New DVC Resales Restrictions

[EOD K9]

But DVD has ROFR, so they allow DVC members to sell to one another. .

Does DVD intentionally not exercise ROFR on current members? I'm wondering as that may be why mine passed very quickly.

 

[EOD K9]

You think they are going to provide you bathrooms...those are for our "real" owners and don't let them catch you with one of those DVC stickers on your car either

And don't even think about a cruise magnet. That will get you keel hauled.

 

[ford91exploder]

I think no matter how you slice it, it was a bad PR move. Seriously, you are going to take away my plastic member card? That is clearly creating a class distinction with ownership, but if I bought a week before, I'm a "real" member.
If it's all about money, then why doesn't Disney eliminate the resale market all together by exercising ROFR on everything within reason, and then control the resale game themselves?

I was wondering why the member cards were dated but now that the news that DVC 'perks' will only be granted for 3 years on new contracts it makes perfect sense. I'm sure the suits at DVC figures this means that everyone will add on every three years to keep their perks 'alive' but I suspect it will just turn potential DVC purchasers off even more than the excessive pricing does today.

 

[Adriene KEATING]

I'm pretty new here. We recently (about 3 weeks ago) went to disney and rented dvc points. When we got home I started researching dvc, & crunching the numbers. We went back and forth to see if it worked for us. We decided last week that we would give it a try and start with a small contract via resale. We were thinking around 100 points. The discounts on ap & discounts around the parks was a major part of us deciding to go for it. Unfortunately this new change just doesn't make sense for us to buy into dvc. We will just rent points when we go and go less often. It's really too bad, I was getting excised about joining the dvc family.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I'm pretty new here. We recently (about 3 weeks ago) went to disney and rented dvc points. When we got home I started researching dvc, & crunching the numbers. We went back and forth to see if it worked for us. We decided last week that we would give it a try and start with a small contract via resale. We were thinking around 100 points. The discounts on ap & discounts around the parks was a major part of us deciding to go for it. Unfortunately this new change just doesn't make sense for us to buy into dvc. We will just rent points when we go and go less often. It's really too bad, I was getting excised about joining the dvc family.

So instead of buying the 100 point resale, and then adding on a 25 point direct contract to get the discounts, you would rather spend more money every time you go???? And justify it by going less often?????

 

[Ralphlaw]

I think one of the things that people consider carefully is whether or not they're really going to want to go to Disney that frequently. The incidental benefits can be a clincher for some of them even though they are economically minor in the big scheme of things. The latest changes up the uncertainty level that many potential buyers would feel. Life is uncertain enough for many (job security, health, etc . . .), and adding a cool new vacation plan with a major up front investment adds to the scariness factor. "Timeshare" is not a favorable word for most people. Even a Disney show, Good Luck Charlie, had an episode which revolved around the hassles and worries of timeshare ownership. Every timeshare scheme sounds good upfront, but the majority of owners end up selling early and/or have buyers remorse.

When it comes right down to it, most people won't buy in if there's a level of uncertainty. Disney just raised the uncertainty fears, and that isn't good news for the resale market or for those of us who sat around fat and satisfied that our points were worth a certain sizeable amount of money.

 

[Adriene KEATING]

So instead of buying the 100 point resale, and then adding on a 25 point direct contract to get the discounts, you would rather spend more money every time you go???? And justify it by going less often?????

I mean no disrespect to anyone who still decides to buy resale or direct. I personally have zero desire to buy direct, those prices are crazy no matter how small the contract is. It's not just the money, I don't like that disney is forcing people to buy direct to get the "perks". The perks are part of the appeal to buying into dvc. I have done a LOT of reading on this forum, I can see how down the road there can be a lot of savings by buying into dvc. Our break even point would have been approximately 5 years if we went every year and got 2 weeks out of our annual passes, with the new twist our break even point would be more like 7. I realize that rental prices can and probably will go up but we just paid $12 a point for 105 points ($1260) I can't justify spending $10,000 + annual maintenance fees when there is no difference between me as a renter vs me as an owner. I hope that makes sense.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I mean no disrespect to anyone who still decides to buy resale or direct. I personally have zero desire to buy direct, those prices are crazy no matter how small the contract is. It's not just the money, I don't like that disney is forcing people to buy direct to get the "perks". The perks are part of the appeal to buying into dvc. I have done a LOT of reading on this forum, I can see how down the road there can be a lot of savings by buying into dvc. Our break even point would have been approximately 5 years if we went every year and got 2 weeks out of our annual passes, with the new twist our break even point would be more like 7. I realize that rental prices can and probably will go up but we just paid $12 a point for 105 points ($1260) I can't justify spending $10,000 + annual maintenance fees when there is no difference between me as a renter vs me as an owner. I hope that makes sense.

