Any Disney Vacation Club People

[Pilgrim1000]

Right now me and my wife are seriously considering joining the Disney Vacation Club. We have read lots about the benefits of the DVC and have heard about people who have enjoyed it. What I am looking for is if anyone out there regrets joining the DVC, has had major problems getting the rooms they wanted when they wanted them, or has had other major problems. We have become Disney regulars, and would like to do this if it really works like advertised.

Also, if in your opinion I am insane for asking this question, please state that also. It's just that coughing up $11,000 kind of makes a person think first, even if it is to Disney. Thank you for all your opinions.

PS: If you know of any other working DVC chatrooms or discussion boards where I can also ask this, please let us know.
I recently posted a question on WDWINFO, but that board is currently down.

1992 Disney Village
2000 All Star Music
2001 Animal Kingdom and Port Orleans
2002 Animal Kingdom

 

[Tramp]

Originally posted by Pilgrim1000

Also, if in your opinion I am insane for asking this question, please state that also. It's just that coughing up $11,000 kind of makes a person think first, even if it is to Disney. Thank you for all your opinions.

Pilgrim.....

we own timeshare in the Disney area on RT 192....since 1980...we paid 8K for it ...thats for 1 week...
the DVC has a little different system than ours...but we are able to trade our week at thousands of resorts all over the world...we've been to hawaii, vegas, canary islands, st martin...etc...and stayed at first class resorts...
with DVC, you're able to split your week up which is nice....we can't to that...its a whole week or nothing....
unless there are specific benefits for staying at the DVC, you may want to check out some of the timeshare in the area...there are some real exclusive resorts with 2/3 bedrooms....huge condos...all within a few minutes of the parks.
it's just another option to look at before ya buy so you'll feel comfortable with your decision.

 

[The Mom]

The problem with ANY timeshares is that you have to be flexible. We have used ours for skiing and mountain trips,and have been pleased with our accomadations. HOWEVER, as more people use them, it gets harder to get the best locations during peak times...and we have to work around school breaks,which makes it hard. My retired in-laws own several,and absolitely love! They have flexible time, and time to "work the system" so are able to utilize it better! He just traded an efficiency for a 3 BR at Orange Lakes (near Disney) for Memorial Day Weekend/week! They live in Orlando, so use theirs for entertaining guests.

 

[donaldduck1967]

My wife an I joined in 1997. We absolutely LOVE it. It is well worth the money. We did buy extra points. I am no sure how many extra but we look at it like because we pay monthly when we want to go we dont have to worry about coming up with the money for the hotel because we do pay out monthly. Only airfare and spending money we need. Last year we went on the Disney Cruise and did'nt pay ANYTHING!!!! Again just airfare and spending money. We feel like we have gotten our money's worth and them some already. I would highly recommend it.

 

[MarknSue]

Do I recall theres also an annual fee? How much is that?
We are interested in the idea of joining as well - especially now we have finally seen the Boardwalk.
M&S

 

[donaldduck1967]

yes there is an annual fee. it is based upon the number of pts you own. the more pts you have the more you pay.

 

[MarknSue]

So lets say we went for the 11k - how much would we have to pay per year?

 

[donaldduck1967]

i'm not sure. Your best bet is to contact DVC Member Services @ 100-800-9800. Me and my wife think that DVC is well worth the investment. Our only regret is not joining when they first started DVC.

 

[donaldduck1967]

thats not the right #....lol....800-800-9800

 

[Tramp]

Originally posted by The Mom
They have flexible time, and time to "work the system" so are able to utilize it better! He just traded an efficiency for a 3 BR at Orange Lakes (near Disney) for Memorial Day Weekend/week! They live in Orlando, so use theirs for entertaining guests.

..we own at Orange Lake....we have the 2 bedroom unit .....it's beautiful but they are building too too many ......its a huge complex right behind the animal kingdom...but its very busy...when we bought they said there would be 300 units...they are planning on 1000+....and they started with the multi-story units a few years back which are ugly...

btw...our annual fee is $500 or so....just so the DVC people can use it as comparison. The trading fee is $124.

 

[James123]

I have this bridge for sale.

The DVC is Disney's answer to the timeshare market. Timeshares were "born" in Florida and are very popular. So popular in fact that many people buy them only to find out that their circumstances change (divorce, job loss, etc.) and then they want to get rid of the timeshare. Now, because of the downward economy and the reduction in travel, there are more timeshare resales available than can be sold. Also, you don't own anything but a contract. You are really leasing the property much in the same way you lease a car or a condo. For some people it makes sense, but for most people it doesn't. Consider this. Ever see an add for "Free Disney Tickets"? Nine times out of ten, it's a timeshare outfit trying to sell you a contract. You have to sit through a 2 or 3 hour sales pitch before you get your tickets. Do the math and be VERY careful before you sign any timeshare contract. For $11,000 plus annual fees you would be wise to consult with a real estate attorney. I prefer to buy my pixie dust at WalMart rather than Neiman Marcus.:animwink:

 

[Tramp]

Re: I have this bridge for sale.

