New DVC at Grand Floridian...

[mrerk]

Eh - I've stayed at OKW and Wilderness Lodge Villas. I won't have any difficulty staying in a standard room at the Yacht Club.

Don't get me wrong - The Villa accomidations are beautiful, but many people prefer the hotel setting while on vacation. Personally, the last things I want to see while on vacation are a kitchen and a washing machine.

I would rather eat breakfast in my room than spend 60-90 minutes in the restaurant or food court.

And, I have no problem throwing in a load of laundry before we leave the room. It just means 2 things. 1, I can pack lighter and 2, I don't have 2 suitcases full of laundry to do when I get home. We've even thought of getting an Owners Locker to leave clothes in so we can travel with no bags. The airline baggage fees would easily cover the cost.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

 

[captainkidd]

I would rather eat breakfast in my room than spend 60-90 minutes in the restaurant or food court.

And, I have no problem throwing in a load of laundry before we leave the room. It just means 2 things. 1, I can pack lighter and 2, I don't have 2 suitcases full of laundry to do when I get home. We've even thought of getting an Owners Locker to leave clothes in so we can travel with no bags. The airline baggage fees would easily cover the cost.

Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

I admit - The washer and dryer would come in handy for us, as we have 3 kids. But going down to the laundry room twice on vacation is no biggie.

I like eating breakfast at character meals, Main Street Bakery, Whispering Canyon. We'd have no use for the kitchen. A fridge we use for water and medicine, but that's about it.

 

[wherewhy]

Sooooooo freakin tired of hearing about DVC, overpriced and waste of money. Why dont they build a non-DVC resort? They havent even filled the ones they have yet, why would they build another? Supply and Demand...

Wouldn't the millions they would spend on that be better used in lets say, oh i dont know... THE PARKS!

unbeliveable if true.

speak for yourself, we use it, have it, and we love it...

 

[puntagordabob]

DVC Grand Floridian? Boo!! Bah!

Anyone else with me that sort of wishes it was DVC Poly?

 

[mrerk]

DVC Grand Floridian? Boo!! Bah!

Anyone else with me that sort of wishes it was DVC Poly?

I would be all over it if it were DVC Poly. I love the GF, but it should remain a hotel experience.

 

[captainkidd]

I would be all over it if it were DVC Poly. I love the GF, but it should remain a hotel experience.

I think they should leave the remaining resorts alone, unless they plan to build an entire seperate wing. And I do agree - GF should be left as is.

I've always been shocked at the fact that they didn't build DVC units at Mods or Values. You charge the same dollar amount per point, but the price to stay there is much less than other DVC Resorts. That way, people that feel as though $16K is a bit too much, might be more apt to spend say $8K. Then, once they're in, chances are good, they'll do what many other DVC members have done - Buy more points.

 

[dixiegirl]

I would be all over it if it were DVC Poly. I love the GF, but it should remain a hotel experience.

Yeah , count me in as well!! I would LOVE to stay there!

 

[Brian Noble]

It just means 2 things. 1, I can pack lighter and 2, I don't have 2 suitcases full of laundry to do when I get home.

3: I don't have to guess exactly what the weather will be---especially in the winter months, where you usually need a little bit of everything.

 

[Erin_Akey]

LOL - Exactly.

The funny thing is, years ago, when we first started looking into it, there was just 3 of us. It didn't make sense then because we liked staying at the Values.

Now, there's 5 of us and we stay Deluxe, and it doesn't make sense because we'd need a 2 bedroom villa.

We've discussed giving up one of our children to make DVC make sense, but my wife won't go for it.:lol:

Did you know that at BLT, and Kidani village, the one bedroom holds five?

 

[Erin_Akey]

I guess I really do not "get" all of the arguing about whether or not DVC is a value. Of course it is not a value for EVERYONE. Of curse the numbers do not make sense for everyone.

It does not make it a bad thing just because it doesn't work for you. We chose to purchase because the numbers and value DID make sense for our family. We live within driving distance and never fly, we go at least twice a year, etc. The annual pass discounts, dining discounts, (and no i do not have to buy a dining plan that gives me WAY too much food, I just get 10-20% off all food and alcohol), the extra perks, and the accomodations etc. made financial sense for us.

If we lived up north, had to fly, went once a year etc., I do not know if it would have made sense.

