Disney Vacation Club Members???

[BRER STITCH]

Just wondering if anyone on the Boards is a Vacation Club Member??

I just got another mailing about them and, while I LOVE Disney, the Vacation Club seems very expensive for what you get.

Current "buy-in", according to the mailing, is $12,600!!!

Can anybody spare me the 2 hour time-share pitch and provide any info the have on this?

What does it consist of?
Is it worth it?
What are they advantages over regular vacation planning?

Thanks in advance for the info!

:wave:

 

[pax_65]

I think it may be problematic or even impossible to buy less than 150 points on the resale market. This is what I remember when I bought a few years ago... if I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me.

First of all, you're unlikely to find a package of less than 150 points to buy. Because the only way such a package comes available is if someone decides to sell "add-on" points. For example, if you buy 150 points from Disney, you buy it as a unit. I don't believe you can turn around and sell 35, 50 or 75 points later on... you must sell the whole unit of 150 points. Legally, I think it would be like selling half your house... you just can't do it.

The only way to sell less than 150 is if you bought 150 points or more to become a DVC member, and then went back and bought additional points from Disney, which is permitted, you could then sell the points you added on - again as a unit, so if you bought 30 add-on points, you have to sell the whole 30. So it's somewhat unusual to find someone wanting to sell just the add-on points, and those are in big demand when they become available because members wanting to add points will grab them off the resale market.

There may be a problem involved too (I'm not 100% sure) in that Disney must approve all resales. I don't think they would approve a sale of less than 150 points to a new owner. They establish that minimum for a reason, I think it applies to eveyone, no matter where you're buying your points from.

Again, this is what I remember from when I bought, so if I'm wrong I hope someone will set me straight.

Jon

 

[goofyman]

Originally posted by Dwarful
OK, now after talking to my sister again, while watching a dismal hockey game (unless your a Canucks fan)...anyway...we got to talking and we wondered..do you get the Mickey soaps when you arrive? I know housekeeping does not come daily unless you pay extra which we probably would because I am a bit houseproud so to speak, I know its a little thing, but its one of those things that means alot to our DD...so much so that we "save" them everyday and use our own soap so the kids can have a bit of the disney magic at home. thanks for any answers to this trivial question!

Yes you get the Mickey soaps. And, if you pay for maid service they fill in on saop everyday. Also, you do not have to get 'FULL" maid service. Depending on lenght of stay you will get 1-3 days of towel and trash service included. On the other day we usally pay the $10 a day for trash and towels. and that gives you more SOAP!!!!

 

[Kellylynn322]

Originally posted by pax_65
I think it may be problematic or even impossible to buy less than 150 points on the resale market. This is what I remember when I bought a few years ago... if I'm wrong, I hope someone will correct me.

First of all, you're unlikely to find a package of less than 150 points to buy. Because the only way such a package comes available is if someone decides to sell "add-on" points. For example, if you buy 150 points from Disney, you buy it as a unit. I don't believe you can turn around and sell 35, 50 or 75 points later on... you must sell the whole unit of 150 points. Legally, I think it would be like selling half your house... you just can't do it.

The only way to sell less than 150 is if you bought 150 points or more to become a DVC member, and then went back and bought additional points from Disney, which is permitted, you could then sell the points you added on - again as a unit, so if you bought 30 add-on points, you have to sell the whole 30. So it's somewhat unusual to find someone wanting to sell just the add-on points, and those are in big demand when they become available because members wanting to add points will grab them off the resale market.

There may be a problem involved too (I'm not 100% sure) in that Disney must approve all resales. I don't think they would approve a sale of less than 150 points to a new owner. They establish that minimum for a reason, I think it applies to eveyone, no matter where you're buying your points from.

Again, this is what I remember from when I bought, so if I'm wrong I hope someone will set me straight.

Jon

From what I was just told by the resale company we bought from you can buy the smaller packs if available to become a new member. Disney requires 150 from them because the member getaways are 150 minimum points "swap". Disney does have the 1st right of refusal and will buy back the points if the point $ is too low. There is a set amount and the resale companies know that. My husband and I are in the process of buying our 1st 100 points through the resale co now. We are suppose to close in 19 days. If anything happens I will let everyone know.

