Considering DVC

[Tri Minnie]

On our last two trips we have rented DVC points and loved the experience. With three small children, we find Disney to be well suited to our needs. So we are considering buying resale at AKV. I have read the stickies and many of the posts in this forum, but I still have a few questions.

1. I know it is important to have enough points for whatever season you most likely see yourself going, but is this really enough points? For example, if you need around 200 points for a week at AKV during magic season is there a reason to look for a contract that has slightly more points than this?

2. On a related note, a studio is currently big enough for our family. However, we will eventually need a one bedroom. If it is financially feasible, are we smarter to buy more points now and either try to rent or bank? I am thinking this would avoid having to pay closing costs twice.

3. What do those of you do with 4 or more children? I don't know if this will ever be us, but I like to think ahead. Do you get two studios or do you have enough points for a two bedroom?

4. I know there are older posts on this, and I am not looking to start a debate on the financial investment in DVC. However, I am curious for those of you that own DVC if you would choose to do it all over again today.

Thank you in advance for all of your knowledge, opinions and thoughts.

[PlutoPlanet]

We own at AKL and prefer the 1 BR to studio. We like having the laundry facilities in our room. We pack less and enjoy having clean clothes.

It may better to buy what you need the first time. We did not. We bought 160 and then bought 50 more. We do split stays. It works for us. We always borrow from the year ahead so we can have the 1 BR. Once every few years we can only stay for 4 or 5 days, so we catch up.

We did a 2 BR once with 5 adults and 2 kids. It was fine.

We are so glad we bought DVC. Our DD16 is not tired of Disney yet. Same goes for DW and me.

[DVC2004]

We are a family of 4, and we joined after 2 trips on cash when our boys were small. We have gotten more than our money's worth over the years. We own only 170 points, and have plans to add on in a couple years. Most of the time the 170 works for us. However if you can swing it now it will cost you less in the long run, especially since you have a larger family that will eventually require the 1 BR. The cost constantly goes up (point price).

We usually go 2X per year in a studio for 5 nights. If we want to stay longer we will sometimes stay onsite at Universal for a few nights, or book a cash room at a Value or moderate and occasionally a Deluxe as a "treat". This way it conserves our points for a 2nd trip. However we have borrowed a few times to do a 2 BR and take extended family with, and other times we want the 1 BR. We recently returned from a stay at Aulani and had a 1 BR because we wanted the in room laundry and larger fridge to save money on food (snacks) and drink. It was fantastic to be able to take our kids to Hawaii and not have the room to pay for. Believe me, the air cost alone was probably what some families spend on their entire vacation. We got to spend the money we didn't spend on our room to take a shark cage excursion and a helicopter tour of the island.

Would I do it again? Oh yeah. For what we purchased ours for, which I think was around $14K-$15K almost 10 years ago, we have probably taken $45K in vacations so far. And we are only 8 years into our membership. Seriously. I priced out our room at Aulani at over $650 per night (before tax) on cash rate. We used ours for 1 week in a 2 BR Villa at Harborside at Atlantis (Bahamas, part of Atlantis property but sadly no longer offered on the exchange program)...the cash cost of that room for 7 nights was more than $11,000. So those trips alone break us even. However, we have taken about 2 trips a year for the last 8 years staying in Deluxe Villas. Also keep in mind "Disney Inflation" if you stay on property. The cost of the rooms goes up higher each year. When we first went to WDW in 2001 the Poly was $215 per night for a garden view room. I believe it's over $400 per night now.

My kids are now 13 and 15 and love going back. We are happy we have this as a legacy so they can continue to make memories with their own families some day (hopefully). We still plan on using it for many years. It;s not for everyone, but it certainly is for us.

[MarkC]

Not only would I do it again I would do it earlier and buy more points. Our kids are 22 and 20, and our 22 year old just used it on his honeymoon in May.

