OMG!!! Am I really even thinking about this??

[MapleGirl]

So DH and I have been going to WDW 1-2 times a year for the past (almost) 1o years. My, how time flies! We love it and plan to go back every year for the rest of our lives. We've always stayed off-site (which we don't really care for) or at the Pop Century because we're very cost conscious. We are celebrating our 7th anniversary this coming January and running the 1/2 marathon. We're trying something new this year and going to rent DVC points to stay at the AKV. We normally like to go for a 5-night trip but this trip will be 7-nights. We're planning on spending $1,300 on our rental + another $1,400 on the dining plan + $1,000 to drive down and take the Autotrain home. This trip is a big splurge for us but we've been planning it for a couple of years.

Well today I started looking at DVC resale. I realized if we scale our trip back in January (not do the dining plan and fly using our SW points instead of drive/train), saved up another $2,000 we could potentially BUY into the DVC! Does this sound right?

Take the $3,700 plus another $2,000 and buy 100 points for $57/point (I know this would take some shopping around or we would need to save another $500 or so).

If we were to do this could we use our newly bought points as soon as January 2014? Aside from the annual dues of about $5-6/point are there any other fees associated with buying resale and DVC ownership? I think I'll have to go do some more research.

I've always assumed we would buy into the DVC eventually. I just never thought that day would actually come. It was always a far-off thing.

Is it crazy to buy before staying at a DVC resort? Is it crazy to 'waste' $1,300 renting points when I could put that towards buying points?

What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much for reading.

[puffkin]

It sounds like you may be a good candidate for DVC, but just realize it really won't save you any money unless you are normally paying rack to stay at deluxe resorts. We feel like DVC has instead given us a better quality vacation as well as made us commit to actually taking vacations (as we all know how life tends to get in the way...we just make it a priority in our budget).

If you are happy staying offsite or in Values, I would suggest renting the points and trying out DVC that way first before tying yourself into a thousands of dollar commitment. You will still need to pay for tickets, airfare, rental cars, food, etc wether you stay DVC or not, so that shouldn't be a huge factor in your decision. Mainly look at the resort side of things. The resale contracts will still be there in a year or two and may even be a few dollars cheaper.

I adore my DVC contracts and so happy I bought in my mid-twenties on our honeymoon or else we probably would not have been able to take our kids as often as we have. However, it definitely is NOT for everyone and it is a huge money commitment on our part every year to pay all the costs associated with our trips, not just the annual dues.

[DannysMom]

I agree it is a big commitment. I think renting points to sort of try before you buy, is not a bad plan at all.

Like PP said, it won't necessarily save you money, especially if you are satisfied staying at the values. It will get a nicer vacation for your money, if you are comparing prices of mods or deluxes. A DVC purchase should not be rushed into. During your next trip,go & do the DVC tour. But don't buy. Tell them you are thinking about buying maybe in a year or two. Resales will still be around in another year or so, might even be cheaper. In the meantime, stick around, read these forums. Ask questions & learn all about DVC before you lay out a bunch of money.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards App, please excuse any typos or autocorrects!

[crisi]

I agree, it you are happy with Values, this won't save you money over the long term.

Also, if cost conscious is voluntarily frugal - no big. If cost conscious translates to "money is tight" the dues commitment to DVC can be overwhelming in a year that is tighter than average.

[lovin'fl]

If you buy a resale now it would take about 2 months to go through. You could book your Jan 2014 stay around April 7 or so and that is 9 months out which is well before the 7 month window. You should be ok with booking (marathon time is a bit of a peak time for DVC, but 9 months out isn't bad at all). I get what you are saying about putting the cash WDW resort stay money towards a DVC contract that you'd be able to use every year. We bought into DVC in 2006 after just 2 trips to WDW (one staying off site and the other staying at POR). We bought OKW points via resale because they were the cheapest to buy. We have 3 kids and the villas are a good fit for us (separate master and a washer and dryer are very important to us...kitchen is nice but not used much)...if we didn't have DVC, we would have to rent a condo/townhouse off-site (like we did the 1st trip) and I HATE staying off-site and driving into the parks every day. I also feel more WDW magic when staying on property.

