Depending on room type, we stay anywhere from 20-30 nights per year and usually avoid weekends. Many of our trips are 2-Bedroom Villas because we typically bring family members along to share the Magic. I would rather not quote exact numbers but we currently own more points than the average DVC Owner. Let's just say more than 160 would represent our Annual Allottment of points!
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DVC is worth it and here's why...
- Thread starter Chic429
- Start date
captainkidd
Well-Known Member
If you're staying staying in a studio though, what does it matter how much those studio nights would cost?
That's the whole thing with DVC. If we could all go in the off season and stay in a studio, sure, DVC would be perfect. But we can't all do that.
DVCOwner
A Long Time DVC Member
Well you could look at it the other way. The year I borrow points I do not have to pay for them till the next year. So DVC is loaning me money for that year. One year you pay ahead, one year you pay the year you go and the next you pay for last year. All comes out the same in the end; you pay so much maintenance for each point that you use.
We own at SSR and have 360 points (soon to be 400). Our dues this year are about $1700, and I figured in a 3% increase each year to get to the $3100. Historically, the dues for 360 points have gone up only $334 since SSR opened in 2004 (started at $1368), so a $1400 increase over the next 20 might actually be a bit high.
The 10 nights was for stays at SSR, as was the pricing. We have no desire to stay at BW (or BC or BLT), but will eventually, just to say that we have stayed at all of the DVC resorts.
BTW, the dues at BW for 360 points have gone up only $690 since 1996. From $1332 then to $2023 now. Not really that bad for 16 years, wouldn't you say?
captainkidd
Well-Known Member
Well yeah, but everyone knows that if they could have afforded DVC in 1996, they should have bought.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
I am in the same boat. I go about every other year but since I borrowed points in year 1 to double my total I am always going using this years points and next years but I am only paying this years dues. Next year I will pay dues for the points that I used this year. I am actually deferring half my payment by a year. The total Disney vacation (meals, airfare, park tickets and rooms) is very expensive so I like spreading some of the costs over 2 years. In my off years not at Disney I am usually doing something much cheaper for vacation so it works for me.
10% should be the average (at least) over a 50 year ownership term.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Afford DVC, in 1996 I could barely afford a case of Milwaukees Best. Let's hope for all of our sakes that the rates continue to maintain their historic increases.
I didn't say DVC was an investment. DVC is vacation. BUT if you didn't buy DVC you could use that money to PUT in an investment which you could use down the road to purchase other vacations.
That's a myth of Disney Vacation Club. I'm not saying it's bad but to say it's good because you "own" a piece of the mouse is false. Disney Vacation Club is a lease, not ownership. True ownership timeshares never expire and can be willed to your heirs until they're sold. Disney Vacation Club is for a fixed term. You don't own anything. It's just a long term lease.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
You don't have the money saved for 50 years. If you want to calculate a break even on your DVC investment vs paying cash for rooms you assume that you would put the initial buy in money into an account and earn a return. You add in what you project to pay each year in maintenance fees and subtract out the cash rate for your room each year to pay for your trips. Since the cash room rate is less than the maintenance fees plus your earnings on the investment your investment account will go down each year. When the account hits $0 you have reached your break even point. You would need to keep the money fairly liquid since you are pulling it out each year. While a growth stock fund may come close to 10% over a long period of time it is not the best way to invest money you have to remove soon due to the volatility.
This is exactly what I was talking about when I said you can tweak the assumptions to get any results you want. If you push the time value of money to 10% it will push your break even back. You can also make the maintenance fees go up much faster than the cash rate. This will push the break even back. On the flip side if you assume no time value of money or if you compare DVC to rack rates with no discount your break even will be very short.
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Very true. With traditional timeshares you have deeded property that continues indefinitely. DVC is not really a timeshare. It's a prepaid room rental. You are paying a chunk of money today and only paying variable costs going forward. Having an end date is not necessarily a bad thing though. You know when your maintenance fees end.
Is that supposed to be me? I thought I was being perfectly fair and reasonable in my honest disagreement.You don't have to convince me. I agree that the deal is WELL worth it, as Sandy and I ARE going to go, twice per year. And we saved a BUNDLE with DVC.
But a suggestion - already, I see that you are being attacked for your opinion. I've personally learned that it's best to say NOTHING about DVC deals - it just brings out the Trolls. And the primary rule of the Internet is:
GoofGoof
Premium Member
You were. It's good to hear other's opinions.
ParentsOf4
Well-Known Member
I respect what you've written but one of the purposes of this website is to allow people to openly discuss their views and opinions on everything Disney. Two people can have different opinions on the same topic and it's good to read both views. However, what you're suggesting (IMHO
) is that we shouldn't discuss our opinions, that we should keep our thoughts to ourselves. Respectly, to me what you're implying is kind of like suggesting that a newspaper (yeah, I actually like to read those) should not have an Op Ed page.Purchasing a DVC membership is a difficult subject because there are a lot of Disney fans who would like to be members but are unsure whether it makes financial sense for them. (Let's face it, it's mostly about money. If DVC were free, everyone on this website would be a member!) It's a complex financial decision and people often post opinions and advice on the subject to try to help those struggling with the decision.
Please feel free to express what ever opinion you want but recognize that other people will read it. Some might respond to it. Realize that they might honestly disagree with you and tell you so. Most importantly, respect other people who post, even if you disagree with them.
Well said @ParentsOf4. Now go copy and paste that message in every scooter thread, Brazilian thread, yeti thread, "TDO is cheap" thread, refillable mug thread, etc etc etc.I respect what you've written but one of the purposes of this website is to allow people to openly discuss their views and opinions on everything Disney. Two people can have different opinions on the same topic and it's good to read both views. However, what you're suggesting (IMHO
Purchasing a DVC membership is a difficult subject because there are a lot of Disney fans who would like to be members but are unsure whether it makes financial sense for them. (Let's face it, it's mostly about money. If DVC were free, everyone on this website would be a member!) It's a complex financial decision and people often post opinions and advice on the subject to try to help those struggling with the decision.
Please feel free to express what ever opinion you want but recognize that other people will read it. Some might respond to it. Realize that they might honestly disagree with you and tell you so. Most importantly, respect other people who post, even if you disagree with them.
*Sigh*. I'm not saying DVC is an investment. It is a way to go to Disney.
ANOTHER way to go to Disney is by investing.
EDIT: Please note that I said "another way," not "the only way" or "the right way" or even "the best way".