DVC Complaints

[antnyh]

I do not want to start a DVC trashing topic, but we are about to join at BLT. I have read numerous posts here and at another site. I haven't really read any negative comments from DVC members. The only negative debates have been around the financial sense of joining. I am not concerned about that as I have the money and it makes financial sense to me. I do wonder if there are any complaints or dislikes that you may have. Something that you wish you knew before you joined. Not that they would make you reconsider, but it was a bummer when you found out.

Thanks...:mickey:

[DizneyRox]

I don't have many complaints about DVC specifically, more about the trend of the company. DVC falls into that trend however...

In general, Disney doesn't really reward frequent guests, so do not go into it expecting preferential treatment or other perks just because you are a member. Not that I do, but just be clear that you shouldn't. the current discount on APs is VERY nice, but I understand it can and probably will be yanked without notice.

Also, there seems to be a trend with people having difficulty staying at resorts that are not their own. A couple of years ago now, there was a big to do about folks not getting in, waitlists not coming through, etc. It has died down (but remember that attendence has fallen as well, and I don't think that's a coincidence). Buy where you want to stay! I do think that the waitlist problems are going to show up again, once booking start filling up.

Finally, really sit and calculate how many points you need. A minimum contract (for the most part) is not enough to really be useful for the typical family. You should probably buy up to the next size accomodations that you NEED, and up the season that you usually go. That will give you enough points if things don't work out.

That's about it...

[Hammer]

Also, there seems to be a trend with people having difficulty staying at resorts that are not their own. A couple of years ago now, there was a big to do about folks not getting in, waitlists not coming through, etc. It has died down (but remember that attendence has fallen as well, and I don't think that's a coincidence). Buy where you want to stay! I do think that the waitlist problems are going to show up again, once booking start filling up.


I don't necessarily agree with the "buy where you want to stay" argument. That really only works if you can book you vacations more than 7 months out. If you are book 7 months or less out, your going to get what is available. You do not get preference at your home resort once you reach the 7 month mark.

Regarding buying more than a minimum contract, it depends on the size of your family and how long you go on vacation at WDW. I typically vacation with just my sister for 5 nights during F & W, so a 1 bedroom works out for us. We are not able to vacation for longer than 1 week at a time and spend the rest of the week visiting our parents in Clearwater. We also go for 1 night with our parents the week before Christmas and get a 2 bedroom. So far, a 150 point contract has worked fine for us. If I should acquire kids at some point, I'll probably need a 2 bedroom for privacy, so I would then revisit the number of points I need.

[Georgesgirl1]

Our only complaint has been that we have had difficulty getting reservations at non-home resorts. We have tried to get Wilderness Lodge and Beach Club several times with no luck. All of these times have been during September and October, so not a super busy time of year. I can understand the difficulty in getting BCV during F&W since it is so close to Epcot, but I don't understand WLV.

It really doesn't matter though since we love our home resort (SSR) and don't mind staying there a bit.

[PlutoPlanet]

We love our DVC membership and bought more points. We looked at doing a swap to stay in Aruba during a busy time and did not find anything we liked. That could happen to you with any timeshare purchase I guess.

We go every year. We're not tired of it yet. We haven't done EVERYTHING at Disney yet. if we could go back in time, we would have bought earlier.

[DizneyRox]

Our only complaint has been that we have had difficulty getting reservations at non-home resorts.
huh? What's that? ;) :thumbsup:

Really, the home resort topic is hugely debated, and it's a your milage may vary type of thing. I know, there's not a chance of my owning at SSR, I just have no desire to stay there. And, where you own means nothing when trying to go elsewhere. Something like BLT means nothing if you're trying to get into VWL, as SSR contract has the same right to get in, even though the "cost" of staying at SSR is much cheaper than BLT.

We've never had problems getting other resorts either when I call, or through waitlist. It is a fact hat a few years ago there were numerous topics about how angry people were not being able to get their waitlist choices.

The way DVC is structured, you need to be somewhat flexible. If the time of year is non-negotiable, then you need to be flexible with accomodations and location (points). If you need a location, then you need to be flexible with when. If you need a certain set of accomodations, then you MAY need to be flexible with location or time of year.

Home Resort gives you one less thing to have to worry about, and that's non home resort people potentially taking accomodations you want/need.

That's all I'm saying... Will it happen? Maybe, maybe not.. Can it happen? YEP! One thing that's not very flexible is the number of points you have at your disposal. With careful planning you can often give yourself that flexibility through banking or borrowing points.


We love our DVC membership and bought more points. We looked at doing a swap to stay in Aruba during a busy time and did not find anything we liked. That could happen to you with any timeshare purchase I guess.

Moreso with disney since they contract with other timeshare associations. Used to be II which I hear had a bigger/better selection. Now it's RCI and many menbers seem to be upset. Will it change? Maybe, maybe not.. Can it change? YEP! (OK, now I'm sounding like a broken record...)

[KAT1811]

If I should acquire kids at some point

:funny: The wording of this put a smile on my face.

This is a great thread.

[Donald A]

1) My advice would be to really study how the points may work. I travel during the week and thought I had a nice system. However, I had never realized that DVC can change points within a week by adding from the weekend to the weekdays (or visa versa). Make sure this is clear to you.

2) I travel during off peak times and have never had a real problem getting a reservation at any resort I had points for. However, I would buy in where you want to stay. I own at Saratoga Springs, and though nice, I do not like the location at all. As the club grows, I imagine that home resort 11 month window may make a big difference even in off peak times.

3) Don't forget dues. I have 150 points and own at the cheapest resort per point and still paid close to $650 in dues last January.

4) Realize that EVERYTHING about this club is about getting you to buy more points. Emails and regular mail is often sent trying to get you to buy more points. There really aren't any cold calls about this typically but sometimes your "guide" will call asking how a trip was or something.

5) I will say that I am glad I bought in when I did. The minimum points are now 160 (I think) and were cheaper even 4 years ago. I have been able to take trips with the family that I would not be able to otherwise afford. I also financed through disney and as a young professional it is nice to pay per month (despite interest) and be able to take that nice trip every year or two.

[DizneyRox]

I have been able to take trips with the family that I would not be able to otherwise afford.
That's a good point... There were som elean years a while back, and had we not owned and accomodations were already taken care of, we would hae been home watching TV instead of WDW. Maybe wsn't the smartest thing to do, but when you need to get away, it's one less thing to worry about, meaning paying for accomodations (since they were paid for already).