Need some advice/help

[Tink<3Mickey<3Cinderella]

So I've done a lot of reading and I still need some advice.....

I was very against DVC b/c I just didn't think it was worth the cost, I didn't see the benefits, etc. However, on our last trip we did the tour and they sold me much more than I had been. We are close to making the leap but I wanted to seek some more advice.

Okay so we are 2- 28 years currently without kids, my husband is a die hard Disney Fan, and if it were up to him would vacation no where else. I on the other hand would like to go some other places but we always seem to end up back at DW. We have been 5 times in the last 6 years and stayed at all levels at this point, one value, one moderate, two deluxe. I seem to have the more expensive taste than my hubby and like the deluxes (mostly because I love the themeing there) but would stay at any level (even value). He likes the price tag of the moderates and he came to a realization after we had to change in the middle of our last trip (after being stuck there due to weather) that he just isn't a value resort kinda guy anymore.

We most likely will not visit any more than every other year or every third year (if we need to bank the points to big family trips).

I would like to buy DVC with the intention to use it to go on some of their cruises, go to Hawaii, fulfill my dream to go to all the Disney Worlds/Lands around the world.
My question is....is it worth it to purchase knowing you plan to use it at some of their other locations/destinations?

Also I was my goal in my lifetime to stay in all the DW resorts and this would very much hinder that (as I've only stayed at 2 of the non-DVC resorts so far) and also the hotel I most want to stay at in my life (Poly) is not a DVC. I know I can stay at all of them not using my points sometime or use the points (but it is so inefficient to use them at non-DVC resorts). So another part of my question is do you ever feel restricted to where you can stay (even though you are being restricted to the nicest resorts)?

Sorry so long but thank you for your help!

[Basket Mommy]

Have you looked at the points charts for cruises and the Adventures trips? It takes a lot of points to do either. So many, in fact, that we have decided to pay outright instead of using points if we ever cruise or do Adventures by Disney. We'd never use all the points we'd have to buy to cruise or do another trip, so we just settled for what it would take for us to take at least one or two trips to WDW a year.

We own 350 points and go about every 8 months. If you're only going to go every 3 years, banking points, then you honestly don't need many points to start. Given that it's just the two of you for now, you probably won't need more than 100 points for a decent stay in a studio or 1BR, depending on when you go. You can add more later when/if you have kids and need a bigger villa.

We bought all of our points through resale. The rules have changed and buying points that way now means you cannot use the points to do anything but Disney resorts, but that's okay with us. We saved over 50% off what Disney charges for buying through them. I can live with the disadvantages, because, like I said, we ONLY use our points to go to Disney.

[DizneyRox]

DEAL BREAKER ALERT! DEAL BREAKER ALERT!

I would like to buy DVC with the intention to use it to go on some of their cruises, go to Hawaii, fulfill my dream to go to all the Disney Worlds/Lands around the world.
My question is....is it worth it to purchase knowing you plan to use it at some of their other locations/destinations?

That takes almost instant value out of DVC. Most of those things are NOT fixed point costs, so a cruise for example that runs 200 points per person this year, may cost 300 points next year, 400 the year after, etc.

If you don't plan on staying at DVC resorts most of the time, you will push your break even point way past the current break even point (some argue 10-15 years many even further out than that).

[zcrsdad]

Also, keep in mind you have maintainence fees, whether you go that year or not.

My sister had to pay an additional $3000 for her family of 5 to get tickets and the dining plan. That's on top of what they paid for dvc and maintainence.

It may not be a deal breaker, but the family could have gone to a moderate resort (POR) for less including tickets and DDP. Like DisneyRox said, the break even point is YEARS down the road.

[BrerGnat]

As long as Disney keeps offering resort discounts, it's not a good deal. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. I've been going for over a decade, and I've never paid "rack rate". I have gotten a 40% discount every time. Sometimes more.

The idea to use DVC for the places OTHER than WDW is a bad one, financially speaking. It's not a good way to utilize the points. That's a pretty standard assertion in the realm of DVC.

[Disney4us2]

I agree with everyone. I bought into DVC with the intent of using it at the DVC resorts. You the most value with your points using the DVC resorts. It is just my DD and me so we have a small point interest. It will work perfectly for us as we choose to use our points at DVC resorts only.

One of my friends bought into RCI and can use her points for other vacation destinations as well as at the Disney DVC resorts.

[Aurora]

The rules have changed and buying points that way [through resale] now means you cannot use the points to do anything but Disney resorts, but that's okay with us.

This is incorrect. If you buy resale, you can no longer use your points for the Disney Collection, (which is the Disney Cruise Line and all Disney non-DVC resorts including those at WDW, Disneyland and Disneyland Paris), the Concierge Collection, or the Adventurer Collection. You can, however, still trade your points for stays at RCI resorts, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.

If you want to use your DVC points to stay at the Polynesian, for example, you have to buy through Disney. But if you only want to stay at DVC or RCI resorts, you can still buy resale.