Considering DVC...

[crazygoalie39]

Hi all. So we are considering buying into DVC. Our issue isn't whether we think it's worth the money, because I don't think you can put a price on a Disney vacation. We want to do it because it will just be convenient to have our vacations pre-paid and all of the other perks that go along with being a DVC member. So my main question is, is it worth it for my family? We are a family of 4. We take a trip once every year. My main point for not becoming a member is that unless we stayed at OKW, which is definitely not my first choice, the kids would have to sleep on a sofa bed instead of a real bed if we got a studio. This means we would have to stay in a 2 br suite if we wanted them to sleep on a real bed and that would significantly raise the amount of points we would need to buy. So i guess it is a little about the money. :blush: Thanks in advance.

[BraddyB]

I dont have DVC but we have been looking to buy into it too.

With the 1 bedroom you would have your own bedroom, and then the kids would have the sofa bed.

First question is how old are the kids and would they care if they shared a sofa bed.

I know if I was the kid and the catch to going to wdw was to sleep on a sofa bed, I wouldnt have cared one bit.

Second is depending on age as they get older, they might want to go every year. So in that case you could bank points and get a two bedroom and go every other year.

Just some thoughts...hope they help

[disneymom15]

I've asked the question myself about the comfort of the sofa beds in the studio rooms. The replies from fellow intercottees were all positive. That the sofa beds were very comfy. We just bought into DVC in January and most trips will consist of 4 adults. Our daughters boyfriend is tall and we were concerned about their comfort level sleeping in the sofa bed.

[crazygoalie39]

I've asked the question myself about the comfort of the sofa beds in the studio rooms. The replies from fellow intercottees were all positive. That the sofa beds were very comfy. We just bought into DVC in January and most trips will consist of 4 adults. Our daughters boyfriend is tall and we were concerned about their comfort level sleeping in the sofa bed.

That's great to hear!:joy: That makes our decision much easier. It's not about them sleeping together because the always do on all of our vacations, it's about them having a real bed and being comfortable. But if the sofa beds are actually comfortable that's great. :mickey:

[MarkC]

We have boys who are 21 and 18-- the younger one being 6'5". They have never had problems with the sofa beds.

We bought a few years ago and now wished we would have done so before then had we known about it. We keep thinking we won't use it some year but my wife and I are going without the kids this fall. My oldest son is getting married next year so we're holding points for their honeymoon if they choose to go there. There hasn't been a year that I wished we didn't have a few more points. We love it.

[Plex]

You know, I have never heard a single complaint about the sofa beds! I still haven't tried out one, so I can't really comment on it, but what I can say is that I didn't a lot of research on this, and other issues when I was getting ready to buy in and no one ever had anything bad to say about the pull-outs.

[NH Disneyfan]

The pull out bed is good. Of course, it isn't a real bed and it is in the living room of the 1BR, but generally it was good. I slept there with my son and my wife/daughter used the king bed on our last trip. I was a bit jealous of the bed midway through. This year, we'll try to get the kids (7 & 6) to use the pull out and have "their own room" ...... HA! I think the extra space of DVC is worth it.

The one stress I didn't expect with DVC is making sure I can get a room type when we want it. What I'm happy about is that we bought at OKW - requiring low points at the 11 month reservation. We can secure the reservation there and come 7 months, decide how many points we want to spend and what resort we want to stay at, never at the risk of losing points since the new accommodation will always cost additional. Something to consider.....

[timandlesley]

We have had this discussion as a family many times. Right now our kids are 7 and 10 and they do complain at first but heck it's DISNEY and we are staying in some amazing hotels so after they get over the fact of seeing the couch the first night we never hear about it the rest of the trip. WE do want to try out OKW though in the future for that reason and are going to try a 2 bedroom in April but I'm afraid after we do that we'll be spoiled : )
Lesley

[DizneyRox]

Before buying, make sure you also think about the future...

When we bought, we were happy with a studio as it was just the two of us, but knew that at some point we would want to upgrade to a 1BR.

So, we bought enough for a week in a 1BR standard view during one of the busiest times of th year. This gives us flexibility to upgrade accomodations when necessary, bank points for future stays, etc. Originally, we started with longer stays in a studio, now we do shorter stays in a 1BR and when the little one is gone, we'll go back to longer stays in a studio. I think it will work out nice.

My advice is to NOT buy minimums, unless it really is enough. On several occasions we HAD to upgrade to a better view since what we wanted wasn't available.

Everyone is different though, we are limited to Magic Season or better. We've never been without enough points to do what we wanted. Now that you can "rent" points from Disney, it might be OK to relax a little, however I'm not sure if that's a permanent "perk", so I would still plan accordingly.

[Ian]

Listen ... don't buy the minimum unless the minimum is really what you need. You'll just end up frustrated and feeling like you're not getting what you need out of your membership.

