Having doubts about owning DVC

[lockedoutlogic]

I hate it when any argument contains the sentence "and they got free dining!"

In case there is anyone who doesn't yet get it....

free dining only exists because september is D-E-A-D DEAD!

That is it....it is to provide filler for the slowest month of the year....year in....year out.

That's it....nothing more. And it has worked well for both the seller and apparently the buyer.

And buyer beware....they give you the dining so you'll buy more junk....and i'd bet the farm that that is EXACTLY what happens. And the profit margin is about 90% on the cheap, east asian manufactured junk that they peddle at virtually everyone of their 364 gift shops....purchased in walmart sized bulk and completely uniform

So while there are great things on both sides of this argument....can we leave FREE DINING for what it is....a hook in an undesirable time of the calender....

it's like not enforcing parking meters at the beach in january (a northeastern thing....paying to use nature)
Why would they?

[Dsnygirl]

Ouch! Are you serious? $82 a night at SSR and free dining? Wow - they must be desperate to fill the rooms. That is an incredible isolated offer but not something anyone can count on finding if they vacation at WDW each year.

Actually, this year, what seems to be the situation is over-booking at the Value resorts during free dining, and thus offering people an upgrade to where there are always empty rooms b/c the resorts are so large - SSR & OKW. That then gives Disney the ability to keep selling out the rooms at the Value resorts. (As the Value resort reservations seem to be the only ones getting the free upgrade to somewhere else.)

[diz_girl]

Therefore, Disney has no interest in offering you a discount on park tickets or dining. You're not the best customers, you're locked in customers....what are you going to do if you don't get a discount....not come, not buy park tickets, and not eat? Well in that case they'll either foreclose on you if you don't pay your maintenance fees, or even better for them, sell the room to a daily renter at a higher price....now they've gotten paid for the maintenance AND sold your use to another guest.

All they have to do is keep the vast majority of owners minimally satisfied. If they treat you too badly, too many people will default and they'll be short on maintenance....but guess what...they'd get to sell the unit again with having had to pay you off for your original investment.

I guess that one way that they'll know that they aren't keeping their owners minimally satisfied is if a lot of existing owners compain that because of their dissatisfaction they won't be buying add-on points, will tell people that DVC is a bad deal and, and are considering selling their membership. Yes, they'll be able to sell points to new owners, but I think that they sell a decent amount of add-on points to existing members and without that revenue stream, it will take longer to sell a resort. Bad word-of-mouth can also make it harder to sell points at the rate that they want (which I think is quickly).

They'll also need to give some discounts to existing members in order to lure new members, since everyone wants a discount, so they'll probably always have some discounts.

[MarkC]

I can understand your concern about whether its a good deal for you. Do this.

Figure out what you would have paid to stay at a Deluxe resort for the DVC trips you've taken the last 5 years. How much would you have spent already? Also figure there's a good chance had you invested that money 5 years ago it would have less value than your original investment.

Next, figure what the cost of a room will be in 25-30 years. Will it be $800-$1000 per night? You will still only be paying maintenance fees. Also, look at how many times you like to vacation at WDW. Is it worth it to you?

Maybe you should consider selling about half your points. You would still have your timeshare for some vacations but would generate some cash and cut your maintenance fees in half as well.

And lastly, its an individual decision. All of us posters can give you our opinion but only you can decide what works best for you. I can tell you what I would do but everyone is different, so best of luck to you. Mark

[locutus]

To be brutally honest, I think the problem is that you never should have purchased DVC in the first place.

First off, you should not be looking for payback after only the fifth year. Payback on a timeshare purchase comes much farther down the road. Timeshares are purchased primarily as an inflation hedge. The average guy has no idea what he'll be paying for a WDW hotel room in 2020, but you know almost exactly what you'll pay for yours.

Also, someone who doesn't really care about the type of accomodations they're staying in really isn't right for DVC. The people who get the most out of their memberships are the ones who need and/or appreciate the extra size and amenities you get in a villa.

Honestly, I think it's time you re-examine your purchase and decide if you made the right decision originally when you purchased your membership. Maybe you bought more with your heart than you did with your head?

Who said anything about "payback"/ I was saying it would be nice to get some discounts that non members recieve.

[locutus]

To be brutally honest, I think the problem is that you never should have purchased DVC in the first place.

First off, you should not be looking for payback after only the fifth year. Payback on a timeshare purchase comes much farther down the road. Timeshares are purchased primarily as an inflation hedge. The average guy has no idea what he'll be paying for a WDW hotel room in 2020, but you know almost exactly what you'll pay for yours.

Also, someone who doesn't really care about the type of accomodations they're staying in really isn't right for DVC. The people who get the most out of their memberships are the ones who need and/or appreciate the extra size and amenities you get in a villa.

Honestly, I think it's time you re-examine your purchase and decide if you made the right decision originally when you purchased your membership. Maybe you bought more with your heart than you did with your head?

I hate it when any argument contains the sentence "and they got free dining!"

In case there is anyone who doesn't yet get it....

free dining only exists because september is D-E-A-D DEAD!

That is it....it is to provide filler for the slowest month of the year....year in....year out.

