DVC is worth it and here's why...

[captainkidd]

I dont really see why people are arguing over DVC. If it works for you buy in if it doesnt dont buy. If u need convincing then its probably not for you

I think it's pretty simple:

1.DVC owners don't like non owners saying DVC doesn't make financial sense.
2.Non owners don't like DVC owners saying if you go to do Disney every year but don't buy into DVC, that doesn't make financial sense.

 

[GoofGoof]

I understand the purpose of the forums. I just think its a little silly the way people look at this. DVC is not an investment its a way to go to Disney. The arguments are a little out there.

I haven't really looked at this thread as an argument. There was some point/counterpoint back and forth but it never got hostile or argumentative in my opinion. I really don't see buying into DVC as a simple black and white decision. There are so many variables and such large dollars at stake. It is definitely a personal decision but I always find it interesting how other people viewed their decision to buy or not. I came to this and other online forums while I was researching my buy and found many threads very useful, especially when people laid out the rationale for their decision and backed it up with the assumptions they used. I try to always throw out my logic and assumptions now too to help others or just compare notes with others who bought in but I always point out that it is a personal decision that is not for everyone.

 

[woody98]

Thats very true...personally i dont care bc I'll do whats best for me..if i feel like buying in i will if i don't i wont. Pretty simple.

 

[GoofGoof]

I think it's pretty simple:

1.DVC owners don't like non owners saying DVC doesn't make financial sense.
2.Non owners don't like DVC owners saying if you go to do Disney every year but don't buy into DVC, that doesn't make financial sense.

I take back my last post and change my answer to this!!! He really probably is mostly right.

 

[woody98]

I haven't really looked at this thread as an argument. There was some point/counterpoint back and forth but it never got hostile or argumentative in my opinion. I really don't see buying into DVC as a simple black and white decision. There are so many variables and such large dollars at stake. It is definitely a personal decision but I always find it interesting how other people viewed their decision to buy or not. I came to this and other online forums while I was researching my buy and found many threads very useful, especially when people laid out the rationale for their decision and backed it up with the assumptions they used. I try to always throw out my logic and assumptions now too to help others or just compare notes with others who bought in but I always point out that it is a personal decision that is not for everyone.

I respect everyone's opinion but if you really think about it if money is a concern you shouldn't buy in. Your right there are a lot of other variables. When i bought in it was an easy decision.

 

[okw2006]

There are two simple reasons why or if it makes sense to purchase DVC.

A. You can afford to.

B. You want to.

Everything else is a moot point.

Very well put. I agree and am thankful that we fit into this catagory!

 

[woody98]

Very well put. I agree and am thankful that we fit into this catagory!

You hit the nail on the head

 

[disneyrcks]

I think it's pretty simple:

1.DVC owners don't like non owners saying DVC doesn't make financial sense.
2.Non owners don't like DVC owners saying if you go to do Disney every year but don't buy into DVC, that doesn't make financial sense.

We do not care what non owners or owners say, unless it was our accountant/financial planner. In that case, we would take it seriously. Like everything else in life, it is a personal choice. Like many things, for some strange reason, it starts to come to an "us vs. them" mentality. I do not understand it (missshrugsmiley).

 

[GoofGoof]

I respect everyone's opinion but if you really think about it if money is a concern you shouldn't buy in. Your right there are a lot of other variables. When i bought in it was an easy decision.

Good point. I agree 100% that if you can't afford it you should not buy in. Like I said before there are a lot of other costs besides lodging to going to WDW. Personally, I would not have bought in if I had to finance (just my preference). For me it was never about whether I could afford it, but really if it made economic sense based on my plans. After doing some research and crunching some numbers we decided to buy in. It has been a great decision and we are very happy.

 

[celticfan]

Purchasing DVC will always be a personal choice depending on that persons financial situation at the point when they are considering the purchase. If your not sure you can really afford it, and that you probably need to finance the purchase, then you should probably not make the purchase. If you feel you can comfortably afford the purchase price then it probably works for you and it is likely you will realize some type of savings, at some point, for your future WDW vacations.

If you can afford it and decide to make the purchase what it really does is guarantee that you will likely be able to continuing vacationing at WDW, and staying at deluxe resorts, in the future even if you financial situation takes somewhat of a downward turn.