We bought 100 points at Beach Club a few years ago, so we usually get to use about 6 nights a year in a studio. We use a Disney visa to charge everything and use the points to pay for our maintenance dues. We hardly ever pay for anything.

I can make the finance argument for you. If you buy 100 points at $80 per point you will spend $8,000. Use the visa, and for example you have to pay $200 every year in leftover dues costs. You will end up spending up about $14,000 in direct expenses. You will end up staying there about 180 nights. That equals about $78 per night for a $350 resort. Please don't mention investment income because you can easily lose money on investments as we all know. Plus, this will bring a lifetime of memories. If you buy more points and stay in a 1 bedroom you will double your cost, but that will still be less than the cost of a moderate and that doesn't figure in inflation. In 2042 the costs of a night at Beach Club could be $800-$1000 but your cost will still be the same.

Again, I can make it work financially but the enjoyment you get is priceless. If you like to go Disney every year or two, this will pay for itself in about 5 years. We love it, but we can only speak for ourselves. However, we took a Disney cruise in February and talked to a lot of other DVC members. Not one person was even remotely upset they bought DVC. Compare that to other timeshare owners who can't unload theirs at any cost.

Go for it and enjoy it.

[VWL Mom]

I would do it again in a heartbeat. We are a family of 4 and bought back in 2006. We bought 282 points so we would have enough for one week in a 2 BR during Jersey Week. Then my oldest went off to college and missed the November trip so we had to add a June trip. I'm in the midst of closing on another 150 points right now.

I would say buy what you are comfortable with financially, you can always add on later. I would also suggest, since you mentioned buying resale, to look for a contract with banked points. This will give you points to play with in the beginning.

[greengeen]

I wish we had bought earlier (we have been going since 1992, bought DVC in 2008); and I wish we had bought more points. We're currently looking for a resale to supplement our 160 points. I think you'll hear this over and over. If you like to go to WDW and go often, then buy as many points as you can afford.

[Tri Minnie]

I really appreciate all of the thoughtful responses. This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to collect, so please keep it coming. It is also wonderful to hear about so many fabulous experiences.

[MinnieMommie]

We are a family of 6. Our 4 kids are gown now but we had been bringing them to Disney since they were very young. DH wanted to buy into DVC way before we did and I was the hold out. My one regret was not doing this sooner. We love having a DVC membership.

We have since added on to our original contract and purchased through DVC. Now that there is such a disparity between the DVC and resale market it seems the resale is the way to go if you plan to only use your points at the DVC Club Resorts.

It is hard to know if you should buy additional points to avoid the closing costs for a subsequent purchase. If you think you will add on soon it might be a good idea to do so now. If you are stretching the budget and are unsure if you will actually need additional pts then it might make sense to wait until you know you are ready. If you will not be using the additional pts now consider how the extra cost of maintenance pts will off set the additional closing cost if you purchase more pts now vs down the road.

A one bedroom is a nice thing to have. The washer and dryer and the kitchen is helpful to our family. Even when we make trips now with only a few people we tend to go for the one bedroom rather than a studio or a two bedroom rather than 2 studios. We also tend to bring people with us so that usually means we end up needing more space than planned.

DVC has been a nice investment for our family. Now that the kids are older we use the pts in all sorts of combinations at different times of the year. It keeps working for us. :mickey:

[MarkC]

I posted above and agree with what the others said. I've never talked to so many people so in love with timeshares. I guess I want to know if there is anyone out there who regrets their decision. The only way I can imagine that happening is if its due to financial reason, but if there are other reasons the OP would probably like to know. I personally can't think of any.

[tjstrike]

We've been very happy with our purchase and will be adding on in the near future with hopefully about 100 more points. We're a family of 5 and try to go once a year with 150 points and we usually fall behind and end up borrowing. :D

[Tri Minnie]

All of your stories and advice are extremely helpful. I think we are leaning on purchasing DVC and buying enough points for a one bedroom with maybe a few spare points. Thank you for sharing, and if anyone else has any other thoughts, I would love to hear it.

