considering buying into dvc but leary

[em-n-mia's-mommy]

We took the tour last sunday at the dvc center at saratoga springs. We like the idea, especially the long term savings. But, the thing we are not really caring for is the $700 a year dues and taxes. We keep going back and forth with it. Is it truly worth it? What are the member benefits. The guy who talked to us on the tour did not go too much into those like discounts on park tickets etc. He wants to sell us animal kingdom villas. We toured the contemporary villas they have built at the dvc center and were very impressed but price is going to go up $8 a point. We are also stuck with that decision.

[VWL Mom]

As many will tell you, it depends on how many Disney vacations you see in your future. We waited too long to buy. Some things we considered when we finally bought were:

1. our 1st visit to WL in 1994 we paid $199/nt for a Jr Suite, 2006 we paid $399/nt for same room, I think the 2008 rate was $459/nt.
2. boys are now 13 and 16 and need more space and a 2nd bathroom.
3. they love Disney and now we know that the even after we are gone, the kids will be able to take their families and continue the tradition (at least until 2042).

And of course, buy where you will stay. The sale person told us SSR was the only thing available. We told him we only wanted WL and were willing to wait........we had to wait 5 minutes and suddenly 282 pts were available.

[DizneyRox]

Well, once the initial purchase is paid off, that is your yearly accomodations cost. You can of course find someone that will show you that it's cheaper to do something else, etc. I really think that for us, DVC was a great purchase.

There were a few years that had we not owned DVC, we wouldn't have been able to take a vacation. We have the dues budgeted, so no matter what, it gets paid for.

We recently sold and made a tidy profit over our initial investment. Considering the number of years we took vacations, etc, I am very happy.

I may be mistaken, but any timeshare you purchase is going to have dues, so this concept isn't exclusive to Disney. BTW - If dues are a big concern, AKL I think has one of the lowest dues. You can stay at BLT with your AKL points, but if you vacation at peak seasons, you really want to own in the resort you want to stay at. Finally, resale is a good way to get cheaper DVC contracts. There are a number of AKL contracts up for sale, I imagine that BLT is going to go up as well sooner than later. I think people buy, take a quick vacation on their points and then try to unload the properties. Kindof cheesy if you ask me, but I can't think of another reason why so many AKL contract are up for sale. The majority of the resort isn't even open yet.

[Ian]

Just FYI, BLT will have one of the lowest per point maintenance cost of any of the DVC properties. I think it's somewhere around $3.75 a per point.

Anyway, yeah ... you can read people's feedback all the livelong day and 50% of them will tell you DVC is great and the other 50% will tell you how stupid you are for falling for Disney's sales pitch.

I used to be one of the latter, but after careful consideration, some number crunching, and a gut check, I am now one of the former.

But really it all depends on you, your preferences, your vacationing habits, and your desire to make Disney a lifelong vacation destination.

A few pieces of advice I'll give you:

1. Definitely buy where you want to stay. Period. Don't let anyone convince you different. If you like AKL and want to stay there, buy at AKL. If you don't, then please ... wait and buy where you really want to stay. If you want BLT, spend the little bit extra and get BLT. You're going to be vacationing there for 50 years ... you'd best be happy with what you bought! So despite the fact that your guide will very much emphasize the ability to stay "anywhere" on your points, don't get hung up on that.

2. Please don't buy in thinking you're making a financial investment. You may be (DVC contracts have, for the most part, appreciated in value), but it's by no means guaranteed. Buy for the value of the vacations only. If you, some day, are fortunate enough to turn a small profit on your purchase, well that's just gravy on the mashed.

3. Make sure you buy the right amount of points. DVC guides tend to show you how far your points can go by emphasizing studio accomodations, Adventure (slow) season trips, etc. Trust me ... once you stay in a 1BR or bigger you'll never want to go back. I'd plan on staying in a 1BR each trip during the Dream season (middle-of-the-road). Then see what your desired length of stay would cost you in terms of points per year and buy that many. If you don't buy enough up front, you'll probably end up frustrated.

4. Don't worry about the member perks and discounts. Are they nice? Yes. Are they guaranteed? No. They'll change over time. For example, currently you get $100 a year off an AP. That pays for a nice chuck of your annual dues, especially if you have a bigger family. I mean we have three AP-age folks in our family, so we save $300 a year right out of the gate. But that could change and it's only a very tiny piece of the overall DVC puzzle.

