Why is DVC NOT for you?

[ead79]

We're still thinking about it, because we do go to WDW at least once a year and when we stay in a hotel we choose a deluxe. However, our favorite place to stay is in the campground at Fort Wilderness, and the kids are all in school, so we have to travel during busy seasons and I'm concerned about being able to stay where we want if we only book 7 months out (I wouldn't want to always be tied to my home resort). On top of that, we're a family of 5 so based on the written rules, we'd need a 2 bedroom which is a lot of points during peak seasons.

The non-value 1 BR units at AKV will hold a family of 5, so you could consider purchasing at AKV. I don't know if that would be comfortable for your family, but I thought it might help factor into your decision to purchase or not.

 

[kend58]

We bought two weeks resale in the Starwood system for total cost of under 5K and then once in the system spent 10K more for the upgrades to get the option to convert into resort or hotel points on an annual basis. That was about the same upfront that a base DVC contract costs but gurantees me two weeks in 2 bedroom villas in very nice villas in Orlando within minutes of WDW or USO/IOA/SW and ability to on a year by year basis convert one or both of my weeks into hotel points and stay at any Starwood hotel in the world based on availability or into reort points and stay at any SVN resort [based on availability of course only home resort availability is guranteed]. We liked that flexibility for the price point.

I have been trying to figure out how to make DVC a part of my plans but can't get past the weekend costs for any short trips and the seasonal point cost for holiday season weeks [the DW is a teacher so no off season travel for us].

This year using the resort points from one of our 2007 weeks [dedicated 2bdrm at Vistana Lakes] we stayed Fri to Fri in Orlando [Vistana Cascades section] for Spring Break in Mar 07 {at OKW that would have been 296 pts}) We are staying from 12/28 to 1/6 in a 2 bedroom villa at Vistana [Lakes section] using the resort points from our other unit for it's 2007 week [2brm l/o at Vistana Villages]{at OKW that would be 456 points}. So I would need about 750 DVC points for 2 bedroom villa accomadations at the same times. Our maint and taxes will be just over 2K DVC would be over 3K so I have what I want for way less buy in (I spent 16K at $50pp the DVC points would have cost me well over 35K) approximately 2/3 of the annual maint/fees expense and I have global hotel as well as II / RCI optionality so we couldn't justify the additional cost for the "onsite" advantages. Takes us about 5 minutes to drive under the entrance sign from Vistana parking lot I can be at any park gate in about 30 minutes from this location (of course I have my own vehicle invloved I know some don't like that) Vistana offers a shuttle but frankly I don't like it.

I love the WDW Monorail and water transport systems but I'm not so fond of the busses.

 

[ldo]

we have also stayed in my parents' off-site 2 BR timeshare for 6 years at peak season (Christmas, Easter). IF you plan to travel during peak times and need a 2 BR, then I think a nice off-site timeshare or points system such as HGVC, Starwood, etc. saves a lot of $$, b/c of the much higher DVC points cost.
When we need a full week, prime time in a 2 BR, we will not use DVC points. We will save DVC points for times we use a 1 BR, studio, or stay mid-week during the summer.

 

[disney54us]

Yes, I know that you can use points for the Disney Deluxe resorts. However, it doesn't seem to be the best use of points. Maybe for a night or two, but not for a whole week. We had 230 points and that got us a week at the BWV in early Dec, but it certainly wouldn't have gotten us a week at the POLY. Plus, those points (Disney Hotels) can go up every year just like the crusies. Doesn't it also cost $95 to use your points at the Disney hotels, or is that just trades with II? I didn't buy DVC with the intention of using it for the Deluxe Hotels, I thought I would be happy always staying at BWV. Another thing I didn't mention was that having to call day by day at 11 months for my own resort got really old. Why did I have to do this? Because the MS people told me that I better call day by day for early Dec. When I booked my trip for Oct they told me the same thing (because of Food and Wine) and I was only competeing against other BWV owners! When I called at 7 months for BCV and there was no availablity for Dec, I was bummed and it was a turning point for me. I know some of you guys would have just bought points for BCV, but I didn't want to do that. I want to just call WDW and book the BC and have Disney do everything for me-tickets, meal plan, limo-all in one phone call. So, we sold DVC. I'm happy with our decision. Our friends, huge OKW lovers, think we are crazy. Of course, I think they are crazy for ONLY ever wanting to vacation at OKW.

