Any DVC members here? I've got a few questions ...

[Holly]

I stopped by the DVC desk in our hotel to ask a few questions - admittedly, I'm pretty timeshare ignorant ... I really don't understand how it works. We could have gone on their "tour" but really didn't have a second to spare to do it.

I asked if they had some info that I could take with and they said nope. So I've been doing some sleuthing around online, but is there a knowledgable person here that could cut to the chase and answer a few questions for me?

How exactly does DVC work? I understand that you pay a certain amount to join (I think the basic level was around $12,000) and then you pay yearly dues - correct?) How much exactly do those yearly fees run?

If you planned to visit WDW every year - does DVC really make sense? Are you able to get the time period you want or do you run into a lot of blackout/not available periods?

I'm mulling over calling DVC directly - but I'd like some basic knowledge first. Anyone want to help?

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Here is a website with some basic information about DVC.

You are right--you need some idea of how it works before you know what questions to ask.

IMHO, it becomes most cost-effective for people who know they will be going to WDW at least once a year until the lease expires in 2042, and for those who prefer or desire deluxe accommodations.

If you are happy with value or moderate resorts, you might want to run the numbers and see if it is a good deal for you.

It also helps if your life is such that you can make your trips to take advantage of the system. For example, Sunday - Thursday nights "cost " about half of what weekends do. Like with the resorts, there are value and peak seasons with DVC.

Good luck making your decision.

 

[bvolguards]

I just became a member last month and I can tell you it is definitly confusing at first but, once you understand the concept (it's similar to timeshare but much better) you will see it really is a good deal. They say it usually pays for itself within 4 to 5 years and then you have another 35 years to enjoy, plus there is alot of flexability in where you can vacation.....if you are interested try the web site but, you really should take the tour...good luck

 

[DisneyPhD]

I also was too busy to take the tour while we were at WDW on our last trip. I did stop and chat with a women while searching for my hubby and daughter. I gave her my name and number and she called us at home. She sent us a great deal of info and answered many questions over the phone.

We ended out buying at VWL and has never even seen the place.

If I could do it again I would get more points (bringing us up to 220, enought to get a 1 bedroom for one week a year.) I also would of done it sooner, while the cost was cheaper and you had more years left to enjoy it.

If you are really thinking about it, look into it now instead of 5 years from now.

 

[Holly]

Thanks for all the info.

I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and give them a call.

:wave:

 

[Worldphile]

Originally posted by Yellow Shoes

If you are happy with value or moderate resorts, you might want to run the numbers and see if it is a good deal for you.

Another aspect to consider is when you will be going. If you typically go during value season, DVC may not be all that advantageous.

This thread

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13793

was a pretty good discussion on the DVC from a month or two ago.

 

[SamatBCV]

The annual cost varies depending on the property you buy into and the number of point you buy. The Beach Club Villas run in the neighborhood of $4.80 per point. That amount can change each year since it is based on taxes and maintenance costs. IMHO I would respectfully disagree with Worldphile. I would say that DVC is very advantageous during the off season (if you have enough vacation time from your work). For instance, for about 165 points, we will be staying at the Beach Club Villas next fall for 12 nights. That would make for a per night rate of about $70 per night.

Like Yellow Shoes said though, it is only cost effective if you want to come to WDW a lot and if you don't want to stay at the cheaper resorts (All Stars) or cheaper off site hotels.

 

[Worldphile]

Originally posted by SamatBCV
For instance, for about 165 points, we will be staying at the Beach Club Villas next fall for 12 nights. That would make for a per night rate of about $70 per night.

Does that include the yearly fee?

 

[dreamer]

I am a DVC member and love it. The best benefit is psychological -- knowing you have a place to stay next time you go back. You "own" a place at Disney World.

It will only benefit you financially in certain situations. Many people will come out ahead by NOT joining. Here is my (edited) post from another thread on DVC:


Disney Vacation Club only pays for itself in 5 to 6 years if you were planning on staying at a DVC property every year anyway (and paying the extremely high prices they charge) AND if you don't go at the premium times of year AND if you stay mainly weeknights and not Fri/Sat nights. Otherwise it takes longer to recoup the investment.

The points are NOT cost-effective if you use them at a Disney hotel (deluxe, moderate or economy) or non-DVC resort. I don't think you would ever break even that way. If you HAVE to stay at PO or Poly or CB or AKL etc then don't join.

If you compare buying into DVC versus paying to stay at a moderate resort every visit, I don't know if you would ever break even. Especially if you use "Mousesaver" discount codes and watch for deals. In any case it would take decades. If you compare staying at an economy resort you'd never break even.

It's cheaper to use DVC points at a DVC resort than to pay to stay at a deluxe resort, but then you have to stay at a DVC resort.

