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View Full Version : Are you happy or unhappy that you joined DVC? Why?



ruey
05-06-2003, 12:26 PM
One of the common question on these boards is "Should I or shouldn't I join? I figured this thread might help those who are deciding.

Cathy P
05-06-2003, 01:06 PM
I can honestly say that I am VERY HAPPY that my husband and I joined the DVC. We joined back in October 2001 and have enjoyed our stays at both Old Key West and our Home Resort - Villas at the Wilderness Lodge. The maintenance fees and the loan payments really don't effect our monthly budget too much and I actually look forward to paying them! The reason I love being part of the DVC is knowing that I can look forward to staying on site at beautiful Disney resorts for MANY YEARS TO COME graemlins/clappy.gif ! Also, whenever we leave Disney, I really can say "See You Real Soon" instead of wondering, how are we going to save for our next trip? Having the accomodations portion of the trip already paid for really helps with planning other details of our trips! We are planning a trip this October with my brother and his girlfriend and some more trips in future years with other family members and friends. We really love "owning a piece of the magic" and sharing it with our loved ones.

166 Days to graemlins/mickey.gif
- Cathy

spiceypj
05-06-2003, 03:56 PM
Yes - I love DVC - I brought in 93 so we got the free tickets until 12/31/99 (which I still miss). but yes I would have brought it again without the free tickets.

All the DVC resorts are lovely - I love all the DVC onsite - I have stayed at the off-site DVC resorts - but I found out that I don't appreciate the Atlantic Ocean, golf or tennis - so have another timeshare in Panama City Beach (cheap!!!)

If you like to stay on-site in something bigger than a hotel room (but don't have the money to go to the suites route) - DVC is it.

the studios are very nice and up against hotel rooms are a pretty fair judge - they do have a microwave and under the counter refrigerator - so they have a slight (in my opinion) advantage - but if you are comparing DVC resorts to WDW resorts you must start with the studio. Too many people want to compare a 1-bedroom to a hotel room - sorry - I have yet to stay in any hotel room that any of the conveniences of a DVC 1-bedroom (not to mention the 2 or 3rd bedroom).

So please when you are comparing prices - compare the price of a hotel room to the price of a studio - DVC is a bargain!!!

FiggyFan
05-06-2003, 09:46 PM
I'm very glad we bought DVC. Like many, I'm just sorry we didn't buy more! We are now happily juggling points at two different resorts (BWV, BCV). We should have bought years ago! It's great knowing that we'll be back soon. We visit once a year now for 10 days at a time. We have found that getting the AP every other year and getting two trips (51 weeks apart) from one pass makes for some cheap trips at a great resort. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[ May 06, 2003, 09:48 PM: Message edited by: FiggyFan ]

Timbo
05-07-2003, 11:00 AM
We own in both the DVC and the Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HGVC). I can say that in comparing the two, we are infinitely happier with DVC on all accounts. Sometimes I wish we had just used the money we spent on HGVC and bought more points in DVC. But we use HGVC for other personal travel, so the two programs are complementary for us. From what I've learned, HGVC is better than most of the others out there.

TiggerRPh
05-07-2003, 12:26 PM
Very happy....I love the atmosphere at OKW and the fact we can stay in a two BR with two baths without paying an arm and leg instead of cramming us into a hotel room with one bath.

turtlepondkid
05-07-2003, 05:48 PM
Gotta love DVC. My family bought in (my parents) when I was younger and got into OKW. My name isn't on the deal, but I have been a huge part of enjoying it.
THE BEST PART??? --not only not worrying about where money for accomodations is coming from, but that we can change the size of the room for whatever the number of ppl we bring.

My brother married nearby and my parents even pulled off a rehearsal dinner buffet for about twenty people in a two-bedroom. It was wonderful.

