Would you buy again?

[kniquy]

is still a good value today as it was years ago?

From a savings stand point for a deluxe room it is a good buy. Value room comparison there is not any savings. This upcoming trip for my family and inlaws we are getting 2 poly rooms then moving over to a 2BR at AKV -- if we did not own, we would not be able to afford the opportunity to stay at these resorts, because paying close to $9000 for our room is nothing that i could have afforded. Our initial buy in of ~$9000 back in 2015 has almost broken even including the yearly MF. We would not want to stay at the value resorts -- nothing against them but we love the luxury of the Deluxe resorts.

So even though we are on the newer side as owners we would buy again. It would cost a little more now with the resale price increases but i think when you look at things it still provides a savings compared to direct prices of DVC and direct rooms from disney. You must be careful to research what you can afford, the UY that meets your travel habits, contract expiration and the pros/cons of each resort for your family size - there are some variations in room occupancy of the same room type from one resort to the next.

If you are on the fence then buy a resale contract that you can use to go every other year with banking and borrowing -- this allows you to get a taste of the DVC system. See how the yearly MF fit into your budget and how your family likes it. Resale is definitely a money saver and even if you think that you want or need the perks -- then you can addon down the road with a direct contract.

 

[rg35]

Not trying to be argumentative, but why not sell the points and pocket the $25,000 you’d get from selling?
Aren’t you, by not selling your membership, acknowledging that you still think it’s worth the money to own?

Not from my perspective. We still very much enjoy vacationing at Disney both me and DW and our 3 young children. I don't need that $25,000 to be liquid at this time. So as someone who bought in for relatively "cheap", I am still taking advantage of booking a vacation at WDW in a comparable room and paying cash rack rate would cost much more money. Plus, given the cost of room increases, my break even point has probably shrunk too (but I don't really care too much about that and haven't looked at the math there since I'm already an owner).

Given that DVC points continue to go up in value, I can simply hold onto the points anyway and still be confident of an even better return should I try to sell in the future when we may no longer want to vacation at Disney. Or I could rent the points, or whatever else. So there's still benefit to me in owning.

But if I was looking at the purchase today, given significantly higher upfront costs in both direct and resale prices, it would simply not be the same no-brainer of a decision as it was 6 years ago. But I don't see that as the same thing as deciding not to sell now simply because I could make a profit.

 

[Dean]

Not from my perspective. We still very much enjoy vacationing at Disney both me and DW and our 3 young children. I don't need that $25,000 to be liquid at this time. So as someone who bought in for relatively "cheap", I am still taking advantage of booking a vacation at WDW in a comparable room and paying cash rack rate would cost much more money. Plus, given the cost of room increases, my break even point has probably shrunk too (but I don't really care too much about that and haven't looked at the math there since I'm already an owner).

Given that DVC points continue to go up in value, I can simply hold onto the points anyway and still be confident of an even better return should I try to sell in the future when we may no longer want to vacation at Disney. Or I could rent the points, or whatever else. So there's still benefit to me in owning.

But if I was looking at the purchase today, given significantly higher upfront costs in both direct and resale prices, it would simply not be the same no-brainer of a decision as it was 6 years ago. But I don't see that as the same thing as deciding not to sell now simply because I could make a profit.

While I haven't followed the path for DVC (I have for most all else), there's a financial principle that says if you can exit with cash and you wouldn't buy it for that amount, you should sell. It's called a "sunk cost analysis". For me it's just treading water to keep options in place.

 

[rg35]

While I haven't followed the path for DVC (I have for most all else), there's a financial principle that says if you can exit with cash and you wouldn't buy it for that amount, you should sell. It's called a "sunk cost analysis". For me it's just treading water to keep options in place.

It makes no sense for me to sell if I am still using it to my benefit and enjoyment. That has nothing to do with the fact that the decision might be different if I were thinking about buying it today. I simply have no use for $25,000 cash at this time. If I did, it would probaby make sense for me to sell. As it stands, as long as I am vacationing at Disney it really make sense for me to sell even if I wouldn't necessarily pay the same cost today. We simply wouldn't vacation at disney as often as we do or have done since buying DVC.

