Why DVC does or doesn't make sense for me

[johnO]

[WDW1985]

Great discussion...I don't mean to jack the thread here, but I have a different area for discussion regarding DVC.

I have been going to WDW with my family since around 1985 and have truly loved every minute of it. Because we love WDW resorts we normally stay on property, but now that the family has grown, space has become an issue - hotel rooms don't cut it. Because of that we recently stayed at a vacation home 5 min from the world and it worked out really well, especially in regards to getting around to the parks and other resorts with our rental car (usually less than total 15 min trip to any park).

However, with the larger villas being offered I still go back and forth on joining the DVC. The space is nice for staying on property and even though in the long term I will probably only break even on the purchase, I like many of the benefits. But here's one issue I still struggle with...Transportation. During out last trip on property (Oct 2007) my family and I seemed to wait forever for the buses. Like any other family we use them frequently and it just seemed to take a large amout of time out of the day just waiting around - especially with resort to resort transfers. With that said I wonder what benefits the DVC gives when it comes to getting around the kingdom or do you just have to line up with everybody else? When I look at the pros and cons this issue is one that doesn't make sense to me. I would think that there should be some type of transportation benefit for such an investment and maybe there is. (i.e. Large rebates on rental cars, special shuttles?)

Thanks.

WDW1985

[mickeys_apprentice]

How is the sales pitch for the DVC? Is it high pressure or easy-going?

[Horizon93]

How is the sales pitch for the DVC? Is it high pressure or easy-going?

The pitch is not high pressure. Quite the opposite. It is informative, Disneyfied, and low pressure.

You will leave with questions answered and the ability to call your guide with more questions. You will tour the SSR and AKV models, and leave with tons of information. You can buy on the spot, or buy later or not at all. Your guide will call you if they have not heard from you to see if you have made a decision.

If you decide to purchase the process is easy.

[mouse-logic]

Great discussion...I don't mean to jack the thread here, but I have a different area for discussion regarding DVC.

.... But here's one issue I still struggle with...Transportation. During out last trip on property (Oct 2007) my family and I seemed to wait forever for the buses. Like any other family we use them frequently and it just seemed to take a large amout of time out of the day just waiting around - especially with resort to resort transfers. With that said I wonder what benefits the DVC gives when it comes to getting around the kingdom or do you just have to line up with everybody else? When I look at the pros and cons this issue is one that doesn't make sense to me. I would think that there should be some type of transportation benefit for such an investment and maybe there is. (i.e. Large rebates on rental cars, special shuttles?)...

This is a perfectly acceptable question for this thread...because it is one of the reasons I really appreciate my DVC membership.

The original poster commented that he/she doesn't mind staying at the values. I assume in his statement that he doesn't mind the transportation service from the values as well. If I am not mistaken, the only transportation at the values are the busses. ...and you are right, they can get crowded and the wait can be a pain

But I also believe that with the exception of SSR and AKL, every DVC resort has alternative transportation, which can be both more convenient and more fun. For example, BCV and BWV is within a 5 minute walk of Epcot and 15 mins of the Studios. The Friendships also run to both parks. Of course you'd need to take the bus to MK or AK, but those busses are usually dedicated to that resort alone and are almost never full.

Same with the VWL...take the boat to MK

The new DVC (under construction) at the Contemporary will be the most conveniently located DVC property of all...take the monorail to MK and EPCOT...boat to MK, walk to MK.

So........I think transportation convenience is a great benefit of DVC ownership.

[Horizon93]

Adding to the transportation discussion. AKV has some advantages as well. After Kidani opens, there will only be two bus stops, one at the lodge and one at Kidani. Very close to each other. And the AKV bus service is very good. Not to mention a quick hop to AK

[WDW1985]

Thanks for the replies. I can see the benefits and it makes the DVC all the more alluring to me. When you look at the future of going to WDW I think transportation/logistics is going to become more of an issue for those who come often. Time is money and the more time you spend waiting the more money you waste and the less fun you have in the kingdom. On our October trip to WDW, staying at POR, we spent an average of 30 minutes between waiting and actually driving in the bus for each roundtrip. Taking into account 3 roundtrips for most days that equals a lot of wasted time! Sounds like the DVC can really help with some of these issues.

wdw1985

[Aurora]

The new DVC (under construction) at the Contemporary will be the most conveniently located DVC property of all...take the monorail to MK and EPCOT...boat to MK, walk to MK.

Just to clarify, unless they're building a direct monorail connection from the Contemporary to Epcot (unlikely), to get to Epcot you will still have to take the monorail from the resort to the TTC and transfer to the Epcot monorail.

[DestinationWDW]

Hi everyone,
I have a couple of questions that haven't been answered in this lengthily thread. Here I go.

1. The point system, say I purchase enough points for 10 days and let’s say that totals 300 points. In 5 years will I still be able to stay in the same room with the same length of stay for the same amount of points?

2. Every discussion I've seen for the DVC always refers to the "WORLD” isn’t the DVC also good for other locations around the globe? I love Disney in fact my 4 old and tell it better than me, but I would like to mix it up a little bit right?

