Reasons NOT to join DVC

[Medic Mickey]

We joined over the summer. We are part of Saratoga Springs. We will be staying for the first time this weekend. I will let you know my reasons not to join.

[dtootsie42]

For those who actually gave the negative reasons for not joining DVC...Thanks...this has been a family discussion for a long time and I think we can make a better informed decision based on some of the things that we have read. So once again, thanks!

[WertzFamily]

the next day he called our room like 4 times! When we told him that we were NOT going to go for it right now, he just about lost it! He became very rude, saying that this was the way he made his living and so on.... (Like we didn't know that). At that point we realized we had made the right choice. For us, not buying in was the right choice, and still is.

That's ridiculous. Our sales person was very relaxed and professional. I would have reported behavior like what you experienced.

[WertzFamily]

Oh hey I have a question. Can somebody give me an idea how many points it costs to stay at, say, the Grand Floridian or the Polynesian?

[GAN]

During Value Season(1/1-2/16, 7/4-9/28, 10/30-12/19) Poly would be 35points Sun-Thur and 63 Fri-Sat...GF would be 39points Sun-Thur and 70 Fri-Sat. This would be for a standard view room only. Based on the fact that you could probably easily rent those same points to someone for $10/point -it's really not worth it to apply your points to Disney Resorts. I would rent my points and use the money to pay cash for my room. For instance, I could rent 35 points for $350 and book the Poly for 250(?) or so. Forget staying on a Fri or Sat.

[WertzFamily]

Sounds like those point values are actually more than what it costs for a DVC resort for that same time period, correct?

[dlpmikki]

Correct - always better points value to stay at a DVC resort.

[WertzFamily]

Interesting. Because our sales person told us that those resorts were actually less points, but she never did give us a list.

[mouseDVC]

yup cost a lot more points to stay at a non-DVC resort but considering that in many cases the DVC resorts would be more in cash than those resorts, the use of points at a DVC resort is a good value.

[TCLites]

Hey guys and gals, this thread is supposed to be about Reasons to Not Join DVC. These are good and valid questions, but how about opening a new thread if you want to know about the number of points or value of points at a Disney resort, etc. If someone wanted to search for the questions you are asking, they would have difficulty finding them because they are buried in an unrelated topic. Thanks

[DisneyD]

After sifting through the flames, I have found this thread to be very informative. I have never been interested in time-shares, or things of that nature, but have always wondered how Disney was different. I now know that I am not missing out on something that would be to my personal likeing, although I understand others might perfer these types of arrangments.

As someone pointed out the "quest" is part of the fun for me, I figure half the enjoyment of a vacation is the research & planning, it lastes much longer than the vacation itself.

[PinKy]

If you usually stay in Value resorts and don't enjoy moderate to Deluxe resorts ... don't join DVC.

That was kind of harsh, don't you think?

yikes.

[Granny Jill A]

I was sorely tempted by DVC when I first heard about it. It appears to be a good deal for those who got in on the ground floor, but now it's better for those who have a lot of disposable income.

My only experience with timeshares came through a friend who bought into a lakefront campground. They bought a very nice trailer and spent two weeks in the summer and almost every weekend camping. When her marriage broke up, she tried to sell her timeshare. No takers..... she was stuck with it. Had to take a huge loss.

It didn't sound like my cup of tea, and neither does DVC. If I had bought when they first opened up the properties, I'd probably be happy about it. The thing is, if I buy a condo somewhere, that condo is mine forever. And it gets passed on to my heirs.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I've been tempted to buy into the DVC a number of times... But one issue that holds me back.. MONEY!!!

[jhiltz]

I have been a member for nearly two years. My last trip, I really started questioning whether I wanted to keep my membership.

Why I don't like it:
* The best value for your points is at DVC resorts. All other stays seem like a waste of points when you can get discounts.

