Vacation club

[brittany08]

My husband and I for years have been looking into vacation club. We have thought about buyin resale or though Disney. Just want to know what’s your experiences out there and is it worth it?? I feel like Disney always has deals on free dining etc so does it add up?we like to do dining plan.we normally just stay at values but went to aulani and had a nicer room.it be nice to experience higher value resorts.thanks.

 

[mousekedoc]

Ten years ago my wife and i stayed at Port Orleans and really enjoyed it. At the same time my friend stayed at Saratoga Springs. We paid about $3000. He paid about $7000. Rounding up. When we checked out Saratoga time share, we could get the room my friend got for 7 days, for 50 years for $12500. We put $2500 down and financed the rest. So our investment paid itself off in 2 visits. We did that once more in Saratoga and twice in Animal kingdom.
In these past ten years we have had 20 trips to Disney, at least three of them where we got grand villas, bringing friends and family. That’s not including the two DVC only cruises, which are AMAZING.
Today’s costs, when I checked for 1 room villa for 7 nights in October as cost, would be about $32000. It would take 5 trips to get even.
If you have kids and expect to do Disney at least every other year for the next ten years, it’s worth it. That still gives you 40 years of discounted vacations.
In my opinion, besides my marriage and child’s adoption, this was best decision made for my family. My wife, daughter, parents, in laws, best friends, college roommates, childs friends, and every cousin on my wife’s side, who have all had a free Disney hotel stay because of us also agree.

 

[brittany08]

Ten years ago my wife and i stayed at Port Orleans and really enjoyed it. At the same time my friend stayed at Saratoga Springs. We paid about $3000. He paid about $7000. Rounding up. When we checked out Saratoga time share, we could get the room my friend got for 7 days, for 50 years for $12500. We put $2500 down and financed the rest. So our investment paid itself off in 2 visits. We did that once more in Saratoga and twice in Animal kingdom.
In these past ten years we have had 20 trips to Disney, at least three of them where we got grand villas, bringing friends and family. That’s not including the two DVC only cruises, which are AMAZING.
Today’s costs, when I checked for 1 room villa for 7 nights in October as cost, would be about $32000. It would take 5 trips to get even.
If you have kids and expect to do Disney at least every other year for the next ten years, it’s worth it. That still gives you 40 years of discounted vacations.
In my opinion, besides my marriage and child’s adoption, this was best decision made for my family. My wife, daughter, parents, in laws, best friends, college roommates, childs friends, and every cousin on my wife’s side, who have all had a free Disney hotel stay because of us also agree.

This is very helpful!we go every year or every year and now with having kids it will get more expensive!do you find it hard to book your vacation when it isn’t your home resort?

 

[Hakunamatata]

Worth is subjective. You have to do whats best for you. Sone will say its great. Soe have charts that say it horrid. In the end its your dollars. Spend them on what makes you responibly happy.

 

[EOD K9]

@brittany08 Again, worth is subjective. NEVER buy just for discounts and promotions. They can give and take them whenever they want. Sometimes you may find a great deal on tickets/APs and gone a few years later. The company may give great dining discounts, and you'll find later down the road that the percentage has been reduced. I purchased 150 points at SSR back in 2005 through their financing company and paid it off early. Have taken numerous trips since then and in my opinion, has been worth it.
For one trip, I was able to take my in-laws, my parents, and my wife and got us three studios. DVC offers great flexibility. Since I have had kids since then, I purchased another 35 points through the company. Since we stay on property after our cruises, it makes sense to have. As @mousekedoc said, if you want to go every other year (and stay deluxe) you'll find value in your purchase.
Recently, Disney has been cutting out all extras for resale purchases. No discounted APs, no membership card...no....anything really. If just staying on property is good enough, then resale is the way to go. If you want to use your points on cruises (which is a bad exchange by the way) and other trade ins, you cannot with resale. If it is that important to you, buy resale and add a very small contract direct with the Company.
I have also find myself not using all my points at times, therefore I can bank them, but also rent them to others. I use that money to pay for my cruises. There are a lot of possibilities. If you are interested, PM me and I can refer you to my DVC guide. Good luck with your decision.

Also @mousekedoc I'll be taking my first Member Cruise in July, can you tell me about it and how different it is vs the standard cruise? TIA

 

[mousekedoc]

This is very helpful!we go every year or every year and now with having kids it will get more expensive!do you find it hard to book your vacation when it isn’t your home resort?

I would say half our trips have been non home resorts. There are caveats. For example, Poly is so expensive and so desireable, its been impossible to get a week there in a studio. Studios go quick. We could’ve done the villas, but they are so expensive, even with our 500 points, we can’t do a whole week. Also, forget non home sites for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. We usually go in October. We usually get what we want in first two weeks, but not always because of south US fall breaks. We get what we want in last two weeks October. But we have done 1,2 bedrooms with pool views at BW, park views grand villa at Comtemporary, 1,2 bedrooms at KeyWest and 1 bedroom at Beach Club. We are now booked for a 1 bedroom villa for Oct for AK, but we are expecting to switch to either Beach Club or Grand Floridian this fall. Does that help?

