why should i still be a dvc owner

[gisele2]

I will not be able to go until 2022, I still bought my first DVC in august mainly to be able to rent the 3 bedrooms villas and bring my family including my aging parents who are Disney fans. So i will miss the magical express, the fastpasses and the magical hours, but I am sure I will have a great time anyway.

 

[DebbieB]

The ability to stay at all resorts is a perk that can be removed at any time.

The only way that would happen is if a resort was removed from DVC. It’s in the contract.

 

[New Mouse]

The only way that would happen is if a resort was removed from DVC. It’s in the contract.

I could see this happening with HHI Aulani or Vero at some point.

 

[drysdaleo]

Really interesting to read all the opinions on this thread. In 2002 there was absolutely no consideration of "perks" as I didn't know there were any. In 1999 we stayed in a Treehouse for a week - bill of $2000. The next year was Poly at $300 a night. The next year is was a 1br at Boardwalk. The last morning the envelope hanging on the door knob had a $2500 price tag on it and that was it. We walked straight down to the sales office on the Boardwalk and signed. Our knowledge of DVC was a 10 minute spiel 3 days earlier from a guy at the little booth downstairs who told us we could get 40 years for $11,000 cash. Our resort was still under construction and we didn't even care. There was no free shuttle or free tickets or free parties. It was about saving money on a room, and 20 years later that is still what it's about for me. Although that free valet we used to have was nice.

 

[sethschroeder]

Just a thought, but I don't think Disney will begin selling APs again until they can eliminate park capacity caps and get back to "normal".

After being there last week I personally think APs are eliminated based on no finger print scanner. For those who already had a pass those individuals are longer terms Disney people and unlikely to just give out or sell their band.

On the flip side with no finger print scanner a person could in theory buy the AP, use it for 7 days, and then sell it on facebook/ebay/forum without really a single issue.

I had hoped it came back sooner but I am not so sure now. It would be nice though if DVC could negotiate to get DVC members added to the list of "okay to buy an AP".

 

[PurdueTodd]

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to Disney over the years. I’ve walked by the DVC stands in the parks, seen the desk in the resorts and never stopped to check it out. A couple of years ago, we stopped in and checked it out. Should have done it years ago. All the money spent throughout the years could have been in real estate interest that we owned. The question you have to ask is do you plan on going to Disney in the future and how often do you plan on going. There are 7 of us that go. Two rooms in a moderate runs around 4K each for 5 nights. It makes sense for us to own. Some people lease vehicles instead of buying. To me, that’s like paying for cash stays. You get it for a short period of time and are only left with the memories. I’d rather buy, ride as often as you like and know it’s going to be there for future memories. If times are tough, you can always rent points to pay for dues. If life changes and you can’t or no longer wish to go, you can sell and recover a good chunk or more of your original investment.

 

[CarolMN]

@sethschroeder, while I see what you mean about the scanners, I doubt that contributed very much, if at all, to the decision. IMO, capacity issues are driving the decision to limit AP sales.

I do wish they could find a way to allow AP sales for DVC members using their points to stay on site.

 

[sethschroeder]

The last morning the envelope hanging on the door knob had a $2500 price tag on it and that was it. We walked straight down to the sales office on the Boardwalk and signed. Our knowledge of DVC was a 10 minute spiel 3 days earlier from a guy at the little booth downstairs who told us we could get 40 years for $11,000 cash. Our resort was still under construction and we didn't even care. There was no free shuttle or free tickets or free parties. It was about saving money on a room, and 20 years later that is still what it's about for me. Although that free valet we used to have was nice.

I would just say the math was different back then though.

DVC has really had to offer perks of some sort otherwise its value is diminished when it comes to direct purchasing. The offsite offering was not likely as abundant or as drastic in price difference as we see now. In addition the resale market was an infant as well.

Not saying you are wrong but I really do think its important for people to do what you did and have their story of when they purchased and for what. It's why I outline that my direct add-on at Riviera was at $155/point for 300 points because my math is drastically different than someone paying $180/$190/$195 per point when doing a direct add-on.

For your $11k I suspect you got 150 points? Today those same points run $30k or roughly 300% more while inflation is only up like 50% making your $11k worth $16.5k in todays world. Yes way more complicated than that but Disney has continually aggressively outpaced the world.