 

[BRER STITCH]

WOW!

Thanks everybody for the GREAT info!! :wave:

Keep it coming!

While so far it does not seem like a viable alternative for me,m I am enjoying learning more about the whole process.

The whole "point" thing is still unclear though. What are points....and howmany points does it take to stay at thedifferent Disney places? Does it vary seasonally or by location?

Thanks!

 

[wdwguru]

Points are the best thing that happened to vacation ownership. Instead of the old days where you would buy a week, you now buy points. Each type of unit at Disney cost a number of points per night and depending on the time of year. For instance, you can stay at an OKW studio (OKW costs the least number of points at WDW) during off season for 8 points per night on a Sunday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday nights cost more. A 1BR may cost you 16 points per night, etc. Instead of staying for a whole week, you may stay for one night or more, at any Disney property as well as some other hotels around the world that Disney has contracted with. However, most of the ones you can get for a night including non DVC Disney hotels, will cost a lot of points.

As I mentioned before, I used my points to stay at AKL and Polynesian back when they were 25 points per night for deluxe views. Then I used 166 points to go on a 3 night Disney cruise with my DH and two DDs. Of course we had an inside stateroom, but who cared. We didn't spend much time in the room on the cruise anyway.

You may want to check out www.dvcmember.com for more info.

 

[pax_65]

Points=Flexibility

The points system gives you so much freedom about how, when, and where you use your membership.

You can choose quality or quantity... you could stay in larger accommodations in peak season (like a 3BR Grand Villa in July) and use up all your points for 2 years. Or, you could stay in a 1-BR in May and still have enough points to go again in November that same year. It all depends on what you want to do and how you budget your points.

Disney allows you to "bank" points from one year to the next and "borrow" points from next year. So you can either save your points for a big vacation next year, or borrow them from next year for a big vacation THIS year. Or, if you really want to go nuts, bank your points from last year, borrow your points from next year, and use 3-years worth of points in one ultimate vacation!

 

[Married@WDW]

Originally posted by Yellow Shoes


The initial buy-in cost is not the end of your outlay of cash to DVC. There are yearly maintenance fees, approximately $7 per point--it varies by resort. These can go up periodically.

I didn't read all of the other responses to this questions but I felt I needed to post this. Annual maintenance fees are NOT $7 per point. The 2003 fees range from $3.49 per point at Old Key West to $4.37 per point at Vero Beach. They can go up, but there are a bunch of rules about how much they can go up, etc.

We find it well worth the money we spent. We originally bought 150 points and they gave us $750 off the price to give them back half of the first year's points. We were also cast members at the time, so we got an additional 15% off the price, which made it a steal! But we would have done it anyway. We're in Florida at least twice most years and I don't see that ever changing. And we figured if we didn't like it, since we got into Old Key West which seems to be the most sought after, we could always sell on the re-sale market. We were definitely right on that -- we'd make a huge profit if we sold now! But then we'd have to go back to paying for vacations -- YUCK!

Good luck on your decision!

 

[Married@WDW]

Re: hmmmmmmm

Originally posted by MJL
With all due respect to DVC members, I dont see how you could possibly make the case for DVC for an "every other year" vacation. A minimum investment (150 points) will require atleast $600 per year in maint fees, so thats $1200 before you even step foot on Disney property (plus your $12k investment). This alone (the maint fees) will buy you 5 nights at the Polynesian if you are smart and use the discounts available or a week or more at AKL or WL.

It depends on how you vacation. That 300 points can get you 27 days at OKW OR 20 days at BCV in January 2004. To pay cash for those rooms (with tax) would be $7647 for OKW and $6445 for BCV. And that's by 2003 prices, so it could be even more expensive paying cash.

That's how we see it paying for itself after a few more years, if we use it wisely!

And we've used ours to go to Disneyland Paris as well -- at first we thought the 30 points per night was steep but at least we wouldn't have to come up with the cash. Then we found out we got breakfast each morning (we paid $5 per day extra to have room service!!!) and "length of stay" passes! Couldn't beat that! The passes alone would have cost us $300 and food is extremely expensive in France.