Originally posted by James
The DVC is Disney's answer to the timeshare market. Timeshares were "born" in Florida and are very popular.

I agree with ya James.....timeshare is not for everyone. We certainly got our money's worth out of ours over 21 years. we also own one in Sarasota on St Armands key but, oddly, we've never stayed in it. we bought it as a bankruptcy for $2,000 but we trade against units in the 15-20K range...

... we would never be able to stay for 3 weeks at WDW every year if it weren't for the timeshare.....at least not in a huge condo...perhaps a holiday inn.

....i haven't looked at our paperwork in years but i am sure we have a deed to the property for one week, own it outright....but don't own the land much like a condo arrangement...perhaps the new contracts are different...we pay florida real estate tax on the unit just like any other homeowner, of course, it's a portion of the total on each unit....and florida loves to charge big time for these.
...

 

[donaldduck1967]

James you are absolutely right. My wife works in realestate and she had one of their lawyers look over all the paperwork before we signed anything!!!! We do have some kind of a deed I cant remember what it is for though. We own 210 pts and if you plan correctly and dont dont have a preference as to what time of year you go you we can get 3 - 4 weeks a year out of our pts.

We know we will never to Disney for 3 -4 weeks that is a little to long. So we went on the Disnet Cruise with our extra pts and paid NOTHING!!!!!!!!! only airfare.

Considering we own our pts for 45 yrs from 1998 we thought it was well worth the money. We are guaranteed a vacation every year til the end of the 45yrs.

 

[The Mom]

I think the DVC timeshares are wonderful IF you know that you will want/be able to go to WDW or on a cruise every year for the next 20+ years. Like Tramp, we own a timeshare that we have never stayed in...we use it only for exchanging. I would be interested in checking out the resale market for DVC...I'm sure a few people must have found it not to their liking, and have some for sale. That's where the bargains are!

 

[donaldduck1967]

I am not sure how many are for sale considering one of the papers you MUST sign says that if you decide to sell DVC has the 1st option to buy from you EVEN if you have somebody that wants to buy it

 

[The Mom]

Originally posted by donaldduck1967
I am not sure how many are for sale considering one of the papers you MUST sign says that if you decide to sell DVC has the 1st option to buy from you EVEN if you have somebody that wants to buy it

Interesting! Are you allowed to negotiate with them, i.e. get back what you paid for it,plus expenses, or is it a "take it or leave it" sort of deal? I suspect they can turn around and sell it at current prices, which are probably more than what the original owner paid. With other timeshares, it's very difficult to get your original investment back unless you hang onto it a long time. Most people end up losing money.

 

[donaldduck1967]

I'm not sure how it works. You always hope that they would be fair about it but you never know.

 

[MarknSue]

I think Sue and I will have to look into this - it certainly is our plan to return to WDW every year, and the prices seem to go up a huge amount each time, even after shopping around. The thing is we never had time to book a meeting with a DVC rep while we were there.
We were also concerned that we didnt know anything about it, peoples opinions etc and the rep was not going to be exactly impartial. I think this is the most interesting thread Ive read on this Site for ages - and its an example of why I think the web (and fair to say Steves site in particular) are such an important part of our lives these days!

 

[James123]

Invest in the Euro!

Let me try and explain my position on the DVC and timeshares with an analogy. Generally speaking, there are two basic types of life insurance; whole life and term. Whole life is good for some people while term insurance is best for most folks. Whole life is much more expensive but the premium is fixed and you end up with cash value (if you live that long) at the end. It's sometimes called a "forced" savings account. Most insurance salesmen like to tout whole life as an investment (which it is though not a good one). Term insurance is much less expensive (for any given rate of coverage) and gets more expensive as you age but as you get older most people need less insurance. Term insurance has no cash value at all and can not be considered as an investment (unless you die and your heirs collect). In short, for most people (not all) it's better to buy term insurance and take the "extra" money that you would have spent on a whole life policy and either save or invest those funds.

I consider timeshares to be very much like whole life insurance. If you stick with a timeshare for 20 years (as Tramp has done) you may come out ahead. On the other hand if you end up having to sell, you're going to take a bath and lose lots of money. Personally, I'd take that DVC money ($11,000 to start) and invest it. In just a few years the gains you earn on your investment will more than pay for most any vacation you desire with money to spare.

I just prefer to have my money in "liquid" form. :king:

 

[rob_b]

I am also a DVC member. Here is a link to a forum just about DVC.

DVC forum

You can learn alot here. Its very active.

If you love WDW then its worth joining.

We have 220 points. This year we have two rooms for 7 days at BWV.(Taking my parants) Plus a 7 night cruise with DCL. All on points.