DVC right for me and my family?

[Simba's Mom]

One other thing to mention- you do not get housekeeping daily.

When we first joined DVC, it was in spite of this fact. We strongly considered paying extra for daily housekeeping on our first visit (that was possible, don't know if it still is). Anyways, we decided not to spend the extra money, and quickly LOVED it. It just added to the feeling of DVC being our "home away from home" at WDW. No one comes into my house when I'm not there. I was so surprised how I took to this-I was so sure we wouldn't like the lack of daily maid service.

 

[Touro1979]

Well a few weeks turned into a few hours lol. Just started process earlier today of purchasing 200 points at Ssr through resale. I'm excited to start this journey. My wife is elated. She has wanted to do this for years. List price was less than half price per point at poly. Made it easier to make decision.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Well a few weeks turned into a few hours lol. Just started process earlier today of purchasing 200 points at Ssr through resale. I'm excited to start this journey. My wife is elated. She has wanted to do this for years. List price was less than half price per point at poly. Made it easier to make decision.

Welcome home!! Again, just make sure that when you decide to buy direct, you get the same use year for your points. Makes it so much easier to track them.

 

[Chezman1399]

@LuvtheGoof Is there a way to not get the same use year now? I'm assuming there used to be, but since I got my initial 160, I've added on twice 142 at Grand Flo and 100 at Aulani and due to specials or deals they always seem to have nothing has changed use year wise (always August). Is this because I've always bought points with some incentives attached?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

@LuvtheGoof Is there a way to not get the same use year now? I'm assuming there used to be, but since I got my initial 160, I've added on twice 142 at Grand Flo and 100 at Aulani and due to specials or deals they always seem to have nothing has changed use year wise (always August). Is this because I've always bought points with some incentives attached?

When you buy all of your contracts direct from Disney, they will, as far as I know, always give you the same use year. The issue arises when you buy resale, and if they don't have that use year available direct when you wish to add on, they make ask if you are OK with a different use year or want to wait for the same. We bought all of ours direct, so have the same use year, even though we didn't ask for it. I suppose you could ask for a different use year, but not sure why anyone would want to do that, as it complicates things quite a bit for scheduling trips.

After you own, you can also get a different use year by buying via resale as well. I wouldn't do that, but it can certainly be done.

 

[Touro1979]

If I were to buy a direct contract from disney for Poly for 100 points could I request the same use year as my resale?

 

[dreamfinder]

If I were to buy a direct contract from disney for Poly for 100 points could I request the same use year as my resale?

You can, but they may not be selling points from that current use year.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

If I were to buy a direct contract from disney for Poly for 100 points could I request the same use year as my resale?

You can, but they may not be selling points from that current use year.

If they don't have any available for that use year, you can request to go on a waitlist for those points. Your guide should not a problem with doing this for you.

 

[Touro1979]

Made it through ROFR!!!!! One step closer to points in our account. So excited.200 points at SSR April use year

 

[LuvDatMouse]

My parents have been DVC Members my entire 18 years of life and even before I was born. I have been to WDW 20 times and even though there are a few times I don't remember the trip because I was really little I definitely do not have burnout. I think if you and your wife are Disney Addicts that will always stay with you no matter how many times you go. I know if my parents didn't have DVC we wouldn't have gone as much in my lifetime. If you plan on going to WDW at least 1 time per year I think it is well worth it. Also you have to remember there are the Cruise Lines, DVC Hilton Head Disney Resort, and DVC Vero Beach Disney Resort plus the tons of other places you can choose from. You don't have to go to WDW every year. I say it is well worth it.

 

[EastTNDisneyfan]

Been researching DVC for a few weeks and wondering if it's a good fit for me and my family. Looking for advice. My situation.

I am married in my Late 30s with 3 year old so there are three of us. I have two older stepsons who don't have much interst in Disney but one is out of house and other will be starting college next year. Been to Disney twice in past 12 months and have trip booked for December this year. I went when I was a child twice. My wife loves Disney as do I. My child loves all things Disney and talks about going back all the time. I plan on doing Disney at least once a year, probably more while my daughter is young. We currently stay in moderates which are ok but I yearn for deluxe. Would never stay at value or off site. Probably would be using studio or one bedroom. Don't plan on traveling with other people other than my wife and child. Currently paying for Disney by putting it on credit card and paying trip off in 6 months. I am thinking of buying direct since I like the Polynesian and would like that as home resort. Thinking that if we really like DVC I can add on with a resale contract in future. I would need to finance in order to do this. Don't have 30k+ in cash laying around. Probably could lay out 20% down payment though.