[DizneyRox]

Do the math and get what you need. With some creative math, you may be able to get away with less points than you think. For example, maybe look at skipping one day (weekend) every other year which ay cut down your points needed, and look at banking into the next year to get that full week or what ever.

That said, also look at what you really need. For example, if you need a 1BR, then make sure you get enough to cover that. Remember that the lower point costs rooms are less plentiful and sell out faster than the more expensive rooms. With DVC, you get what you book, and can only book what's available. If you book 1BR value, that's what you'll get, if they are sold out, you may need to book a savanah view (using AKL as an example).

We never looked at a standard (minimum contract). Always bought odd numbers, and it's always worked out well.

[Tri Minnie]

We will eventually need a one bedroom. (Our youngest of 3 is almost four months.) DizneyRox, you make a good point about a potential limit on type of room. We are factoring that into our point consideration and will likely get more points than we would need for a value. Thank you!

[Plex]

1. I know it is important to have enough points for whatever season you most likely see yourself going, but is this really enough points? For example, if you need around 200 points for a week at AKV during magic season is there a reason to look for a contract that has slightly more points than this?

What we have found is that DVC ownership has made us feel more inclined to go more often. It's there, we just have to way for airfare and park tickets. If you buy AP's, then it's all over, you'll end up stalking the website of our airline of choice for hot deals on long weekends so you can go to WDW. We still haven't done a spontaneous trip like that, but it's definitely in the realm of happening at some point. Have a little more than you need gives you more flexibility and you can keep rolling your points forward and do something big and awesome every few years. We definitely have more than we need and I'm very happy that I made the extra investment for those "unnecessary" points.



2. On a related note, a studio is currently big enough for our family. However, we will eventually need a one bedroom. If it is financially feasible, are we smarter to buy more points now and either try to rent or bank? I am thinking this would avoid having to pay closing costs twice.

Closing costs aren't much of a concern in the grand scheme I don't think. Like $500 or so on our purchase. Not too big of a deal. I'd go more with the Bank and borrow plan for now personally. Remember that you can shave days off of a trip or stay in cheaper accommodations to make the points work for you. One time use can come in handy too.



3. What do those of you do with 4 or more children? I don't know if this will ever be us, but I like to think ahead. Do you get two studios or do you have enough points for a two bedroom?

We haven't planned this far ahead just yet. We are planning on adding on points someday when the need/opportunity arises.



4. I know there are older posts on this, and I am not looking to start a debate on the financial investment in DVC. However, I am curious for those of you that own DVC if you would choose to do it all over again today.

Financially speaking, it really depends on your use. I've done a pretty thorough analysis (prior to my own purchase) and it came out positive for us, so we made the purchase. That said, it was purchased through resale with a full year of points banked, so we used it for a 2-week honeymoon, which got us close to break-even in one big trip. It won't always be right for everyone. If you want the DVC level accommodations and you are willing to pay for it anyway, I'd say take the plunge and buy.

Be careful of how you pay for it though. The loans that are out there for DVC can bear very high interest rates. Using a home equity line can be dangerous as well, and these days a lot of folks simply can't get a HELOC either because of lack of equity or just banking problems in general. The interest on the purchase is a huge hidden cost, and for the average person the tax benefits aren't nearly enough to make up for it.



Thank you in advance for all of your knowledge, opinions and thoughts.

You're welcome! I hope that helps!

[MarkC]

I'm going to add on to what Plex says above. While DVC is wonderful and we love everything about it, make sure you can afford it. If it makes you spend a bunch on finance charges and take vacations you can't afford, don't do it. We paid cash for ours and wouldn't have even considered financing a long term vacation plan such as this. But everyone is different so only you can make that decision.

[Tri Minnie]

Thank you for the advice. I know financing works for some, but we don't plan to take that route. The tricky part is figuring out just how many points we want :)