Reasons to Join DVC

[luvdiznee]

I thought I read that they were going to start building new rooms in AKL. But at the same time I thought they were already at AKL. I guess I will have to reconsider if maybe they are going to be building new rooms at AKL. Since it may mean there will be some for sale over there...

[Natazu]

I thought I read that they were going to start building new rooms in AKL. But at the same time I thought they were already at AKL. I guess I will have to reconsider if maybe they are going to be building new rooms at AKL. Since it may mean there will be some for sale over there...

Some (at least) of the 5th and 6th floor rooms will be converted to DVC until a new property can be built. It will be a free standing building. The projected completion date is 2009. I don't know the date for the conversion.

[dbm20th]

Before I joined the DVC, we went to WDW about once every 18 months or longer. In the next year, I plan on going 3 times for a total of a round 20 days. That would NEVER be possible without the DVC, the AP discount, and the DDE

[DVCWDWMEMBER]

We purchased into DVC January 2002 after trying to convince my DH since 1993 when we first toured OKW.
We have taken the whole family(12) and stayed in a 2 bedroom and studio( less points that 3 bedroom), have gone on the Disney Cruise and gone to Disneyland several times. the only regret is not having purchased sooner.

[Alley Oop]

My wife and I are looking into DVC, because we want to vacation in Disney World every year. We plan on looking into it on our next visit. For now, we are not sure because it seems that you can miss out on some of the deals that vacation packages offer...

[Donald A]

My wife and I just joined the DVC at our last trip. I have been reading both why to join and why not too and must admit that the reasons to join for me outweigh the reasons not too. My wife and I have been to Disney 3 times in the past 4 years staying at The Animal Kingdom Lodge, The Wilderness Lodge and earlier in the month, The Boardwalk Inn. We only stayed 4 nights each trip and I don't think one trip was under $2000 and our most recent was close to $3000. I think, as you can tell, we will be returning to WDW.

At 30 years old, I want to take a group of 9 people from our families to WDW and go first class. We are planning a January '08 trip getting 2 two-bedroom villas hopefully at the Boardwalk but at least at Saratoga Springs (Our home resort). This will cost us 2 years of points (2X150) for those 2 villas for 5 nights. Renting a villa for 5 nights is around $4000 for that time of year. That is $8000 of value for two years of points.

Granted this is offseason, does not include tickets and travel to WDW, and two years of points but if I go every two years and take the family, the cash equivalent will be $24000 for just our rooms. In 6 years, even with finanacing charges and dues added on top off the $15000 package purchase price I will be way ahead. Plus I will be able to take many more trips in the future.

I don't quite understand the renting points to others thing. That doesn't even enter the equation for me.

[dan24]

which is better .. benefits to both ... ?

one less expensive than the other ?

[HockeyKat]

Dan, I think it is somewhat a matter of personal choice.

If you are the kind of person, and I am NOT saying this is bad, that enjoys the value resort experience and/or doesn't go to WDW more than once every 2-3 years, DVC is probably not for you.

My numbers are this, and sorry if this is TMI: If all goes well, I am buying a resale 210 pt contract, which includes 210 banked 2006 pts, at Boardwalk Villas for $85/pt with a total cost is $19,581 (includes closing costs and dues for 2007). I am financing $17,806 of it for 5 years, so total costs + interest is $22,426.20.

If you take what I am paying for the points themselves and divide it by the length of the contract (35 years), I will be paying a net cost of about $640/year. The annual dues will be about $1K/year, and will likely increase, probably upt to as much as $1500/year. So I will be paying approx. $1650/yr, maybe up to $2K a year as dues increase.

To compare apples to apples, if you were to stay in the Boardwark Inn for 5 nights in a one bedroom villa at a rack rate in September, it would be $2,390.70. A two bedroom is $3346.90. With my point total, I am planning one 5 night one bedroom stay + two 5 night studio stays (one standard, one preferred) at $1,771.90 each. Plus, as an AP, I get $200 off a year on my AP. I also have access to the dining plan.

So, for $1650/yr, I get $6134.50/yr in actual room costs. That is a savings of $4484.

To compare apples to oranges, 5 nights in a BW standard room or studio would be $1,771.90. 5 nights at Coronado Springs would be $815.70. 5 nights at Pop Centure would be $528.80.

Even three 5 night stays at PC would be about as much as my net cost per year, but if you take discount codes and such into account, DVC would probably be more.

Bottom line of all this math is... if you take a discount vacation at WDW once a year, this is likely not what you would want to do. If you have the startup costs, take a deluxe vacation, have kids and a 2 bedroom would make things more comfortable, and/or go more than once a year, it likely is.

HTH!!

[dan24]

my wife and I first went in 2005 on our honeymoo.. then again in 2006 for our first anniversary.. we would be going in 2007 if not for the fact she started a new job and won't have vacation until the end of october and with my work i can't take vacation in feb,may,july,Nov. the business i am in. so we will go next year .. considering it is obvious we are addicted to WDW unless we leave our lives in Oklahoma and move to Orlando.. we are thinking we will go every other year.. and of course we have family that we think we could bring too some years. and for any remaing points we could go to some other destination and our hotel will be paid for. and the cost is only for 10 years .. and then it is a free ride. I am concerned about the cost which the way my wife estimtes it for 160 pts it will be around 250 a month.. plus annual dues .. so .. and we are not rich but we make ok money .. so the cost is an issue.

