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Tell Me Yes or Tell Me No
- Thread starter Nala06
- Start date
Schweino
Well-Known Member
We didn't bite. While I also read so many articles on this, and I was ready to pay full cash on resale (no finance), the wife and I decided not to for a few reasons:
1. It is another depreciating asset that we would own (cars). While the value doesn't fall as much as cars do, it still falls.
2. It locks you into visiting WDW/Orlando every year. We are from Omaha and we felt locking up one week of PTO for the same place every year was not appealing as it originally sounded. We would want to travel to other places with the money spent. EDIT: Adding to this, some people can visit WDW 3 times a year, every year, and never lose that magical feeling. For us, we would most certainly lose the magic feeling after a yearly trip. The part that makes WDW so exciting for us simple midwest folk is that it's a beautiful and rare thing we get to experience. We went in 2019 and 2020 (November post covid) and the tail end of our 2020 trip, if it wasn't for seeing the Holiday decor for the first time ever, we would of been done.
3. Because we are from Omaha, whenever we would visit, we would not be spending much time at the resorts and would venture out, decreasing the value of actually being in a DVC - what's the point if we will hardly be in there?
4. Resale did not get the same perks that OG owners get.
If you are retired, I don't think a lot of the above would really apply to you. However, the above is why we didn't buy.
1. It is another depreciating asset that we would own (cars). While the value doesn't fall as much as cars do, it still falls.
2. It locks you into visiting WDW/Orlando every year. We are from Omaha and we felt locking up one week of PTO for the same place every year was not appealing as it originally sounded. We would want to travel to other places with the money spent. EDIT: Adding to this, some people can visit WDW 3 times a year, every year, and never lose that magical feeling. For us, we would most certainly lose the magic feeling after a yearly trip. The part that makes WDW so exciting for us simple midwest folk is that it's a beautiful and rare thing we get to experience. We went in 2019 and 2020 (November post covid) and the tail end of our 2020 trip, if it wasn't for seeing the Holiday decor for the first time ever, we would of been done.
3. Because we are from Omaha, whenever we would visit, we would not be spending much time at the resorts and would venture out, decreasing the value of actually being in a DVC - what's the point if we will hardly be in there?
4. Resale did not get the same perks that OG owners get.
If you are retired, I don't think a lot of the above would really apply to you. However, the above is why we didn't buy.
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I would suggest an August UY for sure.
I think your plan generally makes sense. 1 Bedrooms are the worst “payback” vs cash because they cost like 20% more in cash and 100% more on points so if you’re going to do 1BRs make SURE the math works for you.
They’re slowly redoing the point charts to make summer the low season (or close to it) and the colder months the high season, and as a result, the cash and point prices are becoming further disconnected, especially in the fall. Whatever your math says now, assume it will cost 15%-20% more points to do the fall in 5 years.
I agree you should buy resale.
You stay for a long time, so if you’re doing 1 bedrooms, even a small contract will be a large contract by DVC standards. So I don’t think there’s any harm in starting with enough to do 5-7 days in a 1BR and if you add on, you add on. You can always still fill in with cash stays if you run out of points.
The last big watch out is that, as you’ve probably gathered, there’s only a few CL rooms in all of DVC, they are at AK, and they are so popular that most days there are 0 available for booking at 11 months; it’s a miracle if there’s 2. You’re very unlikely to get them more than once in a blue moon.
I think your plan generally makes sense. 1 Bedrooms are the worst “payback” vs cash because they cost like 20% more in cash and 100% more on points so if you’re going to do 1BRs make SURE the math works for you.
They’re slowly redoing the point charts to make summer the low season (or close to it) and the colder months the high season, and as a result, the cash and point prices are becoming further disconnected, especially in the fall. Whatever your math says now, assume it will cost 15%-20% more points to do the fall in 5 years.
I agree you should buy resale.
You stay for a long time, so if you’re doing 1 bedrooms, even a small contract will be a large contract by DVC standards. So I don’t think there’s any harm in starting with enough to do 5-7 days in a 1BR and if you add on, you add on. You can always still fill in with cash stays if you run out of points.