So it's all about how you use it!

 

[pax_65]

I had a similar thought... I could sell now, make a huge profit, and all my vacations over the past 4 years would have basically been free.

But I'm not selling!

 

[Dwarful]

Ok, normally we drive to Florida, I can almost guarantee that it will be an every other year trip to Disney, I am like my sister almost completely sold on the idea,.

For those of you that are already members do you take advantage of the kitchen? I don't really see myself using this except maybe for quick breakfasts, but we have done that in the hotel rooms.

We have friends who work for a timeshare company and we have stayed in the timeshare "homes" but we haven't ever returned to the "home" to fix a meal to save money. I wondered how many of you leave the parks to grab a bite to eat. Right now they are selling in BCV so I was curious about the length of time it would take to get back and forth to the parks..mainly MK & Epcot. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

PS I know we drive down, but we always rely on Disney transportation, we prefer not to have the hassle of driving to and from the parks.

 

[Married@WDW]

Originally posted by Dwarful
For those of you that are already members do you take advantage of the kitchen? I don't really see myself using this except maybe for quick breakfasts, but we have done that in the hotel rooms.

We use the kitchen a LOT, not so much to fix a meal, but to heat up leftovers and for drinks and snacks at night. We're toying with the idea of going for two weeks next January and that would definitely mean using the kitchen more. We'd eat "out" for about half our meals and do some grocery shopping for the rest.

Right now they are selling in BCV so I was curious about the length of time it would take to get back and forth to the parks..mainly MK & Epcot. Thanks for any advice you can provide.

PS I know we drive down, but we always rely on Disney transportation, we prefer not to have the hassle of driving to and from the parks.

We've never had any problems with Disney transportation -- the bus service always sees to be more than adequate at Old Key West and Wilderness Lodge, which are the only two DVCs we've stayed at. We usually drive to MGM. To go to Epcot we park using free valet service (a DVC member benefit at DVC resorts!) at Boardwalk or Beach Club to go to Epcot. From BCV (or Boardwalk), Epcot is only a five minute walk -- there's an entrance between France and England at the International Gateway. From BCV you can also catch a boat to MGM.

 

[MinnieFan]

As far as transportation goes, we have never had a problem at the BCV. On our last trip we timed how long it took to get to the international gateway from our room and it was 5 min.

If you walk (we are 2 adults, no children) to MGM it takes 15 min. and the boat seems to take 15 to 20.


As far as cooking in the kitchen, we have not done that yet. We are taking each of our parents next year so maybe then. Without DVC we could not afford a 2 bedroom two times a year to take our parents.

 

[pax_65]

We typically eat breakfasts in the condo except for an occasional character breakfast in the park. It saves you a lot of time and money and gets you into the parks faster.

We also pick up some lunchmeat and snack foods for the condo. We'll usually spend the mornings in the parks, take a break around lunchtime, eat lunch in the condo, hit the pool, and then go back into the parks later. One or two days we might decide to stay in the park all day and grab lunch somewhere in the park, but I quickly get tired of the typical "burger & fries" lunch you get in the parks.

In late afternoon, after the pool, somebody is usually sitting on the couch, eating a snack in front of the TV. It's very relaxing!

We typically eat dinner out somewhere, but the fridge in the condo comes in handy holding all the leftovers we always have from our dinners out! And the microwave and plates are good for heating that stuff up!

I will admit we've barely ever used the stove in the condo. We had a big family spaghetti dinner once, which was fun... But there's so many great places to eat down there, and who wants to cook on vacation?

If you're the type who gets up in the morning, hits the parks from dawn until late night and never returns to your room, then a hotel room is probably good enough for you. You'd probably be happy at a value or moderate resort, so you probably don't need DVC membership.

For us (with young kids) we like to take a slower pace, with some relaxing time in the condo and by the pool. At night we put the kids to bed and stay up watching TV and relaxing. We've even rented movies before. That's why the "home away from home" resort is so appealing. It's not like staying in a hotel room, it's more like staying in a beach house for the week.