Yes, they have recently started charging $95, for booking in the resorts. One of many changes lately that I am not pleased with. I understand your feelings with the booking process of late. We have been members for 10 years, and never had to book 11mnths day by day. We usually go in early Dec., not this yr because we could not get a ressie.
230 pts. would not allow a full week at the poly, we started w/ that but have added contracts through the years. We would split it since part of us wanted stay at OKW and then, the other part wanted the poly. I don't think your crazy for not wanting to stay at one place and I am a OKW lover too, but I realize that there are advantages to other properties. I guess you summed it up perfect, you are happy with your decision and it works best for you and your family! That's what it's all about.

 

[UConnJack]

I also really missed the set up of the deluxe hotel rooms. We have 3 kids and like the 2 queens and daybead set-up. I thought the king was a total waste of space and I sleep on one at home! I hated the sofa bed/king setup of the 1 bedrooms-we stayed in them twice.

While it wasn't a deal breaker for me, and its not an issue yet with kids at 1 and 4, I do not like the limited bed setups either. I know this has been debated, and there are potential issues legally and with trades, but I wish they had more bedding options, including:

- Some studios (other than just OKW) with 2 queens instead of a sleeper sofa,

- Some 1 bedrooms with 2 queens in the bedroom instead of a King, and

- More dedicated 2-br with 2 queens in the second room.

Now I know the 1 br idea is controversial, but if they are made bookable like the 2br dedicated rooms are, I don't see an issue as it would benefit many members.

 

[TinkRN]

I have enjoyed reading this thread. We bought our first contract in 97 in HHI. I knew that I married a "thrifty" man and he was certainly not going to take me on vacation every year. Our families lived about 500 miles from us and every vacation was going to be spent traveling to either NJ or OH. We decided to buy to have a vacation for "us". For him he could see the cost and knew how to budget so we would be able to enjoy our trips. Now we take one of our families with us every year to either HHI or BCV (our second contract). We get to enjoy family vacations, our parents get quality time with their grandchildren. And best of all I love planing our trips. We go to Disney about 3 times a year. One 1 week trip and two long weekend trips.
I have learned so much from these boards how to maximize my DVC membership and am grateful to all those who take the time to post.

TinkRN

 

[LSchrow]

tracking our vacation history:
1st time was a very nice resort, but off-site (will never happen again ~ just not our idea of a vacation)
then moderates (CBR, POR) (very nice, but a bit cramped for a family of 4, IMHO) & FW homes (loved them, but far from the parks)
the came the CM discount, & GF, YC, BC, AKL, BWI (some concierge) & we were addicted to deluxe
then we stayed at BWVs (a few times) & decided if we were going to WDW, we were going to treat ourselves every time with a "real vacation", & purchased DVC (admittedly, we enjoy the "higher-end resort" feeling of the DVC resorts ).
our kidlets are older now, so instead of a 1 bedroom, we'll go 2x (or more ) a year, & stay in a studio. (figure a standard room @ BWI runs about $300 night, times the 9 nights we norm stay = $2700 EACH vacation,about 2x our annual dues for 400 points, which we can use for multiple stays). also, we absolutley love BW view, which can only be booked using DVC points. nice thing is that i can rent out some points if need be. or exchange out, as we feel like........

would we do it again?
absolutely!

