DVC

[Tyler Puckett]

I'm sure this has been asked numerous times but I didn't feel like searching. My family visits Disney about every 2 years, and am looking into joining the DVC. I was wanting to see what everyone's thoughts are of it that are members. We have 2 kids and 1 on the way so the regular studio rooms will work. We were thinking about 100 points a year, that way we would have 200 points every 2 years to use. What are your all's thoughts on the club. Pros/Cons and such.

Thanks

 

[DisneyJoe]

When you do go, are you used to spending the money on a deluxe resort?

 

[Tyler Puckett]

We typically go during the summer, but since that's the rainy season in Florida and we found out how to get the absences excused from school my wife and I planned to change our trips to Oct./Nov. We typically stayed in moderate resorts, but the cost of those seems to pay off the DVC totals before our kids would get "too old" to take them anymore.

 

[GoofGoof]

This is pretty much what I do. I have 160 points that I use every other year so with 320 points I can get a 2br for a week or a 1br for 9 to 10 days depending on the time of year and who is coming with me. I'm really only interested in the villas since we like the extra space but if you just need a studio 100 points should be good. It's worked out very well for us. With the rising cost of everything else at WDW and lack of significant new stuff to see in the past decade or so, every other year has been plenty for me. It might get a little harder with a number of new things opening in the next 5 years but that just gives you things to look forward to. It also gives you a good opportunity to visit other places in the off years that you aren't at WDW.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

I absolutely love being a DVC member. The points are really flexible and this thread attests to that. We have 250 points and are members at BLT. We usually take 3 trips per year and spend anywhere from 24-25 days a year there. If you learn how to use the points to your advantage you can definitely get the best value out of them. I only tell people to join though if they reallllly love Disneyworld because it's a big commitment and you have to pay dues regardless of if you're going or if you're not. They also increase and the older the resorts get the more the dues are because it starts costing more to maintain each property. We've been in since 2008 and we didn't have kids then and we bought in for 160 points at BLT but then realized we'd need more points when we had kids to get bigger rooms so we added 90 later. Ours are directly through Disney and so we get all the "perks and discounts". If you don't buy direct now Disney really tries to keep this from happening and you won't get the great discounts on AP's and parties and things like that. Thing is though 160 points at Poly really don't go far at all and really 300 doesn't either because the points for a Bungalow are a King's Ransom for just a week's stay. Definitely do your research on this and if you think the perks are worth it to you then you should try and buy from Disney.

 

[Tyler Puckett]

Thanks, I used to live in Orlando but now live in Kentucky so that put a damper on my biweekly visits. I have little kids so the studio is perfect until they get older so I was planning on doing 100 then upgrading as the neared the dreaded teen years. That's good to know about the dues because I wasn't aware that they differed due to age. You all have been great. Thanks

 

[P_Radden]

@Tyler Puckett thanks for posting this thread. My wife and I are also from KY and we visit at least once a year. We have many favorite resorts including Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom, Kidani Village and Poly. We are thinking about joining DVC as we've rented points multiple times and really enjoy the "studio" rooms for the value. @DuckTalesWooHoo1987 can you share any more info about yearly dues? And (I'm sorry if this is an ignorant question) what is the current price/point range that is a good deal if we want to stay at those resorts?

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

@Tyler Puckett thanks for posting this thread. My wife and I are also from KY and we visit at least once a year. We have many favorite resorts including Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom, Kidani Village and Poly. We are thinking about joining DVC as we've rented points multiple times and really enjoy the "studio" rooms for the value. @DuckTalesWooHoo1987 can you share any more info about yearly dues? And (I'm sorry if this is an ignorant question) what is the current price/point range that is a good deal if we want to stay at those resorts?

The dues totally depend on how many points you have. The more points you have the more your dues will be. Disney will for sure let you know up front how much they will be though. You can also pay them yearly if you wish and just write them a check at the end of the year. Also you should know about "use year" because that will really determine when you'll have to "bank" your points and such. You could actually find the rates for dues online I'm sure . Just realize that when you buy in that regardless of how good the "deal" looks on the bottom line even if you pay that once you're still gonna have to pay dues every month for the duration of the contract. So since we bought in to BLT in 08 when it started we will literally be paying dues there for 30 complete years. Like $120 a month for 30 years on top of the about $24,000 worth of points we bought.

