Your thoughts on DVC

[jeanninepl]

I posted this here rather than in the DVC section because it seems that many people on this board have been to Disney many times but have not purchased DVC.

My husband and I have talked about it since our trip in 2006. We are interested in DVC but unsure if its worth it. We do like to go to Disney, have two DD ages 8 and 3. They LOVE Disney. We like to stay in deluxes because we spend a lot of time at our resort.

My question is for those of you who go to Disney every year but do not purchase a vacation club. What are your thoughts?

 

[lovedvc]

I know you are not looking for my thoughts because I own DVC, but here they are.....we pondered about purchasing for a few years and finally decided to buy 200pts. We have never once regretted buying points, we purchased extra last year. If you are thinking about purchasing check out the resales, you can get a great deal for a lot cheaper than new...resales cannot be sold for more than they were purchased and you may be able to find a resale that has points banked from the previous year....For instance you may find 200 OKW points at $68 a point with an extra 200 points banked. We've used our points every year for the past 6 years and most times we take family members with us and cover their stay.

 

[stacy6552]

We didn't buy the first time we considered it, back in 2000, when prices were about $65pp. We said, "How often will we really go?" Well 3 years later and we'd been 4 more times and the prices had gone up $24pp....and we finally bought in. So we lost out on the lower price and we spent all that money on hotels that could have gone towards out DVC investment. Here we are in 2007 and we fingure we would have spent half our DVC investment by now on the hotels and we still have 47 more years of fun fun fun. Oh and should we have found that we it hadnt been right for us, if we sold today we'd get all our money back.....

 

[Tinkaroo]

I have DVC, but need more points (you can never have enough), so that's why you'll find me over here still.

DH and I bought DVC in Jan. '06, and have not regretted it a bit. We love Disney, and knew we would be back as much as we could. Since we like our deluxe accomodations, the accomodations (not to mention the perks!) of DVC were very appealing.

We were familiar with timeshares (my parents own with Marriott in Hawaii), and the main questions we asked ourselves before purchasing were:

1. Will we visit enough to warrant the outlay of $$ vs. paying for accomodations at that time (keeping in mind how much those room rates go up a year)? - YES

2. Do we have confidence in the company (in this case, DVD) to manage and maintain the property to the standards we'd expect, and is there any risk of it being sold? - YES; Disney is famous for its standards, and I can't imagine they would ever sell any of their resorts on property - particularly since DVC is such a money maker for them.

3. Is the location desirable enough that we could trade out for another vacation? - YES; Orlando is one of the most sought after timeshare trade-ins, and the DVC resorts even more so. Although I find it hard to believe that we'll ever trade out...

Those were our big questions before we took the plunge. Sure, there are those that will tell you you might do better keeping all of that $$ in stocks and earning the interest, and they might be right. However, we also looked at it as an investment in our future vacations, and traveling will always be a priority of ours. When we have children (and plan to go to one income), it will be nice to know we have the accomodations of a Disney trip paid for. Additionally, it gives us the opportunity to share Disney with family. We are using a bunch of points to treat our immediate family (16 people) to a 6 day/5-night trip in December of this year - the retail value of those accomodations alone would be well over $9,000! I know there would be no way we'd be doing this trip without our DVC!

 

[byoung]

Brought in 2005 at BWV, only regret is I didn't buy sooner.

 

[clombardi]

I think I am the type of person you want a response from. Here are the trips we have to taken to Disney since being married in 1990.

2007-
4 nights at POP in Dec
3 nights at Pop in February
2 nights POP this August
5 nights SSR this August

2006-
4 nigths at POP in April
6 nights Poly Concierge in July

2004-
6 nights at Poly in July

1996 -
Dixie Landings 5 nights in April

1990-
Grand Floridian 5 nights in August


I think about buying into DVC every single day. I can't find a reasonable answer for why I don't. Initially, I thought our trips would be every three-four years. So, it felt like it wouldn't make sense. But, since 2004, we have been to WDW 6 times. We all just feel like it is the best vacation. When we consider going somewhere else, the discussion always turns back to WDW.

I guess I don't bite the bullet because of all the what ifs. What if the kids start to get sick of it? What if I start to get sick of it? (nah, forget I said that, won't happen) What if we find a way to do it with financing, then something happens to one of us and we just can't afford it?

I don't know how to get over these fears. It is completely logical to think that it would be cheaper for me to own DVC. I am hoping that my stay at SSR this August pushes me to make a decision once and for all. I have been saying that if they do a DVC at a monorail hotel, I will buy in a heartbeat. We'll see what happens if they ever announce DVC at the Contemporary. I will have to live up to what I said, right?

