Is being a DVCmember worth it

[cfranklin]

Dean that's some good advise. I do know off property is not my thing I have stayed off property twice in a pool house and a friends time share wasn't as pleased with it.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

Dean that's some good advise. I do know off property is not my thing I have stayed off property twice in a pool house and a friends time share wasn't as pleased with it.

Which timeshare, it'll give me a point of reference.

[cfranklin]

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

[ELMC]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

That was the question I was going to ask you...if you are looking at the numbers, have you considered a resale contract? If you can get past the "restrictions" (which in my opinion are a non issue) then the numbers start to get a whole lot better. To answer your question, I own 4 contracts between BLT and BWV, all bought resale. I couldn't be happier.

[cfranklin]

Originally Posted by Dean

Which timeshare, it'll give me a point of reference.

Unfortunatly I really can't remember the name of the time share it was it was also 1996 so there are probably beter ones out there now days but staying off Disney is not what I want to do thoe. I have to drive 18-24 hours depending on traffic so when I get there it is so nice to be able to park my car for a week. Flying is out of the question for 7 people a lot cheaper to drive.

[ANGRebel]

I will say we are in ROFR for our first contract, 130 points SSR $61/ point. I ran the numbers and looking at how we vacation to WDW, our sixth year will put us in the green. We can stay a week in the summer in a studio that fits our needs now. We have a 2 year old and one on the way. In about 4-5 years we plan to buy another contract to allow us to upgrade to a 1BR.

I assumed a week in a studio vs room in a deluxe (our past 6 trips have included 2 stays at Shades of Green, Yacht Club, Port Orleans French Quarter, and renting points at BWV and AKV) and we really liked the DVC rooms. I used a 40% discount since that is the current military discount I can get on deluxe rooms. I don't expect that to stay around but I thought it would make my model that much more conservative. I used 3% increases in room rates and MF and it still put me in the green on the sixth trip. So I'm happy with that return!

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[DannysMom]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

I am a relatively new resale buyer. I am very happy with my purchase. My family will be using it for the first time in March.

One question that you may want to ask direct purchasers is, given the current disparity between direct and resale purchase price, would they purchase direct if they were buying TODAY.

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

[cfranklin]

Originally Posted by ELMC

That was the question I was going to ask you...if you are looking at the numbers, have you considered a resale contract? If you can get past the "restrictions" (which in my opinion are a non issue) then the numbers start to get a whole lot better. To answer your question, I own 4 contracts between BLT and BWV, all bought resale. I couldn't be happier.

Part of me is looking at the #s. Another part of me is looking at does the people that have it really love is the service as good as I have heard. I do know the #s can be very misleading and there are so many factors that come in to play. I do believe you can get a discounted room rate. I have just recently started looking at resale and I'm weighing all the pros and cons on that to. I have had people tell me not to buy resale before and people tell me to. Also people not to join at all but most of those people aren't members.

[cfranklin]

Originally Posted by DannysMom

I am a relatively new resale buyer. I am very happy with my purchase. My family will be using it for the first time in March.

One question that you may want to ask direct purchasers is, given the current disparity between direct and resale purchase price, would they purchase direct if they were buying TODAY.

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

This is a good question? Same for resale? Now here is a question I have also. How does resale work cause I'm just really started looking in to it.

[puffkin]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

This is a good question? Same for resale? Now here is a question I have also. How does resale work cause I'm just really started looking in to it.

I bought SSR direct in 2012 on our honeymoon. We needed financing, and had about half the money needed. I wanted a commitment to Disney vacations before "life" got in the way. We then did an add on at AKV 3 years later on a decent deal they were offering. Again went direct, but we really wanted that resort.

I just signed a contract yesterday for a resale. Now the prices are just too high direct. It just doesn't make any sense.

[Dean]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

To be honest, the playing field on resale vs retail has changed so much that you really have to ask those who have bought in the last 2-3 years, esp those that bought after the resale limitations. Prior to that there were no differences in usage and the price difference was only 20% or so. Your other statements in this paragraph are the very reasons we've been pushing you on your thoughts and apparent decisions as you've posted them in this thread. We want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into, what your other options were and what the real costs and risks are.

Originally Posted by cfranklin

Unfortunatly I really can't remember the name of the time share it was it was also 1996 so there are probably beter ones out there now days but staying off Disney is not what I want to do thoe. I have to drive 18-24 hours depending on traffic so when I get there it is so nice to be able to park my car for a week. Flying is out of the question for 7 people a lot cheaper to drive.

No one wants to talk you into anything that doesn't fit. However, it seems you've made the assumption you'll only be happy staying on property without actual comparative data. One of those timeshares I mentioned is essentially on Disney property right behind CBR. DVC was my first timeshare and my first love in timesharing. However, if I had it to go over at this point and knowing what now know, I'd likely either not buy in or just buy a small amount of points, say 50-100.

I'm not sure where you're located but 18-24 hours is a long time. I doubt you'd drive that in one sitting. Depending on where you are, some of the other systems might have resorts that were good stopovers. Truthfully, IMO, I think some of the other resorts are nicer than DVC in a number of areas. Larger rooms, staff more responsive, more and better activities (ignoring the parks), generally better pools and somewhat to much cheaper short and long term. Of course they're not exclusive of each other, many of us own both DVC resorts and one or more other systems.