That's it....nothing more. And it has worked well for both the seller and apparently the buyer.

And buyer beware....they give you the dining so you'll buy more junk....and i'd bet the farm that that is EXACTLY what happens. And the profit margin is about 90% on the cheap, east asian manufactured junk that they peddle at virtually everyone of their 364 gift shops....purchased in walmart sized bulk and completely uniform

So while there are great things on both sides of this argument....can we leave FREE DINING for what it is....a hook in an undesirable time of the calender....

it's like not enforcing parking meters at the beach in january (a northeastern thing....paying to use nature)
Why would they?

And lockedoutlogic--this was August...not September and nowhere near dead.

[lockedoutlogic]

And lockedoutlogic--this was August...not September and nowhere near dead.

after speaking to someone who has experience with attendance at WDW.....me.....i can assure you that Aug15-Sept 30 is the historically least crowded period of the year...

Though your point is taken...the falloff in August is not as great as the grind to a halt post labor day period.

My point is this: FREE dining has taken care of that....but that is the only reason that it exists.

They would sell everything at full price if they could....so if they are not....there is a pretty obvious reason why

[MidnTPK]

Who said anything about "payback"/ I was saying it would be nice to get some discounts that non members recieve.

What discounts do you think nom-members receive?

Even during the vaunted buy 4 get 3 deal, the park ticket discount amounted to less than $10, on a $243 ticket, a savings of 3.9%.

And free dining means you pay full rack rate for a room, when discounts of 30%+ can be found on room- only reservations.

Therefore the only discount that Disney really gave to non-memebers was on accommodations. You bought into the DVC, so that's not an option for you. This year the room discounts were deep, but the future will be another story.

[wishiniwasthere]

I get emails and things in the mail regarding DVC quite often. I have never bought into it, and some of the points made are exactly my reason for not. I just don't understand the whole thing actually. We go every year to Disney World, and the reason is, we can get such a good deal. It is cheaper than going on a weekend trip to Chicago, which is only about 4 1/2 hours from us, or going to the Lake. I have gone each of the last 4 years in September. We have a family of four, and on the average pay approximately $1200 for 6 nights, base park tickets, and free dining. The last two years, we have been upgraded, last year to Contemporary and this year for our coming trip to Saratoga Springs. I would be perfectly content in the All Star Sports because we are "Park People!" We spend all our time at the parks. That being said, I can see no advantage at all to buying into the DVC. I will just continue to buy packages from Disney and save tons of money. Some years we even get to go twice.

[Ian]

After paying $25000 for my points and such high maint. fees I cant see the benifits on staying a member ...

Who said anything about "payback"/ I was saying it would be nice to get some discounts that non members recieve.

Well ... perhaps you didn't specifically use the word payback, but certainly your use of the word "benifits" above lead me to believe you were looking to have already gotten something out of DVC.

I pretty much still think what I said is accurate. You don't sound to me like someone for whom DVC is the right option.

[seanyred]

I get emails and things in the mail regarding DVC quite often. I have never bought into it, and some of the points made are exactly my reason for not. I just don't understand the whole thing actually. We go every year to Disney World, and the reason is, we can get such a good deal. It is cheaper than going on a weekend trip to Chicago, which is only about 4 1/2 hours from us, or going to the Lake. I have gone each of the last 4 years in September. We have a family of four, and on the average pay approximately $1200 for 6 nights, base park tickets, and free dining. The last two years, we have been upgraded, last year to Contemporary and this year for our coming trip to Saratoga Springs. I would be perfectly content in the All Star Sports because we are "Park People!" We spend all our time at the parks. That being said, I can see no advantage at all to buying into the DVC. I will just continue to buy packages from Disney and save tons of money. Some years we even get to go twice.

As other posters have stated DVC does not make sense for everyone. But I do believe that over time that my vacations will end up costing less than someone paying per each trip. But to each their own... Just out of curiosity have you taken the DVC tour before?

[MinnieMommie]

Actually, this year, what seems to be the situation is over-booking at the Value resorts during free dining, and thus offering people an upgrade to where there are always empty rooms b/c the resorts are so large - SSR & OKW. That then gives Disney the ability to keep selling out the rooms at the Value resorts. (As the Value resort reservations seem to be the only ones getting the free upgrade to somewhere else.)

yes thanks... but there must be a good availability of rooms at SSR in order to accommodate the overflow from the Values during the month they are offering the special. Looks like they get to continue to entice people to purchase the free dining special and also fill the rooms at SSR.

[MinnieMommie]

Like others have said it is natural for people to 2nd guess themselves after making large purchases. DVC is a paid vacation rather than an investment so depending on how you view the purchase you may feel differently about it.

For our family it was a natural decision (but not an easy one. I resisted for many years). We have a large family, stayed at deluxe resorts and visit at least 1 time a year. At our point of purchase into DVC we needed 2 rooms at a deluxe. Once our kids hit 18 yrs we would be charged $25 for each person when there were over 2 adults in the room (2 adults no extra charge but more than 2 adults each to be charged $25). Our purchase will pay itself off and our children will enjoy it for years to come.