Just a few facts though-
Once the total points for a resort are published when that DVC resort opens, they can never go up or increase, unlike hotel rates. The number of points to stay at BLT now will be the same in 30 years.

Someone had mentioned that they could not believe they were rumored to be building another resort when the current ones are not filled- they may not be filled daily, but they are sold out. A new one is not built until the old one is sold out.

Like I said, it is so silly to me to argue whether DVC is a good value etc. There is no YES or No to that question. It depends on the family and how you travel, what you can afford etc.

Same with silly dining plan arguments. It all depends on your family and your personal style.

I say all need to be happy, stay in the resort under the plan that best suits you and ENJOY YOUR TIME IN THE WORLD!:sohappy:

 

[captainkidd]

Did you know that at BLT, and Kidani village, the one bedroom holds five?

I knew Kidani Village did, but we don't want to stay that far away from the parks (though I'm sure it's beautiful). As for BLT, I have absolutely ZERO interest in staying there. I find the entire structure to be ugly as sin, inside and out.

 

[Biff215]

Someone had mentioned that they could not believe they were rumored to be building another resort when the current ones are not filled- they may not be filled daily, but they are sold out. A new one is not built until the old one is sold out.

I agree with everything you said, but keep in mind DVC can't wait until a resort is sold out before building another. This would lead to no inventory to sell and put their employees out of work. Just recently they had 3 or 4 resorts on sale at the same time. But your reasoning is totally correct that occupancy is not really important when the resort is paid for.

 

[jakeman]

I knew Kidani Village did, but we don't want to stay that far away from the parks (though I'm sure it's beautiful). As for BLT, I have absolutely ZERO interest in staying there. I find the entire structure to be ugly as sin, inside and out.

Nor would I personally want to be limited to just two resorts everytime we go to Disney.

 

[toolsnspools]

There are a limited number of places for a family of 5 to stay on WDW property - ASMu, POFQ, BLT, AKL, OKW, Cabin at FW, and soon the new AoA. In the long term, buying into DVC is cheaper than paying for the 2bd DVC (Deluxe) rooms, even with the current discounts. So your options become, buy into DVC, pay more for your rooms and stay at the same places you would with DVC, get 2 separate rooms, or only stay at ASMu, POFQ or a cabin at FW. If AKL is too far for you, I bet the cabins fall into the same category. I haven't stayed at POFQ, but with 3 kids, I can't see that being comfortable for a week.

We bought DVC because we have a family of 5. It made a lot more sense to us, and opened up a bunch of vacatoin options that we wouldn't have without DVC. Now that the kids are getting bigger (currently 7, 10 and 12), I'm thrilled that we can combine points for a larger room for the next few years when we need the space, and then go back to multiple weeks a year after they have moved out of the house.

 

[Erin_Akey]

There are a limited number of places for a family of 5 to stay on WDW property - ASMu, POFQ, BLT, AKL, OKW, Cabin at FW, and soon the new AoA. In the long term, buying into DVC is cheaper than paying for the 2bd DVC (Deluxe) rooms, even with the current discounts. So your options become, buy into DVC, pay more for your rooms and stay at the same places you would with DVC, get 2 separate rooms, or only stay at ASMu, POFQ or a cabin at FW. If AKL is too far for you, I bet the cabins fall into the same category. I haven't stayed at POFQ, but with 3 kids, I can't see that being comfortable for a week.

We bought DVC because we have a family of 5. It made a lot more sense to us, and opened up a bunch of vacatoin options that we wouldn't have without DVC. Now that the kids are getting bigger (currently 7, 10 and 12), I'm thrilled that we can combine points for a larger room for the next few years when we need the space, and then go back to multiple weeks a year after they have moved out of the house.

Totally agree with you! Before we bought into DVC, we always had to get two rooms. Now we can all stay together, have a living room area and a full kitchen and even have groceries waiting for us when we get there. BUT without the Deluxe prices. We too have two of five who are grown and are looking forward to the long trips later on as well into retirement and to bringing the grandkids!

Also, we personally get sick of all the big meals since we go so often and like the thought of just grabbing something quick in the room before we head out. And we LOVE to cook so it is nice to think of grilling some steaks on our BLT balcony while watching MK fireworks, or popping a frozen pizza in the oven at Kidani Village and watching the animals while we eat. Just a personal preference!

