card you would get another $100 well. If you have anymore questions or would like the name of my guide you can contact me at tinadisney@comcast.net if you contact him you will also receive a really neat hardback Dream book which explains the program in great detail and has great pics and point charts for all of the resorts.

Tina

 

[Disney_Villain]

Don't let your age be a deterrent. DH & I were 44 and 38 in age when we first bought in 2 years ago - and we even extended our OKW contract by 15 years too.

Who knows how long you will live. At least we won't see our contracts expire when we're in our 70's (what a disappointment if you're still able to travel). My in-laws are in their mid-70s and they've stayed with us recently at OKW, BCV and VBR.

 

[WALTSAGOD]

If youi're going to spend the money in/at WDW anyway for the next 34+ years, DVC would/should be a better deal than just forking out the cash for a regular room.

Correct, you don't own the resort, you are only leasing, but actually, you are doing neither. This is a prepaid vacation plan.

So if someone doesn't join, but instead just pays the rack rate for the next 34+ years, at the end you're both in the same situation. Neither one actually owns anything, the DVC'er just came out ahead.

 

[littlestar]

I thought I had read on the boards that Disney was offering Animal Kingdom Lodge points at a minimum buy in of 100 for first time purchasers. If you did that, you could bank and borrow and have 200 points every other year for a nice Disney onsite trip. That wouldn't cost as much to start that way and you wouldn't have as much debt. With the economy being kind of spooky right now, this is just an idea to kick around. Another idea would be to buy a resale SSR of less than 100 points and bank and borrow.

Then on the off years, if you wanted another Orlando trip, if your relatives own other timeshares they are more than likely a member of one of the big exchange companies. The big exchange companies offer "Last Call" cash reservations (RCI) or "Getaways" (Interval International). If your family owns Bonnet Creek, I'm sure they probably are members with RCI.

We sometimes book extra cash trips to Orlando for as little as $450 a week in 2 bedrooms via Interval International's cash Getaway weeks - especially when we're out of DVC points for that year - These aren't shabby places either - Marriott Vacation Club resorts and Sheraton. So I don't have Disney withdrawal too bad because the quality is so nice.

 

[ChickieToo]

Like the others said, don't worry about it not being deeded. I know several people who are "stuck" with their parents deeded timeshares when they don't want the burden of the maintenance fees, and/or just don't like the whole timeshare system. And, they can't even sell them.

I say, if you meet the criteria (like to come every or every other year, like to stay on-site, and like to stay in moderates or deluxes), then DVC can over the long haul be a good "investment" for you. I put quotes around "investment" because it won't be an appreciable asset, but it will be an investment in your family's future vacations and be cost-effective over the long-haul.

My husband had to force me to go on the tour, then force the issue to buy--we argued about it in the sales office. I just wasn't a believer. We always stayed at the BC/YC anyway, so we were spending the $. Anyway, that was 7 years ago, and since then, we have brought family with us a couple of times and used our points for their rooms, getting as many as four rooms at a time, and we are doing it again next year. The ability to share this "asset" with others, and ensure that we always take a vacation in a place that makes us happy is actually kind of comforting to us. And now I'm the believer, learned the system, and think it is great.

I will echo the "Buy where you want to stay" mantra. We bought at VWL because that was what they were selling at the time. However, we really wanted BCV, so we ended up adding on their because that is where we prefer to stay, so now we have the booking advantage there.

 

[spiceycat]

disney deeds the property - so we can get off the taxes.

so although it is leased it is also deeded - besides expecting them to do to BWV what they did to OKW - continue the lease.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

I personally like not leaving someone my "burden" so we saw the expiration as a plus. However, I now see that we may have a harder time selling a 2042 resort in the next 20 years than we would a 2054 or 2057 resort because the resorts will be closer to the expiration date. For now, we don't see why we would ever sell our BWV points. We may purchase BLT that will allow us some usage in our "golden" years.