Which resort were you looking to buy your 100 points at? And no. It still doesn't make sense from a monetary standpoint. If your break even point is 7 years, and you still have 25 years left on the contract, well, you are paying dues only for 18 years. Since most of the resorts are around $5-6 per point for dues, you are paying less than half of renting points, and that's at today's cost. Yes, dues will go up, but so will renting and cash rates at the resorts. You will ALWAYS come out ahead in the LONG term by buying, IF DVC is right for you at all.

While I agree that changing the resale rules was not a good move at all, please remember that DVC has always grandfathered in the current owners, and shielded them from these changes. Can that change? Sure, but can you even imagine the firestorm of bad publicity that Disney would get for that? They had to reverse course on this latest change due to bad publicity, and that affected only a few hunfred buys that were already in the pipeline. Imagine ticking off 400,000 owners.

Edit at add: you should NEVER have considered the perks as part of your DVC purchase. They have continually changed over the years and are NOT guaranteed. There is no guarantee that you could've bought resale with all the perks this year, and next year, they don't allow any AP discounts. It can happen.

DVC is ONLY meant to save you money on resort costs. NOTHING more that should EVER enter into a person's decision to purchase DVC at all.

 

[Adriene KEATING]

Which resort were you looking to buy your 100 points at? And no. It still doesn't make sense from a monetary standpoint. If your break even point is 7 years, and you still have 25 years left on the contract, well, you are paying dues only for 18 years. Since most of the resorts are around $5-6 per point for dues, you are paying less than half of renting points, and that's at today's cost. Yes, dues will go up, but so will renting and cash rates at the resorts. You will ALWAYS come out ahead in the LONG term by buying, IF DVC is right for you at all.

While I agree that changing the resale rules was not a good move at all, please remember that DVC has always grandfathered in the current owners, and shielded them from these changes. Can that change? Sure, but can you even imagine the firestorm of bad publicity that Disney would get for that? They had to reverse course on this latest change due to bad publicity, and that affected only a few hunfred buys that were already in the pipeline. Imagine ticking off 400,000 owners.

Edit at add: you should NEVER have considered the perks as part of your DVC purchase. They have continually changed over the years and are NOT guaranteed. There is no guarantee that you could've bought resale with all the perks this year, and next year, they don't allow any AP discounts. It can happen.

DVC is ONLY meant to save you money on resort costs. NOTHING more that should EVER enter into a person's decision to purchase DVC at all.

 

[Adriene KEATING]

Thanks for sharing your viewpoints. We were heavily leaning towards the boardwalk. Resale prices last week were between $98-$109 per point. To be honest I haven't read that the perks could be taken away before your post. I thought the discounts on dining, ap & merchandise was a big part of the appeal to buying. I figured it would save us around $500 a trip between those 3 things. I think I'm going to wait a few months to see if this affects resale prices at all. If they go down we may reconsider buying but as of right now we are very turned off by it. Thanks again to you and everyone else on this board. Everyone has been so helpful.

 

[Biff215]

I was wondering why the member cards were dated but now that the news that DVC 'perks' will only be granted for 3 years on new contracts it makes perfect sense. I'm sure the suits at DVC figures this means that everyone will add on every three years to keep their perks 'alive' but I suspect it will just turn potential DVC purchasers off even more than the excessive pricing does today.

3 years? Where did this come from?

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Thanks for sharing your viewpoints. We were heavily leaning towards the boardwalk. Resale prices last week were between $98-$109 per point. To be honest I haven't read that the perks could be taken away before your post. I thought the discounts on dining, ap & merchandise was a big part of the appeal to buying. I figured it would save us around $500 a trip between those 3 things. I think I'm going to wait a few months to see if this affects resale prices at all. If they go down we may reconsider buying but as of right now we are very turned off by it. Thanks again to you and everyone else on this board. Everyone has been so helpful.

The Boardwalk would be an excellent choice! We are already considering adding on there in the future. It is true that certain perks can save you money. We purchase APs every year because we go down 2-3 times every year for a week to 10 days for each trip, so the APs alone save us a lot money over regular park tickets. We also buy the TiW which saves us literally hundreds on dining costs over the life of our trips. Would we still buy the APs and TiW and go as often if that perk disappeared? Absolutely yes. We do recognize that not everything is perfect at WDW, and that management has made some bone-headed decisions, but the value is still there for us. I have been going to WDW since 1978, and was a local for years. While we did experience a let down in maintenance, it has really picked up the last several years. Of course, if you listen to the naysayers here on some of these forums, they would have you believe that WDW is a cesspool of trash and broken rides. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that's how it is on an internet forum.