The last big watch out is that, as you’ve probably gathered, there’s only a few CL rooms in all of DVC, they are at AK, and they are so popular that most days there are 0 available for booking at 11 months; it’s a miracle if there’s 2. You’re very unlikely to get them more than once in a blue moon.
TheGuyThatMakesSwords
Well-Known Member
We are current DVC owners. For now? I suggest NO.
DVC is great, when it works. Wait until it works again? Just a suggestion.
DVC is great, when it works. Wait until it works again? Just a suggestion.
DisDadWoz
Well-Known Member
In the end it is YOUR decision and how it fits for your family. It's a large outlay of cash that isn't going to appreciate. If you have the funds to do so and it makes sense for you then pull the trigger. Now for OUR experience. We have AKL and paid it off right away after we joined in 2008. Since that time we have stayed at AKL once. For the times you want to visit you should be able to book the room you want at the 7 month mark. It's been a rare occasion when we haven't been able to stay where we wanted. It's gets tricky at Christmas and F & G/F & W but it can be done. We go every year with many times being a resort only stay. We also go to Vero Beach alot and since we live in NC we easily make the trip to HHI several times as well. We have an August use year and it has worked really well for us. We now have one daughter in college and the other in high school, but we still go (in another couple of weeks to both Vero or BWV) with just three. We have also gone just my wife and I for long weekends. I think once you start only going every 2-3 years it may not be worth it. However, it sounds like you can make it every other year perhaps which should still work. We love having the full kitchen because we cook many meals and have plenty of space for items we take to eat. Take my opinion/experience for what it's worth. It doesn't work for everyone so you need to make that decision and not let anyone else do it for you.
correcaminos
Well-Known Member
1 bedrooms booking through Disney are usually relatively cheap compared to owning and even renting. Only AKL - Jambo offers CL. If you do not do yearly, it is complicated right now. My gut says DVC is not for you tbh.
TinyTGO
Member
If you are thinking about staying in a 1 bedroom for 7-10 days during Flower and Garden or holiday season, 300-400 points is about what you're looking at. If you are looking at 1 bedrooms already, I'd already just jump to the 2 bedroom. The big jump in price is between the studio and the 1 bed... from 1 bed to 2 bed it's not that much, relatively. As a general rule of thumb, typically a 1 bedroom is roughly the same price as 2 studios, and a 2 bedroom is generally close to 2.75 studios.... it's not exact, but it gives you an idea.
Larger resale memberships (>250 points) are cheaper. I recommend that if you plan on coming in the pool, jump in and don't toe-in. Buying lots of small contracts cost more. The points are more expensive and the closing costs add up. For example, a 100pt membership will have closing costs of around $600, and a 350pt membership closing costs will be 800-850. To buy 3 100 point memberships will cost $1800 in fees vs the $800-850 the other way. Also, the avg price of a 100 point membership is about $10 more per point than the average price of a membership between 275-375 points
If you are unable to book more than 7 months in advance, home resort doesn't matter. Buy what gets you the most amount of points for your dollars... typically Saratoga or Old Key West.
Don't buy a membership with the assumption of being able to stay in club level or value rooms. There are only 5 club level rooms and 18 value rooms at AKL. To put that in perspective, there are roughly 7.4 million AKL points.
Use Year really only comes into play when you have a last minute cancellation. It's a long-term commitment, and travel patterns may change for you over time. I wouldn't pass up a membership or focus too much over UY.
Direct purchases come with 'membership extras.' Membership extras are not necessarily permanent. Disney can add/remove any membership extra at any time. From a financial perspective, the best deal from a direct purchase is the AP discount, around $120-150, and the Gold option for an AP. You'd have to do the math here to see what that value is for your family. A work around here would be a direct purchase for the minimum amount of points, I believe 125, and a resale purchase for the balance. If APs don't do it for you, buy resale.