For us, the flexibility of the Disney system and the peace of mind of being on Disney property and having the Disney name behind DVC makes all the difference in the world to us. DVC seems to sell itself. You never hear of dirty tricks or high pressure sales from DVC. You also never hear of someone selling a DVC contract for $500 either.

We have no other timeshare experience, but are very pleased with DVC.

 

[wdwnut]

My only regret is not purchasing OKW in 93 when I first had the opportunity. However, I am thrilled that we waited for BWV. Seriously, a trip or two a year staying at deluxes even back in the days when an AP got at least a 50% discount added up. We have done many family & friends trips since purchasing DVC. Our upcoming October trip with 18 people would cost us $16,000+ at rack rates. That in itself makes DVC worthwhile. One other regret: not enough time off from work to take more trips!

 

[Lisa P.]

Take a deep breath and note that DVC will still be there in a while after you've had a chance to think about it. It's a lot of money. Look around on other forums too. Since this is a DVC forum, you are more likely to find happy owner-enthusiasts here than a cross-section of all owners, past and present. There are other timeshare forums which will provide some different views - more variety of opinions, at least.

Comparing rack rates never makes sense unless you'd actually pay that, if you don't have DVC. Most people either find a discounted rate, select an alternative resort or room situation, rent points from other members or reschedule their dates if they'd have had no other options than rack rates.

A deeded property is definitely preferred by some; RTU (like DVC) is preferred by others. We prefer deeded but you have to decide for yourselves which you prefer and whether it matters. RTU is generally favored by timeshare companies because they know that the real estate beneath old buildings is valuable - especially in tourist destinations - location, location, location. And they'll want it back later without having to buy out the timeshare owners' Property Owners Association. Naturally, if the developer sees value in taking back the land later, it deserves a second look by the buyers/members/owners too - IMO.

HTH to give you an alternative perspective.

 

[bookwormde]

One thing to remember is that most of the non-expiring deeded properties even now have $0 recovery value (with a few exception like Marriott and Hilton). Have your friends and family look up the selling value of their properties on ebay and figure the depreciation forward. Most will have to pay to clear their names of the deeds.

bookwormde

 

[RumpleMom]

I agree, it is a lot of money to finance.

Maybe take some time to think about the rest of your finances. How's the college fund going for the kids?

We really like the fact that DVC will expire. We have no intentions to sell, but don't want to commit the kids to anything either.

Will your parents let you use their Bonnet Creek unit for a vacation for just your family? or do they always come along too? Does this matter to you or not?

Give it some time, think about the big picture, have the relatives show what kind of resorts they can get for you and at what price. Maybe stay at one of these non-Disney resorts next year and then decide if you are happy or really want to stay on Disney property.

DVC will be there when you are ready.

 

[pillow]

We love our DVC membership, but I think its important to look at the numbers and figure out how you will use it. If you are happy going to WDW and staying in the value or moderate resorts or if you are always looking for a "deal", DVC will definitely cost you more. However, if you love the DVC properties and will use your membership to stay at DVC properties, the membership will pay for itself rather quickly. Before we purchased, I did a break even analysis to see how long it would take to recoup the cash outlay. Taking into account dues, if you stay at only DVC resorts, you break even in about 7 years - and then only pay the yearly dues. BUT, if you use points for the cruise line and other Disney properties, it can take 15-20 years to break even.

We didn't really care about the fact that our membership would be gone in 50 years. Our discussion centered more around whether it made sense financially. Good luck deciding!

Jodie

 

[mrdiscranky]

DVC isn't right for everyone. But if it's right for you, you certainlly shouldn't let the fact that you are "only" getting 46 years be a deal breaker.

None of us knows the future. I'm sure I'll want to be a DVC owner in 5 years. I'll probably want to be one in 10. 20 years is a long time, but I think it more likely than not I'll still be happy with DVC. When we start talking 30-35 years out, who knows. And if but some stroke of luck I get 46 good years out of my DVC, it will have been one heck of a great bargain.