 

[Dean]

It makes no sense for me to sell if I am still using it to my benefit and enjoyment. That has nothing to do with the fact that the decision might be different if I were thinking about buying it today. I simply have no use for $25,000 cash at this time. If I did, it would probaby make sense for me to sell. As it stands, as long as I am vacationing at Disney it really make sense for me to sell even if I wouldn't necessarily pay the same cost today. We simply wouldn't vacation at disney as often as we do or have done since buying DVC.

I wasn't saying you should, simply pointing out for those that wouldn't buy in again that essentially you are effectively rebuying as time goes on if you keep the points and don't sell. Obviously the resale limitations that might be lost would affect decisions as well, it has mine.

 

[DougEMG]

I keep mine around because I can rent out points to cover the annual fee and still make money.

Same here. Right now renting out my points works out better than selling the points. Plus selling has withholding taxes on the entire selling price, not the profit, for non US citizens and it was a huge pain trying to get some of those taxes back the last time I sold a contract.

 

[dd08]

We first bought 10 years ago. We added on about 4 years ago. No regrets.

 

[jmassey1samchi]

we are in our fifth year of owning DVC and I have no intentions of getting rid of it, and would like to purchase more points, but only at resale. I still think owning offers value over paying discounted cash rates at deluxe resorts. I used to rent points often, but the price of them at one of the brokers has recently climbed from $12 pp to $16, so now I am in the market to add on. Even with the negatives about the resorts, parks, prices, etc., our family still loves going and will continue to do so for a long time.

 

[com_op_2000]

If I was at the current age and financially position that I was when I purchased in '93 - yes I would.
Will I add-on another resale contract now - maybe. Waiting on a down turn in resale contact prices.
Would I buy-in now for a 50 year contract - no.

 

[DougEMG]

Forgot one other reason I wouldn't buy now. I'm that much older so not as many WDW in my future as before!

 

[mernin]

We bought resale in the fall of 2017 for $85 per point at AKV. We tossed around addingnon direct for 25 points before they changed it but happy we own and may add on resale in the future. Right now the points suit out needs. Wish we would have bought 5 13 years ago when we heard about it but we weren’t in a position to then.

 

[peabody58]

No, not at today's prices and MF's. We love our entry level 2010 BLT 160 points. We're retired now and can vacation/travel anywhere we want. Disney is losing a lot of the 'magic' we fell in love with. Once we use up all of our NE+ tics and AP vouchers around 2024, we will seriously consider selling our DVC. We will not be able to ride a lot of the new rides due to our motion sickness and age, so different travel adventures will have to do. We'll do a followup in 6 years!

 

[Wakey]

My last contract, SSR with current years points on was only a net $62 a point as it had banked points I rented out and it cost me $75 gross.
That was a lifetime ago, Jan 2017 to be precise.
That's how much prices have gone up in a year.
Would I buy at current prices? Resale perhaps, new at nearly $200 a point no chance.

 

[DianeW]

Absolutely. In fact, I'm adding on more points next year. However, I wouldn't buy direct. The perks aren't something we're interested in, and they're not worth the additional expense. We paid cash for our points, and will do so again. I would never finance DVC. We didn't buy it as an investment, nor did we expect it to be one. We bought purely because we enjoy the resorts, we need more room for our family than a regular hotel room, and because it makes us happy.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

No, not at today's prices and MF's. We love our entry level 2010 BLT 160 points. We're retired now and can vacation/travel anywhere we want. Disney is losing a lot of the 'magic' we fell in love with. Once we use up all of our NE+ tics and AP vouchers around 2024, we will seriously consider selling our DVC. We will not be able to ride a lot of the new rides due to our motion sickness and age, so different travel adventures will have to do. We'll do a followup in 6 years!

I can agree with being very happy with my 2010 Bay Lake Tower 160 points price and do not regret buying at all. I've added on and sold at different resorts over the years and just sold both my BLT contracts (we still have a BCV contract). I would not buy at current prices personally. We did love having 1 and 2 bedrooms though for all these years with young children. Now that our girls are older, we really don't spend much time in the room and could stay in a regular room just for sleeping. We will still go to Disney once a year or every other year, but it has lost some of the magic for us as well and we are going to try to travel to new places now. I highly recommend DVC though with young families because I definitely think we got our use out of them!!