 

[slappy magoo]

*Sigh*. I'm not saying DVC is an investment. It is a way to go to Disney.

ANOTHER way to go to Disney is by investing.

EDIT: Please note that I said "another way," not "the only way" or "the right way" or even "the best way".

But of course, that also assumes the investments you make yield enough ROI to take out to pay for your trip when you're ready to take one.

EDIT: Please note I'm not implying you WON'T get the ROI to do this, only that it's possible you won't. And by being DVC members, you know you've already put the money into making those trips, as long as you can also keep paying the MF.

I take to looking at DVC like shopping at a warehouse club (like Costco) instead of shopping in a supermarket. Every week, I get flyers for all the different supermarkets in the area - ShopRite might have chicken on sale this week, Acme might have a sale on cola and cereal, Wegman's will be having a sale on baby food, etc. If I have the time to go to all those stores, I can save a ton of dough. Whereas the warehouse clubs won't have the rock-bottom prices on everything, but very good prices, consistently, and I won't have to worry about taking all that extra time to shop and rely on big sales. If I had the time to do that kind of shopping, great, I could use the money, but that's a choice you sometimes have to make - if losing 20 bucks means I have an extra few hours with my kids to play, is that "worth it?"

Comparatively speaking, WDW might offer good deals on vacation packages or room-only deals, but they require that I'm able to go when the deal is available (whether or not it's convenient to me), and hopefully it's not a limited offer (or if it IS a limited offer, I get to it within the threshold of the limit). DVC affords me an opportunity to not only travel at affordable rates, but at my convenience, without having to worry about calling in time to get that super good deal. Or booking a room BEFORE a deal is offered and then hoping against hope a deal will be offered. Add to that the discount on annual passes and the option of doing the Table in Wonderland dining discount, and the knowledge that we intend to visit WDW quite a bit in our lifetimes, and I have no regrets becoming a DVC MEMBER.

 

[Sharkreef11]

But of course, that also assumes the investments you make yield enough ROI to take out to pay for your trip when you're ready to take one.

EDIT: Please note I'm not implying you WON'T get the ROI to do this, only that it's possible you won't. And by being DVC members, you know you've already put the money into making those trips, as long as you can also keep paying the MF.

I take to looking at DVC like shopping at a warehouse club (like Costco) instead of shopping in a supermarket. Every week, I get flyers for all the different supermarkets in the area - ShopRite might have chicken on sale this week, Acme might have a sale on cola and cereal, Wegman's will be having a sale on baby food, etc. If I have the time to go to all those stores, I can save a ton of dough. Whereas the warehouse clubs won't have the rock-bottom prices on everything, but very good prices, consistently, and I won't have to worry about taking all that extra time to shop and rely on big sales. If I had the time to do that kind of shopping, great, I could use the money, but that's a choice you sometimes have to make - if losing 20 bucks means I have an extra few hours with my kids to play, is that "worth it?"

Comparatively speaking, WDW might offer good deals on vacation packages or room-only deals, but they require that I'm able to go when the deal is available (whether or not it's convenient to me), and hopefully it's not a limited offer (or if it IS a limited offer, I get to it within the threshold of the limit). DVC affords me an opportunity to not only travel at affordable rates, but at my convenience, without having to worry about calling in time to get that super good deal. Or booking a room BEFORE a deal is offered and then hoping against hope a deal will be offered. Add to that the discount on annual passes and the option of doing the Table in Wonderland dining discount, and the knowledge that we intend to visit WDW quite a bit in our lifetimes, and I have no regrets becoming a DVC MEMBER.

Well put. This is a great way to sum it up. Honestly what I have been thinking but you put in a way that uncomplicates things. It's not always "well I'm saving the most money by doing this.." but rather what makes the most sense to do. Nicely done sir.

 

[DVCOwner]

That's a myth of Disney Vacation Club. I'm not saying it's bad but to say it's good because you "own" a piece of the mouse is false. Disney Vacation Club is a lease, not ownership. True ownership timeshares never expire and can be willed to your heirs until they're sold. Disney Vacation Club is for a fixed term. You don't own anything. It's just a long term lease.