5. If you think you will probably buy at some point, then please ... buy now. The absolute worst DVC mistake we made was not buying in WAY back in 2001 when we first looked. We would have saved a TON of money and we wholeheartedly regret it.

[DizneyRox]

Just FYI, BLT will have one of the lowest per point maintenance cost of any of the DVC properties. I think it's somewhere around $3.75 a per point.

...


5. If you think you will probably buy at some point, then please ... buy now. The absolute worst DVC mistake we made was not buying in WAY back in 2001 when we first looked. We would have saved a TON of money and we wholeheartedly regret it.
Didn't want to quote the entire thing, but yeah, spot on.

Really, take the time to figure out what you REALLY need. Sure, you can get by cheaper if you figure you'll stay in a studio with a not so great view during off-season... Unfortunately, those lower point accomodation really disappear quick, and if you don't have the points to upsize, they you are in a pickle. I ran the numbers for a couple of days, with various permutations of a 2BR week one year and 2 weeks in a studio the next, and banking left ove points to be used the next year and then the occasional holiday vacation, etc. We ended up with an odd number of points, but it was really worth it. We were never at a loss of options. I can't help but think that also helped resale as well.

We bought back near the turn of the century and wish we bought sooner. We could have saved a ton more, so yes, buy early, and buy enough. Your point costs WILL NOT change with DVC. If you need 150 points now, you'll need 150 points in 40 years for the same accomodation, same season. Weeks within the season may change a little, but I don't think that has happened yet.

[7swans]

If you plan to go to Disney every year or two, DVC is great. It is true once you try a suite, you don't want to go back to a studio.

However the expenses don't end with your contract purchase or with maintenance fees. If park tickets, food costs, and travel expenses don't fit comfortably in your budget, having your rooms prepaid for won't matter much. I think that could account for some of the AK resale availabilty. Impulse purchasers who go home and realize the really can't afford to go to WDW every year or so.

Hind sight is 20/20, while I do love SSR, if we could go back in time I wish we had purchased a resale contract at OKW ( we have a large family), or at Beach Club, where we would love to stay during Food & Wine, but the chances of getting that at 7 months is slim to none. Not to mention this would have been a little less money than buying SSR directly from Disney.

Best wishes to you in making your decision!

[DVC_dad]

In 1993-2003 or so, it made FINANCIAL sense to buy in. In today's market I have to admit, I think that it doesn't make financial sense anymore, but how much of a premium can one place on the large nubmer of perks you get (both real and intrinsic) from staying on property? It is different for everyone.

I have no regrets of having bought in, but it is NOT for everyone. We go there lots, and for us it makes sense. It is a lot of bang for our buck and we really do feel like it's home being that we have stayed at the DVC's in the World so many times. We know exactly what to expect and we are never disappointed.

[thumperbug]

Lets not forget the DVC also allows you to stay at over 450 different resorts around the world.

The first time we used our vacation points was not for a trip to WDw but rather to Lake George NY. The "room" they gave us was actually a full 1 bedroom apt with fireplace...on the lake.

When we took the DVC tour...for us we would not have bought into it if there weren't so many other options.

But...as you can see from my signature...we have used teh DVC quite a bit...It has definitely paid for itself.

DVC member since October 2003

[#1Dduckfan]

Ian,
Trust me, I know your regret. Our regret was not buying in when the DVC was first available in 1993. Yeah, it took us 8 years to make the leap, but we are more than happy with it. Buying in is completely personal. We travel A LOT and we figured out what it would have cost us to get all of the rooms that we've stayed in since we bought in and it's already paid for itself. But you have to be ready to use it, otherwise it will not be worthwhile.

[mouse-logic]

My little piece of advice.......

If you decide to take the leap and buy in...great.

If you decide to really take the plunge and buy a lot of points....great.

But don't buy more than 150-250 points in a single contract.

Here's why.....

If you ever decide that you don't need all the points but want to keep some and get rid of the others, you can.

Or, if you decide you want to get rid of all your points, it's much easier to sell mutiple contracts of 150 points, than it is to sell one big contract of 300, 400, or more points. I've seen resale contracts on the market for 800+ points. I just don't know who is going to plunk down $60,000-70,000 for such a contract.