 

[brittany08]

I would say half our trips have been non home resorts. There are caveats. For example, Poly is so expensive and so desireable, its been impossible to get a week there in a studio. Studios go quick. We could’ve done the villas, but they are so expensive, even with our 500 points, we can’t do a whole week. Also, forget non home sites for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. We usually go in October. We usually get what we want in first two weeks, but not always because of south US fall breaks. We get what we want in last two weeks October. But we have done 1,2 bedrooms with pool views at BW, park views grand villa at Comtemporary, 1,2 bedrooms at KeyWest and 1 bedroom at Beach Club. We are now booked for a 1 bedroom villa for Oct for AK, but we are expecting to switch to either Beach Club or Grand Floridian this fall. Does that help?

Thank you for your advice!this has been helpful.will help us to make a better decision.

 

[brittany08]

I would say half our trips have been non home resorts. There are caveats. For example, Poly is so expensive and so desireable, its been impossible to get a week there in a studio. Studios go quick. We could’ve done the villas, but they are so expensive, even with our 500 points, we can’t do a whole week. Also, forget non home sites for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter. We usually go in October. We usually get what we want in first two weeks, but not always because of south US fall breaks. We get what we want in last two weeks October. But we have done 1,2 bedrooms with pool views at BW, park views grand villa at Comtemporary, 1,2 bedrooms at KeyWest and 1 bedroom at Beach Club. We are now booked for a 1 bedroom villa for Oct for AK, but we are expecting to switch to either Beach Club or Grand Floridian this fall. Does that help?

@brittany08 Again, worth is subjective. NEVER buy just for discounts and promotions. They can give and take them whenever they want. Sometimes you may find a great deal on tickets/APs and gone a few years later. The company may give great dining discounts, and you'll find later down the road that the percentage has been reduced. I purchased 150 points at SSR back in 2005 through their financing company and paid it off early. Have taken numerous trips since then and in my opinion, has been worth it.
For one trip, I was able to take my in-laws, my parents, and my wife and got us three studios. DVC offers great flexibility. Since I have had kids since then, I purchased another 35 points through the company. Since we stay on property after our cruises, it makes sense to have. As @mousekedoc said, if you want to go every other year (and stay deluxe) you'll find value in your purchase.
Recently, Disney has been cutting out all extras for resale purchases. No discounted APs, no membership card...no....anything really. If just staying on property is good enough, then resale is the way to go. If you want to use your points on cruises (which is a bad exchange by the way) and other trade ins, you cannot with resale. If it is that important to you, buy resale and add a very small contract direct with the Company.
I have also find myself not using all my points at times, therefore I can bank them, but also rent them to others. I use that money to pay for my cruises. There are a lot of possibilities. If you are interested, PM me and I can refer you to my DVC guide. Good luck with your decision.

Also @mousekedoc I'll be taking my first Member Cruise in July, can you tell me about it and how different it is vs the standard cruise? TIA

This is great!!!veryone has been so helpful.it helps me a lot to make a better decision.its a big decision and I have been torn for a few years.it sounds like the best benefits is to buy in with Disney.

 

[brittany08]

Worth is subjective. You have to do whats best for you. Sone will say its great. Soe have charts that say it horrid. In the end its your dollars. Spend them on what makes you responibly happy.

I have been torn based on all these opinions.your right.thanks for advice.

 

[brittany08]

This is great!!!veryone has been so helpful.it helps me a lot to make a better decision.its a big decision and I have been torn for a few years.it sounds like the best benefits is to buy in with Disney.

I’ll be contacting you. Renting to pay for cruises and dues is awesome.i have also heard value is horrible for cruises.

 

[correcaminos]

This is very helpful!we go every year or every year and now with having kids it will get more expensive!do you find it hard to book your vacation when it isn’t your home resort?

You didn't ask me, but I've owned for 14 years now. I'd say less than 1/4 of our stays have been at home. We just enjoy trying out new resorts. Our time at BCV and BWV will likely come to an end with the expansions they are doing and bringing in the skyliner. But we've had great luck even booking there at the 7 month mark.

General rule of thumb is that studios go first, then two bedrooms, then 1 bedrooms. So if you are only going for studios things can be tough. Also fall through mid- Jan can be tough to book with Christmas-New Years being really hard to get. Summer and spring generally are easier to book and early fall before F&WF takes off isn't bad either. Late winter just varies with the races, though it seems February is picking up.