 

[barndweller]

We will never buy DVC because:

1. We live on the west coast & have only been to WDW twice since 1986.
2. We love Disneyland and can stay within 1 block for $75 a nite.
3. We are resale timeshare owners (top price paid was about $1500 for a full week in a 2 bdrm villa) that can trade for DVC for $140 through Interval International for a 7 day stay that includes weekends.
4. We are retired & would never subject ourselves to going to any Disney location at peak travel time.
5. We go to Disney for the food & the ambiance NOT just the rides. Dining at WDW has become a chore. We hate the stupid ADR system & the service & quality of food has gone steadily downhill while prices have gone through the roof. So one of the major reasons to go (for us as least) has been eliminated. And the Walmartification of the different Disney areas (shops, restaurants, costuming of CMs) has ruined much of the ambiance. Character interaction used to be a free experience you happened upon while strolling the World. Now Disney charges you $40 each and calls it a character meal while serving you crappy food with slipshod service. No thanks.
6. The claim of flexability by DVC is a bunch of hooey. Everyone has to spend hours on the phone & hours scanning the DIS to figure out how to get what they want from DVC. It's too much effort in my opinion.
&. I love Disney, but I don't plan my whole life around vacationing with the mouse. There are too many other places in the world to see before I die. I don't feel I am doing my children/grandchildren any favors by limiting their vacations to breakfast with Cinderella for the next umpty ump years. They deserve to experience more than that.
7. My grown children love Disney, too, but they chose to buy a cheaper timeshare on the resale market so they too can be flexable about their vacations and trade into DVC if they want to visit the mouse. There is no way I would saddle them with those high DVC fees when I have gone to the big jungle cruise in the sky!

 

[krg74]

I have read alot of reason not to buy. Let me give one to BUY. I have bought 3 50 point at OKW for about 12,000 dollars. I have stayed at WDW 3 times on the DVC points in the last few years. Always during the off season and most of the time in a 2 BR. A total of about 30 days so far. Do the math!!! 30 days x roughly 400 dollars a nite = 12,000 dollars. Now people are talking about maintence fees, remember the cost of a nite at the GF is almost 400 a nite for about 1/3 the room and then you have to pay 11% tax on that. The next vacation i take in Jan for 12 nites, I will have gotten all my money back and then some compared to just renting a 2br for all those nites. Just my thought on it.. Hope i explained my self OK

 

[littlestar]

I can tell you the reason why we keep our DVC points. We absolutely adore the VWL and the Wilderness Lodge. I get a silly grin on my face right before the rush of air before I step in the main lodge doors and I keep that smile for a week. If you have a favorite DVC resort and you want to go there at a discounted price vs. booking cash, it's worth it. I don't have any problems booking what I want as long as I call before the 7 month window. Love the AP pass discount too. We're only an hour and 50 minute flight from Orlando, so pretty easy commute. We also own other timeshares where I like the resort or resort systems (bought resale). But the VWL is our most favorite resort in the whole wide world. By owning there, we KNOW we can stay there. If DVC stops trading in Interval tomorrow, it doesn't make any difference on whether I can stay at VWL or not. I own points there and that's my main DVC home.

If you like French Quarter or one of the other moderates or if you have a favorite off site place, then figure out the best way to stay there for your family and budget.

 

[pilferk]

Are the maintenance fees really that much? We own at SSR and they don't seem that high, but I have heard other resorts are higher. We just bought enough points for about 10 days and our fees are only about $450 and we bought resale so we saved a few grand. A few years ago I also thought the fees were too high until I noticed how much the resort prices have gone up over the years. We put it off for a little while, but each time we booked our trip and realized that we would like to go every year or at least every other year, DVC became more and more attractive. Especially considering that the points will be locked in for the entire contract term. Even if our fees go to $600, that is still far less than what we spent for a week at CBR 3 years ago. Room rates are also taxed but my understanding is that we don't pay room taxes since we pay the maint. fees??? Not sure if that is true though, would be nice if it is. Also if values are OK, then it may not make as much sense, but the moderates are getting expensive. Seems like only a short time ago CBR was under $100, now it's $145-$225!! Good luck.

It's all a matter of perspective. Everyone's financials are different, so everyone's perspective on "ridiculous" is different.

