DVC Question

[GoldVariations]

Hi, I'm new to these boards but not to WDW. I just returned from a great trip to Disney, and there were a lot of ads for Disney Vacation CLub.
My question is, and this might be stupid, but is the DVC a one time fee thing and then you have membership for the rest of your life, or are there continual fees or premiums or something. And what does the Membership to DVC include other than the villas? Thanks!

 

[Bagheera]

The buy-in is a one-time price. However, you have annual dues and taxes, as well. (They're on a per-point basis, and the dues and taxes per point vary depending on which resort you own at.)

As far as what you get, it's the usage of points at any of the 6 (soon to be 7) DVC resorts (or exchanged for many other lodgings around the world), and also some discounts and perks. I'm sure that DVC would be more than happy to give you a complete rundown of the list.

If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to answer them for you.

Mark, DVC owner since 1995.

 

[GHOST1000]

I'VE BEEN A MEMBER SINCE 2000....HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT IF YOU ARE A DISNEY REGULAR (LIKE ONCE A YEAR). ITS ALITTLE COMPLICATED TO UNDERSTAND AT FIRST , TO UNDERSTAND THE POINT SYSTEM AND USE YEAR ,AND BANKING POINTS AND BORROWING PTS, ETC. THEY HAVE A SITE .(THINK ITS DVC.COM? THEN ITS DVCMEMBER -USER WELCOMEHOME-PASSWD) ,,THEY MIGHT HAVE CONTACT INFO ON THERE AND UPDATES. ASK FOR BETTY PRICKLE ,SHE WAS OUR HELPER, VERYNICE AND NO PRESSURE.

 

[imagineersrock]

hi there, im a wdw regular (a few visits a year) ...would dvc be a smart thing to do? -in the long run do you actually save any $$$? just curious, i've always been interested in giving it a try but my parents however are hesitant to look into it because its (i quote) "just another scam. its a trick to make you think you're saving money"

-if anyone could briefly clarify this dvc thing for me, thanks alot!

 

[wild01ride]

imagineersrock,

DVC is an excellent buy if you are a regular. We have been members since 2000 and we will have "broke even" with our initial cost by the end of this year. By this, I mean that from the vacations we have taken, we would have paid as much in these three years for our normal vacations as we paid for the entire DVC membership buy-in. The thing is, our membership is valid for the next 42 years. So basically, we're vacationing free of charge (accomodations-wise) for the next 42 years. There is, of course, a maintenance fee per year, but the fee is so minimal compared to resort accomodations.
In addition, with DVC villas, we're staying in deluxe accomodations where we have only stayed in moderate resorts in the past.

I think that the only reason that every last share of DVC isn't sold out is because so many people don't know the details of it.

There is so much out there to tell you about it, and any DVC host would be happy to tell you all about it too.

Good luck!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

There is tons of information about DVC on the internet. Go to google.com and enter "disney vacation club". Also do a search here.

It is complicated at first, but you CAN figure it out. Other people have "run the numbers" and the general rule is that it does pay for itself, and quickly, if your preference is for deluxe resorts.

If moderates or value suit you just fine, then the break even point is many more years down the road.

There are some differences between DVC and regular rooms, the most obvious being the lack of daily maid service and the fact that the "price" is much higher (almost double) on weekends.

Once you understand the system, you will find that if you have lots of flexibility and can vacation Sun - Thu, your initial point purchase will go quite a long way.

You can stay in a DVC property just as you can a regular resort, (by paying cash), but the cheaper way is probably to rent points from a member. This way you can check out the properties and see if it works for you.

 

[imagineersrock]

thanks for the great info- i might happen to casually bring it up a dinner tonigt with the parents!

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I didn't mention that you can find better prices in the resale market. This site has listings of DVC resales .

Resale buyers are not treated any differently by Disney.

Resale is the only way to buy into the sold out resorts, so it you really want Old Key West, this is the way you have to go.

Good luck.

 

[dreamer]

Do a search for other forum threads on this topic. It has been covered extensively with many opinions pro and con.


I bought resale points through The Timeshare Store. I spent $62 per point when the going rate was $80. They were very attentive, answered all my questions without getting upset, and I would recommend them to anyone interested in DVC resale points.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Hi we are DVC members, we joined in Feb 2002 and took our 1st trip to BCV earlier this month. We love it and wish we had joined sooner. We are considering taking an "extra" trip this summer to get more use out of our annual passes and staying at Poly. Our only problem is we love DVC so much we don't want to stay anywhere else. The resorts are wonderful, much better then a normal resort room (even the "studio" rooms)

If you love WDW, love to stay on property and want to go at least every other year, go for it.

My advice is get enough points up frount, instead of adding on later. We have 170, I wish we had 220, but we can make it work with the 170!!!!

 

[Bagheera]

First of all, GHOST1000, you shouldn't be giving out that userid/pw. There's a reason the site is password-protected. Is inappropriate behavior appealing to you? Oh, wait. You were screaming in all caps, so maybe it is. :fork: :fork:

imagineersrock, if you want a really comprehensive site about the pros and cons of DVC ownership, along with some really good financial analysis of whether or not it's more or less expensive, check out Brian Bennett's DVC site .

 

[imagineersrock]

thanks for the great tip!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Originally posted by Bagheera
First of all, GHOST1000, you shouldn't be giving out that userid/pw. There's a reason the site is password-protected. Is inappropriate behavior appealing to you? Oh, wait. You were screaming in all caps, so maybe it is. :fork: :fork:

imagineersrock, if you want a really comprehensive site about the pros and cons of DVC ownership, along with some really good financial analysis of whether or not it's more or less expensive, check out Brian Bennett's DVC site .

I don't see what the big deal is about giving out the password, it isn't that protected or like they can do anything with it. When we were "looking into" DVC our guide gave it to us. (However the all caps thing is anoying, please take your cap lock off!)

I also found a great deal of info and helpful advice at www.disboards.com They have a DVC site that is very interesting and has many members on it. I learned some helpful info there, like the whole thing ends 2042, so if you want to get more out of your money, join soon instead of waiting 5 years.

 

[GHOST1000]

You were screaming in all caps,
(However the all caps thing is anoying, please take your cap lock off!)

Sorry guys about that screaming thing. I get in the habit of using caps sometimes forgetting it means your screaming:hammer: