Would appreciate input - DVC purchase or not

[countrycharmer]

Hello. My husband and I have been trying to decide all the pros and cons on purchasing DVC. We travel to Disney roughly 2 to 3 times a year, but since prices have gotten higher not so much. Thus as we priced out December trip my husband felt that the $3,000 for trip could be towards DVC.

My questions are this: Do you know if you could put half down and finance the remaining?

We are buying (possibly) into AKL - Kidani which will not be open until May 2009. As a perk we were offered 200 additional bonus points to match what we would be purchasing in points; they also said that the montly fees would be pro-rated from May to December.

All this sounds good, but still seems like big step to take. Has anyone else had same feeling prior to purchasing? Can you tell me if you feel it was worth the investment?

Thank you.

[chefmickey3]

It made sense for us. Yes you can finance half of the purchase. We figure within 7 years we will realize big savings. We go once a year for between a week and 10 days. Travel costs prevent more frequent trips. The discount on annual passes is great -- we are able to go for two years with one set of passes (big savings). Plus we are a family of five and could see ourselves quickly outgrowing the moderates. To stay at the deluxes, DVC made the most sense. This year we are packing cases of water and ordering from Green Grocer so between that and be eligible for the DDE, we are saving tons on food and drink and still doing the things we love. IMO, if you like to go at least once a year and would like to or need to stay at a Deluxe, then DVC makes sense.

[DestinationWDW]

My wife and I just bought into DVC, in fact we purchased into Animal Kingdom Villa. We had a very hard time deciding. We starting looking at this over a year ago and last August we took the tour. At the time we decided to wait because I wasn’t sure about my employment.
We usually go down one to two times a year as well for about 8 nights. We are a family of 5 and are at the point where we need 2 hotel rooms. So I crunched some numbers and it made sense to purchase in to Animal Kingdom because it sleeps 5. We purchased 225 points which equates to about the same amount of time we usually stay. I figured that I already make monthly payments to Disney Travel Company each month why not make it for far better accommodations. Private bedroom for the adults, full kitchen, laundry in the room, plus 2 full baths. Since I already budget money for the vacation, it made sense to me and it worked out to be cheaper. And with DVC you get additional discounts like additional rooms, discounted rates on Annual passess, etc.

I also looked into tickets, the difference between annual passes and 8 day park hopper was so minimal that we purchased those instead of 8 day park hopper. Plus now being Annual Pass holders we get discounts on hotel rooms when available. What that means is that we can enjoy more time at the parks if we like. So now we are driving down for the 4 of July and stay at POR at an Annual Pass Holder rate.

So now all that is left is food, we usually purchase the dining plan, because we love to eat at the restaurants in Epcot. But this leaves more choices if money does get tight.

We will be using are bonus points in October at Saratoga Springs, and with the gas price crunch and the economy I did start second guessing my decision, but hey if I can’t drive to Fl because of gas I can always go some place closer to home using my points for Hilton Head or Vero Beach. My first payment will be next month and I still believe I made the right decision for my family and future family if I am blessed with grand kids, although I hope that’s not for another 15 years or so. Every thread I have read over the past year everyone has always praised how much they love DVC. I have not read a single thread stating that a DVC owner regretted purchasing the DVC. I can’t wait to use my points in October of 2009 at Animal Kingdom.