Originally Posted by cfranklin

Part of me is looking at the #s. Another part of me is looking at does the people that have it really love is the service as good as I have heard. I do know the #s can be very misleading and there are so many factors that come in to play. I do believe you can get a discounted room rate. I have just recently started looking at resale and I'm weighing all the pros and cons on that to. I have had people tell me not to buy resale before and people tell me to. Also people not to join at all but most of those people aren't members.

I get the impression you don't have a lot of direct experience visiting Disney. IF this is the case, I'd slow down and do a trip or 2 say renting DVC points and maybe an off property stay at say Bonnet Creek.

To be honest, I do not think service has been Disney's strong point from a resort standpoint and it seems that is important to you. Not that I feel DVC does a bad job, I don't, but I do feel that the other companies do a better job generally when it comes to service and attention to detail. I could give you a number of examples but I'll just give you one I've seen repeated MANY times. At other resorts when I call for something (need a blender, stove not working, etc) I get a better and faster response than with Disney and I get a follow up call to make sure it was taken care of and I am happy with what was done. I am staying at Marriott's Aruba Surf Club right now and can tell you that the pool is nicer and the room is larger and at least as nice as DVC and the response to minor issues as I just described.

This past summer we were in HI for 3 weeks and stayed at Marriott's for all nights. I had a concern about the resort in Kauai. It's one of 2 hotel conversions in the Marriott system and I found the kitchen to be below reasonable for a 1 BR. I was able to speak directly to the GM of the resort (mixed hotel & timeshare) about my concerns. Obviously they weren't going to be able to remodel the kitchen while I was there but I did have suggestions of how they could change it when the hard refurbishment came around. How many people have been able to pick up the phone while at DVC and do that? I remember a lot of people saying they tried, I'm not currently remembering any that were successful in doing so other than a few after the fact based on more significant concerns.

[crisi]

Resale, prior to restrictions. But we've never done anything restricted with our points.

Its been a good value for us - because we like having the kids in a different room - got a good deal on resale a decade ago, paid cash, and have no significant opportunity costs. But I wouldn't buy it again and I wouldn't buy it now.

Kids would rather do other things than Disney now that they are teenagers, and my husband and I prefer hotels to timeshares if its just us - DVC is too restrictive in terms of trades and we aren't timeshare people. We like the service and amenities of a hotel stay and the flexibility of cash.

[bwvBound]

Originally Posted by cfranklin

I have ask this questions to find out good and bads about DVC. The cost ratio of it and been trying to figure things out before or even if I buy in to it. I'm not a person that signs on the dotted line just cause I heard some pixiy dust. I'm just trying to figure it out and I thank everyone for their input. So who all on here is a DVC member and how do you like it tell me if you are resale or direct

We own three DCV contracts at SSR, each purchased direct at average costs hovering just under $80/pt after incentives. First contract was purchased in early 2004, pre-opening, after we had lost on three attempts to purchase BWV via resale. At the time, buying a resort with the 'new,' longer lease was a strong draw for us. The initial price direct from Disney was on par with the then-current resale prices for BWV.

We like DVC "well enough" but sometimes get annoyed at the Use Year (UY) and banking rules compared to our other points system timeshare. Because of DVC's UY rules, I tend to view DVC as being usable only 8 months out of a year (vs year round) and mostly tied to a specific geography based on the home resort.

I know I can use my points at CA and HI, indeed I do use them there, but I'm often at risk of losing the points if booking travel outside the banking window of my UY. Sadly, neither CA nor HI had been announced when we purchased our SSR points and, thus, not factored into our choice of UY. Our contracts are all OCT UY, which perfectly fits our travel pattern to WDW, but leaves us at risk of losing points should we travel June-Sept to Disneyland (a year-round destination for us) or Aulani, which we are most likely to visit in Sept. Oh, well.

[bakerworld]

Our idea of vacationing was to spend time in the parks or the resort - not the bus, which just getting out of OKW took a good 1/2 hour when we first tried it in 2000 so DVC didn't tempt us until we stayed at VWL in 2006. By then SSR was being pushed which we had no interest because we figured the bus situation would be the same as OKW and we had no idea the resale market even existed. By the time we bought - still not knowing about resale - the kids were gone and we been to Disney enough to know we wanted to go often and were tired of moderates so we bought AKL with the idea that we'd go off season and trade into closer venues at the 7-month mark - which we've done very successfully. The other plus with AKL was concierge which we figured as we age will be a large bonus.

Do we love DVC - not really, what we enjoy is Disney. DVC gives us the ability to stay in a premium resort but we have to clean it and buy our own day to day supplies. Nobody changes the towels or washes the dishes. We gave that up when we bought.

[jupers]

I bought dvc just before the resale changes. However, I would buy again. I got a great deal and we love our dvc. I stayed offsite once and won't again. DH is a workaholic and convincing him to vaca can be tough but he is willing because we have the timeshare. We are doing our first road trip down this summer!