For me....$80 a month isn't ridiculous. That's on 200 AKV points. That gets us 6 nights (Saturday - Thursday) in a 1 BR or a 7 DAY vacation, in the offseason. with 40 points left to bank so we can eventually switch over to a 2 BR, for the same amount of time, in the same season, for a good long time.

We bought 200 points, at $96 per point (with discount). Our maint fees are about 4.75 a point (a bit less this year, about that next year). That works out to a yearly "cost" of about 6.67 per point. It costs us 160 points for our stay....or about $1067.20. Figuring it out, it's about 177.87 per night (and when comparing, realize that's the FINAL number...in other hotel rooms, you'd be paying taxes). That's for a room roughly 2x the size of a "normal" hotel room, with a full kitchen, jacuzzi tub, washer/dryer, etc. To me, that's not ridiculous, either.

That's for our family of 5. When we bump to the 2br's (which is the plan when the kids get older), it'll be 210 points, or about $1400.70. Works out to be about 233.45 per night (again, final rate) for a room that's about 3x the size of a "normal" hotel room, with 2 BR, a full kitchen, a washer/dryer, at least 2 bathrooms (3 in the new Kidani village rooms at AKV), etc. Again, doesn't seem too ridiculous to me.

But I also value staying on site, value the "perks" that come with that, and have NO desire to stay in a value (other than the AS Music family suites, for an occasional Friday night), little desire to stay in a mod, and have a pretty large family who needs some space. So it works for us. Others are going to have different priorities, different preferences, and different perspectives, both personally and finacially.

DVC is not for everyone. But it was certainly "for us".

 

[pilferk]

OK, slightly off topic (or rather, maybe in parallel topic), I have a question:

I've heard others mention the availability of more spacious and less expensive timeshares or houses for rent, off site. I've no doubt that's true. But can someone give me a ball park range as to what they cost to rent for a week?

Also, can someone who knows about the initial offering of OKW points tell me how much they sold for at the begining, what approximately the maint fees were back then (there's a historical chart floating around somewhere), and what the minimum buy in is.

You can probably all see where I'm going with this. One of the things I liked most about DVC was the "future-proofing" aspect. While I agree, TODAY the DVC prices ($104 per point less discount) can make some offsite deals look much better, I'm wondering if the same is true in comparison to the DVC prices 10 years ago compared to those same offsite "deals". In other words: Is there reason to suspect that, 10 years from now, the points I bought today will be a considerably better than the rental rates on the types of off site properties we're talking about. I honestly have no idea what the answer is, but I'd love the chance to crunch some numbers.

 

[pilferk]

That's some very interesting info... Why did SSR change the balance so much?

What will happen when the new building next to Comtempary(sp?) opens?

Nobody knows...and, to be fair, nobody really knows that the people who bought SSR want to stay anywhere but....or that more of them, percentage wise, trade out than those at other resorts. That argument has been run round and round, but there's little proof, one way or the other.

The one thing we DO know is that SSR is huge. Like OKW was huge. So even if there was a like % of SSR folks trading out, it puts a burden on the smaller resorts because, numerically speaking, the SSR people are just a larger segment of ownership.

The first time through, you had an anchor (OKW) and THEN some smaller resorts added to the system. SSR seems to be another "anchor" and the smaller resorts haven't, yet, been added to suck up the increased pressure on the system. Once AKV is fully on line, and possibly CRV, my suspicion is that things will get better...more choices should mean a bit less burden. We'll see though.

 

[tjkraz]

OK, slightly off topic (or rather, maybe in parallel topic), I have a question:

I've heard others mention the availability of more spacious and less expensive timeshares or houses for rent, off site. I've no doubt that's true. But can someone give me a ball park range as to what they cost to rent for a week?

You can rent a 3-4 bedroom house with a private pool for $1000-1200 per week off-site. That sort of money would barely cover the maintenance fees for most Two Bedroom DVC villas over the same period, even during the slow seasons.

Of course the trade off is that you are pretty much on your own--no room service, no park transportation, no wake-up calls, no EMH, no DME, etc. The house is clean when you arrive and they clean it again when you leave. Quality can also vary greatly from one site to another. There are companies that will act as brokers to rent the vacation homes, but the units are typically all owned by third parties with varying standards for cleaning, upkeep, etc.

