Talk DVC with the Dis Dads

[dadio]

Dvc member here......we own @ SSR as well!!

woot..new home here!!

[scott2997]

Originally Posted by cj9200

Another DVC owner checking in. We bought at Boardwalk the day it opened.



200 isn't a small contract. We first bought 250 points which we found was a good starting point. Spent a lot of time in Studios. We wanted more stays in 1 BRs so I added 50 more.

If you know you are going to buy and you think DVC works for you, I would take the 200 point plunge now. You can always add on smaller contracts. Besides, the one thing we have found is that point prices keep going up.

OK - so I hope I'm not taking over this thread - but I really feel an imminent DVC purchase coming....

Can someone who is a DVC member explain to me about the different membership perks...i.e. discounts on dining plan and park tickets or AP's?

And I'd love to hear from you guys about your favorite resorts...

Oh and has anyone actually bought a DVC without first touring it? I'm thinking that if I do this, I'm going to try to find a resale contract with some booked points to use for my vacation next year so I won't be privy to a tour prior to purchase.

Thanks guys and sorry again for the thread hijacking!

[unclescrooge_0707]

Originally Posted by scott2997

Question for you DVC Dads....Are their any additional yearly fees besides the maintenance for your points? I.E. Taxes etc...

Trying to budget this out...to monthly payment and yearly expenses.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by stopher1

Scott, the Annual Dues cover all maintenance costs and property taxes. The only additional fees you would be looking at are transportation costs, food (if you plan to eat), and entertainment (park tickets or whatever you choose to do while using your accomodations).

not "emminent", but, I can see me slowly wearing down, so, your questions aren't JUST for you.
I'm not looking for tax advice per se, but,

If DVC is real estate, is it something you have to claim on your federal taxes at the end of the year, or is that also covered by maintenance fees?

(thanks)

[AJRitz]

Originally Posted by unclescrooge_0707

not "emminent", but, I can see me slowly wearing down, so, your questions aren't JUST for you.
I'm not looking for tax advice per se, but,

If DVC is real estate, is it something you have to claim on your federal taxes at the end of the year, or is that also covered by maintenance fees?

(thanks)

For now, at least, if you take out a mortgage to finance your DVC purchase then the interest on that mortgage is tax deductible (as long as it's your only vacation home). If you don't take out a mortgage, I do not believe that DVC ownership has any federal tax consequences at all.

[stopher1]

Originally Posted by scott2997

Can someone who is a DVC member explain to me about the different membership perks...i.e. discounts on dining plan and park tickets or AP's?

First of all - don't consider the purchase based on perks. Those can and do change frequently. They are not guaranteed at all - only being able to reserve accomodations based on availability.

BUT - since you asked - DVC members are eligible to purchase an AP at $100 off the regular price. This is a nice savings, if you plan on going back multiple times within the year's period - or plan on hitting the parks more than 10 days, since it will work out cheaper than a MWY-NE-10D ticket.

We can also purchase the Tables in Wonderland dining discount card at a $25 discount off the regular price - keep in mind this card is regularly only able to be purchased by Florida residents. The TIW will take 20% off the price of meals at many, many table service locations throughout WDW - and it's good on things like appetizers, alcoholic beverages, etc, etc. whereas the DDP is not. The TIW then automatically adds an 18% gratuity... but in the end, that 2% discount, not having to pay the Tip OOP, and being able to pick and choose what you want vs. what the DDP dictates you order... it's a good deal.

DVC members do not get a discount on the DDP for most of the year...though we do get a slight discount in the "peak" periods in that they do not tack on the "Peak Period Upcharge" as they do for everyone else.

Other kinds of discounts include some restaurants at 10-15%, some activities like mini golf, boating, golf, etc at various %'s off, and some shopping discounts... but again - they are various and fluctuating.

Originally Posted by scott2997

Oh and has anyone actually bought a DVC without first touring it? I'm thinking that if I do this, I'm going to try to find a resale contract with some booked points to use for my vacation next year so I won't be privy to a tour prior to purchase.

Thanks guys and sorry again for the thread hijacking!

We bought Aulani without viewing it! We also bought the Grand Californian without viewing the models first... if you are really wanting to see something, there are virtual tours available on DVC's website

And don't worry about the "hijacking"... this is exactly part of WHY Carl set this thread up in the first place. Helping you & others to get answers to your questions is a delight for all of us who have gone before you.

[Mrmrezg]

Scott I am a new member and there are a lot of details that I am learning about, so I can't answer all of your questions but I can answer some.