3. The maintenance fees, do they go up every year and if so by how much?

4. I am pondering the idea of purchasing a DVC because we are a family of 5; the kids are getting to the age where they probably shouldn't sleep in the same bed. Yes I could go to 2 rooms but as it stands now, we usually purchase the packages. You hotel stay, tickets, dining plan, and usually we find some discount to save a little money. Then when I think about it in
2005 I spent $2900
2006 I spent $3600
2007 I spent $3600
2008 I spent $4200
and that included room, park hopper 8 days and dining. If i were to purchase the DVC I would be spend about $3000 a year for a hotel room with no park hoppper and no dining. Sure the prices go up every year but Disney also produces discounts every year. This is my problem on deciding.

5. Ok one last item, As with many other people I would have to make monthly payments, although I could buy it out right, I’d rather have my money make some money over the time period. Well with finance charges may me not, but I'd like to thinks so. One of my concerns at the moment is the economy as we head into a recession it might not be a wise decision at the moment. The what if factor, and how is Disney if a financial burden occurred, do they or will they work with you?

I just want to thank everyone in advance for your comments.

[lockedoutlogic]

Just to clarify, unless they're building a direct monorail connection from the Contemporary to Epcot (unlikely), to get to Epcot you will still have to take the monorail from the resort to the TTC and transfer to the Epcot monorail.

as a follow up.....i don't believe that anywhere near the magic kingdom can be described as most conveniently located.....

Beach Club Villas and Boardwalk are the best located and have been since the day they opened....

WDW is much more than the Magic Kingdom....and those two locations put you in much better position geographically to get to everything than the MK area resorts do.....

now if MK is your favorite....or you have small children....fine

but DVC is a 40 year committment....and it is more than likely that everyone's tastes and situations will change over that span....

also, if they open another gate.....it will be most likely on the southern end of the property or out towards the turnpike entrance......not making the lower end resorts more attractive....


love wilderness lodge....interested with what they will do at the contemp....and most likely grand and poly after that.....

but i don't see those ever being "more convenient"...all things considered

[Horizon93]

Hi everyone,
I have a couple of questions that haven't been answered in this lengthily thread. Here I go.

1. The point system, say I purchase enough points for 10 days and let’s say that totals 300 points. In 5 years will I still be able to stay in the same room with the same length of stay for the same amount of points?

Yes, The point charts are basically frozen for the length of the contract.


2. Every discussion I've seen for the DVC always refers to the "WORLD” isn’t the DVC also good for other locations around the globe? I love Disney in fact my 4 old and tell it better than me, but I would like to mix it up a little bit right?

The World Passport collection through Interval International is probably the best point value second only to DVC resorts. I have not yet booked a World Passport vacation, but I have read reports of other people's trips and they seem to be very happy.

3. The maintenance fees, do they go up every year and if so by how much?

They can and traditionally have. I am not sure of the percentage.

4. I am pondering the idea of purchasing a DVC because we are a family of 5; the kids are getting to the age where they probably shouldn't sleep in the same bed. Yes I could go to 2 rooms but as it stands now, we usually purchase the packages. You hotel stay, tickets, dining plan, and usually we find some discount to save a little money. Then when I think about it in
2005 I spent $2900
2006 I spent $3600
2007 I spent $3600
2008 I spent $4200
and that included room, park hopper 8 days and dining. If i were to purchase the DVC I would be spend about $3000 a year for a hotel room with no park hoppper and no dining. Sure the prices go up every year but Disney also produces discounts every year. This is my problem on deciding.

The old adage is that if you go at least every other year and stay in moderate to deluxe resorts, DVC can be a money saver. Depending on when you vacation and the level of accommodations you book, you will eventually break even. I looked at our purchase as a pre-payment on future vacations at today's prices. As was stated above, that 300 point stay today, will be a 300 point stay in 34-49 years. It is tough to predict what resort rates will be in 5 years. And Disney has been getting stingy with discounts

5. OK one last item, As with many other people I would have to make monthly payments, although I could buy it out right, I’d rather have my money make some money over the time period. Well with finance charges may me not, but I'd like to thinks so. One of my concerns at the moment is the economy as we head into a recession it might not be a wise decision at the moment. The what if factor, and how is Disney if a financial burden occurred, do they or will they work with you?

Financing through DVC is easy with good credit. The rate is a little high, currently 10.75%. They do a soft credit check and the loan is not reported. If you do not pay, your reservation privileges can be suspended. I don't know how they are with working with people who fall far behind.

I just want to thank everyone in advance for your comments.

I hope some of those answers help!

[DVC Mike]

1. The point system, say I purchase enough points for 10 days and let’s say that totals 300 points. In 5 years will I still be able to stay in the same room with the same length of stay for the same amount of points?

The total number of vacation points required to use all rooms during each calendar year can never increase. However, DVC may reallocate or adjust point requirements; reallocation cannot exceed 20% per calendar year. If vacation points for one specific night increase, it will be offset by a decrease on another night or nights. DVC has only done this once over the past 15 years.

2. Every discussion I've seen for the DVC always refers to the "WORLD” isn’t the DVC also good for other locations around the globe? I love Disney in fact my 4 old and tell it better than me, but I would like to mix it up a little bit right?