I believe OKW was around $47 per point back in '91 with a 225 minimum purchase. Dues started at $2.51 per point.

 

[pilferk]

You can rent a 3-4 bedroom house with a private pool for $1000-1200 per week off-site. That sort of money would barely cover the maintenance fees for most Two Bedroom DVC villas over the same period, even during the slow seasons.

Of course the trade off is that you are pretty much on your own--no room service, no park transportation, no wake-up calls, no EMH, no DME, etc. The house is clean when you arrive and they clean it again when you leave. Quality can also vary greatly from one site to another. There are companies that will act as brokers to rent the vacation homes, but the units are typically all owned by third parties with varying standards for cleaning, upkeep, etc.

I believe OKW was around $47 per point back in '91 with a 225 minimum purchase. Dues started at $2.51 per point.

Thanks tj.

What are the current OKW maint fees? Do you know?

Edit: Never mind, I found them. 4.56 per point for 2008.

So, if you bought 15-ish years ago, you could be in a 2BR for one week in value season for around $1200, effective cost (47/50 = .94 per point, per year, .94 + 4.56 = 5.50, 5.50 * 2.18 = $1199).

Granted, you're not getting the space or the private pool but the trade off is location and "perks". So, after 15+ years, they're roughly equivalent, and you'd figure going forward for the next approx 35...from a pure "cost" standpoint the pendulum would likely swing toward OKW's favor.

 

[nunzia]

We will never buy DVC because:

1. We live on the west coast & have only been to WDW twice since 1986.
2. We love Disneyland and can stay within 1 block for $75 a nite.
3. We are resale timeshare owners (top price paid was about $1500 for a full week in a 2 bdrm villa) that can trade for DVC for $140 through Interval International for a 7 day stay that includes weekends.
4. We are retired & would never subject ourselves to going to any Disney location at peak travel time.
5. We go to Disney for the food & the ambiance NOT just the rides. Dining at WDW has become a chore. We hate the stupid ADR system & the service & quality of food has gone steadily downhill while prices have gone through the roof. So one of the major reasons to go (for us as least) has been eliminated. And the Walmartification of the different Disney areas (shops, restaurants, costuming of CMs) has ruined much of the ambiance. Character interaction used to be a free experience you happened upon while strolling the World. Now Disney charges you $40 each and calls it a character meal while serving you crappy food with slipshod service. No thanks.
6. The claim of flexability by DVC is a bunch of hooey. Everyone has to spend hours on the phone & hours scanning the DIS to figure out how to get what they want from DVC. It's too much effort in my opinion.
&. I love Disney, but I don't plan my whole life around vacationing with the mouse. There are too many other places in the world to see before I die. I don't feel I am doing my children/grandchildren any favors by limiting their vacations to breakfast with Cinderella for the next umpty ump years. They deserve to experience more than that.
7. My grown children love Disney, too, but they chose to buy a cheaper timeshare on the resale market so they too can be flexable about their vacations and trade into DVC if they want to visit the mouse. There is no way I would saddle them with those high DVC fees when I have gone to the big jungle cruise in the sky!

I can understand all your points, especially the declining by degrees thing. (Kevin Yee should trademark that). Although many points could be debated, the only one I would really argue is the staying off site at DL for 75 a night. We did that multiple times when the kids were young and that was all we could afford. (we will never forget the free continental breakfast at one such place, which consisted of old glazed doughnuts and you were only allowed one. There was a lady stationed by the doughnut box in case you dared to try for two). I'm not knocking those places, but since we go to Disney also not for rides, but for the feel of the place, the idea of staying off site now has no appeal. It's Grand Californian all the way. I don't want to see the real world for one minute when I'm at DLR.
We are buying into Disney because, although we do vacation other places, we love Disney and I like the idea of prepaying for accomodations as we approach retirement. Sure, there is alot of things to see and do to share with the grandkids like we did with the kids, but Disney indoctrination is high on the list. If we hit the point where it isn't enjoyable, we can always sell.

