Dvc

[DisNut]

I know I'll probably get blasted for this, but.....I just don't get the DVC. With all the specials going on now and hopefully in the future, isn't it just more reasonable to take advantage of those???? To put out almost $17,000 to purchase a room seems like an awful lot to me.

And here's a question we haven't seen answered....do you all still have to purchase park tickets?? I'm assuming so, so do you purchase annual passes?

Maybe I just don't understand the whole DVC thing, but it just doesn't sound like something for us. And believe me, no one likes Disney more than we do. We've been very fortunate to have been able to take advantage of all the great specials that Disney has offered over the last few year.

We love POR, we just don't feel we need the luxury of a deluxe considering the time spent in the actual room. And I realize that's where the DVC members are.

Oh well....to all those who are members, lucky you!!!! But we'll stick to the Disney promos for now!

[DVC Mike]

We love POR, we just don't feel we need the luxury of a deluxe considering the time spent in the actual room. And I realize that's where the DVC members are.

I'm glad you're happy with a moderate resort. My family prefers the spacious 1-BR DVC units with whirpool tub, seperate living/bedrooms, washer/dryer and full kitchen.

Membership in the Disney Vacation Club is not for everyone. I consider it a luxury purchase. Not everyone is in a position, financially, to make a luxury purchase.

DVC can make sense financially -- assuming you would always stay in a deluxe resort. If you always stay in a value or mod resort, then it might not -- but that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The DVC resorts offer deluxe amenities and room size.

The special deals are great when the economy isn't doing good, but sparse when the economy is doing good.

[Maleficent's Dad]

I have to agree with DVC Mike above.

DVC made the most sense for my family simply because (1) we travel to WDW on average 4 times a year, and (2) we fully appreciate (and make use of) the accomodations provided - meaning, we spend time at the resort, we use the laundry in the room, we use the kitchen, etc...

Perhaps some "light reading" of this thread will clarify some things...

[JMTStone]

You still have to add park tickets. Your guess is right, we do take advantage of Annual Passes. DH and I figured out that with the non DVC resorts it wouldn't make sense for us but if we take advantage of the Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, etc. it started to make better sense. We're doing a 7 day cruise on just the cash of DD's entry. It will definately save us money in the end. We were lucky, we used DH's severance to purchase outright. I wouldn't take out a loan for it.

I like POR as well but I just LOVE the DVC 1 bedroom. The whirlpool tub and the washer/dryer are a big difference. I love that I can pack lighter and do a few loads of laundry there. We like the free DVD rental. That was nice for us because we used Kids Night Out for our Anniversary dinner at California Grille, the kids were entertained. We also take advantage of the kitchen. We get snacks and breakfast stuff. That way we've all eaten at our own pace while others get ready before we go to the parks. We also have snacks for mid-day and after parks.

It doesn't make sense for everyone. But it makes sense for me.

[DizneyRox]

In the late 90's (about 4 years), we spent over $12,000 on vacation before we realized that would have paid for a DVC membership.

True over the past couple years, the "deals" have been OK making the break even point harder to reach, but also take into account the times these discounts have been offered. We go July 4th week, there's usually nothing in terms of discounts.

It's a complicated decision and should make people think long and hard about if it's right for them.

We bought almost immediately whne we found out how cheap it was, AND the fact that the cost of the rooms appeared to not really go up year after year as much as inflation does.

Renting points for you MAY be an option. At $11 a point it's a steal to get the deluxe accomodations. $2500 for a week in a one bedroom 4th of July ain't so bad.

[VWL Mom]

DVC can make sense financially -- assuming you would always stay in a deluxe resort. If you always stay in a value or mod resort, then it might not -- but that's not an apples-to-apples comparison. The DVC resorts offer deluxe amenities and room size.

we fully appreciate (and make use of) the accomodations provided - meaning, we spend time at the resort, we use the laundry in the room, we use the kitchen, etc...

We are a family of 4 and stay in a 2 bdrm. We love the space and comfort, it does make us feel at home.