It's certainly a good idea to wait and see what the resale prices do, and I absolutely understand how you can be turned off by the recent decisions. What you will need to do is simply decide - do I want to continue going to WDW for the foreseeable future? If the answer is still yes, then I think that DVC is still a good fit for you, even if you have to pay a few hundred more for APs. And if you only make one trip per year, then it might make more sense to purchase regular park tickets. Good luck!

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I was wondering why the member cards were dated but now that the news that DVC 'perks' will only be granted for 3 years on new contracts it makes perfect sense. I'm sure the suits at DVC figures this means that everyone will add on every three years to keep their perks 'alive' but I suspect it will just turn potential DVC purchasers off even more than the excessive pricing does today.

3 years? Where did this come from?

There was a statement in the new membership benefits statement:

The incidental benefits described in this Statement are offered to prospective purchasers of the vacation ownership plan. These benefits are available for your use a period of 3 years or less after the first date that the vacation ownership plan is available for your use. The availability of the incidental benefits may or may not be renewed or extended. You should not purchase an interest in the vacation ownership plan in reliance upon the continued availability or renewal or extension of these benefits.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Though in all honesty, I just looked back at our original documents from over a decade ago, and that SAME exact statement was there as well. SO, this isn't anything new or nefarious by DVD. It's been there for many years.

 

[Biff215]

There was a statement in the new membership benefits statement:

The incidental benefits described in this Statement are offered to prospective purchasers of the vacation ownership plan. These benefits are available for your use a period of 3 years or less after the first date that the vacation ownership plan is available for your use. The availability of the incidental benefits may or may not be renewed or extended. You should not purchase an interest in the vacation ownership plan in reliance upon the continued availability or renewal or extension of these benefits.

Wow, missed that, thanks for posting it. So who is losing the benefits after 3 years, direct or resale buyers?

 

[ford91exploder]

Though in all honesty, I just looked back at our original documents from over a decade ago, and that SAME exact statement was there as well. SO, this isn't anything new or nefarious by DVD. It's been there for many years.

With the FL law they needed that clause, However with the new dated membership cards it looks like they intend to limit the benefit to 3 years.

 

[ford91exploder]

Wow, missed that, thanks for posting it. So who is losing the benefits after 3 years, direct or resale buyers?

Everyone - I was wondering why the new DVC membership cards were going to carry an expiration date which made no sense because member status can be checked instantly in Disney's systems for benefit entitlement.

 

[Adriene KEATING]

The Boardwalk would be an excellent choice! We are already considering adding on there in the future. It is true that certain perks can save you money. We purchase APs every year because we go down 2-3 times every year for a week to 10 days for each trip, so the APs alone save us a lot money over regular park tickets. We also buy the TiW which saves us literally hundreds on dining costs over the life of our trips. Would we still buy the APs and TiW and go as often if that perk disappeared? Absolutely yes. We do recognize that not everything is perfect at WDW, and that management has made some bone-headed decisions, but the value is still there for us. I have been going to WDW since 1978, and was a local for years. While we did experience a let down in maintenance, it has really picked up the last several years. Of course, if you listen to the naysayers here on some of these forums, they would have you believe that WDW is a cesspool of trash and broken rides. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that's how it is on an internet forum.

It's certainly a good idea to wait and see what the resale prices do, and I absolutely understand how you can be turned off by the recent decisions. What you will need to do is simply decide - do I want to continue going to WDW for the foreseeable future? If the answer is still yes, then I think that DVC is still a good fit for you, even if you have to pay a few hundred more for APs. And if you only make one trip per year, then it might make more sense to purchase regular park tickets. Good luck!

Thanks. I too have read some of the comments how disney is falling apart or buying dvc is stupid. Our plan was to buy the ap, go in December then go again the following year in November before the pass expires. ( I think this is a very popular way of doing it) whatever we divide to do, we will still be visiting

The Boardwalk would be an excellent choice! We are already considering adding on there in the future. It is true that certain perks can save you money. We purchase APs every year because we go down 2-3 times every year for a week to 10 days for each trip, so the APs alone save us a lot money over regular park tickets. We also buy the TiW which saves us literally hundreds on dining costs over the life of our trips. Would we still buy the APs and TiW and go as often if that perk disappeared? Absolutely yes. We do recognize that not everything is perfect at WDW, and that management has made some bone-headed decisions, but the value is still there for us. I have been going to WDW since 1978, and was a local for years. While we did experience a let down in maintenance, it has really picked up the last several years. Of course, if you listen to the naysayers here on some of these forums, they would have you believe that WDW is a cesspool of trash and broken rides. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that's how it is on an internet forum.

