"I wish I knew that before I joined DVC"

[BrerGnat]

To all members:

Was there anything that you have since found out as a DVC member that you wished you had known before you joined?

It can be a positive thing (like a discount you didn't know you'd get) or a negative thing (like restrictions or rules you were not made aware of before buying).

I'm trying to find out ALL I can about DVC, so there are no surprises. I'm in the process of gathering info to present to DH when he gets back this summer for his R&R from Iraq. I want to have all my ducks in a row, as they say, so *if* we decide to buy in, we won't be hit with any surprises after the fact. We plan to do an open house at the DLR, so I want to make sure I have all my questions ready as well.

So, tell me all the things you found out about AFTER the fact, good or bad.

Thanks in advance!

[KineGirl]

It sounds cheesy but the only thing I wish I knew was how much I was going to love DVC and want to come back more often... sooner! Dont wait to buy the points you want because the prices go up & up & up.

[hlkeck]

I wish we would have bought more than 160 points, actually. Now that I've had time to review all the places I want to stay and all the things I want to do - I feel like we have to settle in some ways (studio v. 1 br, for example) in order to get more out of our points. I would have liked to have had so many points that we were squeezing in time to use them or rent them instead of squeezing into a smaller room just to stay there longer.

[JPL]

I wish I knew how many time I would visit WDW in the years before I purchased my points. It could have been paid off and paid for itself already. From my first interest in DVC until the time of purchase I probably spent close to the purchase price paying for trips.

[Aurora]

...That we wouldn't really use the points for other Disney resorts. I love the DVC resorts but my all-time favorite is/was the Polynesian. The point price is way too high (not cost or point-efficient) and probably will go up over the years. But maybe someday they'll build a DVC wing at the Poly!

[Fortgoofy97]

Like most everyone else: I wish I knew how much we would enjoy, love it and had bought more points than we did initially!!! Hey but thats what add ons are for!!

[DestinationWDW]

I just purchased my DVC at AKV; in fact I just sent my documents back yesterday. It took my wife and me over eight months to decide. What really hit home was that we just love it there. When we are at Disney as a family we never argue not once, weird actually. I also found a cost analyst on purchasing, after several examples the bottom line is that you will save on hotel costs over the years. My other reason is that I want to stay at a nice resort if choose not to go to one of the parks. I also agree, buy enough points now don't skimp, we purchased enough to match our current yearly trip. I don't think you can go wrong. Right now they are doing some great incentives to buy in.

Good luck with your decision.

[BrerGnat]

I think what I'm struggling the hardest right now is with how many points to buy. 160 is just not enough, for us. We will rarely (if ever) stay in a studio. Our reasoning for considering DVC is the separate spaces afforded by the 1 and 2br units. This is essential for us, as we have a son with autism, and sharing one room for all of us is just not in the cards.

I feel like we could make 180-200 work, by going every other year, which is most likely for us. We live in CA now, so yearly trips are not going to be the norm, but then there's the possibility of moving back east in a couple years, so...

Anyway, keep the responses coming. I had a feeling there'd by a bunch of "I wish we had bought more points..." replies. ;)

[Kidsmom]

We bought 200 points. We have 4 kids. This allows us to go every other year 8 nights Sanvanah view (AKL) at the second most busy times of the year in a 2 bedroom.

Thats how we bought. Knowing we would do every other year at this point during school breaks with the kids. We like to travel other places too. As the kids get older and we don't need two bedroom...we like the resort and could see us going many times during the year to the resort (not always the parks) or another DVC without them or passing it on to grandkids...way....way down the road.

What I wish I knew before I bought....there were no scams or hidden things. I was fearful of Timeshares and thought they were for suckers. This isn't the same as other timeshares. Disney had the name and proven track record to maintain a certain level of service and standard. (Side note: We stayed at CBR and my husband thought it was 5 years old....it was 20! That helped sell us!)

Good Luck....we have been a happy after our first stay and reading Intercot!

[JMTStone]

I wish I knew... AKV would be the next resort and I would only have to wait 3 months to get their points instead of SSR (I like SSR but I LOVE AKL)

I wish I knew... more about buying points from other sources like The Timeshare Store. I've got my eye out for extra points on their website. I'm hearing good things about them.

I wish I bought... more points. We have 220 and between saving A LOT on our DCL, I want to be able to go more more more (did I say more).

Good luck with your decision. Can't say that I regret it at all, even with my wishes. You have good questions... mine was a purely emotional decision and you're really thinking!!!!

[BrerGnat]

.