* Towells, towells, towells. This past trip, I stayed 7 nights in a studio. The washer and dryer were in a different building. Unless I want to pay extra (decreases the "discount" you get with your points) I only got trash and towell service once. I didn't like having a pile of dirty towells and no clean ones coming. I am not sure why they can't do something similar to the pool where you can drop off used towells and pick up new ones. Since I travel so much for work, I've become a bit of a hotel snob. Not having fresh, clean towells really bothered me!

* room layout. I really don't like that you have to spend a lot of points to get two regular beds (unless you're staying at OKW). I was in a studio with just my daughter and thought how crowded it would be with any more people and how uncomfortable it must be to sleep on the sofa sleeper. The studio room size started reminding me of the All Star resorts.

* Vacation diversity. My family had vacationed at Disney 6 times in about 4 years. Now, I've been going to different cities and countries and haven't made it back to Orlando as often. DVC just isn't a great value for non-DVC resorts (see point #1), so it has become less of a fit for me.

Why I bought:
* There was a posting that helped me decided to purchase. It was from an accountant who had crunched the numbers and said it wasn't a financial investment but a family investment. I didn't grow up with vacations, I love Disney and we had been going to Disney frequently. I saw it as a way to force vacations to happen (don't want to waste points!) and a way to stay at the top tier resorts without paying a lot. I often would price the Yaht and Beach and just couldn't justify the price. I stayed at the Grand Floridian for less money on one trip than I could stay there. I think my daughter would love the water park area, so I saw DVC as a way to get to that resort without the high cost. I saw it as a way to ensure our family would take time together to vacation.

Give me another year and we'll see if I'm an owner or a seller.

[mjaclyn]

DH and I have discussed getting a DVC membership many times and are still undecided. These are the two negative points that I see:

- I can rent DVC points now without the hassle of membership fees and the large up front cost.

- The membership expires

DH and I have rented DVC points on a number of occasions and spend less than we would even using the best AP rate. Also, if I were to buy into DVC I would want to be able to keep it forever if I wanted it - I think DVC members get jipped with an expiration date.

Still undecided.

[candleshoe]

My dad is a DVC member and gave us a week at the Boardwalk villas as a Christmas gift. We just got back a few days ago. I was disgusted at the lack of cleanliness of the room (hair all over the bathroom) and have noticed that whenever we go now we never get a nice view of EPCOT. I'm suspicious that, since they already have your money and you've "bought in", that they give you lesser accomodations and service. Anyone else notice this? Forgive me if this has already been addressed but i haven't logged on in like 3 years (!) and didn't read the entire thread.

[TCLites]

I would agree that you have good reasons. The threads were started to try to get everything on the table so readers could see the pro's and con's as they considered DVC without needing to read through a bunch of arguements. We are DVC owners and it made sense for us, but it is a very personal and individual decision. Intercot help us identify things we needed to consider we had not thought about, both pro and con. Thanks for the valuable contribution to this discussion.

[Grim Grinning Marathon Runner]

I am an analytical person by nature. I am a Financial Advisor, which actually has no bearing on this discussion, but I have worked in Industrial Engineering and Cost Accounting for well over ten years.

FINANCIALLY, the breakeven point for doing DVC IF YOU STAYED AT THE SAME (Deluxe) resort the same number of days, EVERY YEAR, is around year 10. I did not take into effect interest, compounding, or time value of money. This was a straight calculation of the total dollars spent on each one, in a cumulative manner.

If you stay in a Deluxe one year and a Moderate the next, but still take the same number of days in a resort EVERY YEAR, your breakeven point is somewhere in year 15.

Joining DVC is NOT an investment, as many of you have pointed out. It is a decision to prepay, at today's rates, the next several decades of Disney trips.

You aren't locked in, and you can sell your membership if you want out.

If you can't do the total cost of it upfront, as many have said, I wouldn't think it would be wise to do it. Otherwise, more power to ya! I'm going to join in the next couple of years!

[fanofdisney]

I am just curious, are the increase in hotel costs in your calculations?

BTW, congratulations on Olivia, I hope everything goes well with the adoption. What a gift!