 

[Spork24]

We started investigating DVC aim 2010 and bought 400 BLT points resale in 2012. It has been fantastic for our family. So much so that we added another 360 BLT points in the summer of 2017. We got all of our points resale at $100pp

That being said if I had waited even just a couple of months on the add on I probably would have been priced out.

I’m pretty sure with the new resale policies and increased resale prices, that we would not buy in 2018 as new members. The cost benefit ratio just isn’t what it was when we bought in.

I too have no interest in selling at this point. We didn’t buy DVC as a $$$ investment even though it has turned out to be profitable so far. I bought it in part to be able to afford the “villa” style rooms without feeling as if I was overpaying as that’s the way we like to travel.

 

[Sharene0724]

So first I will assume you like Disney vacations and won't go into whether or not going to Disney is a great vacation. I still think it's a great vacation and so putting that aside I think it depends on how you like to travel. Disney can be done on a budget with value rooms and even just studios at some resorts for much less than buying into DVC. However, when you compare rack rates for the 1, 2 or 3 bedroom villa rooms, then DVC makes more sense.

We like to stay in the 1 or 2 bedroom villas. Even if its just me and the hubby I still want a 1 bedroom, its what I like when I travel no matter where I am staying. So for us it makes more sense to do DVC for the larger villa rooms than to pay cash for them.

There is an argument for renting being cheaper in some cases but, I also want to stay where I want to stay, not just where something might be available depending on who is renting points and how many. So I think the decision is about your travel preferences as much as it is about a financial value.

In summary, I really wish we had bought sooner but we did not want to finance so we waited until we could pay cash. I have both direct and resale points and I am currently saving up for another resale contract.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Not trying to be argumentative, but why not sell the points and pocket the $25,000 you’d get from selling?

Aren’t you, by not selling your membership, acknowledging that you still think it’s worth the money to own?

Ok, so is it an investment then?

I don't think that holding means you would buy at today's prices. IF one is still visiting Disney regularly then that would make sense if they could get a replacement stays for less at a similar quality but Disney's made certain to raise their hotel rates over the years too so while there's a chance it's not definite. I think there's still a model that buying at today's prices makes sense just like it did years ago. Not buying at today's prices more likely means you wouldn't be considering Disney vacation as often or maybe ever.

But there's certainly a difference in Disney these days vs when we bought our first DVC. At this time we still enjoy it but I find I'm keeping a little check sheet with each change, each price increase far above inflation, each fee, each new pay experience that blocks off a viewing spot, each decline in service, each new security check. We'll see when that sheet gets filled up with those marks.

As you see from my signature line though I've been visiting Disney parks for a very long time so I bring with me a nostalgia aspect and I can still find some of that. And Disney isn't the only place I travel and vacation.

 

[Dean]

Ok, so is it an investment then?

I don't think that holding means you would buy at today's prices. IF one is still visiting Disney regularly then that would make sense if they could get a replacement stays for less at a similar quality but Disney's made certain to raise their hotel rates over the years too so while there's a chance it's not definite. I think there's still a model that buying at today's prices makes sense just like it did years ago. Not buying at today's prices more likely means you wouldn't be considering Disney vacation as often or maybe ever.

But there's certainly a difference in Disney these days vs when we bought our first DVC. At this time we still enjoy it but I find I'm keeping a little check sheet with each change, each price increase far above inflation, each fee, each new pay experience that blocks off a viewing spot, each decline in service, each new security check. We'll see when that sheet gets filled up with those marks.

As you see from my signature line though I've been visiting Disney parks for a very long time so I bring with me a nostalgia aspect and I can still find some of that. And Disney isn't the only place I travel and vacation.

In effect, if one keeps something they could sell, they are effectively saying they would buy it again at the term they could sell it for. Obviously one can't buy now at the same terms. This principle applies to a boat, car, rental house, even jewelry.

 

[zavandor]

This is true for a financial investment: its goal is to make money, if there are better options one should sell and invest differently.
I didn't buy DVC as an investment, but to prepay my vacations for the forseable future. I'm happy with it, it is serving me very well for the purpose I've purchased it and I do not intend to sell. Would I buy at the current price? No.