Good luck with your decision. Can't say that I regret it at all, even with my wishes. You have good questions... mine was a purely emotional decision and you're really thinking!!!!

I suffer from a genetic inability to make emotional decisions. :D

Research, research, research, is what I always do.

[Ian]

I wish we had bought in sooner ... that's the biggest thing. We would have saved a lot of money per point if we had.

I wish we had bought more than 160 points. 160 is just enough to take the basic trips we take each year, but we'd like to have a little more flexibility. We'll be buying more points once Contemporary goes on sale.

The only things I wish I had known that could be construed as negative are, I wish I had known that there was no late check-out at DVC. We often leave late on our last day and being able to hold your room until the early afternoon is nice.

I also wish I had known that DVC's Members Services isn't so hot. They often seem disinterested in your problems.

But I can't say that knowing either of those things up front would have changed our minds. More like we just would have been better prepared and avoided some irritating situations.

[MarkC]

I agree with the other posters-- I wish I had more points but money is always an issue. My main "I wish I knew" would be to make sure you know which resort you want to stay at most often. We almost bought into Saratoga Springs, not knowing we could buy a Beach Club resale, which we did. Make sure you buy where you will want to stay the most.

[BrerGnat]

Yeah, the OTHER thing I'm struggling with is "where to buy?".

Definitely NOT interested in SSR, but that's about to be sold off soon (like, mid May), from what I was told.

Don't really want AKL, although I really do like the "sleeper chair" in the one bedrooms, which would definitely work in our favor, having kids who cannot share a bed (my autistic son won't share a bed with anyone). That way, we'd not have to get a 2br unit and could get by with less points. But, I hate how isolated AKL is, and I really am not into the themeing there.

I would love BCV, but I don't necessarily want a shorter contract. We're still young (not quite 30 years old yet), so by 2042, when the BCV contracts expire, we'll still be fairly young, in my opinion. In contrast, the AKL DVC expires in 2057...

[Here we go again...]

Yeah, the OTHER thing I'm struggling with is "where to buy?".

Definitely NOT interested in SSR, but that's about to be sold off soon (like, mid May), from what I was told.


I also said I would never buy into SSR. I remember standing at DTD watching it go up and thinking that it looked like a huge condo that just did not fit with the theming of Disney in any way shape or form. It did not take me long to change my mind. After going to see the rooms then actually staying in them, I LOVE SSR! The rooms are beautiful and quiet, the scenery is great (my DH loves waking up to the golf course) and being so close to DTD is a big plus too.
You never know how you will feel until you walk in the doors...
I do hope to buy into WL one day though. We started with 210 points and soon found that it was not enough for us either.

[lockedoutlogic]

the only thing i wish i wouldn've known was more of a long term plan on development....

they have almost oversaturated their room inventory at WDW already....and if they continue to sell ownerships it easily could get to the point that you have to book your home resort outside the 7 month window or you won't be able to go anywhere....

I of course realize the demand level at WDW as a whole.....but investing a large chunk of money to "own a piece".....then basically having to fight for scraps all the times seems......wrong...to me.

I just don't really want to get off the phone and be "glad I got something"...which is already beginning to happen.

I have hopes that they might one day expand wilderness lodge...maybe convert part of yacht club.....to lessen the strain.......I'm pretty sure we'll see DVC at the poly and GF before too long....that might help a little

[BrerGnat]

I just don't really want to get off the phone and be "glad I got something"...which is already beginning to happen.


I admit this worries me too. I have seen a LOT of posts of this nature. I always wonder how Disney decides how many contracts to sell, because really, there is a finite number of DVC rooms available, but it seems like they just keep on selling, faster than they are building more. And how do they account for people who buy, like 500+ point contracts vs. 160? Obviously, those 500 point people are going to go much more often...

I sort of wish they'd do away with the whole 7 and 11 month booking "windows" and make it the same as their room only reservations (you can reserve 499 days in advance) and just leave it at that. I really don't want to HAVE to plan my trips 11months out and wake up at the crack of dawn to call and "try" to get the dates I want. Seems like a pain, and it sort of doesn't allow for spontaneous trips either.

[Ian]

Another owner willing to stand up for SSR ... all I'll say is, don't knock it til you try it. I wasn't all that excited about it either, but lemme tell you ... we love it there now.

People are under the impression it's not in a good location, which simply isn't true. In fact, it's very close to Epcot and DHS. It's a bit farther to MK, but it's certainly closer to 3 of the 4 parks than AKL is. I mean by comparison, even VWL is farther from 3 of the 4 parks than SSR is.

