why is dvc worth it in the long run?

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by Wingnut330

This was a key decision maker for us. We have a young family and for the first couple years of my son's life we didn't take any vacations. We finally decided to take the kids to Disney when they were 4 and 2 - our first family vacation. The following year when we started talking about vacation, we all wanted to go back to Disney, so we went last year too.

While on property last year we ended up joining DVC. Fast forward to 2013 and we are going twice - a quick trip for a milestone birthday of mine and then a longer trip around the holidays.

Why does any of this matter? Because we weren't a vacationing type of family and now that we have taken a couple I realize how important they are. DVC will force us to plan vacation time - that time we need together.

If we didn't have DVC there is no what we would be heading down there for my birthday. Is it a great financial investment? Maybe, maybe not, but the some of the non-financial aspects are what drove our decision.

Originally Posted by ethanash1

I agree with you. It's a totally personal decision, and one that I don't regret. We NEED our yearly Family Vacation. No Facebook, no cell phones, no electronics... Just good old fashioned fun and relaxing. Exploring. Learning. Creating memories. It is worth every penny for us.

I agree with both of these sentiments and I think they are good position statements in the "DVC or not" discussion. That being said, once you decide that DVC is a good idea for your lifestyle and family vacationing habits, you then would benefit from engaging in another discussion: direct or resale. It is there that you will examine the costs of DVC and what benefits you get from both purchase options. Families who are buying DVC as a "forced vacation" tool or as a luxury to be able to take unplanned trips might find that they can receive those benefits from a resale purchase for much less money.