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I'm sure they are completley unhelpful to you, but it felt good to finally write it out!

 

[minnie61650]

I am thinking of buying into DVC if they build one at the CR.
The North Wing at the CR is down, and rumor is the new building will be a 16 story DVC tower .
I would love to call that tower my "home".

However, some of my concerns about owning a DVC are:
1.)Weekend points are very high.
It costs a lot more stay on weekends when staying on points.
(That does not make since to me since Disney does NOT charge more to the public for their rooms on the weekend.)That is why so many DVC'ers split their stays.
I usually stay at least a week to 10 days but I do not want to split my stay so I will just pay the height point price. That means my return for my investment will be a lot less.

2.The fact I will need to book early.
The fact that in order to get my home resort and the room type I want for the dates I want I will usually need to book 8 -11 months before I travel. Any DVC'er can book at any DVC resort at the 7 month mark. If I decide to take a trip 3 or 4 months out my choices may be very limited.

3. The lack of Mousekeeping
There is no daily housekeeping unless I choose to pay to pay an additional $25-$50 (average charge during 2007) for the service.
DVC'ers also get a limited number of towels when they check in.
If they want more towels they need to pay for more.
Housekeeping will take out the trash and bring fresh towels every 4th day and
will come in on the 8th day to clean.
I enjoy fresh towels and daily Mousekeeping so I will pay extra for that convince. Now my return for my investment is even less.

4. DVC'ers have to pay Maintence dues.
These dues usually go up every year but it is my understanding DVC does not refurbish or even do routine maintenance of their rooms as often as Disney. I would think the DVC should keep their rooms in even better condition than a standard Disney room since DVC is collecting dues from every member to keep these rooms maintained.(JMHO)

It is reported that some of the rooms BC comes to mind are really in need repair. I guess it is harder to pull a DVC room out at the last minute for repairs than for Disney to pull one of their rooms out because of the way DVC assigns their rooms.

Just a few things I am thinking about while weighing my decision if a DVC will work for DH and I.

 

[shellybaxter]

Hi,

I’m probably not the person you want to hear from either because I own DVC, but I am a DVC convert. I never wanted to stay in DVC. When people would post threads like, “why don’t you want to stay in DVC” I would always respond. I would say, “I don’t go on vacation to do laundry or cook. I don’t need a kitchen, a washer and dryer or a vacuum. I like daily mousekeeping. DVC isn’t for me.”

Fast forward to December 2005. Dh and I were staying at the GF for 12 days. It was raining off and on and we were hanging out in our room a lot. We didn’t like the “Stacy” channel so we watched the DVC channel. We were watching one afternoon and it was supposed to rain the next morning. I asked Dh if he would like to check out Saratoga Springs “just for fun”. I called up and arranged a pick up for after breakfast.

We met our guide; he answered our questions, and then we toured the rooms. The first thing I like was that there was a King bed guaranteed in the one bedrooms. We had requested one at the GF; checked in early, and still couldn’t get one. The second thing I loved was the spa tub. At home I have a “big bathtub” that I live in and I always miss it on vacation. The third thing that sold me was we would be committing to more Disney vacations – 49 years more to be exact. We signed that day.

Before our first trip I made clear to Dh that I would not be cooking or cleaning; that I would order extra housekeeping if we needed it, and that if I hated DVC we would be selling. No need to sell. I loved it. I loved the kitchen for snacks and keeping drinks cold. I loved that we didn’t have to pack so much because of the washer and dryer. And I loved the King bed and big bath tub. We never missed the mousekeeping and are very excited to be awaiting our second DVC trip and planning them far into the future.

 

[princessesrule4]

Here's our story!

We stay at the Deluxes at least twice a year and we made the mistake of purchasing DVC. It was not a good fit for us! We owned at BCV and we found out quickly that there were some things that we missed about the Deluxes:

We missed having 2 queen beds. The pull out sofa was not very
comfortable and the novelty wore off for the kids after a couple nights. It took up a lot of room when it was pulled out, also.

The studios are smaller than a deluxe room.

We really missed daily housekeeping.

Did not like the AC/heating system because of the automatic shutoff.Don't know if it is a different system now!

We sometimes plan our vacations only a few months in advance and there was no availability sometimes, especially at Holidays/summer.

We missed the monorail because we mostly stay at GF and CR!



Then we had a bad experience at BCV where we felt like we were not treated as valued guests and that was the kicker! We sold it after we got back from that trip.

Just some things to consider. You sound like us, because we really enjoy our resort time and didn't feel like the DVC properties were what we were looking for.