So now not only is the room more, tickets, and food are more you are also at a higher inflated base cost in year 1 of owning for a WDW trip. When you looked 20 years in the future upon purchasing you likely didn't see the high prices that exist today. The people looking 20 years in the future though now in year 1 of owning are doing so based on the model of the last 20 years.

 

[PurdueTodd]

True, as in any investment. The saying is “if you want to know the future, look at the past “

 

[Maistre Gracey]

After being there last week I personally think APs are eliminated based on no finger print scanner. For those who already had a pass those individuals are longer terms Disney people and unlikely to just give out or sell their band.

On the flip side with no finger print scanner a person could in theory buy the AP, use it for 7 days, and then sell it on facebook/ebay/forum without really a single issue.

I had hoped it came back sooner but I am not so sure now. It would be nice though if DVC could negotiate to get DVC members added to the list of "okay to buy an AP".

@sethschroeder, while I see what you mean about the scanners, I doubt that contributed very much, if at all, to the decision. IMO, capacity issues are driving the decision to limit AP sales.

I do wish they could find a way to allow AP sales for DVC members using their points to stay on site.

I entered Epcot last December. Tapped my pass, and started to put muy finger in the thingy. I was almost chastised by the CM for doing so. I figured the reason was Covid sanitation. Do not touch.

 

[mlayton14]

True, as in any investment. The saying is “if you want to know the future, look at the past “

I’m not sure who told you that , but that is terrible advice

 

[Boardwalk III]

It’s been interesting reading everyone’s responses to this question. Lots to think about for some.

We purchased direct 20 years ago so not in the same boat as others, however I’m going to hang in for at least 5 years and see what happens. These are unprecedented times and while I don’t agree with everything that WDW has done, I think they’ve done a pretty decent job of staying open during the crisis.

Because we live in the Northeast it will have been a 2-year break by the time we are able to return this fall. Our kids are grown and at some point perhaps we will decide that we don’t want to go to WDW at least once every other year, but for now that’s not the case.

The financial savings for us over the long term have been enormous, and our WDW vacations have been a true highlight of our family bonding memories over the years.

Finally, for us at least, it still makes good financial sense to hold onto the points until things improve, even if we don’t go regularly. The other day I took a look at the rack rate of a studio at BWV in Nov - pricing up to $600 per night. For someone simply renting DVC points for that room @ $15 pp they would save about 50%. Based on what we paid for our points and our annual dues I’d probably save another 25% on top of that. In addition, if I were to rent out all of our points in a given year I would bring in twice as much in rental income as the cost of our annual dues. Thus could pay dues and still take another nice vacation.

So for me personally I’m happy to ride this out for a few years in hopes of better WDW days ahead.

 

[PurdueTodd]

I’m not sure who told you that , but that is terrible advice

If you don’t want to know the history behind something your buying for a long term commitment, have at it.

 

[LAX]

True, as in any investment. The saying is “if you want to know the future, look at the past “

Interesting. This is what I usually hear/read when dealing with investments: "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."

LAX

 

[gharter]

If you expect this to anything more than prepaying future vacations and making future vacations cheaper, you will be greatly disappointed
Think of this as a Time Share that actually has a resale value.
If you are purchasing it for the perks, you could be greatly disappointed as they can, and have been taken away at any time.
We purchased both of our contracts with our eyes wide open. We couldn't be happier with our choice. But, you MUST go in knowing what you are getting into..

 

[SL6827]

So i will miss the magical express, the fastpasses and the magical hours, but I am sure I will have a great time anyway.

Those things will most very likely be back, but with a price tag attached.

 

[La2kw]

No timeshare promises anything other than use of the resort. If you are unhappy with those terms, by all means sell the points. I agree that WDW has really gone downhill, but that has been happening for many years. I hate the dining plan, it ruined dining at WDW. So I just dine out less. I have a kitchen, so that works out great. I hate the cost of tickets and the fact that they charge $5 for a cookie or a cupcake. So I pack my own snacks and sometimes don't even go to the parks. I spend more time at Vero Beach and often go to Universal while staying at DVC instead of Disney because I like it better there. Sometimes we rent out our points and go to Europe or a cruise or even Universal and stay at the Royal Pacific Resort there. Life is too short to be unhappy with a major purchase like DVC. You can find ways to make it work for you, or you can be unhappy with it. Your choice.

Also, I have to give DVC credit for the way they handled the COVID crisis. We got all our points back and they even unborrowed the points we borrowed. They did not have to do that. That made me happy with my DVC.