Anyway, as far as the point allocation goes. There are pretty strict rules in place governing time share sales. The entire "point" concept is what compensates for larger vs. smaller ownership interests. They can only sell out so many points per resort, which is dictated by available beds, rooms, etc. It's pretty tightly regulated. Just because they're continuing to sell, doesn't mean you're ever going to be unable to book a room when you want to.

And even if they add, that doesn't do anything because when they add they sell the new points to new members (or even existing members ... doesn't matter).

[tundramom]

I wish we would have bought sooner.
I wished for expanded Member Services:magic:
We love SSR, the grounds are wonderful and it is convenient to everything!
As for the booking out complaints, we don't have any problems, but as you can see we don't go during peak times (I have no desire to be at my favorite place when it's super crowded).
We have 200 points, go yearly (average 8 nights) and alternate between Studios and 1-2 BR's, my theory is if we had more points we would use them but, we don't NEED more points. Like anything else, we work with our budget.

[princessjojo]

My decision to purchase was an impulse buy back in April 2007. I know that you should never buy on impulse, but I did and I'm glad I did. It was sight unseen, and though DH and I had been discussing it since our 2006 trip, I wasn't suppose to even consider buying at that time until June 2008. But it's done now and we finally get to use it in 45 days.

That said, I wish I had known exactly how I would use my points before I did it. We bought the min. 160 at SSR and for our upcoming trip, we are using banked 2006 points we received as incintive to buy 2007 points, and borrowed points from 2008. Now we'll to always borrow to go each year until I can add on (which I'm sure won't be too far into the future). I'll probably add on 200-250 points and if I don't use all of the points one year, then the next year, we'll take family with us again. I think it would be great to have a Grand Villa just for us, or take a very extended vacation, maybe 10-15 days one year. Who knows.

[sillyolbear]

I, too, wish we had joined sooner. We stayed in deluxe resorts for a couple of times a year for a number of years before buying our points.

The 160 minimum could definitely be tight for a family that needs more than a studio can hold. The upside of the 160 is for a couple without kids like we are. We'll make four trips this year for a total of 13 nights using our 160 points.

[fanofdisney]

I wish I knew that trying to get a resort outside of your home resort was going to be so difficult. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy to be a DVC member but when speaking to our salesman he made it sound like you just call at the 7 month window and make a reservation. Well, that's not the way it has worked for us and this is only our first time trying to switch, I sure hope it won't happen this way every time:unsure:

[MinnieMommie]

I am thrilled with my DVC membership and only regret we did not bite the bullit and make the purchase years ago. If you avoid Friday and Saturday nights and peak seasons you will be able to get more milage out of your points. Since you know you will need at least a 1 bedroom then it is important to factor that into your point purchase decision. However if you can only start with a certain amount of points go for it and make it work. That may mean shorter vacations until you are able to add on.

I would also think seriously about where you decide to purchase. Our home resort is SSR and we Love it there! It was the right place for us. We love the resort itself and love being so close to DD. It works for us and the ages of our grown children.

We stayed at BC in January and DH really likes it there as well. What we are finding is that it is getting harder to stay at your non-home resort when trying at the 7 month window. Not impossible but if your heart is set on staying at a particular plave I woudl ourchase there rather than counting on being able to get that 1st choice at the 7 month window.

Sounds as if you understand the needs of your family and know what you want. That is the best way to approach where you will purchase and the number of points you will need. :mickey:

[FiggyFan]

I always wonder how Disney decides how many contracts to sell, because really, there is a finite number of DVC rooms available, but it seems like they just keep on selling, faster than they are building more.

By law, Disney can't sell any faster than they build. They are required to have enough DVC rooms available at each resort so that every member can use all of this year's points at their home resort. I believe that they sell about 50 weeks worth of usage for each room.


I sort of wish they'd do away with the whole 7 and 11 month booking "windows" and make it the same as their room only reservations (you can reserve 499 days in advance) and just leave it at that.

This will probably never happen. The booking windows are written into the contract as well. DVC is allowed to change the length of the windows, but there is a minimum "home resort priority" period that they can't do away with.

If you are trying to book your home resort within the priority period (between 11 months and 7 months), it should never get harder than it is the day the day DVC finishes selling that resort. During that time, you are competing only with owners at that resort.

What does change (and get harder) is moving to a popular resort once the 7 month window opens. As more DVC resorts are added, more people want to stay, for example, at BCV or BWV during Epcot's Food & Wine festival. This is why so many people recommend "buy where you want to stay."