I would recommend DVC if you
1. Like staying in a condo with a kitchen.
2. Plan on going to DW a lot and staying in luxury accomodations.
3. Don't mind NOT staying at Polynesian, GF, etc except occasionally.
4. Can afford it.

If finances are tight it would be much better to stick with economy (or even moderate if you get a good deal) resorts, put away the extra you save every month/year and then buy into DVC when finances are better in a few years. Disney keeps raising the prices but you can buy them through resale at lower rates. And Disney also gives deals through point buy-backs to reduce the investment involved.

Whatever, don't buy unless you're sure. I like DVC. I like the fact that when we leave Disney World we have a little piece to come back to the next year that's ours. But we have to have a 2BR condo to fit all our kids. We found ourselves renting those expensive condos anyway so it made sense to buy in. Plus we go skiing every year and DVC points can be used on a night-by-night basis at two of the places we frequent -- Snowbird and Keystone. And, we're fairly close to Hilton Head which we plan to visit once in a while.

On the other hand, I passed up many timeshares in the past and was never sorry I did. I just love DW so much and vacationing there every year works out well for our family.

Hope this is helpful.



PS The contract ends in 2042 and then all ownership for everyone goes back to Disney. No matter when you bought your points.

 

[SamatBCV]

Originally posted by Worldphile
Does that include the yearly fee?

That is based on the yearly fee. The startup would be additional

However, I must clarify what Dreamer said. If you stay at a moderate resort, DVC does pay for itself, but takes longer than if you stay at a deluxe resort (I've run the numbers). If you stay offsite or at the cheap resorts, then it is not really worth it money wise. But, like Dreamer said, you would need to stay at a DVC resort to make it worth while.

 

[DisneyPhD]

DVC takes some planning ahead and work. If you are the kind of person who likes to do thing last minute DVC can run into some snags. Any points you don't use are not automatically banked for the next year. You need to bank unuse points before a certin date in your use year.

It involves getting used to a new point system.

However if you are like me and look forward to planing your next 40 years of vactions and it something you do to take up time between trips, then DVC can be for you too. If you know the system there is a lot of flexibility in it.

It can be difficult to get into resorts that are not your home during busy times. (just like it can be difficult to get into other resort during busy times too.)

There are some tricks to save points, (like not using points over the weekend and it is cheaper during vaule season.)

If you decide to join, please tell them we referred you. We get some kind of a pert!!! Our Vaction Club Guides name is Mary Manix. She is very helpful.

 

[Holly]

Okay, I still haven't called them ... but let me see if I've got this straight.

I buy into it for a one time cost that starts around $12,500.

Then, I purchase points per year ... correct?

So using SamatBCV's example of 165 points @ $4.80 per point for a 12 night Beach Club Vacation would run me $792? (And I do understand that the point price can fluctuate from year to year.)

I don't know why, but I've always thought of timeshares as some sort of scam.

 

[dreamer]

Originally posted by Holly
Okay, I still haven't called them ... but let me see if I've got this straight.

I buy into it for a one time cost that starts around $12,500.

Then, I purchase points per year ... correct?

So using SamatBCV's example of 165 points @ $4.80 per point for a 12 night Beach Club Vacation would run me $792? (And I do understand that the point price can fluctuate from year to year.)

I don't know why, but I've always thought of timeshares as some sort of scam.

You don't REpurchase points per year. The points are the way DVC keeps track of how much you own -- versus the traditional way of just owning a specific unit for a specific week of the year. Each year you pay a "maintenance fee." Since you technically own the property, you have to pay for upkeep. They put some of the money in the bank for major repairs, furniture replacement etc. The amount that you pay for maintenance is determined year by year, and you can assume it will increase to keep pace with inflation. There are annual members meetings where these issues are discussed.

So based on your example, after you buy your points, you would be paying $792 a year for upkeep of "your" property in DVC. And as I just said that amount will change with inflation.

One difference between DVC and most other timeshares is that in 2042 Disney gets your property back. So in 2041, your fee will go toward maintaining property that will belong to Disney the next year. (I'm hoping they may give members a chance to extend at that time, but I'll 82 years old and it won't matter much to me anyway.)

Advantages you may not know about: You don't have to pay tax because you own the place. For my family, to stay in a 2BR at DW costs $450 to $650 per night. The tax on a week would be close to $500 for a week, which is 30-40% of my annual fee.

You can pool hop -- although that may change.

You can use exercise facilities for free. I think the Beach Club would be about $30 per day otherwise.

And then there are a variety of different discounts (none huge) from quarter to quarter.


On the other hand, since you're staying in "your own" condo, you don't get maid service (except once a week). For us that's not a problem at all.