[TinkerbellT421]

DBF had DVC before we were together...yada yada yada, he wasn't anymore. Well after our first two trips together at Values...we were talking during our second trip and goofing about how we might be able to DVC. That is the type of experience we wanted at Disney. To be able to stay at Deluxe resorts. First two years together we pinched pennies together to make those trips happen. And in the end packages in all....We decided to go for it. We did the math and for twenty dollars more a week...We could own DVC ...so that's what we decided. BUT I agree with DVC mike and DisneyRox...DVC isn't for everyone. If you enjoy staying at the Values and you like receiving package deals and like the way you do things then its definitely not for you. But for us, we wanted to stay at Deluxes and have the ammenities that are included. Its definitely something you want to think about before jumping into. We were just talking to a couple at the BWV when we were staying there. They had rented points off someone...them and their mother-in-law had no idea what they were doing. Tell us they spent about 12,000.00 on this vacation. Me and DBF almost died we were like you could have almost paid off DVC in this one trip and have a gauranteed room to stay in for the next 40 some odd years....The guy almost died when we told him that. But he jumped in without doing research and just did everything on the fly and lost alooooootttttt of money. But he still had a great vacation he just wish he knew about DVC before coming because he would have done that instead. But whats done is done....Some people dont think DVC is a value. Some people think DVC is such a value noone should give it up. Its not something for everyone. But I do know me and DBF are very happy we did.

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

I agree with pretty much everything posted above.
DVC is not for everyone. Back in the early 1990's we started going to WDW every year but $$ were tight so we had to stay offsite. As our finances improved we worked our way onsite and stayed at Values and Moderates with the occasional stay at the POLY and AKL. We know there was a distinct difference between the All Stars and the POLY, but we did what we could afford.
We 1st seriously looked into DVC in 2001 (shortly after 9/11) but didn't join until the fall of 2003.
We still get to WDW every year, sometimes twice. And we still spend a couple nights at a regular resort. We love POR.
But the difference to us is POR is just a resort, OKW is HOME. We enjoy having family members join us and it is hard to beat the 2 bedroom villas.
Maybe DVC isn't a good idea for the OP, but it sure has been for us.

[Kenny1113]

Glad I found this thread. I attended a DVC open house last week and have been trying to decide if DVC is right for my family. We stayed at AKL this last trip and loved it. ( to quote my DS7 " this is much better than the hotel that says POP". Due to this I have seriously considered it, but I just don't see us going to WDW for the next 50 yrs. From advice I have read it doesn't make sense to use it to go elsewhere. This year alone we have spent over $1,000 in hotel stays, not all at WDW though. If maintence fees do not change we are looking at $43,000 for 50 yrs of hotel stays. I could see us staying at VB when the kids are done with WDW, but for how long? I really like the disney quality, which is why I actually considered DVC. My friend has another timeshare and I did not like the quality of the hotels at all. I think I know the answer is no, I just hear how wonderful all you DVC members say it is and wish it made sense for us too.

[DizneyRox]

For value, it's designed so that DVC resorts are cheaper than going elsewhere. Remember there are resorts in Hilton Head, Vero Beach, DIsneyland, and soon in Hawaii. Those will probably be cheaper than booking a cash room those places.

You could 1/2 the points necessary and go every other year. But the break even point gets pushed much further out at that point.

For us, we were going to WDW before kids and will certianly go after kids. The quality issue though is something to consider. The quality of a Disney vacation is rapidly dropping to that of a seedy pay by the hour turnpike motel IMHO. If it keeps up, I'll probably end up renting my points out more than actually vacationing there.

[MarkC]

There are a lot of variables to consider. The other posters all made good points about how you like to travel and how often you travel. If you think $17,000 is too much, look at the Timeshare Store (an Intercot sponsor). We purchased a Beach Club resale property for less than $10,000 and it will work out just fine for us, especially since we all absolutely love Beach Club for all sorts of reason.. Also, had we invested that $10,000 about 18 months ago when we bought it, it would be worth $5,000 now. So we are very lucky. We use our Disney Visa to pay our maintenance fees, so we will have no Disney hotel expense for the next 33 years-- even if it is our kids and grandchildren by then who will use them. In 30 years the cost of 1 night at a deluxe resort will probably be around $1,000 per night at 4% inflation, so if you're going to use it, it can be a huge money saver. Like was posted above, it's a luxury purchase but one which made financial sense for us. Everyone must decide for themselves. Good luck. Mark