[BrerGnat]

This is why so many people recommend "buy where you want to stay."

That is our problem. WHERE do we want to stay? :D

I'm probably totally getting ahead of myself here. We haven't even taken our kids to WDW yet. ;) BUT, I know that I will NEVER stop visiting WDW, and buying into DVC, for me, seems to be a no brainer, financially.

I think what we will do is hold off until our first visit, which will be next May. Perhaps we will go visit the different "potential" home resorts and see which one really speaks to us.

I hate to pass up any really good incentives, but I know there will always be incentives in the future.

We'll see. It's so hard to make a decision on a home resort without acutually having visited any of them. Plus, we don't know what our kids will like. Maybe they will LOVE Epcot and the Studios. Maybe AK will be their favorite. And, since they're so young (only 3 and 2 right now), buying in somewhere close to where we will spend the majority of our time seems to be a good idea.

[DizneyFreak2002]

This year will mark my first trip as a DVC member... I took the DVC tour in May of last year, and I was convinced... The only thing I regret is that I should have bought into it when I wanted to, a few years ago... But, I cannot and will not complain... I am now a member... I want to add on some more points, but, I decided to wait until after my October trip... I want to see how the trip goes first, how the rooms are, and how awesome the experience is... Also, a lot will depend on job status, as my company is hurting just like all the other ones out there... So, I need to see what my employment status is come October...

[10DogMom]

Our purchase was entirely emotional, too, but like others I have never regretted it. BUT, I wish I had known that:

Once I tried a one bedroom, there was no going back to a studio

Location would be more important to me than the style of the resort. Our home resort is VWL because we love nature, log homes, etc. However, after staying at BCV, I realize I LOVE the Epcot Resort location even if I don't actually love the resorts as much. (But we travel in off times and have never had problems getting where we want to be, so not that big of a deal.)

[Queen Stephanie]

I wish I knew how affordable DVC really is many years before we purchased. Buying our DVC at OKW has been a great investment and our most enjoyable one for sure! We always stay in a 2BR villa, and since doing so, we can't stay in studios or hotels any longer. Even when we stay in the mountains, now we must rent cabins because we are so use to our OKW villa. Good luck with your decision!

[Donald A]

I would have to say that I wish I knew how great a deal with points DVC resorts are in the non-peak times of the year. I bought the bare minimum of points available from Disney (150) and these points go a long way in the value season on weekdays. My Beach Club 2-bedroom Villa for 30 points a night during the week in January was awesome. 5 nights would use up a years of points. The cash value of that villa is at least $3000!

[Mackflava99]

I wish i had bought sooner too-
I also wish i had bought more points- i did re-up but i paid more.

Now i think i have the right amount- ( but would always love more )

I dont find many negatives- i do not like the booking process, but i think the recent changes may help.

I find it to be a very very good value for my family

[thumperbug]

I've been a DVC member since 2003. When we first bought in, it was never a problem to get a booking at the 7 month window for a resort other then our home resort. That has changed dramatically in the past 2 years. We go at off peak times and have had a hard time getting anything at the other resorts. We normally have to call back several times and adjust our dates in order to get something. For our trip in April, we had booked at the 11th month mark at our home resort just to make sure we get a reservation. Did the same thing for our Feb 2009 trip with the hopes we can get into another resort. Don't get me wrong, we like our home resort, we just like to stay at other resorts a well. We love our DVC. The first time we used it was for a trip to Lake George. It was so easy to book and we ended up with a 1 bedroom condo with full kitchen and fireplace at the top resort at Lake George. We had added on points a few years ago as well and would love to add more....but financially, now is not the time.

[BubbaBax]

Like everyone else, I wish we had purchased years ago. We did the tour back in 2003(could have purchased BWV), but it was, finacially, not the right time. 4 years later we finally purchased at SSR. We love SSR. Last year we added on at AKL.
Since I live in CA, now I wish I had known how much the price would increase to fly to FL. Oh well, soon we will be able to stay at GCV. But we still think purchasing DVC was the best investment we have ever made.:mickey:

[dlpmikki]

I bought early on, back in 92. I guess I wish I knew just how dramatically the price would increase as we may have bought more earlier. $51 is a lot better value than $100!

[Sunshine1010]

The thing I wished I had known before?.....

.......The rep told us how even though we had a 'home resort', we could stay at all the others at a 7 month window. But the rep didn't tell us that you usually have a rough time getting that 'other resort'. They made it sound so easy...instead, I have to call every day, hope and pray, etc.....