Now having said that we love Vero and Hilton Head! We bought a small contract at VB after we sold our BCV. We stay in a OVIR which has 2 queen beds and we do pay for housekeeping almost everyday. We stay in a 2 BR at HHI . We usually stay there on cash with a DVC discount which works out great for us! Points are way too high on weekends for us!

But, the DVC properties at WDW just did not compare to the Deluxes for us and we really missed them!
Hope this helps!

 

[DebbieB]

I bought DVC at BWV in 1999 and have never regretted it. But it's not for everyone. Maybe try renting points from a member and give it a test drive!

1.)Weekend points are very high.
It costs a lot more stay on weekends when staying on points.
(That does not make since to me since Disney does NOT charge more to the public for their rooms on the weekend.)That is why so many DVC'ers split their stays.
I usually stay at least a week to 10 days but I do not want to split my stay so I will just pay the height point price. That means my return for my investment will be a lot less.

DVC did this because demand for weekends is high for people who live close. Rumor has it that the WDW resorts will charge higher prices next year for weekends.

 

[SleepingBet]

Thanks, jeanninepl, for asking this question. I've been pondering the same thing. Should I buy or not? It's a tough question for me. I like staying at the deluxes, too.

I really like everyone's replies -- positive and negative. Keep them coming.

 

[jamstew]

Thanks, jeanninepl, for asking this question. I've been pondering the same thing. Should I buy or not? It's a tough question for me. I like staying at the deluxes, too.

I really like everyone's replies -- positive and negative. Keep them coming.

I've been considering it, too, but finally decided against it after talking to my adult children about it. Since I'd be buying it primarily for them and my grandchildren, I wanted to know whether they thought they'd utilize it often enough to make it worthwhile. Only one out of three of them answered that they would. My understanding, from a financial standpoint, is that if you go every year or every two years, it's probably worth it. Otherwise, it isn't.

I'm renting points for a May stay in a studio at BCV (Sunday-Wednesday). The nightly rate comes out to about $175 a night. The weekend points are just outrageous, IMO, so my last three nights will be at a moderate.

I already own one timeshare, and although I enjoy having a kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator and a living room separate from the sleeping areas, in reality we rarely if ever cook and spend very little time in the living area.

 

[fla4fun]

I am not a DVC owner, and here are my reasons.

I often have to plan trips at the last minute, and it can be difficult (not impossible) to book last minute point stays. It's very rare for me to know even six months out if I will be able to take vacation time.

I often travel for 10 days or more. The points for Sun-Thurs are good, but when you have to add weekend nights, it takes a lot more. If I have to pay for my weekends OOP then I've lost a big part of the DVC benefit (in my opinion). Some years I spend 4 10-day vacations on property. That would take a ton of points, which would also increase my maintenance fees.

On a personal level, the Florida job market is not always stable. Of the four companies I have worked for in the last 25 years, two went out of business, and my current one has been sold three times (I'm still hanging in on this one though). I don't want to take on any additional fixed expenses without knowing for sure that I can honor my commitment. I know I can find a way to pay the mortgage and utilities if I'm on unemployment (one time I was on it for six months) but I don't bite off more than I can chew.

My last point won't apply to too many people. I only live 20 minutes away. During periods of unemployment (see last paragraph) I was able to make day trips to Disney when I couldn't afford to stay on property. And it was OK. So I stay on property when I can save up ahead of time to afford it, and when I can't afford it, I make do with day trips. If I lived out of state, and only made one or two trips a year, I might be more inclined to consider it. But it's just not a good fit for me.

 

[rotlex]

My wife and I, after nearly a year of thinking about DVC, have decided it was NOT for us. Long story short; While I'm sure it's great for many people, in OUR case, and we visit as often as twice a year, it was simply not a good value for our dollar. I guess it depends on the type of visitor you are, but to us, the room is a place we sleep, wash, and change our clothes. We are quite happy at a value resort, or a moderate on some occasions, and are lucky if we spend 8 hours in the room per day, hehe.

The few things that really turned us off to DVC, even though we don't spend a lot of time in the room, was first, the HUGE upfront cost. Even staying at a mod every year it would take us a LONG time to break even, and even longer than Disney likes to tout when you take in your yearly "maintenance" fees. Secondly, I'm paying a ton of money, NOT getting daily mousekeeping and a lot of the little things that make staying at a Disney resort that enjoyable. There are a few more turn off's for us, but one of the last biggies was Disney's, and yes, we LOVE Disney, but dare I say underhanded advertising of how easy it is to use your points elsewhere, including there own cruise lines. Uh, if your even thinking about that, you really need to look into it further....major, major rip off.

