Disney Vacation Club- Taking the Plunge

[ZapperZ]

OK. First of all, I've tried to do a search on the DVC stuff on here that has already been mentioned, and a few other sites/forums online. I think I have a pretty good idea what it is and how it works. However, I'm still going to be annoying and ask those who know what you think of it, especially if there are things I need to pay attention to.

After being a passholder for the past 3 years and going to WDW more times per year than I care to admit <grin>, I am finally going to seriously consider enrolling in the DVC. On our upcoming trip (in 7 days - yea!), we are going to talk to the DVC rep. and consider the amount of points that would suit our needs, etc.

One issue I have is if this is really a "money-saving" option. While I can certainly afford it, I'm not exactly rolling in dough either. I've had good deals staying at WDW, especially with the non-Disney hotels but on Disney properties (example: the hotels on Hotel Blvd.). Just to give an example, on this upcoming trip, I'm staying at the Grosvner for $89/night on Sat, and then it drops to $69/night after that. On top of that, they're running a special where you stay 5 nights, and get the 6th night free.

Now, while those kinds of deals are not available all the time, I find that in most cases, I can get close to that rate ($60 - $110) most of the time with hotels in that area. My concern here is if I might end up with paying a lot more with the DVC program. I know that there are other perks with it, such as my ability to use it elsewhere in the country.

In any case, I would appreciate some input on this matter before I leave for WDW. At the very least, I'll have more intelligent questions to ask the DVC rep.

Cheers!

Zz.

 

[Aurora_25]

Ok, here is my opinion (being a DVC member)

If you stay at the value resorts more than the Moderate or Deluxe resorts then the DVC isn't for you- honestly, it saves money if you do stay at the mods than if you stay at the value resorts. Now looking at it from a perspective of how prices continue to rise for all the resorts- DVC is a great thing becase you are locked in with the points- you don't have to worry about saving the money for a hotel.

If you are looking for the best deal though- as I stated before- the DVC might not be for you if you stay off Property alot or in the value resorts. The DVC is a great thing and I am so happy we bought into it but again, it's not for everyone. I know that my DH and I used to stay at the value resorts mainly because we didn't want to think about how much we were spending per night to be at the deluxe resorts- now we don't have to worry about that really, because it's all based on the point system. Keep in mind that along with the points- you will have to pay maintenace fees on those points once a year- we have 250 points and I think our fees are about $700 or something...So that's another thing for you to think about....

If you have any questions- feel free to ask away

 

[HauntedPirate]

As a recent purchaser of a DVC membership, it really boiled down to this for us - a fixed price for our hotel for the next 48 years. When you break down how much you pay up front and in maintenance fees over the life of the plan, you end up staying at a Deluxe resort, approx. 6-7 nights, for about $500-600. We typically stayed at Value resorts, and very occasionally at a Moderate (and once at the Beach Club - honeymoon ). We also felt that this was a great way to be able to stay at other resorts without having to "pay" more, so to speak. Yes, they encourage you to stay at the DVC properties by having the points structured so that you spend a lot more at "typical" properties, but you have that flexibility.

Please feel free to ask questions - if we fellow board members don't know the answer, then it's a good one to ask at the meeting!

 

[Pioneer Hall]

You need to sit down a consider what you spend on a resort each time you go and if it makes sense. Talk about the maintenance fees when you go and see what that will run you yearly. Add that in to the price of the points and see how long it actually takes for you to save money. If it take 20 years it may not be worth it to you...but that will be your decision.

Also...check out vacation resale places. www.dvcbyresale.com has a lot of people who are looking to sell their DVC properties and you might save a lot more doing it that way as opposed to dealing with Disney directly. Just note that Disney does get final approval on all sales, and if the deal sounds way to good to be true then it will probably be rejected.

 

[ZapperZ]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. The resale thing has been something I have been looking into. It certainly is on my list of things to ask them since I don't quite know to what extent Disney will be involved in approving such things. I am also assuming that this transaction is similar to buying properties.