Now in general: is it worth it? It can be. We bought our first contract resale and did small add ons direct. When I purchased there was no distinction in resale vs direct so the choice was very easy. Still I don't recommend buying direct unless you are going for a harder to get resort or want smaller contracts. Then run numbers and see. Our direct purchases were smaller contracts where with rewards earned, lower closing costs, and value of getting MF free year as well as a 'loaded' contract all played into it.

We go every year. Sometimes we've had to skip a year but sometimes we've gone twice. I admit I loathe the value resorts so always did moderates or above. In fact I was a huge Swan and Dolphin lover before I got DVC. I like the larger rooms and such. What it really has gotten us are large accommodations that really feel like a relaxing vacation. We have done nights in a bungalow and regularly 2 bedrooms now. So we are a little spoiled but love what we have. You can run numbers to see if it would work. I still suggest to go through resale and never finance this kind of purchase. It quickly loses its value if you do. The discounts are nice but not worth it as a whole IMO.

 

[brittany08]

You didn't ask me, but I've owned for 14 years now. I'd say less than 1/4 of our stays have been at home. We just enjoy trying out new resorts. Our time at BCV and BWV will likely come to an end with the expansions they are doing and bringing in the skyliner. But we've had great luck even booking there at the 7 month mark.

General rule of thumb is that studios go first, then two bedrooms, then 1 bedrooms. So if you are only going for studios things can be tough. Also fall through mid- Jan can be tough to book with Christmas-New Years being really hard to get. Summer and spring generally are easier to book and early fall before F&WF takes off isn't bad either. Late winter just varies with the races, though it seems February is picking up.

Now in general: is it worth it? It can be. We bought our first contract resale and did small add ons direct. When I purchased there was no distinction in resale vs direct so the choice was very easy. Still I don't recommend buying direct unless you are going for a harder to get resort or want smaller contracts. Then run numbers and see. Our direct purchases were smaller contracts where with rewards earned, lower closing costs, and value of getting MF free year as well as a 'loaded' contract all played into it.

We go every year. Sometimes we've had to skip a year but sometimes we've gone twice. I admit I loathe the value resorts so always did moderates or above. In fact I was a huge Swan and Dolphin lover before I got DVC. I like the larger rooms and such. What it really has gotten us are large accommodations that really feel like a relaxing vacation. We have done nights in a bungalow and regularly 2 bedrooms now. So we are a little spoiled but love what we have. You can run numbers to see if it would work. I still suggest to go through resale and never finance this kind of purchase. It quickly loses its value if you do. The discounts are nice but not worth it as a whole IMO.

Any advice helps me get closer to what we want to do! I went aulani and had two bedroom set studio and loved it.your right when you vacation you want room and to spread out. What company did you buy resale through?

 

[correcaminos]

Any advice helps me get closer to what we want to do! I went aulani and had two bedroom set studio and loved it.your right when you vacation you want room and to spread out. What company did you buy resale through?

Yeah we've been spoiled with space now. I started in studios and then we did a 1 bedroom once pre kids. Tried a studio after my son was born and never went back. We were happy in 1 bedrooms until we had a 2 bedroom. Ugh bad move on our part, now we like our space. We could do an OKW 1 bedroom pretty easily though I think.

For my resale I purchased it through DVC By Resale. The closing costs seemed reasonable and the owner, Shontell, is lovely. I had others I contacted but she was great. If a reputable company has what you want though, go with them.

 

[Phonedave]

Buying DVC is a lot like buying the Dining Plan.

If you NORMALLY eat what is on the dining plan (most expensive entree, have dessert all the time, and eat the number of credits you are getting) then you are getting a savings. If however, that is not how you normally eat, then you are not saving money. Look at it this way, if you would normally spend $500 on food, but you spend $800 on a meal plan, so you can get $1000 worth of food, you a not saving $200, you are loosing $300.

So, how is DVC like this? If you normally stay in a deluxe resort, then DVC is going to save you money. If normally stay in a value, and you are happy there, and a deluxe is not something you would do, then DVC is not going to save you money.

If you pass the above test, then you have to ask yourself if you are willing to make the long term commitment of DVC, if you have the cash to pay for it (or understand that financing erodes any sort of savings), if you can make plans well in advance, and if you understand what does and does not come with DVC (how housekeeping works, the ethereal nature of perks, when the busy times are and where you can get a room, the difference between members and non-members, etc

-dave

 

[DisDadWoz]

This question gets asked here quite a bit and you have to take your own personal spending habits and financial situation in to account as obviously not everyone is the same. Don't take this decision lightly in that its a very large dollar outlay. Do what's best for you and your family. Now, we have not regretted our decision to join. We bought direct as we were not sure on the resale market when we purchased. I'm glad we did that as it seems more "benefits/perks" appear to be going in the direction of direct purchase. we didn't join for that reason as the benefits can come and go. We have stayed at our home resort (AKV) only a couple of times since joining. The other 20+ stays have been at various others on property and also HHI and Vero Beach. We have gone as many as three times in a year to even some years (like last year) where we didn't go at all. It's been nice to have options in sizes of rooms as well as we have stayed in all except a 3 Bed Grand Villa which we will probably save until our kids are grown with families. So in summary, it's been great for us!