 

[fosse76]

Question: for those of you who actually did the math to get your nightly room rate of $100/night (or whatever you came up with), did you remember to include your initial (and subsequent) points purchase? One poster claimed like $79/night based on dues, but you have to include your initial investment (and additional points purchases) to get your actual room cost (combined, of course, with annual dues). Just curious, I just want to make sure I am understanding the numbers.

Another poster tried to use the discounts to justify the dues, but that doesn't work either. It doesn't count as a discount if you are paying for it elsewhere, especially when the discounts still didn't add up to the dues (from the consumer end).

I did the math for myself about two years ago, and since I always go alone and stay at a Value, I couldn't justify the cost. My four trips to Disney per year still cost less than JUST the annual dues of DVC. I have no doubt people probably can save money with DVC. I'm just not one of them. Heck, I don't even save money with Tables in Wonderland, and that's only $75!

 

[captainkidd]

There are a limited number of places for a family of 5 to stay on WDW property - ASMu, POFQ, BLT, AKL, OKW, Cabin at FW, and soon the new AoA. In the long term, buying into DVC is cheaper than paying for the 2bd DVC (Deluxe) rooms, even with the current discounts. So your options become, buy into DVC, pay more for your rooms and stay at the same places you would with DVC, get 2 separate rooms, or only stay at ASMu, POFQ or a cabin at FW. If AKL is too far for you, I bet the cabins fall into the same category. I haven't stayed at POFQ, but with 3 kids, I can't see that being comfortable for a week.

First, it's Riverside that can fit 5, not FQ.
Second, you can also get 5 into a standard room at Polynesian, Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach Club.
And getting 2 standard rooms at a Value, especially with discounts, can be very economical.

 

[captainkidd]

Heck, I don't even save money with Tables in Wonderland, and that's only $75!

That saves you money with more people. As a family of 5, it saves us a ton.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Question: for those of you who actually did the math to get your nightly room rate of $100/night (or whatever you came up with), did you remember to include your initial (and subsequent) points purchase? One poster claimed like $79/night based on dues, but you have to include your initial investment (and additional points purchases) to get your actual room cost (combined, of course, with annual dues). Just curious, I just want to make sure I am understanding the numbers.

Another poster tried to use the discounts to justify the dues, but that doesn't work either. It doesn't count as a discount if you are paying for it elsewhere, especially when the discounts still didn't add up to the dues (from the consumer end).

I did the math for myself about two years ago, and since I always go alone and stay at a Value, I couldn't justify the cost. My four trips to Disney per year still cost less than JUST the annual dues of DVC. I have no doubt people probably can save money with DVC. I'm just not one of them. Heck, I don't even save money with Tables in Wonderland, and that's only $75!

Does it really bother you that much?

Perhaps some folk can afford it. :shrug:

 

[toolsnspools]

Fosse76 - Sounds like you're not understanding the points purchase process. The only need for a 'subsequent' points purchase is if you want to have a larger number of points per year. Once you have bought into DVC, you continue to get the number of points you bought each year for the duration of your contract. Or maybe I just misread your post...

captainkidd - It's been a few years since I booked online, or maybe I just missed the fact that the Deluxe resorts have suites because I was never in the market to stay at one of them, but you are correct. I can also get a Suite at those resorts as well.

Now for my last swing at the dead horse -

I just quoted a room-only package for the end of Sept for 5 people at the Poly (MK view) for just over $4000. I can have a Garden view for about $3000, or I can move down to an ASMu suite for about $2750. A 1 Bd at BLT for the same week would run 272 pts (MK view) or 201 pts (Standard View). BLT is the highest cost points resort at WDW.

200 pts * $120 per pt = $24,000
$900 avg. dues * 10 years = $9,000 (Dues this year were under $700)
Total DVC investment = $31,000

Same 10 years at Poly in a garden view room with no cost of living increase would be $30,000. So lets call it even after 10 years.

Given the current price of OKW resales, I could re-sell my 200 pt BLT membership after 10 years for about $60/pt or $12,000, or I could continue to take ~$900 vacations for another 40 years to the DVC resorts. Even if you snag 40% discounts on every vacation for the next decade, we'd still be about even given the fact that I have a membership that can be re-sold. If you take the math out to the full 50 years, DVC will come out on top every time.