Anyway, again, I'm NOT trying to sound negative, but, again, in our case, after doing a ton of research, we pretty much decided we enjoyed being able to stay at different resorts each year if we wanted, we didn't want to part with 15-20K that we would barely make up by retirement, and well, in the end, just decided it wasn't for us.

 

[TnTWalter]

Here's a link...

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1513215

Bottom line....any timeshare, DVC included, should never be considered an 'investment'; it's 'vacation insurance' [to ensure you take a vacation]. Of timeshares, DVC seems to hold its value better and be more reasonable than others. Also, if you can do a studio [4 or less in your party], that seems to be the best bang for your buck.

Trish

 

[JPN4265]

I posted this here rather than in the DVC section because it seems that many people on this board have been to Disney many times but have not purchased DVC.

My husband and I have talked about it since our trip in 2006. We are interested in DVC but unsure if its worth it. We do like to go to Disney, have two DD ages 8 and 3. They LOVE Disney. We like to stay in deluxes because we spend a lot of time at our resort.

My question is for those of you who go to Disney every year but do not purchase a vacation club. What are your thoughts?

What kind of cost are you actually talking about?

 

[boomhauer]

I've been to Disney 15 or so times. I've taken the DVC tour a couple of times. Here are my reasons why I haven't joined.

1.I think it's irresponsible. There are too many variables in life that occur. I could lose my job tomorrow and what if I can't sell it right away? Credit goes bye-bye really fast.

2.I don't like the accomodations. I think the studio rooms at the locations I've seen aren't as nice as the regular hotel rooms.

3.I like having housekeeping everyday and not having to pay extra for it.

4.The cost of the points once you buy may not increase, but the number of points it takes to stay year to year does. It's the same difference.

5.I've always been perfectly content staying at a Value Resort.

6.If you look hard enough, you can stay cheaper in a moderate and still not spend much more than you would with DVC.

Bottom line is, last time I got back, I sat down for a long time and looked at the cost. I wrote it down in every way imaginable, with different point purchases, cost increases, time we stay, etc. I don't care what anyone says, unless you're paying cash up front for it, you're not saving as much as they want you to believe. If you pay cash up front, don't count yearly dues, and only stay in Deluxe accomodations, sure - It can save you money. The more variables you take out of that equation, the less money you save.

 

[alldiz]

I've been to Disney 15 or so times. I've taken the DVC tour a couple of times. Here are my reasons why I haven't joined.

1.I think it's irresponsible. There are too many variables in life that occur. I could lose my job tomorrow and what if I can't sell it right away? Credit goes bye-bye really fast.

2.I don't like the accomodations. I think the studio rooms at the locations I've seen aren't as nice as the regular hotel rooms.

3.I like having housekeeping everyday and not having to pay extra for it.

4.The cost of the points once you buy may not increase, but the number of points it takes to stay year to year does. It's the same difference.

5.I've always been perfectly content staying at a Value Resort.

6.If you look hard enough, you can stay cheaper in a moderate and still not spend much more than you would with DVC.

Bottom line is, last time I got back, I sat down for a long time and looked at the cost. I wrote it down in every way imaginable, with different point purchases, cost increases, time we stay, etc. I don't care what anyone says, unless you're paying cash up front for it, you're not saving as much as they want you to believe. If you pay cash up front, don't count yearly dues, and only stay in Deluxe accomodations, sure - It can save you money. The more variables you take out of that equation, the less money you save.

I'm responding to point 4.....
I don't think the points go up every year.....that is the point....

They can't do that.....200pts for a 1br...in value season at WL....
will be the same in 2010....
They could rearrange points.....meaning raise points in 1 category....
THAT MEANS THEY HAVE TO LOWER IT SOMEWHERE ELSE......

To OP....
If you stay at WDW in a deluxe at least once every 3 yrs.....

Can book your vacations far in advance....
Don't mind missing daily housekeeping....
DVC might be for you....

If you want to stay at a specific resort and can't book in advance....
DVC might not be for you.
Good luck
Kerri

 

[shellybaxter]

4.The cost of the points once you buy may not increase, but the number of points it takes to stay year to year does. It's the same difference.


.

Could you explain what you mean by this, because I don't think it's necessarily correct?

Thanks
Shelly

 

[boomhauer]

I'm responding to point 4.....
I don't think the points go up every year.....that is the point....

They can't do that.....200pts for a 1br...in value season at WL....
will be the same in 2010....

I'm not certain. I think what they told me was the COST of a point when you buy will never increase, but how many points it will take to stay in a room at a resort could increase. I could be wrong. Either way, it's only one of many reason why I decided against it.