I am not concerned about others getting free dining as an incentive to visit and fill rooms during the slow seasons. My family has times of the year when we prefer visiting and they normally do not fall during the free dining season. Even if I were not a DVC member I would not take advantage of the free dining offer.

We are happy with our purchase. I would love to see more discounted dining and other perks for members but it is working for us as it is for now. We have visited for many years and plan to continue vacationing at WDW so as I said before it will pay itself off based on how we have calculated both inflation and our vacation style.

The incalculable measure is the happiness our vacation club purchase brings us. This is something to consider. Just how much do you enjoy visiting and planning subsequent trips?

[Dsnygirl]

yes thanks... but there must be a good availability of rooms at SSR in order to accommodate the overflow from the Values during the month they are offering the special. Looks like they get to continue to entice people to purchase the free dining special and also fill the rooms at SSR.

Exactly. Disney's got the corner market on re-filling a room that's already been paid for!!

[Dsnygirl]

We aren't DVC owners, but are considering it for the future.

I think the biggest factor I see here is the difference in accomodations (b/w a regular resort room, whether it be a value, moderate or deluxe and a DVC room/rooms) and the time spent there.

If you're a true "park person" and have no desire to spend any time at your resort other than sleeping & showering, then a DVC isn't for you. You get your relaxation out of your time at the parks, and that works for you -- perfect!!

If you're instead a person who wants as much downtime at their resort as they do at the parks, and is willing to pay the extra $$ for the luxury of an extra bedroom, a kitchen, etc.... the ambience of a deluxe resort and all it's ammenities... if you find a large part of relaxing on your vacation is tied to where you are staying and how much you love your resort (or the resort you choose to stay at, if it's not your home resort), then a DVC just might be the right option for you.

We are considering a DVC purchase in the future for precisely this reason -- as our kids get older, we'd like to have room to spread out and have our own space... we'd like to be able to cook once in awhile, and enjoy relaxing "at home" on vacation. So for us, it makes sense, as we know the cost of this kind of lodging at Disney is just going to keep going up, and is rarely discounted.

But, if we were only going to be spending a minimal amount of time in our room and didn't care to be there for anything other than sleep, I don't think we'd be thinking about it at all.

I think it all comes down to whatever combination makes you happiest while you're there.

[seanyred]

If you're a true "park person" and have no desire to spend any time at your resort other than sleeping & showering, then a DVC isn't for you. You get your relaxation out of your time at the parks, and that works for you -- perfect!!

We are park people and we bought into DVC. Its true that we will spend most of our time in the parks...but for us we can't afford AKL by paying cash so this gave us an opportunity to stay at a Deluxe. I know I'm paying more now than Value but in 5 years I'll break even. Also with having a 2 year old it will be nice to have a better water play area and other activities at the resort.

Also to put it into perspective I have a very small amount of points (less than 160) but it still allows me to stay at a studio once a week during the off season. So my initial investment in this much smaller than others..

[locutus]

What discounts do you think nom-members receive?

Even during the vaunted buy 4 get 3 deal, the park ticket discount amounted to less than $10, on a $243 ticket, a savings of 3.9%.

And free dining means you pay full rack rate for a room, when discounts of 30%+ can be found on room- only reservations.

Therefore the only discount that Disney really gave to non-memebers was on accommodations. You bought into the DVC, so that's not an option for you. This year the room discounts were deep, but the future will be another story.

Not actually a discount but non members do recieve Free dining or park admissions.

[MidnTPK]

Not actually a discount but non members do recieve Free dining or park admissions.

When was there a free park ticket offer?

[Jasper]

During the last 10 years or so we have taken four trips to WDW and during each trip we have toyed with the ide of a DVC membership. Unfortunately my wife and I both have a lot of health issues and can't afford the money to purchase a membership. This situation has given us the opportunity to make a lot of comparisions between going to WDW with DVC and without.

To quote the first President Bush, "It's the economy stupid!" When the economy was strong and the parks and resorts were full it made more sense to have a DVC membership. However, right now, unless you are going to WDW mulitple times a year, it probably makes more sense to just take advantage of all the special offers.

However, I will be the first to admit that this is a short sighted view because when the economy turns around many of these special offers will disappear and then the DVC suddenly becomes much more attractive again. Plus, you will have missed out on any opportunities to get in at the resort of your choice.

[MidnTPK]

Not actually a discount but non members do recieve Free dining or park admissions.

And here is how the dining is not free:

Offer 1: Pay $240 a night (lowest rate in value season) at the WL, but get two adults on the dining plan, a value of $80 a night. Total of $240 out of you pocket

Offer 2: Pay $156 a night (35% off the lowest rate in value season) at the WL, but buy 2 adults on the dining plan for $40 X 2 = $80. So now you have a room for $156 plus dining out of pocket for $80, for a total of $236.

So a total of $4 different (though more people in the room make free dining a better deal, but since you have to pay $25 a night for additional adults, and the dining plan for kids is much cheaper, the deals are still similar in overall value.)

But it aint free.....nothing in life is.

The non members don't just show up and get handed a plate of money. They have to pay over-inflated room rates to get something for free.