DVC help

[Helenr]

Hi guys

DH & I were thinking of buying into DVC. We are going to have a look round when SSR & OKW in a couple of weeks when on holiday.

I am looking for honest advice from others on whether it's a good investment (obviously we're getting $1.8 to £1 so it's good value at present), and the questions I need to ask, and the thinkgs they don't tell you that we need to know.

Thanks

 

[beryl628]

We joined in 2005. It was the best money ever spent. We bought in at 240 points and then added another 120 for 360 total. This year we went to Hilton Head for 9 days (In a studio if we paid for the same stay it would have cost 2,929!! I called to see if our cousins could join us but it was too expensive for them) And tomorrow we leave for Disney World for 10 days! All on our $1500 yearly dues! You cant beat it. And with the discount you can get on the Annual Pass (100 off), it works great. (we went in Dec last year on the pass we are using tomorrow..2 trips 20 days total on 1 pass

Also now that you can add the dining plan its even more worth it. I have never had an issue getting a resort that I wanted at the time I wanted. The people at the vacation club are great. We still keep in touch with our representive! He is great. Really took the time to answer all the questions we have and even calls every now and then to see how we are doing or if we need anything. We have had 5 friends buy in this year alone!

 

[tracyandalex]

we are also strongly considering buying into dvc. one question though, how does it work if you want to stay at a non-dvc resort. for example if we wanted to stay at poly for a week, how does that work?


tracy

 

[jasondiff]

It's not necessarily a good investment, but it saved us a lot of money on our WDW trips. We go frequently (2-3x a year) for a week and our dues are only around $1500, so with the AP discount, a typical week in WDW for me and my wife runs about $700 for hotel and tickets. It's hard to beat that even staying at the All Stars, and we get very nice accomodations.

The bottom line is, figure out whether you will go often enough over the next 30 years to justify the initial cost. Then figure out how many points you will need. With banking and borrowing, you need to go at least once every three years. You need to buy 150 points minimum from Disney, look at the point charts and see when you would typically travel since points vary with the season.

There are a lot of good resources on the internet about the ins and outs of DVC, so I won't rehash it here. PM me if you have trouble finding them.

 

[jasondiff]

we are also strongly considering buying into dvc. one question though, how does it work if you want to stay at a non-dvc resort. for example if we wanted to stay at poly for a week, how does that work?


tracy

You can do it but it is not a good use of your points. Look at the point charts for The Disney Collection. The cost per night to stay in a garden view room at the Poly is 41 points for a weeknight in the summer, and OKW is 20 points for a studio. And OKW's room is bigger and has a fridge and microwave.

 

[slappy magoo]

Hi guys

DH & I were thinking of buying into DVC. We are going to have a look round when SSR & OKW in a couple of weeks when on holiday.

I am looking for honest advice from others on whether it's a good investment (obviously we're getting $1.8 to £1 so it's good value at present), and the questions I need to ask, and the thinkgs they don't tell you that we need to know.

Thanks

In terms of traditional time-share, DVC is an awful investment. It's very expensive, and of course, your deed reverts back to Disney eventually, leaving you (and/or your heirs) with nothing to show for your money...

...except all those hopefully awesome memories of the time you and your family stayed at Disney. And if that's something that's important to you (and despite how obnoxious I sounded at first, trust me, I AM a DVC member), then it will definitely have tremendous value. Just remember: Disney vacations are probably never gonna get any cheaper. Room rates are going to keep going up, and if they keep doing great business, they're going to be less-inclined to offer any really special deals. Despite an occasional great promotion, going to WDW will just become more and more expensive. Buying into the DVC, even if it's just at the minimum 150 points, will get you about a week to 10 days (depending on the season) at a destination you truly love, no matter how much the rack rates go up for non-members or any other resort in WDW. Buy an annual pass at the DVC discount, and then plan trips appropriately (if you can only ever go on vacation in August, like my wife and I, plan one year to go in late August, and the next year to go in mid-August, while the passes are still valid), & you'll save even more money. Plus, being a passholder also gives you whatever annual pass discounts there might be in other resorts, just in case you want 2 or 3 nights in the Poly or a Fort Wilderness cabin once in a while. And if you want, you can always use your points for other vacations throughout America or the World (we're using our points to go to San Francisco for our honeymoon this year). Of course, if you have a lot of money, you might be more inclinced to buy some DVC points and a traditional time-share for all your other vacation needs.

