Why should we become DVC Members?

[flower71]

My DH and I are considering becoming DVC Members. We need all of you DVC Vets to help us decide by telling us why we should! Any and all information is appreciated!

 

[Richyams]

There are dozens and dozens of pages filled with testamonials towerds the wiseness of buying. You won't find anyone here that will tell you that they made a mistake buying. Look around, do some searches on topics that interest you. You will find just about anything you want to know here.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx,This has failed every time it has been tried, why do we still have liberals?

 

[wdwnut]

hi: if you have specific concerns, post your questions here. i know the initial purchase of (i think it used to be 230 points) in 93 would have caused us a bit of financial hardship at the time and we had to wait a bit before buying into dvc. you may want to do as rich suggests and search on different topics of interest and then ask questions.

 

[valeriekc]

Our family enjoys going to WDW every year and had been going for years before we became members in 1998.
If you are considering joining at a WDW property
then the reasons to join should be that you plan on going to WDW frequently and wanting to stay at the resorts on the property in WDW.

If you were to go every year and pay cash to stay at Boardwalk or OKW or Wilderness Lodge Villas, you would pay more than if you joined DVC. Also there are the benefits to consider that can help.

If you are considering buying in at Hilton Head or Vero Beach I can't help much as we have never been there (but want to if we can ever stop using up our points at BW).

The bottom line is to jump in if you plan on going there for many many years to come, however in our opinion the parks will have to improve and add attractions so it will remain interesting and remain a big draw for all of the cash paying customers and DVC members alike.
Good Luck!

 

[RobDoc]

If you travel to WDW at least every other year, enjoy staying on-site and enjoy pampering yourselves in deluxe accommodations, DVC can help you meet those goals and save $$$ doing so.

You can think of DVC as a prepaid vacation plan. Depending on how often you are able to go to WDW, it can pay for itself within a few years. The accommodations are much larger and have better amenities than any other WDW resort.

If you have any specific questions, please ask away. If you haven't already done so, check out the <A href="http://www.wdwinfo.com/dvc/faq.shtml">DVC FAQ's</a> here at DIS. Also, call 1-800-800-9100 and request the free video and information packet from DVC. Enjoy!

Doc
doc@wdwinfo.com

 

[ripleysmom]

I haven't seen this reason listed and it was our reason for joining.

I wanted an area to be able to prepare dinner, snacks, whatever. I was tired of schlepping my family around at the end of the day to find food or having to go get breakfast before we went to the parks.

I also wanted room to spread out. I was tired of being cramped into a small hotel room with my family.

I also became EXTREMELY spoiled by staying on grounds. The fact that I don't now have to battle traffic to Kissimmee or Int'l Drive is a big plus.

In other words I wanted a big room with kitchen facilities on site without donating half of my yearly income to the mouse. And with DVC I have that.

A 1BR or higher has a full kitchen, washer/dryer a jacuzzi bathtub and lots of space to spread out. We are not stuck trying to eat food in a small corner of the room because we got room service due to the lateness of the hour.

The best part of this is that I get this luxury for about the annual cost (once the points are paid off) of what it would be to stay at the All-Stars.

I can also use my points to take a cruise (which we are doing in about a week) or to stay at GF, CR, Poly or AKL. While this is not always considered to be the best use of points I know that I would not be coughing up my cold hard cash to stay at these places. Without DVC I would never even consider these hotels.

I think, for us, that DVC was one of the best choices we have ever made.

Kimberly-Lucas and Ripley's Mom

 

[MinnieMe2]

We just bought our little piece of the magic, and the primary reason for making the move now is that we were stupid not to have done this years ago. If we had, our membership would have been paid for by now. But.... BETTER LATE THAN NEVER!!!

Counting the Hours Til We're Back in the World

Mother-of-Four (Five, If You Count My Husband)

 

[dianeschlicht]

Our reason for buying was similar to everyone elses. We were traveling to Disney every other year and staying off site. Then one year we decided to stay on-site and couldn't believe what a different experience it was! We knew we had to find a way to stay on site all the time, and DVC was the answer. In what 3 trips cost, we had a 230 point membership. Now we travel to WDW 1,2 and sometimes 3 times a year and have even done an exchange to Hawaii. I love this prepaid vacation stuff! We did check out other timeshares before buying, but decided it was like comparing apples and oranges.

Disneydiane

 

[JeffreyH]

I've been considering DVC as well. What has sold me is the fact that you can stay on-site, in say a studio room, for the equivalent of about $150/night with no hotel tax. In order to do this, you pay about $1,500/year to buy 150 points (initial cost of points, plus maintenance fees going up say 3% per year, plus some interest paid on your initial purchase - or investment earnings foregone, all divided by 41 years).

Those 150 points can get you about 10 nights in a "regular" hotel room, maybe 5 nights in a one bedroom suite.

And as you've probably read, you can bank and borrow these points. Also, if you choose not to go a certain year, you can rent out your points for $1,500.

So...you can lock in the price of $150/night (with no 11% hotel room tax) for a room for the next 40 years. If you wouldn't use the room, you can "sell off" that year's room by renting. Considering that Disney is now charging about $300+tax for a similar room today (who knows how much in 10 years), that's a pretty good discount.

So, are you willing to commit to spending about $1,500 a year for the right to stay in a studio for 10 nights, a 1 bedroom suite for 5 nights? Keep in mind that if you don't want to go a particular year (or use that many points), you can bank your points or rent them (and get that $1,500 back).

And if 10 years down the road you decide you won't use your points enough and you don't want the hassle of renting them, there is a very good resale market.

My $0.02.

 

[flower71]

We'll call tonite to put our deposit down. I can't wait until we can go "home" again.

 

[Peggy Sue]

FLEXIBILITY!!! In our opinion, DVC has one of the best time share offerings in the industry. You are not locked into a typical time share week, no high/low season tied to the purchase price and you can pick and choose what type of villa you want to stay in and when you want to travel. DVC offers you the ability to use you points at 5 DVC properties..and these give you the best value for your investment.

We have used our membership once to trade a week for Hawaii. Our exchange came through in less than 8 weeks. It was a wonderful experience.

Our only regret..we didn't join before 1997, We have added additional points twice, and now own at two DVC resorts.

It's a wonderful, stress free vacation!

Good luck with your decision and we look forward to welcoming you home soon!

Have a wonderful day!

 

[Jan E]

The amount of money we had spent in the past on WDW hotels - mainly value resorts - makes me regret not buying sooner, although at the time we were not in a financial position to do so. Now we are purchasing an add-on and hope to be able to add on again in a couple of years. In forty years we will be well beyond being able to go to WDW (if we are still alive that is - DH would be 101 but, hey, we live in hope!) but we have something our two children (both owners) can enjoy and - when and if we have any - our grandchildren too.