$180 per point? Really?

[Ralphlaw]

Even on the TimeShareStore.com website, prices are up for the older resorts by at least 15% from just a couple years ago. To keep it up, I say as a current owner who wouldn't be adverse to selling at the right price, WHAT A BARGAIN! I have no idea what the regular room rates are going for, but I assume they are also way up, thus helping explain why DVC is so high. I imagine offsite properties are also raising their rates.

None of this happens in a vacuum. When the other components of the Disney experience go up in price due to huge demand, one must expect the price of DVC points to also go up. And everybody knows what's happening to the price of daily admissions to the parks. Ah, the slings and arrows of outrageous demand. Makes me happy to be a Disney shareholder.

 

[GoofGoof]

Even on the TimeShareStore.com website, prices are up for the older resorts by at least 15% from just a couple years ago. To keep it up, I say as a current owner who wouldn't be adverse to selling at the right price, WHAT A BARGAIN! I have no idea what the regular room rates are going for, but I assume they are also way up, thus helping explain why DVC is so high. I imagine offsite properties are also raising their rates.

None of this happens in a vacuum. When the other components of the Disney experience go up in price due to huge demand, one must expect the price of DVC points to also go up. And everybody knows what's happening to the price of daily admissions to the parks. Ah, the slings and arrows of outrageous demand. Makes me happy to be a Disney shareholder.

I'm a BLT owner so I track CR room rates for comparison. The room rates at CR have gone up 5% to 6% a year on average over the last 5 years, but they vary greatly by time of year and also by room type or view. Over that relatively short time period the room rates seem to be going up at about the same pace as maintenance fees.

One thing to consider going forward is that hotel occupancy is much stronger now than it was 5 years ago in Orlando in general and especially at WDW. On the last earnings call they mentioned hotel occupancy north of 90% which is really high. If occupancy Holds steady or continues to grow I would not be surprised to see WDW start to pull back on discounts and free dining. There were already grumblings in another spread about reductions in CM discounts for rooms. Iger did say a few years back coming out of the recession that they had a goal to reduce discounting to grow profits at P&R. If this happens (or continues to happen) it will make DVC look like even more of a bargain.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I'm a BLT owner so I track CR room rates for comparison. The room rates at CR have gone up 5% to 6% a year on average over the last 5 years, but they vary greatly by time of year and also by room type or view. Over that relatively short time period the room rates seem to be going up at about the same pace as maintenance fees.

One thing to consider going forward is that hotel occupancy is much stronger now than it was 5 years ago in Orlando in general and especially at WDW. On the last earnings call they mentioned hotel occupancy north of 90% which is really high. If occupancy Holds steady or continues to grow I would not be surprised to see WDW start to pull back on discounts and free dining. There were already grumblings in another spread about reductions in CM discounts for rooms. Iger did say a few years back coming out of the recession that they had a goal to reduce discounting to grow profits at P&R. If this happens (or continues to happen) it will make DVC look like even more of a bargain.

I've been trying to tell people that the discounts aren't forever, and will eventually go away completely. Of course, we pay less than the discounts anyway in the long run, but you just can't reason with stupid.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

So you'd rather spend 300k - 400k instead of 80k. Interesting. Disney loves you!!

Not sure where you got your numbers from...but they're quite far off. We may do one multi day trip a year max and it'll cost us around $1,500 with the dining plan. Over 50 years...that's $75k. If prices come down at some point, it may be something we revisit, but for now, we're fine not being part of DVC.

Since we're local...we typically just do day trips and if we get the itch to stay overnight, we find a cheap hotel off property that is $50/night...but staying overnight is rare.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Not sure where you got your numbers from...but they're quite far off. We may do one multi day trip a year max and it'll cost us around $1,500 with the dining plan. Over 50 years...that's $75k. If prices come down at some point, it may be something we revisit, but for now, we're fine not being part of DVC.

Since we're local...we typically just do day trips and if we get the itch to stay overnight, we find a cheap hotel off property that is $50/night...but staying overnight is rare.

