Why not DVC?

[mefordis]

For those of you who go to WDW often, stay on site, and can afford it -- if you have not bought into DVC, why have you decided not to?

Just curious. I'm doing research!

Thanks!!

 

[cbnsoul]

Ok, I know that I am coming at your question from the completely opposite angle from what you are asking for, but I thought I'd respond anyway.

We have been DVC owners for about 3 years now. I absolutely love it - best purchase we ever made. That being said, it is a LOT of money up front. You also have to be fairly certain that you are going to want to come to WDW for many years to come (but, of course, you can always sell your DVC property if you were tired of going.) Plus, if you are perfectly content with Value's or Mod's, you probably won't save much, if any, money. Free dining is also not available, though it's at least possible with the improving economy that Disney may drop that altogether eventually.

We had never stayed at a Deluxe resort prior to buying. We feel that staying at the deluxe/villa resorts makes our trips so much more enjoyable. There is often more to see/do at the deluxe resorts plus many have locations right next to a park making quick trips to the parks easy.

I'm sure there are MANY reasons people choose not to buy into DVC (and I bet you will here from them soon!) but if you are going to go frequently and have the money to buy, it is definitely worth a look.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

For those of you who go to WDW often, stay on site, and can afford it -- if you have not bought into DVC, why have you decided not to?

Just curious. I'm doing research!

Thanks!!

I have two trips under my belt as a DVC renter and have a third as a renter scheduled for October. I love DVC, but I can't commit to a purchase. Regardless of what other people think, we feel like Disney is a place for kids. I don't think I'd have much desire to go without my children. I'm afraid that they'll lose the love for it and won't want to go anymore. Also, we have no desire to make Disney be our only family vacation spot. Right now, it's perfect because our kids are small. It's familiar, family-friendly, and there's a ton to do. But we want our kids to see other places, too, and our six year old is already asking to go other places in addition to Disney. It's been a yearly trip for the last three years, but in the future, I can see trips there becoming less frequent as the kids get older, maybe turning into an every other year or every three year thing instead of annual. So, I'm content to rent because that's the most practical thing to do, though I dream of owning BLT.

If I came into some money unexpectedly and couldn't think of any other way to spend it (doubtful--I always can think of things to spend money on!), I'd probably buy enough BLT points to stay in a two bedroom every other year.

 

[ghtx]

Don't buy DVC.

Instead, rent points.

Cheaper, no long commitments (i.e. you don't HAVE to travel every year), all the benefits of DVC deluxe villas.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The annual fees are what pushed me away. They are too high. I am much better off renting points when I want to stay in a DVC property.

 

[bwang123]

Don't buy DVC.

Instead, rent points.

Cheaper, no long commitments (i.e. you don't HAVE to travel every year), all the benefits of DVC deluxe villas.

i agree with the commitment part but renting is not cheaper per point (even with dues). when owners rent you those point, they are almost always making some money off of the transaction.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

We own 1 DVC contract and were planning to purchase another and backed out. The reasons for not making the purchase are:

• Ticket and food cost is getting outrageous, I am not sure when it will stop being a good deal to go to Disney
• Airfare is ridiculous and we are not willing to spend $1000+ on airfare to fly to MCO (not Disney's issue, I know)
• The biggest reason - We are not too sure what FP+ and the Magic Bands are going to bring, but with the limitations that are rumored, including how this will affect AP holders, we very well may want to spend our vacation dollars elsewhere. Until the details are out and we know how this is going to affect us, we do not want to commit to giving Disney more money. Actually, this very well may cause us to sell the points we have now. Time will tell.
• My husband is really put-off by the lack of organization of the bus loading at DVC resorts and this was a factor for him.
  

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

i agree with the commitment part but renting is not cheaper per point (even with dues). when owners rent you those point, they are almost always making some money off of the transaction.

As an owner, I can confirm this with certainty. What we pay per point with dues and what we would rent them at.....we are certainly making a profit. It is still a better price for the renter, however, opposed to going through Disney WDTC/CRO.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

i agree with the commitment part but renting is not cheaper per point (even with dues). when owners rent you those point, they are almost always making some money off of the transaction.

Once you consider the initial buy-in, unless they've been long-time owners who bought in when prices were super low, I think any profit an owner makes renting is negligible.

 

[Music City Mama]

In order for me to stay in the accommodations I'd want for the length of time I wanted each year (1 BR for more than a week), I'd have to buy a considerable amount of points. Even if I do break even after "x" amount of years, it's the annual dues/maintenance fees that really prevents me from purchasing. Since those fees are based upon the amount of points you own (and like I mentioned, I'd need quite a bit), that's a lot I'd be paying in dues every year, as well.

I'll take the best of both worlds and continue to rent points without having the obligation.

 

[madonniac]

From the numbers I crunched, it is only worth it for us to buy into DVC under one of two scenarios. 1)If we go more than once per year and/or 2)If we only stay at deluxe accommodations every time we go. Unfortunately, we cannot go more than once per year and we do not have to stay at a deluxe resort when we do go since we spend so little time in the rooms.