By the way- we took the autotrain back from a Disney cruise in 2007 (to Maryland...well I think N. VA and then we drove home from there). It was god-awful. We were all 5 crammed into a little cabin...crammed into teeny tiny bunks and it was loud and bumpy/rough all through the night. We had no TV or internet or anything to occupy our time with. It was worse than driving IMO. And we even paid big bucks to do it...could have flown for just a tad bit more money (we did book it at the last minute though).

[MapleGirl]

Thanks everyone. I think I need to slow down and shelve this for a week or so. "Proceed with Caution"

RE: money and the values. We're cheap by nature not really all that necessary. We just really enjoy getting a good deal and will naturally gravitate towards the cheapest option. These days though we are starting to value the experience more and are looking for more comfort. Basically I think we're growing out of the Values. On our last trip I kept feeling like the Pop and AoA were too bight, loud and 'cheap' looking. I have a feeling that after our AKV stay in January we'll not want to go back to the Pop.

Here's a random question: Are the carpets at the deluxe resorts nicer than the ones at the Values? The Pop carpets seem really thin to me.

[DizBub]

Originally Posted by MapleGirl

RE:I have a feeling that after our AKV stay in January we'll not want to go back to the Pop.

Here's a random question: Are the carpets at the deluxe resorts nicer than the ones at the Values? The Pop carpets seem really thin to me.

We also gravitate to a deal, meaning cheaper options. Used to be out of necessity, not so much any more. It is definately hard to go back to Pop after DVC. Really hard. We are spoiled.

Carpets seem to be nicer in DVC but totally depends on how old they are. The refurbed rooms at SSR are very nice. Love the carpet at AKV.

[kristenrice]

Here's one more thing to consider...

You will rarely, if ever, need the 11-month booking window at SSR. If you really love AKV (and those value rooms are a bargain) then you should seriously consider buying there. You will need the 11-month window at AKV. We went through the same thoughts when we bought. We love OKW and we would have no problem staying there.... But we also love AKV and we'd be disappointed if we ever got shut out. We also bought just 100 points so those value rooms (particularly the 1BR) are very appealing. I knew that we would more than likely never get shut out of OKW if booked inside of 7 months, but AKV is a different story. We decided on AKV and the value rooms are perfect for us!

[ToddyLu]

We purchased 210 points in 2009 direct from Disney at AKV. We have never looked back. Prior to DVC we only stayed in values (except for a gift trip from my MIL where we stayed at POFQ). Yes, we were annual WDW visitors and knew that was not going to change. So when we I read on here I could get points with a discount we bought. I didn't know much about resale at the time.

We used our points to get 2 value studios in Oct/Nov 2012 and then again for this coming Nov. So we are staying for 8 nights with us using one studio and my parents in another (a gift to them) so we have points left over for another short trip. We do not have children either.
We sound alike only I expect we are a bit older and in our 40s.

DVC has really changed the way we vacation in Disney. We enjoy returning to the studio and are no longer Disney Commandos. We don't have to be at the parks for rope drop because we know we will be returning in a few months. It has helped us take a spring trip in addition to the the annual fall trip if I play the numbers right.

We enjoy the decor of AKV and the remote feel and location. We do not have to be close to a park and I like the inside corridor/hotel feel as opposed to the condo feel. SSR is very big and very quiet, and beautiful in its own way. Now that we own at AKV I am so glad we have our points there. After the first couple of trips it WILL MATTER where your home resort is...so be sure you pick the best fit for you.

I think you will find the ammenities and convienence of the DVC resorts a great option for those who like staying on site for a yearly visit. It has only enhanced our vacations. Enjoy your search and let us know how it is going.

[theguda]

.