My concerns:

Disney burnout (don't foresee but u never know lol)
Contract that will expire when I am in my late 80s
Initial cost

What are people's thoughts? Anyone regret doing DVC?

We are Disney Nuts as well and we have no regrets on buying ours in fact we just bought another contract last week. If that is where you like to go on vacation and want to stay at the deluxe resorts then I would say yes. However you just need to do the math and figure it up for yourself. There has been a lot of really good feedback and post about this, I wish you well on your decision and hopefully you will get to hear those great words soon "Welcome Home!"

 

[LAKid53]

One other thing to mention- you do not get housekeeping daily.

I always found this admonition amusing. I don't mind taking out the trash (do it at home), don't need a new towel every day, I can make my own bed, all resorts have a vacuum which I can run if I spill something, etc. I always feel we need to leave the room by a certain time in the AM so Mousekeeping can do their jobs... and they are finished by the time we return in the late afternoon. So not having housekeeping every day is for me no biggie.

 

[M.T. LOTT]

Newbie to all of this, I have a couple questions. We are a family of 5 Children 17 10 and 6.All of which are
Disney fanatics. We go to Disney every year for 3-7 night stays depending on the year. My issue is I don't see the value in certain resorts. Typically we stay at a moderate like Caribbean beach or Port Orleans as they accommodate 5 for a minimal fee. Here is where I get confused:

-It shows the rate as 19-22 points for the time of year we go. Judging by the point system it is not much of a discount, when you factor in the annual service rate it is not a deal at all?
- We would like to stay in a deluxe resort but can not justify or really afford the extra cost of the rack rate (we are Park junkies)
- What about dining and Park tickets, how do meal plans work with DVC?? What are the extra benefits others then accommodations?

 

[LAKid53]

@M.T. LOTT, DVC members can purchase annual passes at basically the same price as Florida residents, just have to pay in full. DVC members can also purchase a meal plan up to 48 hours before check-in date. Which means not having to cancel 45 days before check-in date if you purchased a package with room, tickets and dining. Don't believe there is a discount on the dining plan if you add to DVC resort reservation. My January 2017 points reservation shows only the QS plan available. But I'm sure you can upgrade to TS if you call.

DVC members get discounts on some dining, merchandise and hard ticket events and tours. Check the DVC website for member benefits.

One thing that isn't disclosed are discounts on cash DVC reservations if you've used up your allotted points for the current and next use years. Not all DVC resorts give the discount, but it usually beats any discount offered to cash guests.

If you travel by air, but would like to not have to pack or ship items other than clothes, shoes and toiletries, there is a company called Owners Locker that provides discounts to DVC members. What you get is a big purple storage box you can pack with things like a filtered water pitcher, sunscreen, diapers, a Keurig, etc. Basically anything you'd like to make your stay more comfortable and not have to pay Disney prices to purchase at your resort or drive to a local store. Your purple box is stored in a temperature controlled warehouse and is delivered to and picked from your resort. Since I drive...live 4 hours away...I have my own version of that purple box. In it is a filtered water pitcher, an electric kettle, knife set, salt/pepper/sugar/honey, tea, etc. We typically stay in a one bedroom villa, so we have a kitchen...but it's not equipped with everything.

If you like to cruise, you can use your DVR points to pay for your stateroom. And every year, DVC charters a member only DCL cruise. Thus year is a cruise from NYC. Next year is a 7 night Caribbean cruise.

You mentioned a point range of 19-22 points a night. Is that for a studio or one bedroom? Saratoga Springs and Old Key West are usually the cheapest resorts, point wise. And as the largest, usually have rooms available. I quite frankly wouldn't make my decision to buy into DVC solely because I want to stay at a deluxe resort and can't justify the rack rate. While the studios at GF, Poly and WL can sleep 5 with the additional murphy bed, it will be cramped.

Just make sure you've run the numbers and DVC makes sense both financially and for how you vacation at WDW. Most will say that if you can't pay cash for your contact, it might not be the best for you. And don't forget to consider the annual maintenance dues. They are based on your ownership (points) in a particular resort and can be several thousand dollars.

Good luck.

 

[GoofGoof]

Newbie to all of this, I have a couple questions. We are a family of 5 Children 17 10 and 6.All of which are
Disney fanatics. We go to Disney every year for 3-7 night stays depending on the year. My issue is I don't see the value in certain resorts. Typically we stay at a moderate like Caribbean beach or Port Orleans as they accommodate 5 for a minimal fee. Here is where I get confused:

-It shows the rate as 19-22 points for the time of year we go. Judging by the point system it is not much of a discount, when you factor in the annual service rate it is not a deal at all?
- We would like to stay in a deluxe resort but can not justify or really afford the extra cost of the rack rate (we are Park junkies)
- What about dining and Park tickets, how do meal plans work with DVC?? What are the extra benefits others then accommodations?