And when your points revert back to Disney, almost 50 years from now, then hey, let your kids worry about getting to Disney on their own dime (or 10-pence, if you prefer)! You raised them, isn't that enough?!?!?! :lol:

 

[disbest]

There are many good reasons to own, but it truly depends on how often you frequent Disney. You need to sit down and compare renting with owning. Don't forget to include the annual dues that only increases over time. One factor to consider is the resale value of DVC. After several years of ownership you can sell your resort and recover some of your purchase price. In some cases the DVC appreciated like BCV. The BCV and BW are extremely popular because of their location and theme pools.

SSR is the newest resort but the resale value is less than the purchase price. On the plus side SSR contracts run longer than the other resorts.

Also keep in mind the DVC is building another resort at animal kingdom which is expected to be on sale by the third quarter of next year. I think this will be a popular resort because of the views of the animals and its location to AK.

Also, I recomend that you consider purchasing the DVC resort that you plan to frequent the most. This is called your home resort. This is because you can reserve your home resort up to 9 months in advance. All other resorts have a 7 month window. We own at SSR and it has become more difficult to reserve at another resort within the 7 month window. We tried to reserve the BCV and BW this year only to be placed on a waiting list.

In selecting a resort you need to way the pros and cons of all of the resorts.
I would recomend you take a look at some of the resales at the Time Share Store. There are some really good deals that include banked points. Plus you can purchase any of the DVC's. The only DVC available from Disney at this time is SSR.

Just my honest opinion!:wave:

 

[Helenr]

Thank you. It does seem a good investment even though we would 'holiday' at WDW no more than twice a year.

Can I ask a few other questions?

At present SSR is slightly cheaper to buy into ($1 per point) than other resorts - to me that says it's not as popular as they thought so I'm wondering why? I read about people thinking it's too far from the parks, but I like that area - it's central for everyting that goes on in Orlando (you know those other parks!!), and I love walking around DTD at night. Also read not too many pools and they're crowded - is this height of season or all year round?

Personally I prefer the theming of OKW but this is the oldest resort - does this have drawbacks?

Many thanks in advance

 

[disbest]

Thank you. It does seem a good investment even though we would 'holiday' at WDW no more than twice a year.

Can I ask a few other questions?

At present SSR is slightly cheaper to buy into ($1 per point) than other resorts - to me that says it's not as popular as they thought so I'm wondering why? I read about people thinking it's too far from the parks, but I like that area - it's central for everyting that goes on in Orlando (you know those other parks!!), and I love walking around DTD at night. Also read not too many pools and they're crowded - is this height of season or all year round?

Personally I prefer the theming of OKW but this is the oldest resort - does this have drawbacks?

Many thanks in advance

I can only speak from my opinion.

The resort is the largest of all the DVC's so this resort will probably have the highest number of resales.

From my perspective, I believe they made the main theme pool too small for the size of the resort. One day, during our stay, the pool was so crowded that it was standing room only.
Renting a car is a plus when you are staying at this resort. I am frustrated because the resort has so much potential. The resort itself doesn't offer much outside of a nice room. If you want to do something (ie: rent a boat or eat) you have to goto Key West or DTD. Also, it depends on what complex you are staying. We stayed at the padocks which is in the back end of the resort. We had to walk a good distance to get to the lobby or the main pool. Your request for a particular room is based on what is available at the time of check-in. They should require more points for a DTD view or a view of the pool. Some DVC's require more points for a room with special views.

I think SSR was designed for older people without kids who are looking for a quiet/relaxing vacation. We don't go to Disney for a quiet/relaxing vacation. I believe this is why there are so many resales for SSR. The resort is new and it didn't live up to some peoples expectations. But on the other hand some people love it. It depends on what you are looking for in a resort.

 

[disbest]

Thank you. It does seem a good investment even though we would 'holiday' at WDW no more than twice a year.

Can I ask a few other questions?

At present SSR is slightly cheaper to buy into ($1 per point) than other resorts - to me that says it's not as popular as they thought so I'm wondering why? I read about people thinking it's too far from the parks, but I like that area - it's central for everyting that goes on in Orlando (you know those other parks!!), and I love walking around DTD at night. Also read not too many pools and they're crowded - is this height of season or all year round?

Personally I prefer the theming of OKW but this is the oldest resort - does this have drawbacks?

Many thanks in advance

I can only speak from my opinion.

The resort is the largest of all the DVC's so this resort will probably have the highest number of resales.