MY DILEMMA NOW??? ---figuring out how to talk my husband into buying into it before we buy a house (as opposed to renting). He said we need to have our priorities straight.
I'm thinking---priorities, huh?
Gimme DVC and Annual passes and I'm a happy camper. I'd much rather pay DVC dues than land taxes! graemlins/thumbsup.gif

GOOFFEE
05-07-2003, 08:12 PM
We have loved every minute of our DVC membership, up to and including this years DVC member cruise. My only regret is we blew the points for our fall trip to WDW on the cruise. We will not make that mistake again.

My wife and I, not to mention our M.D. son are all certified nerds. We get to play at WDW and our DVC membership not only makes it possible to go, it encourages frequent visits.

mjstaceyuofm
05-08-2003, 10:30 AM
Another VERY HAPPY with our DVC membership. We love the resorts and vacationing at WDW and HHI. The only thing I'm not happy about is the way the points have been steadily increasing for non-DVC fares such as the concierge collection and the various cruise packages.

The plan was to enjoy WDW every other year and use our points in the off-years for CC trips and the like, but those tend to eat up your points quick. We only have 230 points and have grown accustomed to the 1-BR vacation homes with the kids (sleep on pull-out sofa). So we haven't done as many CC trips as we'd like. We like the 1-BR units because it's nice to have the separation between us. In the future we may even be coaxed into the 2-BR when bathroom space/time is at a premium.

The only other thing I'm semi-disappointed about is the way the DVC tends to be left out of the various deals Disney likes to offer on occasion. We don't buy AP's due to our vacation pattern so more often than not we buy the LOS passes with the 10% DVC discount. It's OK, but not great. Right now Disney is offering this buy a 4-nt package (room w/ LOS pass), and get 3 free. I'd like to see some of the ticket savings passed on to DVC members every once in a while... But that's not DVC's call, it's Disney's call - and there is a difference...

donald-doc
05-08-2003, 02:12 PM
Originally posted by mjstaceyuofm:

The only other thing I'm semi-disappointed about is the way the DVC tends to be left out of the various deals Disney likes to offer on occasion. We don't buy AP's due to our vacation pattern so more often than not we buy the LOS passes with the 10% DVC discount. It's OK, but not great. Right now Disney is offering this buy a 4-nt package (room w/ LOS pass), and get 3 free. I'd like to see some of the ticket savings passed on to DVC members every once in a while... Hey, those really great deals are designed to encourage people to come to WDW. DVC members are already coming; they do not need to give us incentives.

I agree, overall, it would be nice for there to be more deals for DVC members, but oh well. Overall, we are very happy with DVC. It forces us to plan vacations; something I still do not do very well! I have two weeks of vacation-lose or use-by June 30, and I will only use one!

The pre-paid room(s) are quickly paying us back! We invested in our emotional health; take 200 points worth of vacations every year!
There was no better investment that we could have made.

mjstaceyuofm
05-09-2003, 10:50 AM
Doc - don't get me wrong, the wife, kids & I LOVE our WDW vacations and love them that much more since we've been DVC members. I'd just like to see them do a bit more with regards to ticket pricing for members - that's all. smile.gif

KEVINKAL
05-09-2003, 10:08 PM
I am very happy with my DVC Membership. I love the resorts, the size and convenience of rooms, the points system, etc.
My only complaint is that I think we deserve a Discount on admission tickets. We have put our money and faith in Disney by pre-paying 40 years of vacation. That's a lot of Faith! We are the most loyal of Disney Fans - we deserve a discount on tickets!!

spiceypj
05-12-2003, 09:32 AM
after Sept 11 - when all the WDW resorts loss guest - and the DVC members proved their loyality - WDW was thinking about coming out with DVC annual pass (not like the last one - that was a bad investment)- but I haven't heard anything else about it - anyone heard anything lately.

I know what you mean - when DVC first announced a 10% off Uph - we (me and other DVC members) immediately asked for the 10% off the annual pass - we were told that WDW makes that decision not DVC....