I definitely have to do some serious number crunching after I get back to see if such a thing is worthwhile. A major plus for me is that I can use it for accomodations to Disneyland and other locations, and not just tied to Disney World. So I may have to consider how many points that would eat up if I wish to do that every year. I gather that you use up the least amount of points at your "home base".

Zz.

 

[Cuseorng1]

It might be better to go with Interval International if your thinking about doing the timeshare thing. This way you are still able to stay at a DVC resort, plus there are many other resorts to choose from around the world if you ever decide to travel elsewhere. Plus i dont think they have that point system to worry about.

 

[Aurora_25]

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. The resale thing has been something I have been looking into. It certainly is on my list of things to ask them since I don't quite know to what extent Disney will be involved in approving such things. I am also assuming that this transaction is similar to buying properties.

I definitely have to do some serious number crunching after I get back to see if such a thing is worthwhile. A major plus for me is that I can use it for accomodations to Disneyland and other locations, and not just tied to Disney World. So I may have to consider how many points that would eat up if I wish to do that every year. I gather that you use up the least amount of points at your "home base".

Zz.

You use the least amount of points at WDW- it's alot more for the Cruise, DisneyLand, or anything outside of WDW. The best place to use your points is Old Key west (even if that isn't your "home")

 

[Aurora_25]

I also have a program that shows you how many points you would need for a stay at any of the WDW DVC resorts....It's really come in handy when I am planing more than 1 trip because it will tell me how many points I have used.

 

[Cliffordsmon]

Do you plan your trips 6-11 months in advance or do you plan last minute trips. I love my BCV but it takes getting used to booking so far in advance.
I tried in May to book a studio in my home resort for October and couldn't do it.

I have also found that Friday's and Saturdays really eat up your points. To stretch out the points we spend weekends in other resorts (try to get AP rates) and Sun-Thur. in the villas.

I waited until they built the BCV to buy in. I am responsible for my sister's addiction to WDW and I am always forcing them to come with me. The villa's
financially make more sense than paying for 2 Y&B rooms.

I love being a DVD Member!

 

[soin2disney]

Is it worth it???

My question is, is DVC worth it for someone who goes about once a year? Also I love the Grand Floridian. Is that one of the hotels on the list? What is the best amount of points??? We were there in July and wondered if DVC would be worth it? What is some of your opinions??? Thanks

 

[Magic Maker]

Go on tour.

 

[MartyMouse]

Talk about the maintenance fees when you go and see what that will run you yearly. Add that in to the price of the points and see how long it actually takes for you to save money.

How are the maintenance fees? I heard that Disney can jack them up every year and to be honest that’s what keeps us away.

 

[PixyDust]

My question is, is DVC worth it for someone who goes about once a year? Also I love the Grand Floridian. Is that one of the hotels on the list? What is the best amount of points??? We were there in July and wondered if DVC would be worth it? What is some of your opinions??? Thanks

A week in July at Grand Floridian in a garden view room for seven nights would take 344 points. Yikes!!!
That SAME week at Wilderness Lodge Villas in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, den, full kitchen, washer/dryer condo would be 350 points.
That SAME week at OKW in a 2 BR, 2 bath, den, kit, w/d condo would be 296 points.
One bedrooms and studios are much less...but we always get the 2 bedrooms (in the off season where these point values are much lower).

If you always want to stay in one of the "normal" Disney resorts, you can't stay in the values - they aren't available. But the others are. HOWEVER, you will be using points like they're going out of style. It is not the thing for you if you aren't going to stay in the villas most of the time.

Once you stay in a villa though, you'll get spoiled and will have trouble staying in a normal room anywhere after that. We are staying at AKL for three nights on our upcoming vacation to give the kids this great experience, but then its off to OKW for a week.

Take the tour! It costs nothing but your time, and you may just be pleasantly surprised at the accommodations!

 

[ZapperZ]

Hum... this is nasty. I didn't realize that by saying in here that I'm interested in the DVC, I can get a PM spam by companies re-selling DVC and timeshares.