From my perspective, I believe they made the main theme pool too small for the size of the resort. One day, during our stay, the pool was so crowded that it was standing room only.
Renting a car is a plus when you are staying at this resort. I am frustrated because the resort has so much potential. The resort itself doesn't offer much outside of a nice room. If you want to do something (ie: rent a boat or eat) you have to goto Key West or DTD. Also, it depends on what complex you are staying. We stayed at the padocks which is in the back end of the resort. We had to walk a good distance to get to the lobby or the main pool. Your request for a particular room is based on what is available at the time of check-in. They should require more points for a DTD view or a view of the pool. Some DVC's require more points for a room with special views.

I think SSR was designed for people without kids who are looking for a quiet/relaxing vacation. We don't go to Disney for a quiet/relaxing vacation. I believe this is why there are so many resales for SSR. The resort is new and it didn't live up to some peoples expectations. But on the other hand some people love it. It depends on what you are looking for in a resort.

 

[DizFanatic]

My wife & I bought 175 points in 2001 at the Wilderness Lodge. We figured we can stay in a 2 bedroom every other year for a week in the peak of summer (as a "worst case") Shortly after, we had our 3rd child so we really need more room than a standard hotel room. In 2004 we purchased 110 more points at Saratoga. Now we have 285 points - enough for a 2 bedroom at the end of summer when points required gets lower. Forgive me, I'm an engineer and tend to overanylize things)

Anyway, to your question... I think it was absolutely the best vacation "investment" we could have made. Last year we used some points to stay at the Disneyland resort in CA with out any problems. In fact they upgraded our room at check in for the same amount of points. We've never had a problem booking at any DVC resort.

We think of the money over the 40 or so years like this: We get to stay at premium resort suites with full kitchens for the price of a moderate resort hotel room.

If you plan on taking a Disney cruise, use your points for the cruise and see what an incredible value it is. We are planning on taking a 7 day cruise in February 2008. We will stay in a family suite, I forget the catagory #, but it sleeps 5. This would cost over $7,000 (check for yourself). We will use 3 years worth of points (we already have 1 complete year banked) and we only have to pay a few hundred dollars for the 3rd child.

So do we think it's a good idea? YES. And as others have said: Look at the point charts and think how you would most likely use them. Don't buy too many points (the DVC rep told us that) because you can always buy more.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

If you look at it as paying the accomodation part of your holiday up front rather than an investment you wont go far wriong.

 

[Aurora_25]

Thank you. It does seem a good investment even though we would 'holiday' at WDW no more than twice a year.

Can I ask a few other questions?

At present SSR is slightly cheaper to buy into ($1 per point) than other resorts - to me that says it's not as popular as they thought so I'm wondering why? I read about people thinking it's too far from the parks, but I like that area - it's central for everyting that goes on in Orlando (you know those other parks!!), and I love walking around DTD at night. Also read not too many pools and they're crowded - is this height of season or all year round?

Personally I prefer the theming of OKW but this is the oldest resort - does this have drawbacks?

Many thanks in advance

Saratoga is the largest so far which is why it is a little cheaper to buy into. My kids and I love it there- we have 380 points at SSR and have never had any complaints about it at all. We have stayed in a room that was a 5 minute walk to Downtown Disney and we have also stayed in a room that was just across from the pool, both were wonderful in different ways.

As for Old Key west- I haven't stayed there yet, but I am looking forward to it someday soon. I think that their yearly fees are a little bit more than SSR because they are the oldest and SSR is the newest so less to take care of.

 

[jdvm]

Everyone has to make an individual decision on DVC. We've been members since 1992 and have enjoyed it immensely. But it is not for everyone and I do not look on it as an investment. There are lots of other things you can buy that are investments. If you plan to come to Orlando, once or twice a year for the forseeable future and you think the rooms at DVC are what you would stay in even if you were paying cash, then it will save you big time money in the long run to join DVC. If you're not going to be visiting Orlando regularly or really wouldn't shell out for the type of rooms DVC has to offer, I'd give it a miss. Stay in one of the DVC resorts your next trip--and I would suggest at least a one bedroom and see if it's right for you. That's really the only way to judge, in my view. Good luck.
John

 

[mousermerf]

I personally wouldn't buy Saratoga because I don't really like the theme. The amentities are nice and the staff is great and the rooms are nice and everything.

The theme itself doesn't suit me. Neither does Beach Club really. If I could go back in time, i'd be buying at Boardwalk or Wilderness lodge for my home resort.

Now, with the AKL announced I wish I had the money right now for DVC I'd certainly be pinching the pennies harder if/when they decide to announce the expansion at Contemporary (but that's a long ways away.)