You need to get the information, crunch the numbers, compare with what you would be doing if you didn't join and then decide what is best for you. Personally, as I said before, I think the best benefit is psychological -- having your own place at Disney to go back to year after year. Looking forward to that "Welcome Home."

 

[Worldphile]

Originally posted by Holly
Okay, I still haven't called them ... but let me see if I've got this straight.

I buy into it for a one time cost that starts around $12,500.

Then, I purchase points per year ... correct?

So using SamatBCV's example of 165 points @ $4.80 per point for a 12 night Beach Club Vacation would run me $792? (And I do understand that the point price can fluctuate from year to year.)

I don't know why, but I've always thought of timeshares as some sort of scam.

But it is not just the $792. You can't forget the original $12,500 buy in.

For example, we go to WDW the week right before Christmas which is still value season and we stay for ~6 nights. We've stayed at the Wilderness Lodge the past couple of years and usually pay around $175.00 per night (although this year, with a mouse saver code, we are paying $119.00).

So, for the week, that works out to $1,050.00. Not sure what tax is, but let's say it is 10%. That's an additional $105. If I were in the DVC, I would be paying ~ $600.00 per year in maintenance, so my trip costs me $555.00 more than being in DVC each year.

However, by saving ~$555.00 per trip, it will take 22 years to recoup the $12,500.00 initiation fee. (Not factoring in the amount of interest $12,500 could have generated which would make the payback even longer.)

I really liked Dreamer's intial post and I think he (she?) makes a lot of sense. DVC may be great for some people. DVC may not be so good for other people. It's going to depend on your personal situation.

 

[SamatBCV]

Clarifications

First, while as Dreamer said you don't pay tax per night, part of your maintenance fee is tax. It is the property tax on the percentage of the property at Disney you own. Second, please keep in mind that the 4.80 I mentioned earlier is an estimate (it depends on the property, the 4.80 is at the Beach Club Villas for 2002 and is also a close estimate). Third, the 165 points will not always equal 12 nights. It depends on the time of year and which DVC resort you stay at. At some resorts (the lower end Vero Beach rooms on the East Coast of FL), you can get more than just 12 nights if you book at the right time of year. In other cases, you get fewer. Plus it depends on the type of room you want. What I mentioned is for a studio (basically like a hotel room with a small kitchenette). If you get a 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, or grand villa, the points per night are much higher. Fourth, pool hopping is now limited. You cannot pool hop to Stormalong bay if you are not staying at the Beach Club or Yacht Club. Finally, I am not trying to make it sound complicated. It really isn't too difficult, but you can't think of it as a traditional time share. They've got an entirely different system. Think of it as purchasing a different currency. Example: You buy X points which are DVC dollars. Each year the DVC bank charges you an annual maintenance fee for your account based on how many DVC dollars you have. Then you pay for your stay with DVC dollars. Just as with regular stays, the cost will vary with size of room, which hotel you stay at, and what time of year you go. You do not buy a fixed week at a particular place. Hope this makes sense.

 

[cymbaldiva]

IMHO this whole DVC club thing sounds like way more trouble than it's worth...

My head hurts from just reading this thread! :lol:

 

[DisneyPhD]

For many years we ignored the DVC when visiting WDW. We could not get over the 12,000 to start fee. Last year we researched and crunched the numbers. It is worth it if you go to WDW every year (or even every other) and want to stay in nice resorts.

It seems like staying in a studio is a step down since 1 andf 2 bedrooms are so nice. But in reality studios are nicer then your average resort room.


For the right person or family, DVC can very much be worth it. Just depends on who wants it, what your needs are and if you can afford the up frount fee. It was not until resently we could aford it, but I wish I had sooner.

 

[GalacticGobbler]

We just got back from our first DVC trip. After staying for a week at the Beach Club Villas, it confirmed for us that we made the right choice.

Not only were the rooms and grounds great, but you can't beat a 5 minute walk from the room to the international gateway.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by GalacticGobbler
We just got back from our first DVC trip. After staying for a week at the Beach Club Villas, it confirmed for us that we made the right choice.

Not only were the rooms and grounds great, but you can't beat a 5 minute walk from the room to the international gateway.

That is so good to hear. Our first DVC trip is in 2 1/2 months and we are staying at BCV!!!! Can't wait to go. Did you notice any rehab around the Beach Club resort?

 

[SamatBCV]

Originally posted by DisneyPhD
That is so good to hear. Our first DVC trip is in 2 1/2 months and we are staying at BCV!!!! Can't wait to go. Did you notice any rehab around the Beach Club resort? [They /QUOTE]

They were rehabing areas around Stormalong Bay in Sept. I'll be checking again at Christmas.