 

[YorkshireT]

I absolutely love being a DVC member. The points are really flexible and this thread attests to that. We have 250 points and are members at BLT. We usually take 3 trips per year and spend anywhere from 24-25 days a year there. If you learn how to use the points to your advantage you can definitely get the best value out of them. I only tell people to join though if they reallllly love Disneyworld because it's a big commitment and you have to pay dues regardless of if you're going or if you're not. They also increase and the older the resorts get the more the dues are because it starts costing more to maintain each property. We've been in since 2008 and we didn't have kids then and we bought in for 160 points at BLT but then realized we'd need more points when we had kids to get bigger rooms so we added 90 later. Ours are directly through Disney and so we get all the "perks and discounts". If you don't buy direct now Disney really tries to keep this from happening and you won't get the great discounts on AP's and parties and things like that. Thing is though 160 points at Poly really don't go far at all and really 300 doesn't either because the points for a Bungalow are a King's Ransom for just a week's stay. Definitely do your research on this and if you think the perks are worth it to you then you should try and buy from Disney.

I'd say buy resale, save thousands and if you really need the perks, buy a 25 point add on direct from Disney which they will then sell to you as an owner. I just bought at SSR. I had banked points on mine I rented out, bringing the cost per point down to $64 for 160 points. Disney are currently selling SSR at $145 so buying direct would have cost me an extra $12000. I don't need the perks, but if I did I'd now buy a 25 point add on.

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

When you do go, are you used to spending the money on a deluxe resort?

Hoping its ok to piggy back on this thread. Just a general question, if we were to travel to Disney once a year, but we are ok staying in moderates, would DVC not be a good choice for us? I remember looking into it a few years ago and it seemed it was only a money saver if you would typically always stay in a deluxe. We don't mind Pop and we've never stayed in moderates but probably will as our girls get older. DVC isn't really a money saver correct?

 

[Minthorne]

Hoping its ok to piggy back on this thread. Just a general question, if we were to travel to Disney once a year, but we are ok staying in moderates, would DVC not be a good choice for us? I remember looking into it a few years ago and it seemed it was only a money saver if you would typically always stay in a deluxe. We don't mind Pop and we've never stayed in moderates but probably will as our girls get older. DVC isn't really a money saver correct?

If you bought resale at SSR and stayed at OKW or SSR you'd save. If you bought direct and stayed at VGF you'd be paying more. Lots of factors.

 

[Phonedave]

Hoping its ok to piggy back on this thread. Just a general question, if we were to travel to Disney once a year, but we are ok staying in moderates, would DVC not be a good choice for us? I remember looking into it a few years ago and it seemed it was only a money saver if you would typically always stay in a deluxe. We don't mind Pop and we've never stayed in moderates but probably will as our girls get older. DVC isn't really a money saver correct?

As a rule, using DVC to stay at moderates is loosing money. First of all, to stay at moderates now, you would need to buy direct. Resale contracts are not elegible for the Disney Collection or whatever they are calling using points to stay in non-DVC units in WDW.

When you look at the cost per point, plus dues, and how many points are needed to stay at a moderate, it is not worth it. The same thing applies to Disney Cruises too. Using points for cruises is a horrible waste of money. If you buy DVC with the intent of staying at DVC properties, and then happen to use points once it a while for a cruise or moderate, thats not too bad (it's still a money looser, and you would be better off renting out our points and using the cash to book a cruise or moderate). But to buy into DVC with the express intent of using your points for moderate stays or crusing is a very poor choice.

One thing to consider is just how nice the DVC units are - and the included kitchen(ette). Back in my paying cash days (which ended 10 years ago) I used to stay in moderates too. Since I have owned DVC, I don't think I would want to go back to moderates (or even a regular deluxe room). Having the kitchen makes our vacations a lot better. Not just from a food cost savings, but it makes schedules a lot better. I am the early riser, I get up and make coffee and start an easy breakfast. As the rest of the family rises, some are eating while others are showering or getting ready. We are out the door to the parks a lot faster and with less stress then having to stop and eat somewhere. Sometimes we skip lunch and do an early dinner reservation. It's nice when you get back to room to have some fruit, or a snack. We order from garden grocer when we go, and get maybe $50 - $60 of food. Eggs, bread, pancake mix, chunks of cheese, crackers, some fruit, and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. No heavy duty cooking, but having that in the room is something that really makes the vacation that much better.