Keep in mind that the only resorts guaranteed over the life of your contract are your home resort and the other DVC resorts. DVC controls which resorts you can trade into via Interval International (aka, the World Passport Collection).

3. The maintenance fees, do they go up every year and if so by how much?

Historically, maintenance fees have increased anywhere from 2.3 - 4.4% annually (that's $.09 - $.18 per point per year). According to legal documents, DVC may not raise maintenance fees by more than 15% in a given year without owner approval.

[MarkC]

Lots of fair points here on both sides. This decision is partially financially based and partly lifestyle based. If you are going to vaction every year or every other year at Disney and like to stay in a nice hotel, then you can definitely make the finances work. If you aren't sure how often you'll vacation later and prefer budget motels, then DVC is clearly NOT for you. We did look at the current purchase price (we bought resale at BCV) vs. what the cost would be in 10, 20, 30, 35 years. One of the things that made us decide was that it would be a tremendous benefit for our grandkids (we don't have any as our kids are only 18 and almost 16). We figured this would be a tremendous gift to them in the future, and how appreciative they would be of this gift. We use our Disney Visa to pay our maintenance fees so we don't have any out of pocket costs, and we usually have about $100 left over each year for food, etc. Everyone is different so I can't tell anyone else what to do. All I can do is share my experiences and the reasons we decided to buy. Mark

[hlkeck]

If you get a Disney Visa, you can pay your annual dues with the Reward Dollars. We have moved quite a few of our monthly bills to this Visa in order to rack up the free dollars to pay our dues. This should help offset some of the costs you are considering.

We have small children and know that we will likely heavily travel to Disney over the next several years - then stretch it out later to the other places you can trade to visit. We are darn excited about the Hawaiian DVC to open and are already planning that trip, as I write, today.

The DVC will provide us, our children, and our grandchildren a lot of years - at today's prices - of true magical happiness.

A monthly payment plan is definitely reasonable (you can even pay your monthly dues on your Disney Visa, but you pay an extra percent interest rate (over the life of the loan would likely equal about $1,000 - and you'd only get about $100 in reward dollars, so it's a no-brainer to do the monthly withdrawal instead if you need to do the monthly payments.)

I used this board to decide if we were going to purchase or not - and I appreciate all of those who weigh in on these issues. Thank you for all of your help.

[TinkerbellT421]

Me and my boyfriend just bought into the DVC w/ SSR. He owned before. And we wanted to own together. We are doing the automatic payment w/drawal thru our account. We got financed thru disney. And we have currently done this all via USPS which is also convenient. I dont know if anyone mentioned that you can join all via USPS. You don't have to wait to go down for your vacation to have it all set up if you already know that you are joining. They also answer any question you could possibly have all over the phone. Very nice ppl. Its very convenient. So know we have it setup so we can use our points for when we are there in January '09 :-)

[DestinationWDW]

Well after all the treads, blogs, and anything we could find on the internet, not to forget all the great comments from Intercoties, we finally decided to take the plunge. After working with a DVC sales person for over 8 months, I finally broke down and as of today we now own a small interest in Disney's AKV. Yeah, 8 months, that was as long as I could come up with excuses to postpone the inevitable. Have we made the right choice? Who knows, but it sure is going to be exciting to find out.

Thanks for all your help

[DVC Mike]

we finally decided to take the plunge. After working with a DVC sales person for over 8 months, I finally broke down and as of today we now own a small interest in Disney's AKV.

Congrats and Welcome Home, fellow AKV owner! We absolutely love AKV! We've stayed there twice so far.

[Kidsmom]

We just got back from our first DVC owner visit (AKL) and loved it.....I am sure you will too!

Welcome!!

[Dixie Springs]

Just a comment on the 'pressure' aspect: Our first DVC sales pitch was in fact Disney-esque, and not like the typical time-share peddle. The second, however (years later), was a bit more emotional, with outrageous projections like the Contemporary eventually reaching $2,500/night, and the salesman did have that International Drive parasitic style.

One thing these 2 experiences had in common was the giddy couple they ushered past us who just bought. I believe it was the same castmembers both times (just kidding - I think).


Regardless, we never bought in. We sided with the naysayers' logic ultimately. I'm sure it's great for some. Believe me - I was tempted!

[Ian]

The second, however (years later), was a bit more emotional, with outrageous projections like the Contemporary eventually reaching $2,500/night, and the salesman did have that International Drive parasitic style.

I'm not sure how "outrageous" that is, but I do understand how the whole high pressure thing can be a turnoff.

I'd encourage you, though, not to shut the door on the idea simply because you had one bad experience. Consider this ... when Animal Kingdom opened 10 years ago today, a one-day/one-park pass was $44.52. Today it's $75.62. That's a 70% increase in ticket prices in just 10 years.

Is it so inconvceivable that, one day in the future, the Contemporary might be going for $2,500 a night? Also, bear in mind, that's a rate for accomodations comparable to DVC accomodations (i.e. a suite). I bet if you price a 1BR suite at the Contemporary today it ain't far off from $2,500 a night as it is!