DVC is not a long term lease. It is a set time ownership covered under FL law for time shares. It is a deeded property for the period covered under the deed. The reason why did DVC did a fixed time frame vs. forever has to do with the amount of money that would be required to put into the maintenance reserve as part of the yearly cost. The DVC buildings are designed for a 50 year life cycle. At the end of 50 years almost all commercial building require major renovations. At this time the buildings would have to include in the renovations any requirements due to changes in the building codes for FL. This would cause the building to be completely renovated or taken down and rebuilt. Each year funding would have to be put into a maintenance reserve (2 to 3 times what we are paying now in annual dues) to cover this cost. I am an engineer that has almost 40 is facility maintenance experience and I can tell you that the annual cost of a maintenance reserve the size we are talking about makes it better just to purchase another DVC property after the 50 years is up.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I didn't say DVC was an investment. DVC is vacation. BUT if you didn't buy DVC you could use that money to PUT in an investment which you could use down the road to purchase other vacations.

I do apologize for giving everyone that impression. You did not say that it was an investment. You had merely stated that you could use an investment to pay for your regular room rates each year. There are others that do compare it to a monetary investment, and I was trying to let people that might be reading this thread know that DVC is not a way to invest your money at all. It is, quite frankly, a luxury item. Again, I am sorry for the confusion.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I think it's pretty simple:

1.DVC owners don't like non owners saying DVC doesn't make financial sense.
2.Non owners don't like DVC owners saying if you go to do Disney every year but don't buy into DVC, that doesn't make financial sense.

Well, some might think that way. I like to keep an open mind, and look at it as everyone is in a different situation, they all have their own thoughts and ideas about what works and doesn't work for them, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, especially in an open forum such as this. I have absolutely no problem with someone saying that DVC doesn't make financial sense, because in their case, it probably doesn't. I would also never state that someone who goes to Disney at least once a year is a good candidate for DVC. Simply not true. There are WAY too many variables for a family to make a blanket statement like that.

 

[Tim_4]

DVC is not a long term lease. It is a set time ownership covered under FL law for time shares. It is a deeded property for the period covered under the deed. The reason why did DVC did a fixed time frame vs. forever has to do with the amount of money that would be required to put into the maintenance reserve as part of the yearly cost.

I stand corrected. Thanks for educating me.

 

[Ren]

I used my points to visit Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel in 2011 and just got back from a week at Tokyo Disneyland this past June. Spent 2 nights at Ambassador, 2 at Disneyland Hotel, and 3 at high end Tokyo Disneyland Miracosta ( Disneyland Hotel was my favorite ). Its not just for Florida resorts. Saved THOUSANDS staying at great hotels with the points and made dream trip affordable. Disneyland Paris is booked for Feb 2012.
Whats nice is the DVC has given me a reason and affordable way to see the world. A love of Disney helps, but points are great value for non Disney hotels also. After I do my tour of the world Disney Park round the real world, I will visit other parts of Europe. DVC helped make MY dreams come true.

 

[captainkidd]

I used my points to visit Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel in 2011 and just got back from a week at Tokyo Disneyland this past June. Spent 2 nights at Ambassador, 2 at Disneyland Hotel, and 3 at high end Tokyo Disneyland Miracosta ( Disneyland Hotel was my favorite ). Its not just for Florida resorts. Saved THOUSANDS staying at great hotels with the points and made dream trip affordable. Disneyland Paris is booked for Feb 2012.
Whats nice is the DVC has given me a reason and affordable way to see the world. A love of Disney helps, but points are great value for non Disney hotels also. After I do my tour of the world Disney Park round the real world, I will visit other parts of Europe. DVC helped make MY dreams come true.

You saved thousands on 2 trips?

You sound like a DVC salesperson.

 

[MousingAround]

There are two simple reasons why or if it makes sense to purchase DVC.

A. You can afford to.

B. You want to.

Everything else is a moot point.

OK.... I have been a "lurker" on this site for some time now. I have read all sorts of reasons to buy DVC & not to (I did in Febuary BTW -and again in April & a bit more July) BUT I have never seen a response better than this. I understand all the potential upside to DVC and I also "get" the preceived downside. I have done the math... spoken to the accountant & in the end its just something I WANTED. I WANT to feel like I own a small (albeit growing) piece of the mouse. WANT is the key here... whatever the reason. You WANT to save $$ on trips. You WANT to have a reason to go. You want to do this for your family. Its all about the WANT.... and being able to afford that want.

 

[captainkidd]

You WANT to save $$ on trips.

If it were that black and white, we'd all be members.