Wrote a DVC Buying Guide - Feedback Requested

[WDWFigment]

Based on passing comments about our purchase of DVC that I've made in some of my trip reports, a lot of people email me asking about DVC. After typing up about 3 long email responses, I realized I should just write my own reference page. I originally learned most of the things I know about DVC here, so I figured I'd ask you guys (and them!) for some constructive criticism on the guide. As DVC is a huge investment, I don't want to give anyone inaccurate or incomplete advice. So I'd love any feedback you may have!

Thanks,
Tom

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-vacation-club-reviews/

 

[logan115]

Looks great - thanks for pulling this together.

Chris

 

[katie24]

Love love love the pictures! I think you pretty much summed it up

 

[disneypoor]

It is great! I wish I had read it prior to purchasing our DVC. There was a lot that I didn't know beforehand because I didn't do my research. I would have likely still bought, but it would have been nice to have read your write up before I did! I was naive and believed that trading in to RCI was as easy as making a DVC reservation at WDW. I also didn't realize how much cheaper resale was nor that I could buy at a different home resort other than what was being offered to me on the cruise. That is all my own fault though because we went on a cruise with no intention of purchasing DVC and after a presentation and bothering every DVCer we could come into contact with on the cruise, we caved. Just made my first reservation today, and although some things I learned after purchasing were a little disappointing, overall I think we're going to be very happy with our purchase. Can't wait to take my extended family of 18 next summer!

Susan

 

[DisWitt]

Great buying guide. I hope that it gets indexed well by Google and lots of new buyers find it before they purchase. Let me suggest a few things to make it even more comprehensive for noobies:

- you use DLR way up high in the article. Probably best to stay away from "our" acronyms in this article. Maybe even switch out WDW?

- you make a lot of great points about DVC not making financial sense for many people but then you don't back that up with actual examples. Maybe do 3 example breakdowns in today's dollars? 2 where DVC doesn't make sense and 1 where it does?

- be careful about the blanket "expires in 2054" statement because if someone is looking at Aulani or such, the years are 2062.

- Under Extraneous Benefits, you may want to discuss that even trading outside of DVC is a benefit not promised in the POS. It *could* be taken away... Not likely but just be aware.

- maintenance fees. I like what you said about SSR, but one thing that I appreciated knowing from Dis before I bought was how the maintenance fees varied from resort to resort and which were cheaper historically than others. A very good reason not to buy AKL, for example.

- try before you buy? I'm surprised how many people are surprised by my DW's genius idea to try DVC before we actually bought in. Many people don't realize that the general public can call up central reservations and book a DVC resort for cash just like a hotel. That way one can "kick the tires" and see if DVC just "feels right" for them. Also, they'll have a cash basis comparison for what the room actually costs.

- I love your Research x3 paragraph. Yes! You might want to iterate that many people do not buy soon after their first DVC "encounter" but rather after years of research and talking to owners (online and at resorts).

- do you want to mention that resales are banned from non-DVC trades now?

 

[4DisneyAddicts]

Nice job, love the photos.
A few suggestions based on my experience:
- the advantage for families of 5 or more since most non-deluxe rooms do not accommodate families of 5 or more (maybe this is obvious?)
- one tip I learned in my research that I am glad I used when we purchased was the idea of buying several contracts in smaller amounts. In my case we did this because we have 3 kids and we bought 3 contracts so we could (hopefully) will each of them one someday. This is easier than having them divide one contract up later. Also, if we found we were unable to use or afford all the points we have, we could sell 1 or 2 of the contracts and still keep some points.
-I like how you brought up the happiness factor. While I realize that DVC is probably not the best financial decision I have ever made, it has a high happiness factor for me. We are pretty conservative finacially, so this is a splurge for my family.

I don't recall if you discussed the concept of being able to book the home resort at the 11 month window, versus the 7 month or not. That was a big part of our decision to buy in to a resort that was more points than most choices, but we knew this was our family's top choice for places to stay and that it would be difficult to get what we wanted it wasn't our home resort.
Hope this is helpful.

 

[WDWFigment]

Great buying guide. I hope that it gets indexed well by Google and lots of new buyers find it before they purchase. Let me suggest a few things to make it even more comprehensive for noobies:

- you use DLR way up high in the article. Probably best to stay away from "our" acronyms in this article. Maybe even switch out WDW?

- you make a lot of great points about DVC not making financial sense for many people but then you don't back that up with actual examples. Maybe do 3 example breakdowns in today's dollars? 2 where DVC doesn't make sense and 1 where it does?

- be careful about the blanket "expires in 2054" statement because if someone is looking at Aulani or such, the years are 2062.

- Under Extraneous Benefits, you may want to discuss that even trading outside of DVC is a benefit not promised in the POS. It *could* be taken away... Not likely but just be aware.

- maintenance fees. I like what you said about SSR, but one thing that I appreciated knowing from Dis before I bought was how the maintenance fees varied from resort to resort and which were cheaper historically than others. A very good reason not to buy AKL, for example.

- try before you buy? I'm surprised how many people are surprised by my DW's genius idea to try DVC before we actually bought in. Many people don't realize that the general public can call up central reservations and book a DVC resort for cash just like a hotel. That way one can "kick the tires" and see if DVC just "feels right" for them. Also, they'll have a cash basis comparison for what the room actually costs.

- I love your Research x3 paragraph. Yes! You might want to iterate that many people do not buy soon after their first DVC "encounter" but rather after years of research and talking to owners (online and at resorts).

- do you want to mention that resales are banned from non-DVC trades now?

Nice job, love the photos.
A few suggestions based on my experience:
- the advantage for families of 5 or more since most non-deluxe rooms do not accommodate families of 5 or more (maybe this is obvious?)
- one tip I learned in my research that I am glad I used when we purchased was the idea of buying several contracts in smaller amounts. In my case we did this because we have 3 kids and we bought 3 contracts so we could (hopefully) will each of them one someday. This is easier than having them divide one contract up later. Also, if we found we were unable to use or afford all the points we have, we could sell 1 or 2 of the contracts and still keep some points.
-I like how you brought up the happiness factor. While I realize that DVC is probably not the best financial decision I have ever made, it has a high happiness factor for me. We are pretty conservative finacially, so this is a splurge for my family.

I don't recall if you discussed the concept of being able to book the home resort at the 11 month window, versus the 7 month or not. That was a big part of our decision to buy in to a resort that was more points than most choices, but we knew this was our family's top choice for places to stay and that it would be difficult to get what we wanted it wasn't our home resort.
Hope this is helpful.

Thank you both! I like most of these suggestions, and will definitely be implementing them! "Kicking the tires" (renting points or booking villas from Disney) is an especially great idea.

I'm also considering moving the "Happiness Factor" portion up, because a couple people have indicated to me that if they were considering a purchase, they'd stop reading before they got to that, due to all of the negatives. I think the value of "happiness" cannot be understated, and while I like where I've placed that from a logical perspective, I want to make sure people read that portion. It's probably the most important paragraph of the article, so I need to emphasize it earlier.

 

[WDWFigment]

I made a lot of substantive changes to the article based on suggestions I received, plus made a number of small "word choice" changes to make the article (I think) a lot less negative. Does this resolve the concerns that some of you had?

Thank you all for the feedback (bad and good). I really appreciate it!!!