 

[LIFERBABE]

Thanks tj.

What are the current OKW maint fees? Do you know?

Edit: Never mind, I found them. 4.56 per point for 2008.

So, if you bought 15-ish years ago, you could be in a 2BR for one week in value season for around $1200, effective cost (47/50 = .94 per point, per year, .94 + 4.56 = 5.50, 5.50 * 2.18 = $1199).

Granted, you're not getting the space or the private pool but the trade off is location and "perks". So, after 15+ years, they're roughly equivalent, and you'd figure going forward for the next approx 35...from a pure "cost" standpoint the pendulum would likely swing toward OKW's favor.

We stayed in private homes prior to purchasing DVC. Even thought of purchasing one. They are nice, and we weighed all that out and decided we wanted a vacation not a job. It was a job, because we had to bring everything including TP and trash bags. I'd pack up 1 house to move to the other.
Also, the transportation options of staying onsite are unmatched. We had our family reunion and the first 2 nights we had a vacation home prior to moving to SSR. We were back and forth to the airport picking up family and luggage, multiple vehicles at a time. We ended our trip at SSR and it was so nice that they all had Magical Express to take them and their bags. It was also great for the teens to be able to move around without being dropped off and picked up. I know Disney is expensive for a large group, but it really let us know we made the right decision in choosing DVC over a home.
I also didnt want my kids to feel isolated in a home when we did not have others with us. DVC offers so many activities, it is like camp for them. They meet lots of other children and some we see again so it really feels like home.

 

[bblanch]

The non-value 1 BR units at AKV will hold a family of 5, so you could consider purchasing at AKV. I don't know if that would be comfortable for your family, but I thought it might help factor into your decision to purchase or not.

I thought my guide said that you can put 5 in all 1 BR's... they just don't provide linens, towels, etc.

 

[Pennyguy23]

We will never buy DVC because:

1. We live on the west coast & have only been to WDW twice since 1986.
2. We love Disneyland and can stay within 1 block for $75 a nite.
3. We are resale timeshare owners (top price paid was about $1500 for a full week in a 2 bdrm villa) that can trade for DVC for $140 through Interval International for a 7 day stay that includes weekends.
4. We are retired & would never subject ourselves to going to any Disney location at peak travel time.
5. We go to Disney for the food & the ambiance NOT just the rides. Dining at WDW has become a chore. We hate the stupid ADR system & the service & quality of food has gone steadily downhill while prices have gone through the roof. So one of the major reasons to go (for us as least) has been eliminated. And the Walmartification of the different Disney areas (shops, restaurants, costuming of CMs) has ruined much of the ambiance. Character interaction used to be a free experience you happened upon while strolling the World. Now Disney charges you $40 each and calls it a character meal while serving you crappy food with slipshod service. No thanks.
6. The claim of flexability by DVC is a bunch of hooey. Everyone has to spend hours on the phone & hours scanning the DIS to figure out how to get what they want from DVC. It's too much effort in my opinion.
&. I love Disney, but I don't plan my whole life around vacationing with the mouse. There are too many other places in the world to see before I die. I don't feel I am doing my children/grandchildren any favors by limiting their vacations to breakfast with Cinderella for the next umpty ump years. They deserve to experience more than that.
7. My grown children love Disney, too, but they chose to buy a cheaper timeshare on the resale market so they too can be flexable about their vacations and trade into DVC if they want to visit the mouse. There is no way I would saddle them with those high DVC fees when I have gone to the big jungle cruise in the sky!

I AGREE DVC is NOT for you!!

I personally like the calling and planning. I love the Dinners. The time that goes into it is fun for us. When we finish a ressie, you get a satisfied feeling. I would HATE to stay offsite. That just WON'T happen for us. Not to be rude but, Do you even like Disney?

 

[Pennyguy23]

Lets put it this way. For our March stay at BCV March 2nd-7th $3235.00. It cost me 70 Points. That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.