Larger resale memberships (>250 points) are cheaper. I recommend that if you plan on coming in the pool, jump in and don't toe-in. Buying lots of small contracts cost more. The points are more expensive and the closing costs add up. For example, a 100pt membership will have closing costs of around $600, and a 350pt membership closing costs will be 800-850. To buy 3 100 point memberships will cost $1800 in fees vs the $800-850 the other way. Also, the avg price of a 100 point membership is about $10 more per point than the average price of a membership between 275-375 points
If you are unable to book more than 7 months in advance, home resort doesn't matter. Buy what gets you the most amount of points for your dollars... typically Saratoga or Old Key West.
Don't buy a membership with the assumption of being able to stay in club level or value rooms. There are only 5 club level rooms and 18 value rooms at AKL. To put that in perspective, there are roughly 7.4 million AKL points.
Use Year really only comes into play when you have a last minute cancellation. It's a long-term commitment, and travel patterns may change for you over time. I wouldn't pass up a membership or focus too much over UY.
Direct purchases come with 'membership extras.' Membership extras are not necessarily permanent. Disney can add/remove any membership extra at any time. From a financial perspective, the best deal from a direct purchase is the AP discount, around $120-150, and the Gold option for an AP. You'd have to do the math here to see what that value is for your family. A work around here would be a direct purchase for the minimum amount of points, I believe 125, and a resale purchase for the balance. If APs don't do it for you, buy resale.
dvclover15
Member
Since you won't be going yearly, I say don't buy. If you're looking at 1 bedrooms you could use your parents Wyndham points and trade for a 1 bedroom at Disney (usually easy to find SSR). Just a suggestion.
We have never booked a 1 bedroom cash before, so it's interesting to note the cash jump is minimal compared to the point jump in DVC. If we ended up getting DVC, I think it would be enough for part of our usual longer trip, since we don't mind doing split stays. I could see a combo of DVC studios/1Bed and cash CL working for us for a while.
In your thoughts, what would make it work again?
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
I would absolutely not buy at the Poly, that points chart is terrifying. They only have studios and bungalows, and the bungalows are extremely low demand. If Disney ever decided to reduce the points cost of the bungalows to balance demand, that would come with a corresponding increase in the studios since there's nowhere else for those points to go.
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
I made an impossibly complicated spreadsheet that compares the points cost to the rack rate of every resort and booking category for 365 nights in 2021. Room categories ranked, from best value to worst:
Studios, $39.01 of rack rate value per point
2 bedroom, $33.19 of rack rate value per point
3 bedroom grand villa, $29.98 of rack rate value per point
Treehouse villa, $28.72 of rack rate value per point
1 bedroom, $28.47 of rack rate value per point
Cabin, $25.77 of rack rate value per point
Bungalow, $25.18 of rack rate value per point
So in your analysis a studio or 2 bedroom is the best way to utilize a DVC membership?
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
If your goal is to "beat" rack rate by as much as possible, yes.
I will say that there's hidden value going from a studio to a 1 bedroom if you decide to cook and save money on meals, but if you don't plan on cooking it's, almost always better to get two studios than a one bedroom.
No cooking on vacation for me if I can help it
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
One other thing to note since you mentioned Copper Creek, Copper Creek is the only Walt Disney World DVC resort that cannot sleep 5 in either the Studio or the 1 bedroom.
Rooms that sleep 5:
AKV - 1 bedroom (most)
BLT - 1 bedroom
BCV - Studio
BWV - Studio
BRV - Studio
VGF - Studio and 1 bedroom
OKW - 1 bedroom
PVB - Studio
SSR - 1 bedroom (once refurb is complete)
Rooms that sleep 5:
AKV - 1 bedroom (most)
BLT - 1 bedroom
BCV - Studio
BWV - Studio
BRV - Studio
VGF - Studio and 1 bedroom
OKW - 1 bedroom
PVB - Studio
SSR - 1 bedroom (once refurb is complete)
I did that for 2020! It took forever to format the data so I didn’t redo it for 2021.
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
I'm going to do it for 2022 once MouseSavers posts the rack rates. I haven't seen them yet though.
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
We have stayed in a studio there and thought it was ok. We didnt love being on the ground floor, which I understand is where most of the studios are located.
So for a trip I could see us choosing a poly studio or a 1bedroom copper creek.