 

[eliza61nyc]

So everybody else has given you the great points. I'll just add the things I/we have loved about our ownership.

1) now while I have my favorite resort (which is the beach club and I own there) I too love resort hoping.
2) think about when you will travel. remember if you travel during food and wine festival or Christmas, booking might be harder at the 7 month window. That being said, I've never ever NOT been able to get something even as close as 2 months out., but again I don't travel holidays.
3) I love the flexibility it gives me. I have invited family members with me on holidays, we've done couple only trips and this April I'm going with 3 of my college buddies on a girlie trip. so I've changed the way I travel and it still fits.

Lastly, and this goes with any timeshare. remember it is a long term purchase. can you see yourself going to Disney 10, 15, 20 years from now.

 

[squidvicious]

My husband and I for years have been looking into vacation club. We have thought about buyin resale or though Disney. Just want to know what’s your experiences out there and is it worth it?? I feel like Disney always has deals on free dining etc so does it add up?we like to do dining plan.we normally just stay at values but went to aulani and had a nicer room.it be nice to experience higher value resorts.thanks.

Perhaps you're still deciding... in which case, please allow me to give you a little glimpse at my experience...

First, I am not an owner...yet. We are currently closing on a re-sale contract. Second, I was a bit of a skeptic, but my wife wanted to do it, so we're doing it. The decision can be overly complicated by calculations and spreadsheets (I have a few). After all is said and done, I believe the best advice I read was simply: "DVC makes sense if you *want* to do it and you can afford it." All other analyses really are sort of extraneous. None the less... two points...

1. The "value" in DVC is not as simple as dividing the upfront cost by number of years on the contract. The maintenance fees will easily be the largest portion of the total cost over time. Depending on the remaining number of years, the maint cost may be 2x to 5x the cost of the original purchase. Example: 150 points @ BLT will cost ~$28k upfront... even with the low maint rate of $5.92 per point, over the next 41 years of the contract, you would pay over $75k in maintenance fees. That seems like a lot because it is a lot. It's also a bit of an over simplification... still, keep it in mind if you're doing financial planning.

2. While you're at it, if you are doing some financial calculations on DVC, consider these two key numbers: a) total number of points you will have over the life of the contract, b) average cost in points per night for desired room at the desired resort. Since points at any resort stay static, the average cost in points will largely stay the same for the life of the contract... that's a good thing and gives you an easy way to evaluate. Example... 50 points at the BWV, contract expires in 2042. so... 24 years remain * 50 = 1200 points you will have. The rough average per night @ BWV is about 14.25 for standard studio, all seasons. The cost per point per year at the BWV is in the $12 range... making the average night about $171. Again, this may not tell the whole story, but it's a decent data point to keep in mind.

Bottom line for me: having stayed at the value resorts and moderate resorts, I got very spoiled during our recent stay at the Polynesian. Frankly... the DVC made sense b/c we could afford it and I wanted to stay at the deluxe resorts, they're very nice! We probably will save money over the long haul... maybe not as much as some, perhaps more than others. But that wasn't the true/only reason we're doing it.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong....

My Dear Wife and I are DVC owners at BRV, 6 years. We will hit "break even" vs DISCOUNTED WL Hotel rooms in APR 2018.

Two pieces of advice....

1) BUY where you want to STAY. GET THAT 11 Month Window. Don't buy what DVC is "pushing" this week, unless THAT is where you want to STAY.
2) CASH- no financing. You will likely be into this in the neighborhood of $30K to infinity, up front, right out of savings, depending on how many points you want.

 

[RookieMouse]

We bought in March 2009, and have made 4 visits so far, staying at our home resort of BLT twice and AKV Kidani twice. We are staying at VGF in 10 days. We have also booked for family a couple of times. When we know we will not be going for a year or two, I will rent out my points thru David's, which more than covers my maintenance fees for a couple of years. One thing we did when we bought, as we had the money at the time, was buy two 160-point contracts, which enables us to will them to our two kids. Our youngest will be 58 years old when it finally expires, so we are hoping for many more years of trips home.

There is no way that we would be staying at any of these resorts without DVC (unless we rented points) as they are prohibitively expensive -- especially when you factor in the exchange rate from Canadian dollars. This upcoming trip is a major point splurge (use the banked points or lose them), so we are staying in a 2-bedroom lake view at the Grand Floridian. When I checked out the rack rate for this room, I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

Converted to Canadian, it is something like $2400 a night. Multiplied by 7 nights, this one trip would have cost about a third of the cost of our entire DVC purchase in 2009.