I get my numbers with a lot of research, and the fact that we won't stay anywhere else but on property, and in a deluxe resort.

The only way you can do what you are saying is by staying off-site or in a value. DVC is definitely NOT for you. Not even sure why you would consider it. DVC is for those that stay only at deluxe resorts.

So let's do some math. We'll say that you love the Boardwalk. You want to go during a slower season, so Sep. 9 - 17. At the Boardwalk, a garden/boardwalk view room would be 107 points for the week. There are contracts available via resale that have 150 points for $15,000. More than enough for your week, and you can bank the extra points for a few day longer stay every couple of years. The maintenance fees are $6.18/point. So your dues are $927/year. So for ease of calculations, we will say that maintenance fees won't go up, and Disney resort room costs never go up.

For your Boardwalk points, you will spend the original $15,000 investment, plus dues over the life of the contract (26 years, as they expire in 2042) of $24,102 for a total of $39,102.

So checking Disney's web site for the exact same week at the Boardwalk Inn with a water view (similar to the garden/boardwalk view), it will cost you $4,158 for that week. So again for ease of use, the rates never go up, you are spending $108,108 for the same resort at the same time. Even with a 30% discount (which WILL go away at some point) you are still spending $75,675.

By buying into DVC, you are saving $69,006 over the life of the contract, and that doesn't even take into consideration that you bought 150 points, and can stay a few more nights, which adds even more to the savings. Even with a 30% discount on a room, you are still saving $36,573. That's real savings, not fake money. And also remember that our maintenance fees have typically gone up less that Disney's resort fees. Oh, and I'm also not adding in the over 12% resort fee that you are charged, that we are not charged.

So for those of us that it works for, we will save a ton of money compared to you. I am absolutely the first to admit that DVC is NOT for everyone. It is targeted at a specific demographic, and if you don't fit that demographic, it isn't a good deal for you.

 

[DisneyFans4Life]

I get my numbers with a lot of research, and the fact that we won't stay anywhere else but on property, and in a deluxe resort.

The only way you can do what you are saying is by staying off-site or in a value. DVC is definitely NOT for you. Not even sure why you would consider it. DVC is for those that stay only at deluxe resorts.

So let's do some math. We'll say that you love the Boardwalk. You want to go during a slower season, so Sep. 9 - 17. At the Boardwalk, a garden/boardwalk view room would be 107 points for the week. There are contracts available via resale that have 150 points for $15,000. More than enough for your week, and you can bank the extra points for a few day longer stay every couple of years. The maintenance fees are $6.18/point. So your dues are $927/year. So for ease of calculations, we will say that maintenance fees won't go up, and Disney resort room costs never go up.

For your Boardwalk points, you will spend the original $15,000 investment, plus dues over the life of the contract (26 years, as they expire in 2042) of $24,102 for a total of $39,102.

So checking Disney's web site for the exact same week at the Boardwalk Inn with a water view (similar to the garden/boardwalk view), it will cost you $4,158 for that week. So again for ease of use, the rates never go up, you are spending $108,108 for the same resort at the same time. Even with a 30% discount (which WILL go away at some point) you are still spending $75,675.

By buying into DVC, you are saving $69,006 over the life of the contract, and that doesn't even take into consideration that you bought 150 points, and can stay a few more nights, which adds even more to the savings. Even with a 30% discount on a room, you are still saving $36,573. That's real savings, not fake money. And also remember that our maintenance fees have typically gone up less that Disney's resort fees. Oh, and I'm also not adding in the over 12% resort fee that you are charged, that we are not charged.

So for those of us that it works for, we will save a ton of money compared to you. I am absolutely the first to admit that DVC is NOT for everyone. It is targeted at a specific demographic, and if you don't fit that demographic, it isn't a good deal for you.

I will admit that I didn't read your entire post because I stopped after you said DVC is for those that only stay at deluxe resorts.