-dave

 

[DisneyDreamer08]

If you bought resale at SSR and stayed at OKW or SSR you'd save. If you bought direct and stayed at VGF you'd be paying more. Lots of factors.

As a rule, using DVC to stay at moderates is loosing money. First of all, to stay at moderates now, you would need to buy direct. Resale contracts are not elegible for the Disney Collection or whatever they are calling using points to stay in now-DVC units in WDW.

When you look at the cost per point, plus dues, and how many points are needed to stay at a moderate, it is not worth it. The same thing applies to Disney Cruises too. Using points fo cruises is a horrible waste of money. If you buy DVC with the intent of staying at DVC properties, and then happen to use points once it a while for a cruise or moderate, thats not too bad (its still a money looser, and you would be better off renting out our points and using the cash to book a cruise or moderate). But to buy into DVC with the express intent of using your points for moderate stays or crusing is a very poor choice.

One thing to consider is just how nice the DVC units are - and the included kitchen(ette). Pack in my paying cash days (which ended 10 years ago) I used to stay in moderates too. Since I have owned DVC, I don't think I would want to go back to moderates (or evena regular deluxe room). Having the kitchen makes our vacations a lot better. Not just from a food cost savings, but it makes schedules a lot better. I am the early riser, I get up and make coffee and start an easy breakfast. As the rest of the family rises, some are eating while others are showering or getting ready. We are out the door to the parks a lot faster and with less stress then having to stop and eat somewhere. Sometimes we skip lunch and do an early dinner reservation. It's nice when you get back to room to have some fruit, or a snack. We order from garden grocer when we go, and get maybe $50 - $60 of food. Eggs, bread, pancake mix, chunks of cheese, crackers, some fruit, and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. No heavy duty cooking, but having that in the room is something that really makes the vacation that much better.

-dave

This is all great info, thank you so much! Lots to think about and look into. Dave, your morning Disney routine sounds fabulous. Certainly beats the in room granola bar or fighting the masses in the food court

 

[YorkshireT]

If you stay in a 1 bed DVC, unless you are going at busy DVC times, you can book anywhere 7 months out, so buy the cheapest you can in that scenario.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

I'd say buy resale, save thousands and if you really need the perks, buy a 25 point add on direct from Disney which they will then sell to you as an owner. I just bought at SSR. I had banked points on mine I rented out, bringing the cost per point down to $64 for 160 points. Disney are currently selling SSR at $145 so buying direct would have cost me an extra $12000. I don't need the perks, but if I did I'd now buy a 25 point add on.

How much are the dues on the 25 points though because you will have to pay that for the duration of the contract won't you? Wouldn't it sorta be a wash to get that contract and have to pay dues on it just to get the perks? Sorta like robbing Peter to pay Paul? I've heard of a lot of people saying they are gonna do that though.

 

[YorkshireT]

How much are the dues on the 25 points though because you will have to pay that for the duration of the contract won't you? Wouldn't it sorta be a wash to get that contract and have to pay dues on it just to get the perks? Sorta like robbing Peter to pay Paul? I've heard of a lot of people saying they are gonna do that though.

Sorry I do not really understand your reply. You pay dues on any contract, direct or resale. Direct prices are generally MUCH more expensive than resale, for exactly the same contract. The extra perks you get from buying a direct contract are limited, some dining, merchandise and annual pass (if you ever bought one) discounts. There are a few special members events throughout the year of you happen to be at the parks. You can use your points to book on a cruise but you wouldn't want to, as it's an appalling use of points and you are much better just renting the points out (which you can do in 24 hrs usually at David's DVC etc as demand far exceeds supply) and paying cash for your cruise. Resale buyers still get access to Top of the World Lounge, pool hopping and could use their points at RCI timeshares (again you wouldn't want to, much better to just rent those points). Buying resale can save mega bucks. For example I just bought 160 SSR points with 160 banked from 2016 and all 2017 and 2018 etc. I couldn't use those 2016 banked points do rented them out for $1800 immediately. Each point was $75 but by renting out these extra points it worked out at $64. Currently Disney want $145 for Saratoga.
I have little interest in the additional perks but if I had wanted them I'd have bought 25 points now direct from Disney which they'll only sell to a current owner (otherwise it's 50 min).
If you only wanted a set number of points, say 150 total, and must have perks, then buy 125 resale, and 25 direct after. You pay the same dues as if buying 150 direct.
I suggest you do a lot of research (a few months) and read everything you can on sites like this, the DVC section of disboards.com etc before even considering buying.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