It's certainly a good idea to wait and see what the resale prices do, and I absolutely understand how you can be turned off by the recent decisions. What you will need to do is simply decide - do I want to continue going to WDW for the foreseeable future? If the answer is still yes, then I think that DVC is still a good fit for you, even if you have to pay a few hundred more for APs. And if you only make one trip per year, then it might make more sense to purchase regular park tickets. Good luck!

thanks. I too have read some of the comments about disney falling apart and how buying

The Boardwalk would be an excellent choice! We are already considering adding on there in the future. It is true that certain perks can save you money. We purchase APs every year because we go down 2-3 times every year for a week to 10 days for each trip, so the APs alone save us a lot money over regular park tickets. We also buy the TiW which saves us literally hundreds on dining costs over the life of our trips. Would we still buy the APs and TiW and go as often if that perk disappeared? Absolutely yes. We do recognize that not everything is perfect at WDW, and that management has made some bone-headed decisions, but the value is still there for us. I have been going to WDW since 1978, and was a local for years. While we did experience a let down in maintenance, it has really picked up the last several years. Of course, if you listen to the naysayers here on some of these forums, they would have you believe that WDW is a cesspool of trash and broken rides. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that's how it is on an internet forum.

It's certainly a good idea to wait and see what the resale prices do, and I absolutely understand how you can be turned off by the recent decisions. What you will need to do is simply decide - do I want to continue going to WDW for the foreseeable future? If the answer is still yes, then I think that DVC is still a good fit for you, even if you have to pay a few hundred more for APs. And if you only make one trip per year, then it might make more sense to purchase regular park tickets. Good luck!

I have also read some of the nasty remarks about disney falling apart and how it is stupid for people buying into dvc. Our kids are older, 1 is out of collage and 1 has 2 years left in high school. Our thought was once my younger daughter starts college we can travel at slow/cheaper times and once they start having children of their own we would be able to get 2 or 3 bedroom dvc rooms for the whole family. Like I said before, it's not just about the money, it feels like disney only cares about the bottom line. I'll be keeping an eye on the resale prices for a while and see what happens with them.

 

[Biff215]

Thanks. I too have read some of the comments how disney is falling apart or buying dvc is stupid. Our plan was to buy the ap, go in December then go again the following year in November before the pass expires. ( I think this is a very popular way of doing it) whatever we divide to do, we will still be visiting

thanks. I too have read some of the comments about disney falling apart and how buying

I have also read some of the nasty remarks about disney falling apart and how it is stupid for people buying into dvc. Our kids are older, 1 is out of collage and 1 has 2 years left in high school. Our thought was once my younger daughter starts college we can travel at slow/cheaper times and once they start having children of their own we would be able to get 2 or 3 bedroom dvc rooms for the whole family. Like I said before, it's not just about the money, it feels like disney only cares about the bottom line. I'll be keeping an eye on the resale prices for a while and see what happens with them.

I don't blame you for holding out, although it can always get worse. Buying in direct for $86/point a decade ago was a no brainer for 50 years of vacations. Even now it can make financial sense to buy. The problem is DVC is hoping this latest change will push people like you from resale to a direct purchase, but instead it might push you away completely. If this happens with enough people the resale market may start to change which will have a negative effect on us all.

Honestly, I don't believe I'd buy either right now based on recent events, either as an initial purchase or add on.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Everyone - I was wondering why the new DVC membership cards were going to carry an expiration date which made no sense because member status can be checked instantly in Disney's systems for benefit entitlement.

Because people that had sold their DVC interest still had ID cards. And while it may be checked in the system, no CM ever did anything but look at ours. So people that had actually sold their DVC many years ago, were still getting discounts that they were no longer entitled to receive, and Disney obviously felt that it was necessary to stop the cheating. I agree with that. It sometimes amazes me the entitled attitude that just because something is expensive, they need to find a way to cheat the system to get something they want for a slightly lower cost.

Not sure where you get 3 years from, as our new cards don't expire until December 2021. Good for over 5 years. Maybe new members are getting cards that expire after only 3? Maybe someone that has recently purchased could let us know how long their card is good for.