I am renting points to stay at a DVC for our next trip and know a few people who have done the same for quite a while. For me this works out much better financially as we get to stay at the DVC resorts for the same price as any other trip we have taken.

All this being said, if I had enough disposable income I would have joined the DVC many years ago.

 

[RJP77]

I'm am purchasing a contract now, but held off for the longest time because it was more cost effective not to buy and to stay at a value or moderate resort at the time. Now that my youngest is turning 3 I will have a family of 5 that must all be paid for (a 2 year old didn't put me over the 4 people in a room limit), so I need larger accomodations and am forced into deluxes or a few moderate locations, all of which tip the value scale in favour of DVC.

 

[hakepb]

DVC also does not work well if you cannot book in advance... Ideally you should book 11 months in advance, and at a minimum 7 months in advance.

 

[disnut8]

For those of you who go to WDW often, stay on site, and can afford it -- if you have not bought into DVC, why have you decided not to?

Just curious. I'm doing research!

Thanks!!

1 - a lot of money at the beginning and we're not in the financial situation to get that accomplished

2 - I don't want to have to worry about points and all that (much like I don't want to have to worry about credits on a dining plan)

3 - it's pretty darn easy to get a Disney reservation at a resort I want just by picking up the phone and not having to reserve something at a certain mark during the year

 

[MichiganDVC]

http://www.mousesavers.com/other-disney-vacations/disney-vacation-club/

This is a pretty good site that explains the pros and cons.

I bought my first contract in 2010 (150 points at Saratoga) and second contract last summer (200 points at Beach Club; split with my sister.) So I have 250 points, which allows me to stay in a studio roughly 14 days a year, or a one-bedroom for 8 days a year.

Of course, as a PP mentioned, you may not want to go every year because either you want to go to other places, or your kids get sick of it...
So, if I use my 250 points every three years, (bank last year, use current year, borrow from next year) and I have 750 points! This gets me a Grand Villa for a week+ or a two-bedroom for nearly two weeks.

Also, PP, don't forget that DVC allows you to stay at Vero Beach, FL, Hilton Head, SC, DisneyLand, and Aulani, Hawaii, too! It's not all DisneyWorld!!!

Finally, last year DVC members were offered a rare treat: $399 Premium Annual Pass. Huge Savings! So glad I got one. Hope they do it again! We also get 10% off merchandise, and 10% off a lot of restaurants.

But it did cost roughly $17,000 for my 250 points. And the maintenance fees are $1,200 a year for those 250 points (roughly the price of 3 nights at Beach Club cash WITH a 30% discount.) But those points are mine until 2054 (Saratoga) and 2042 (Beach Club). So that's 40 and 28 years of points.

So you have to ask yourself - $17,000 for 250 points, purchased resale. + $1300 annual fees for an average of 34 years = $57,000; =$1670 a year.
$1670 a year for 14 days in a studio or a week in a one-bedroom at WDW. Or an ocean view studio for a week at Aulani every year. Would that be worth $1670 to you? ($238 a night?)

 

[Missyrose]

The one thing that could work in favor of buying DVC is if you regularly visit Disney during times that Disney does not offer discounts (holidays, summer, etc,). Or for those who want off the Disney discount treadmill. It is a lot of money up front and plenty of people buy half as many points as they need -- so they can bank or borrow for an -every-other-year- trip. The frustration for that is you pay MFs every year whether you travel to Disney or not. And like PPs have said, tickets, food, airfare, etc. gets more and more expensive.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

DVC also does not work well if you cannot book in advance... Ideally you should book 11 months in advance, and at a minimum 7 months in advance.

this is one big reason for us. We like to book in advance but not that far in advance and sometimes we do spur of the moment trips (Oct 2012 was 6 hours in advance) and we like to add days to the beginning of the trips with enough frequency that my parents (who watch our animals) just pencil us in a few days before the 'official' trip date.

 

[MichiganDVC]

DVC also does not work well if you cannot book in advance... Ideally you should book 11 months in advance, and at a minimum 7 months in advance.

Yes, if you want to stay at BCV or BWV during Food and Wine, it is in your best interests to book 11 months in advance. However, I just stayed at AKL Kidani and BLT for the last 6 days and made my reservations in March. That's 4 months in advance and got exactly what I wanted.

Trying to stay at the VGF for Christmas? 4 months out probably won't cut it.

 

[juliebug1997]

We actually left in Nov. 2011 with a DVC contract in hand. After talking about on the flight home, we canceled the next day. I was going to pay the monthly maintenance fee and DH was going to pay the other fees. At the time, we had no car payments so we felt we could do it. Fast forward to a bad hail storm that hit where he works while he was driving my car, and we suddenly had a car payment. We were really glad that we didn't do it then.

If we decide to do it again, we may either try to buy someone else's contract or rent. We will definitely rent a time or two to see how much we like it before truly committing again.

 

[MichiganDVC]

this is one big reason for us. We like to book in advance but not that far in advance and sometimes we do spur of the moment trips (Oct 2012 was 6 hours in advance)

Just checked. Saratoga Springs, 1-BR villa is available starting tomorrow, July 25th through August 1st.

So it is not impossible to get a last minute reservation...except at Christmas...