If you truly vacation once a year, then the difference in the points isn't going to be that dramatic. Although you don't say when you typically vacation, I'll assume middle of the road time ... not value, but not peak holiday season either.

So to go from a 1BR to a 2BR at Bay Lake Tower, standard view, for one week would cost you another 72 points. I wouldn't even consider only buying enough for a studio. That's just not going to fly with a family of four, especially as the kids get older. Plus, some of the best financial benefits of DVC are reaped when you're using the bigger accomodations and trust me you get used to them fast ... especially having the washer and dryer and the full kitchen!

Don't forget some of the other savings you can take advantage of, as well. For example, if you plan right you can all get your annual passes at $100 off and use them to cover two trips instead of just one. Assuming you were going for a total of 14 days over the two years, that would save you almost $825 as compared to buying 7 day hoppers. And once you get to buy your AP's as a renewal you can tack on another $190 in savings. Not to mention dining and merchandise discounts, etc.

I'd recommend buying about 320 to 350 points. That should give you the flexibility you need to get the absolute most out of your membership and be totally satisfied with your purchase. If cost is an issue, consider buying resale through INTERCOT sponsor The Timeshare Store (http://www.dvc-resales.com/). You can save a bundle vs. buying through Disney and have your pick of home resorts. The cash you save by buying resale should be more than enough to fund the purchase of the extra points! :thumbsup:

[lovin'fl]

I would not buy again if I had a 'do over'. No, your vacations are not 'pre-paid', because you still pay annual dues. I just rented a 3 BR apartment off Disney property for the same amount I pay in annual dues and my points only get me a 1 BR. And with Disney changing up the rules for DVC, raising annual dues and dining plan costs...I would give them the least amount of my pennies as possible. Also, we have friends who paid $3500 for a 1 week timeshare at a nice resort (off Disney property)...they get a 2 BR condo for 1 week a year (their annual dues are the same as what I pay for DVC, but I bought my DVC for @ $16,000 instead of the $3,500 they paid...it'll take years to re-coup that).

If you do buy...buy at the resort you want to stay at because I think it's getting harder and harder to stay at non-home resorts anymore. We have our points at OKW, but would rather stay at BCV or BLT, if given the choice. We've never gotten into either and not counting on it in the future. But, I do have an affinity for OKW...so it works for us just fine (and OKW points were/are cheaper to buy than BCV/BLT).

[Aurora]

Let me start by saying I love DVC, and I'm one of those people who don't seem to have a problem in general getting a non-home resort (we've never booked in July, August, spring break or holiday weeks).

However, if I'm being completely honest, I have to say that I very much dislike the foam pull-out beds in the living areas. (There are still rooms with regular mattress sofa beds, which I like much better.)

It's not the foam part that is uncomfortable to me -- it's the transition seam from the flat seat to the rest of the bed. The seat area, even though it has the foam covering, is very stiff, and the rest of the bed is softer, so it sort of sinks a little. So when I used the sofa bed, it was hard to figure out a way not to have my head propped up on the hard part, or my arm jammed into the ridge of where the seat ended.

Others might not have this problem at all. Just wanted to give you my take. I guess the best way to find out is to stay in one on your next trip and figure out if that's what you want.

[Tinky-Bell]

If you do buy...buy at the resort you want to stay at because I think it's getting harder and harder to stay at non-home resorts anymore.

I completely agree with this. I originally bought at SSR, but fell in love with BCV and couldn't always get in there. Last year I finally decided to sell my SSR points and buy BCV instead. I'm a lot happier now, knowing I'll be able to stay at BCV as long as I book at the 11-month window.

Just my opinion, though.

[DizneyRox]

If you do buy...buy at the resort you want to stay at because I think it's getting harder and harder to stay at non-home resorts anymore.
I completely agree with this. I originally bought at SSR, but fell in love with BCV and couldn't always get in there. Last year I finally decided to sell my SSR points and buy BCV instead. I'm a lot happier now, knowing I'll be able to stay at BCV as long as I book at the 11-month window.

Just my opinion, though.
Not "just" your opinion actually, it's a good practice. A lot of experts would agree, while you don't have to expect to stay at the same resort each year, you really should plan on it. As DVC builds out, I think you're going to find that people are going to have a harder time getting what they want. Doesn't make sense at first thought, however, when more people can book any point in time, there are going to be more people looking for fewer spots. You see, places like SSR are not a first choice for many (I might say most). And it happens to be one of the largest properties, so there's more poeple looking to trade out.

SSR is really way at the bottom of my last, I'd rather change my dates than stay there over any other DVC resort on property, so having SSR points would make me miserable. I'd be fighting with EVERY other DVC resort owner at 7 months out to get into resorts that I might guess more people are happy with and booked at 11 months out to make sure they didn't lose a room to me.

So, buy where you want to stay. If you can trade out, it's "magic"!