As far as getting into the parks, we own at Old Key West so we usually rent a car. We like to do some other things outside of Disney too, so we need the car anyway. We drive to Epcot, MGM and Animal Kingdom. Sometimes we take the bus to Magic Kingdom, which is usually faster.

At the Beach Club, you can walk or take the boat to MGM and Epcot which is nice. I would think the bus service to the Kingdoms would be excellent at that resort. Boardwalk is the same way. Wilderness Lodge has the boat to Magic Kingdom, which is really nice. Other than that you're on the bus or driving.

 

[artvandelay]

Can you use your points to buy park passes?

 

[MinnieFan]

Originally posted by artvandelay
Can you use your points to buy park passes?

No. Your points can only be used for your room.

 

[Dwarful]

well thanks for all of the info. greatly appreciated! The bus system was what was worrying my husband and he didnt find the answers he was looking for in the information packet. So I do appreciate all of the info.

 

[wdwguru]

As far as the kitchen, we brought snacks, cereal and water with us, and then bought juice and milk at the Beach Club store. I spent approx $10 (lasted a week), more than we would have at the grocery store but less than the hassle of leaving the World. I didn't cook, but was glad we could keep our waters cool and as others have said, a good place to store leftovers.

As far as transportation, all current DVC properties, except for OKW are attached to deluxe hotels, so the transportation is the same as it is for a deluxe. OKW has limited service in the middle of the day.

 

[DisneyPhD]

We love DVC. We were considering using our AP and getting the discount for an extra trip this Aug, and then after thinking about it decided we don't want to stay anywhere that isn't DVC. The stuio rooms are so much better then a normal resort room and the one bedrooms and more are worlds better.

Last trip we mostly bought snacks, juice, milk, pop, water hot dogs, snack foods, Mac and Chesse and lunch meat. These 40$ in grocerys saved us at least 300$ if we would of bought all this in restrants. (Heck just the bottled water saved us 50$) As said before left overs in the room, breakfest, and lunch really helps. (and you can do all of this in the studio, not to mention the 1 bedrooms.)

Besides the kicthen it gives you room to spread out and relax, you always have a balcony. It just makes the vacation so much more enjoyable. (getting a 0 bill for the room helps too.)

The bus systems are the same as any Deluxe resort at WDW. You get all the bennifts of staying at a Deluxe resort, plus more.

The up frount cost can be hard to swallow at first, but it all good once you get over that.


After becoming a DVC member I understand the 150 points min to start. You wouldn't want less then that. We have 170, and we are making it work, but I would LOVE to have more. I could use every point, there is so much you can do with your points.

 

[pax_65]

Originally posted by Dwarful
well thanks for all of the info. greatly appreciated! The bus system was what was worrying my husband and he didnt find the answers he was looking for in the information packet. So I do appreciate all of the info.

The DVC resorts are Disney resorts, so all the benefits of staying inside the park apply, including Disney transportation. They also allow some additional little perks such as discounts at select restaurants and "pool-hopping" meaning you are permitted to swim in other resort pools (although at busy times some pools may be closed to pool-hoppers).

As was already mentioned, the bus system is fine for most of the DVC resorts, just like any other resort. Old Key West is a little slow sometimes (although it's still my favorite resort!) because it's so spread out - the buses have to go to their destination and back, and then go all the way through the resort. But the quiet, relaxed, spread-out nature of OKW is what I love about it, so it's a trade-off.

If you're considering buying at the Beach Club, you'll have great bus service (I think just the one bus stop, right?) plus the boat/walk to Epcot and MGM. So transportation shouldn't be an issue at all.

 

[wdwguru]

Of course, just because you buy into a certain resort, doesn't mean that's where you have to stay. I bought into WLV, and I haven't stayed there yet.

As far as transportation at BC/BCV, there is one bus stop for all of it by the front for MK and AK. Epcot and MGM are boat or walking. The boat to Epcot takes you to the back entrance. BC has no bus that will take you or pick you up at the front entrance.