Sorry I do not really understand your reply. You pay dues on any contract, direct or resale. Direct prices are generally MUCH more expensive than resale, for exactly the same contract. The extra perks you get from buying a direct contract are limited, some dining, merchandise and annual pass (if you ever bought one) discounts. There are a few special members events throughout the year of you happen to be at the parks. You can use your points to book on a cruise but you wouldn't want to, as it's an appalling use of points and you are much better just renting the points out (which you can do in 24 hrs usually at David's DVC etc as demand far exceeds supply) and paying cash for your cruise. Resale buyers still get access to Top of the World Lounge, pool hopping and could use their points at RCI timeshares (again you wouldn't want to, much better to just rent those points). Buying resale can save mega bucks. For example I just bought 160 SSR points with 160 banked from 2016 and all 2017 and 2018 etc. I couldn't use those 2016 banked points do rented them out for $1800 immediately. Each point was $75 but by renting out these extra points it worked out at $64. Currently Disney want $145 for Saratoga.
I have little interest in the additional perks but if I had wanted them I'd have bought 25 points now direct from Disney which they'll only sell to a current owner (otherwise it's 50 min).
If you only wanted a set number of points, say 150 total, and must have perks, then buy 125 resale, and 25 direct after. You pay the same dues as if buying 150 direct.
I suggest you do a lot of research (a few months) and read everything you can on sites like this, the DVC section of disboards.com etc before even considering buying.

Since I've already been a member for almost 10 years if I were going to add on points I'd buy resale for sure but if I were buying in initially I'd probably still buy from Disney. I thought everything was "sold out" though except for Poly and Aulani. DVC has even told me that. I highly doubt there will ever be some over the top awesome deal on points though since Disney can refuse to let people sell them for extremely cheap anyway. I've seen people online saying that they would buy like 200pts resell initially at like OKW then buy a 25pt contract at Poly just to be able to get the perks because technically they wouldn't be "resell" members if they had a direct contract. I asked a DVC rep about that once and they told me the only way you can use the perks though is if you were "staying" on the contract at the time that an event or something was going on. In other words, like if there was a MK event and you were staying only on OKW resell points for that trip you wouldn't actually be considered a "member" that would be eligible for entry unless you had specifically used some of your "direct" points to book the trip. She said they were trying to do all they could to stop people from buying resell because they feel like it's "unfair" for people to buy in at such a low price and then get the same perks as people that were actually loyal to the brand or whatever. We both know the real reason is that they want more money for themselves though and couldn't really care less who's a "real member" or not. Also you were mentioning a 50 pt minimum when buying in and I'm assuming they've changed the minimum since we bought in because I think back then they told us we had to buy at least 160 when we bought in at BLT. Do you think they might raise the minimum amount if enough people start using the 25pt thing as a loophole?

 

[YorkshireT]