You can't really compare the price of DVC to the moderate resorts. It's pretty much always going to be cheaper to stay at a moderate and pay cash. Buying DVC resale can still be a bargain compared to staying at deluxe resorts. I'm not so sure about buying direct anymore. I haven't crunched the numbers in a while but with the increased direct buy in price it's getting to be less and less of a value.

You probably need to crunch a few numbers and you will see that DVC sits somewhere between the deluxe and moderate cash prices. Then you need to decide if the extra cost over moderate is worth it for the advantages of staying at a deluxe resort.

There are discounts on merchandise, dining and tickets (usually annual passes) but those discounts can come and go and aren't guaranteed as part of your contract. If you buy resale today you don't get those discounts either. You will never be offered a free DDP with DVC but you can buy into DDP. You just need to buy it for the full length of stay and all guests in your room.

 

[dreamfinder]

Newbie to all of this, I have a couple questions. We are a family of 5 Children 17 10 and 6.All of which are
Disney fanatics. We go to Disney every year for 3-7 night stays depending on the year. My issue is I don't see the value in certain resorts. Typically we stay at a moderate like Caribbean beach or Port Orleans as they accommodate 5 for a minimal fee. Here is where I get confused:

-It shows the rate as 19-22 points for the time of year we go. Judging by the point system it is not much of a discount, when you factor in the annual service rate it is not a deal at all?
- We would like to stay in a deluxe resort but can not justify or really afford the extra cost of the rack rate (we are Park junkies)
- What about dining and Park tickets, how do meal plans work with DVC?? What are the extra benefits others then accommodations?

Run the numbers. I think pretty soon you will be forced to look at larger accommodations anyways, once the 17yo turns 18, but compare what you are currently paying for your lodging to what DVC will cost you. That will determine if it will make sense for your family. As you may need to be bumping up to a 1BR it may be hard for you to make it work financially if you are used to only paying for a single room at a Moderate.

Can you swing the large up front cost knowing you won't break even for years? That is where DVC will end up saving you money is if you can afford to stay in for the long term, like 15-20 years down the road. If you can pay cash for resale, then you might be able to break even 5-7 years. Having to finance direct from DVD, you are much more likely to not hit the breakeven for 20 years.

DVC members are eligible for the dining plan, however you are also eligible for Tables in Wonderland. Depending on your eating habits TiW may end up being a much better value than any paid for dining plan ever could be. As a PP pointed out, as you are staying on points you need to pay full price for the dining plan. As far as other benefits, don't take them into consideration. Yes, they do have merchandise discounts, and AP discounts, and hold special events for DVC members, but those can and do change. You really need to be looking at break even solely on lodging, and then take anything else as a bonus.

 

[ford91exploder]

Been researching DVC for a few weeks and wondering if it's a good fit for me and my family. Looking for advice. My situation.

I am married in my Late 30s with 3 year old so there are three of us. I have two older stepsons who don't have much interst in Disney but one is out of house and other will be starting college next year. Been to Disney twice in past 12 months and have trip booked for December this year. I went when I was a child twice. My wife loves Disney as do I. My child loves all things Disney and talks about going back all the time. I plan on doing Disney at least once a year, probably more while my daughter is young. We currently stay in moderates which are ok but I yearn for deluxe. Would never stay at value or off site. Probably would be using studio or one bedroom. Don't plan on traveling with other people other than my wife and child. Currently paying for Disney by putting it on credit card and paying trip off in 6 months. I am thinking of buying direct since I like the Polynesian and would like that as home resort. Thinking that if we really like DVC I can add on with a resale contract in future. I would need to finance in order to do this. Don't have 30k+ in cash laying around. Probably could lay out 20% down payment though.

My concerns:

Disney burnout (don't foresee but u never know lol)
Contract that will expire when I am in my late 80s
Initial cost

What are people's thoughts? Anyone regret doing DVC?

I'd recommend at least one 10-14 Day rental using a service like www.dvcrequest.com known around here as David's Because the DVC experience is different from a normal Disney hotel reservation.

If you like it I'd recommend buying RESALE and a small contract direct - the direct to get the DVC 'perks' and the resale contract for your main point allocation because you will not reach breakeven for 10-12 years with Disney's current DIRECT pricing. And BUY WHERE YOU WANT TO STAY!