Zz.

 

[ArielBelle]

I love DVC! And I don't even own (my parents do). We bought when I was in 7th grade, and I'm a junior in college now. My favorite part of DVC outside of wonderful beautiful hotels? In 8th grade, we did a 10 day trip to Britain and France...all with our points. Our family of 4 stayed in a gorgeous hotel in London, we needed 2 rooms because hotel rooms there are not quad occupancy. 5 stars! Right in the middle of everything..

We then took the chunnel right to Disneyland Paris. Stayed right there on property...

So if anything, it gives you opportunites that you normally would never dream of.

As I have said in many posts, because I'm only an hour and a half away from Disney up at school, my parents have been nice enough to let me use the points to take friends to OKW, BW(my absolute favorite), FW and BCV...

My dad right now is booking a Disney Cruise with the points..

It's awesome awesome awesome...

And the best part? Hearing..."welcome home" :sohappy:

 

[dvcnut39]

Because of the numerous and lengthy discussions already posted on this topic, I'll keep this short. We love being members. If you do the in-depth math, PLAN ON NOT SELLING, and consider the DVC as prepaying your future vacations, then it is definitely worth it. Just an example of the flexibility of the plan, my wife and I were planning on an anniversary trip to Aruba, but do to some circumstances, we are now looking to go the The St. James Club in Antigua. Also, you can't put a price on hearing "Welcome Home!" for the next 40-50 years.

 

[disneynutt1225]

My fiance and I decided to buy into the DVC in 2004 because we had been using his parents' points for a while and we wanted to take the plunge. At times, it has been a little financially unsettling, but when we think about it in terms of "in 10 years our vacations for the following 40 years will be PAID OFF" it's worth it. We love being able to go twice a year, probably more if we budgeted our points right, but we've been going for 8-9 nights at a time and typically during a peak period. We recently purchased 75 more points (giving us a grand total of 225) and we're going to be taking my parents down in February and staying in a two bedroom villa at the Wilderness Lodge (for 350 points).

So far we've stayed at OKW, BCV (our favorites) and this trip in October we'll be staying at Saratoga Springs which is our home resort. I really don't have any complaints about our experiences as DVC members as of this date. Between the discounts and the fact that our vacations for the next 49 years are "prepaid" in a sense we've really enjoyed being members so far.

Someone in an earlier post mentioned Interval International. While they're an ok timeshare company, my parents tend to have problems with them because when you buy with them (unless their policy has changed) you are buying specific weeks to travel during (i.e. President's week). Several times my parents have changed their travel time, and they've been hit with hefty transfer charges. Plus, their maintenance fees are billed to them yearly, with DVC, I pay mine each month with electronic funds transfers. They also don't necessarily get the accomodations they need/want if they don't book early enough - which can also be the case with DVC, but we haven't had a significant problem with that yet.

Hope that helps you! Have a great trip and enjoy your tour if you decide to take one. And if you decide to purchase, Welcome Home.

 

[ZapperZ]

Thanks for the great advice. And yes, I am planning on taking the tour on this trip. Like I said, I'm certainly seriously considering it and would like to know how much it would cost for what I had in mind. So this trip (along with doing the Happiest Pin Celebration) will be the "investigate the DVC" mission.

Zz.

 

[Erik]

My wife and I have had this debate many times - we both love Disney and go almost every year, however, she is in finance

If you buy, buy because you love Disney and want to own a stake in the magic.

But if you do a real fiancial analysis, accouting for compund interest of the original investment and yearly dues and stack that up against the cost of inflation and rising hotel costs in the future . . . I don't think you could find a lot of money folks who would tell you that it is s smart play strictly in terms of money issues.

I think I remember www.mouseplanet.com having a similar financial debate- may be worth a read. Good luck!

 

[ZapperZ]

Whoa! I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning to find there's a dedicated DVC forum! Things sure pop up fast around here!



Zz.