[disneycouple2004]

I have seen so many pros and cons about DVC, alot of is a bit too much to understand so i always explain like i just recently did to a friend of mine who visits DW at least every other year and it goes like this..
I ask him why he didn't buy into DVC..
he replied i can go alot cheaper than you can and have just as much fun !!..WRONG !!!
I set him straight really quick..i ask, how much do you spend on each trip "?..he says they do the value resorts, and its a about 1600.00 package each year, no dining plan and not including getting to DW..so we agreed about 2,500.00 was a modest estimate per trip..
Then i tell him we spent about 12,500.00 on our DVC with discounts etc..and that is for 54 years , one trip per year at about 150 points per year for my family..SO ..after 5 of your trips...the DVC would have been paid for, and you could go about 49 more times with DVC..
he is buying next week !!..ha..

[sassafras]

After making several trips to DW in about 4 years, DH and I did some research into the DVC. For what we had paid in those few trips, we could almost have paid for the 150 points we decided to buy. Since buying into the DVC, we have stayed at the BCVs probably 4 times, OKW once, BWVs once and WLVs last July. We couldn't have afforded to spend 8 nights at the WLVs any other way! Some years, we make 2 or 3 trips to WDW. We'll use our points for one in May, and get in on a special Disney runs usually for the fall and go to PO Riverside.
One thing that appealed to us was the idea that the DVC would be paid off before either of us retire and then we would only have the maintenance fee to pay. We could actually have a nice vacation and not lose our shirts. To us, it just was a good financial decision.

[DISNEYFIX]

Question for this side of the issue:

I enjoy the Poly Conceirge Service and will stay there 2 times of the year for at least the next 7 years. Why should I do the DVC specificly for the high end resorts? Is it going to cost me less than it does already? Thanks for helping the new guy.

[dlpmikki]

Question for this side of the issue:

I enjoy the Poly Conceirge Service and will stay there 2 times of the year for at least the next 7 years. Why should I do the DVC specificly for the high end resorts? Is it going to cost me less than it does already? Thanks for helping the new guy.

I think you will be better asking your question as a specific one rather than in these two (why/why not) posts. You should get a lot more responses.

You will probably get the answer that most members think it is an expensive use of points to stay at places like the Poly and that DVC may not be for you in those circumstances.

[DISNEYFIX]

I think you will be better asking your question as a specific one rather than in these two (why/why not) posts. You should get a lot more responses.

You will probably get the answer that most members think it is an expensive use of points to stay at places like the Poly and that DVC may not be for you in those circumstances.

I claim ignorance. I admit I need help understanding what to ask. Is the right phrasing of my question, What is the break even point for DVC if using only Resort Consceirge service?

[dlpmikki]

I claim ignorance. I admit I need help understanding what to ask. Is the right phrasing of my question, What is the break even point for DVC if using only Resort Consceirge service?

Just pose your original question as it's own topic (add your extra bit you've just asked as well by all means). There may be someone out there who has worked it out the way you are asking but I don't think they will be looking in this general topic.

[DISNEYFIX]

The dummy says thanks.

[keys2kingdom]

Question for this side of the issue:

I enjoy the Poly Conceirge Service and will stay there 2 times of the year for at least the next 7 years. Why should I do the DVC specificly for the high end resorts? Is it going to cost me less than it does already? Thanks for helping the new guy.

Although I love my DVC I do not think it would be a good fit for you. Please see my post on "reasons not to buy" for an explanation of why I say this.

[SignguyTom]

We tried to crunch the numbers and with all that has been posted and debated, I would simply say this:

Follow your heart! Life is WAY too short to worry about whether you break even in 6 years or 10 or 12...

If you love WDW and go often, why not? If you decide it's not for you, sell out and move on. So you don't get what you paid for it, big deal. If you use it a few times and sell for 70 or 80% of your purchase price, it still seems like a good deal.

Just my 2¢. It was an emotional decision for us, not necesarily a logical, or financial one.

[NewmanFamily6]

For us joining just made economical sense. What we as a family of 6 were spending on vacations every year we will be saving money Also, it makes things like the Disney Cruise line avalable to us. We could not afford the cruise for the 6 of us w/out points. Lastly, I love Disney!

[Brer Mickey]

I would not trade the countless memories we have from our numerous trips to WDW, our three Magic cruises, Disneyland, and our trip to Europe and Disneyland Paris for all of the money we have spent on our DVC membership. Because of our membership since '99, we have taken two and sometimes three vacation trips per year.

We joined DVC when my DS was 7, and he will be turning 15 soon and to this day, we still look at our pictures and watch the 30 or so video tapes we have of our trips. He thinks it is really neat that he can watch himself growing up through the years at WDW.

Over the next 35 years, we will continue to vacation at WDW while watching our DS grow, as well as his two older siblings, and someday we will be going with their future spouses and children while continuing to expand those memories as we watch their children grow through the years at WDW.

As someone else said in a prevoius post, we feel that WDW is our second home and we love to hear "Welcome home" as we arrive at our resort. The reasons I have stated here, in my opinion, are the real reasons to join DVC.