Hi, your DVC rep hasn't been entirely accurate to say the least. If you want a sold out resort insist and they will sell. If you go on the Orange County comptrollers website and put in a search on the deeds for Disney Vacation Developments you will see they are constantly selling older resorts direct. They even have a price list. They are currently taking high numbers of resale on Right of First Refusal, they do this so they can flip and sell direct. They try to put you off as they are trying to sell Poly....
As to not having perks unless you stay on those points, that is not correct either. You have all the perks once you are a direct member. You don't have to be staying on points. You cannot use none direct points for booking Cruises or Conceirge collection, but you wouldn't want to- see comments above.
As to stopping the 25 point add on, it is of course a possibility. They could increase to 50. However they are in the business of selling direct and making hefty profits. Even a 25 point add on has large margins. So will they want to lose that, to plug a 'loophole'. I suspect not. Remember most people buy DVC at the parks, unaware of resale and if they ask about resale, they are given a perks line, cannot book cruises etc. Only later do some get educated. I'm amazed on the comptrollers website how many Saratoga contracts are being sold direct, at $145 a point currently, many also with Disney finance. Those folks could be saving thousands.
As for price per point, look on the specialist dvc resellers website. I just bought SSR for $75 a point, with last year's points banked. Within 24 hours I rented all those banked points which I cannot use for $11.30 a point. This means my contract cost me $64 a point with all 2017 points onwards intact and for me to use. My experience is standard, not unusual, look at the prices resale.

 

[DuckTalesWooHoo1987]

Yeah I saw on DVC News a year or so ago that actually Disney has to foreclose on a lot of people's loans and the public is actually eligible to try and buy the ones that people can't afford anymore or whatever. I guess that's another way for Disney to get contracts back. I agree too that it's a definite waste of points to use the exchange or use them for cruises. We've only actually been on one Disney cruise and that was plenty enough for me. If I wasted points on it I would not be happy. Although that's just my opinion of the cruise. Some people, even including my wife, really like it. I just wasn't a big fan of it myself and consider myself an absolutely obsessed Disney devotee. The parks just have my heart and always have. I don't even care if I ever go to Aulani. My wife might talk me in to it one day but I'll never just desire it for myself. Out of curiosity, do you consider DVC to be an investment? I personally don't but I suppose it could be if you just rented your points out but wouldn't it take years to try and recoup what you initially spent before you could turn a profit on them?

 

[YorkshireT]

Yeah I saw on DVC News a year or so ago that actually Disney has to foreclose on a lot of people's loans and the public is actually eligible to try and buy the ones that people can't afford anymore or whatever. I guess that's another way for Disney to get contracts back. I agree too that it's a definite waste of points to use the exchange or use them for cruises. We've only actually been on one Disney cruise and that was plenty enough for me. If I wasted points on it I would not be happy. Although that's just my opinion of the cruise. Some people, even including my wife, really like it. I just wasn't a big fan of it myself and consider myself an absolutely obsessed Disney devotee. The parks just have my heart and always have. I don't even care if I ever go to Aulani. My wife might talk me in to it one day but I'll never just desire it for myself. Out of curiosity, do you consider DVC to be an investment? I personally don't but I suppose it could be if you just rented your points out but wouldn't it take years to try and recoup what you initially spent before you could turn a profit on them?

Hi. I think the Disney Cruise looks really good but haven't been on it yet. When I say waste of points, I mean the value of using points for the cruise is terrible, you are much better renting and using cash to book instead.
Is it an investment? Possibly, but if you are going to spend cash on luxury accommodation at Disney anyway, it can become a bit of a 'no brainer'. But that depends on what you buy in for and whether you have to finance. Personally there is no chance I'd buy in now at direct prices and finance it- the payback would be too long (if ever). However I may have thought the same when people were buying OKW 25 years ago, and they did OK.
For me I think it's a good deal. 3 stays in a 1 bed and I've roughly broken even. Then I have a contract undoubtedly worth a decent amount (will it continue to increase on the resale market as they have done historically- possibly but as they near end of life they must start dropping) which I can sell, use or rent. I'm intending to use not rent, so that's big saving every visit then. Assuming I wanted to just rent, and kept it another 25 years say, then could sell it on and get back what I paid (not an unreasonable assumption given inflation and it will have 12 years left on it) , it's actually a good rate of return. OR I can just go on a few vacations over the next few years so I'm at break even, then keep it until the end and (assuming rental prices v dues remains the same) clear $1k pa plus profit on it for 30 years if I wanted.
I'd probably be better off having no vacation, and putting this cash in my pension, but I'd certainly not be as happy. I suppose you'd say I was very happy with the purchase, it makes a lot of sense financially and so it was a great way to spend some of my money. I think though many overpay, overstretch themselves, and buy on impulse and regret. I recommend circa 6 months regular research and if possible a DVC stay on rented points before buying in. Cheers.