For us, the type of hotel doesn't make our vacation. We've stayed at value, moderate and deluxe and have enjoyed them all and don't feel that we have to stay at a deluxe. Actually, my wife and I have no desire to stay at Contemporary, BLT or Grand Floridian. The only two deluxe resorts we'd stay at are Poly and AKL. Plus my two year old daughter is going to love the Little Mermaid room at AoA. If you absolutely want to stay in a deluxe, then I agree 100% with you that the DVC is worth the money...but like you said, not for everyone

 

[jim1051]

Wow!. We bought in 1999 at $ 67. I guess that was a bargain but it didn't feel like it then.

 

[Ralphlaw]

I get my numbers with a lot of research, and the fact that we won't stay anywhere else but on property, and in a deluxe resort.

The only way you can do what you are saying is by staying off-site or in a value. DVC is definitely NOT for you. Not even sure why you would consider it. DVC is for those that stay only at deluxe resorts.

So let's do some math. We'll say that you love the Boardwalk. You want to go during a slower season, so Sep. 9 - 17. At the Boardwalk, a garden/boardwalk view room would be 107 points for the week. There are contracts available via resale that have 150 points for $15,000. More than enough for your week, and you can bank the extra points for a few day longer stay every couple of years. The maintenance fees are $6.18/point. So your dues are $927/year. So for ease of calculations, we will say that maintenance fees won't go up, and Disney resort room costs never go up.

For your Boardwalk points, you will spend the original $15,000 investment, plus dues over the life of the contract (26 years, as they expire in 2042) of $24,102 for a total of $39,102.

So checking Disney's web site for the exact same week at the Boardwalk Inn with a water view (similar to the garden/boardwalk view), it will cost you $4,158 for that week. So again for ease of use, the rates never go up, you are spending $108,108 for the same resort at the same time. Even with a 30% discount (which WILL go away at some point) you are still spending $75,675.

By buying into DVC, you are saving $69,006 over the life of the contract, and that doesn't even take into consideration that you bought 150 points, and can stay a few more nights, which adds even more to the savings. Even with a 30% discount on a room, you are still saving $36,573. That's real savings, not fake money. And also remember that our maintenance fees have typically gone up less that Disney's resort fees. Oh, and I'm also not adding in the over 12% resort fee that you are charged, that we are not charged.

So for those of us that it works for, we will save a ton of money compared to you. I am absolutely the first to admit that DVC is NOT for everyone. It is targeted at a specific demographic, and if you don't fit that demographic, it isn't a good deal for you.

And don't forget that you can sell your points. Although the Boardwalk points will go down faster than others due to the expiration dates of the contracts, they are definitely up right now. They should continue at the high end for awhile, although peaks and valleys are a part of any investment. Eventually they'll deteriorate down to nothing, but most DVC properties should ultimately go up up up over the years.

We bought into Baylake when it first opened, and sold our 160 points a few years later because we preferred the Boardwalk. We made a fairly nice chunk of money. We essentially had about 3 years of "free" vacations in that time. We then took the proceeds from selling our 160 Baylake points, threw in a couple thousand dollars more, and bought 300 Boardwalk points. Standard view villas are cheap, and we like them just fine. I'm paying a lot more in maintenance fees each year, but I've got 300 points which I can use at other resorts as well. We hope to use them at Aulani this Christmas. 160 points wouldn't get us very far, but 300 points should be good.

In a rising market, it's easy to make money like this. I fully understand that Boardwalk points will eventually drop to zero value, but I'm good for now. Overall, a good decision, and various other little perks make it even more worthwhile.

By the way, any predictions about Christmas Aulani availability at the 7 month window?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

In a rising market, it's easy to make money like this. I fully understand that Boardwalk points will eventually drop to zero value, but I'm good for now. Overall, a good decision, and various other little perks make it even more worthwhile.

By the way, any predictions about Christmas Aulani availability at the 7 month window?

You are definitely good for now. It will be several years before they start to drop off - especially if Disney keeps raising the roof with buying direct.

In just checking availability, Aulani has pretty much nothing available the week of Christmas already. Some partial, but nothing for that whole week. Looks like it's really popular then!

 

[LuvtheGoof]

OK, so you can get an Ocean View Studio for 199 points from Dec 20 - 27. A 1 bdr poolside for 364 is available those dates as well. Of course, they may not be still available at the 7 month mark. Good luck!

 

[Ralphlaw]

Thanks. So if you book exactly what I want at Aulani now, and you then cancel at the exact same time that I want to book a the 7 month, I'll get it. Right? Deal?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Thanks. So if you book exactly what I want at Aulani now, and you then cancel at the exact same time that I want to book a the 7 month, I'll get it. Right? Deal?

Well, I don't own there, so wouldn't be able help you. All my points are at SSR, so couldn't book until 7 months either.

 

[Ralphlaw]

So how did you find out how booked Aulani was? If you don't own there, they won't tell you by phone and the website won't tell you either.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

So how did you find out how booked Aulani was? If you don't own there, they won't tell you by phone and the website won't tell you either.

Resort Availability Tool on the DVC website. You can look up any resort, even if you don't own there. It's under Planning.

 

[Ralphlaw]

Resort Availability Tool on the DVC website. You can look up any resort, even if you don't own there. It's under Planning.

Thanks. I always thought such info was beyond my meager means to ascertain.

 

[Biff215]

Thanks. I always thought such info was beyond my meager means to ascertain.

Not sure if they've improved it, but I've found that tool to be unreliable in the past. Just a heads up.

 

[freediverdude]

A lot of people just think "expensive", I'll just pay as I go, and don't realize the savings and what an investment it is. A co-worker was like that, and just refused to think logically about it, even though she goes several times a year and would benefit. I think part of it is the word timeshare, and people don't realize that Disney is the exception in that dept. And it saddens me, because like her, some of these people would really appreciate the deluxes as often as they go and as much as they know about Disney, instead of insisting on staying moderate or value every time.

 

[BigRedDad]

We thought about buying into DVC at one point. We had rented points from someone at AKL. When running the number between renting from a current owner or purchasing from Disney, there was never a point to buy into it. When the cost to get a DVC through someone else costs less than the maintenance points, there is no reason. After staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, for a very small fraction of a Disney resort, I have no problem ever staying there again. The only disadvantage was needing a car and paying for parking (without an AP).

This pretty much solidifies me never wanting to buy a DVC.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

We thought about buying into DVC at one point. We had rented points from someone at AKL. When running the number between renting from a current owner or purchasing from Disney, there was never a point to buy into it. When the cost to get a DVC through someone else costs less than the maintenance points, there is no reason. After staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, for a very small fraction of a Disney resort, I have no problem ever staying there again. The only disadvantage was needing a car and paying for parking (without an AP).

This pretty much solidifies me never wanting to buy a DVC.

You must have figured the cost for the short term. We own at SSR, and our points, figuring in a 3% increase in dues cost every year plus our initial investment, cost us about $6 per point over the life of our DVC. Since renting is anywhere from $11-15 per point, how is that ever cheaper in the long run, than buying?? You also seem to be making the assumption that rental prices aren't going up. Well, of course they will.

Oh, and if you are OK with staying off-site then DVC isn't for you in the first place.

 

[Biff215]

We thought about buying into DVC at one point. We had rented points from someone at AKL. When running the number between renting from a current owner or purchasing from Disney, there was never a point to buy into it. When the cost to get a DVC through someone else costs less than the maintenance points, there is no reason. After staying at Wyndham Bonnet Creek, for a very small fraction of a Disney resort, I have no problem ever staying there again. The only disadvantage was needing a car and paying for parking (without an AP).

This pretty much solidifies me never wanting to buy a DVC.

That's interesting. We sometimes rent points for 5 night winter stays when we burn our own points on a long summer trip. Renting at Kidani cost us around $1,100 this past January, still more than our $800 in dues, and we got 8-9 nights in the summer. Granted this isn't taking the initial purchase into consideration, but we're still saving money over renting. As long as you're not buying in at Disney's direct prices of course.