We get about $100 off of annual pass purchases. The dining plans, IMO, aren't discounted. I am paying $79 per adult per day for the deluxe DDP. That is 3 table service and 2 snacks per person/day. Not a bad price for what we are getting. But, we don't get "free" dining if that is what you are looking for.

We did the tour when we bought, walked out with 30 instant fast passes. It was our last day in the parks so I ended up giving them to people on our way out of the park. (they became very happy when I told them what they were). When we did the tour they were pushing BLT & AKV. We bought BLT because the maintenance fees were lower then AKV. DVC have change some policies concerning desalts and some privileges are not available to some resale deals. I am not sure of the details on this but you will want to look into it before you buy.

I hope this helps you.

On a side note I am spending about $3000 for three adults and two children in a deluxe with deluxe DDP and 7 day park hoppers. For the same vacation in a value (ASMu) with the same DDP Disney.com just quoted me $5,267. That is a substantial savings.

[scott2997]

Originally Posted by stopher1

And don't worry about the "hijacking"... this is exactly part of WHY Carl set this thread up in the first place. Helping you & others to get answers to your questions is a delight for all of us who have gone before you.

Thanks Chris....everyone's input is very helpful.

Right now I think I'm leaning toward a resale purchase knowing that I wouldn't see myself ever transferring out of the standard on-site Disney resorts and the price is cheaper as well.

I like the location of the Beach Club and the prices are less than BLT.

Even though, right now, I'd love to be closer to MK for my girls...I can see, down the road, preferring to be closer to EPCOT and DHS as those two resorts are the ones that interest me the most. Being in walking distance to EPCOT and a Boat away from DHS is very attractive.

So I'm trying to find a contract that already has banked points that can be used for a 2012 vacation. If we vacation in March/April (Spring Break week) each year....would I want a February use year as the most preferred?

Originally Posted by Mrmrezg

Scott I am a new member and there are a lot of details that I am learning about, so I can't answer all of your questions but I can answer some.

We get about $100 off of annual pass purchases. The dining plans, IMO, aren't discounted. I am paying $79 per adult per day for the deluxe DDP. That is 3 table service and 2 snacks per person/day. Not a bad price for what we are getting. But, we don't get "free" dining if that is what you are looking for.

We did the tour when we bought, walked out with 30 instant fast passes. It was our last day in the parks so I ended up giving them to people on our way out of the park. (they became very happy when I told them what they were). When we did the tour they were pushing BLT & AKV. We bought BLT because the maintenance fees were lower then AKV. DVC have change some policies concerning desalts and some privileges are not available to some resale deals. I am not sure of the details on this but you will want to look into it before you buy.

I hope this helps you.

On a side note I am spending about $3000 for three adults and two children in a deluxe with deluxe DDP and 7 day park hoppers. For the same vacation in a value (ASMu) with the same DDP Disney.com just quoted me $5,267. That is a substantial savings.

Thanks! I'd love to get some perks from buying directly - but I think the biggest perk for me is going to be instant savings from buying resale.

Oh...does anyone know about the enforcement of capacity? For example, for a one bedroom at Beach Club, it says it allows for 4 people. Do they ask how many in each room? In other words...if down the road, my SIL would choose to vacation with my wife and 2 daughters, would this be allowed in a 1 bedroom or would we be forced into a 2 bedroom?

[stopher1]

Originally Posted by scott2997

Oh...does anyone know about the enforcement of capacity? For example, for a one bedroom at Beach Club, it says it allows for 4 people. Do they ask how many in each room? In other words...if down the road, my SIL would choose to vacation with my wife and 2 daughters, would this be allowed in a 1 bedroom or would we be forced into a 2 bedroom?

Over on the actual DVC threads I wouldn't answer a question like this since they are quick to direct everyone into a single "occupancy" thread... but I'll take my chances here for you, since we only have this DVC based thread here in this nice shiny new sub-forum (thanks again Kathy and other mods! )...

Each of the one bedrooms that are not "officially" for 5 (those that are are BLT, OKW, VGC, AKV, AUL)... only have bedding for 4. But that doesn't mean you can't have a 5th in the room, they just won't provide bedding for that person...or any kind of bed. That being said, enforcement comes with the reservation call to Member Services. Now I have a family of 5, and when I get us a 1 Br and the non-5 resorts... they remind of that no bedding fact, and we move on. We keep an air mattress & sheets in our Owner's Locker for just those resorts. SO.... if you know you're going to have 5, but won't have bedding for that 5th guest... I would recommend using the 7 month window and reserving elsewhere - or just plan on brining some sheets or a sleeping bag along.

P.S> the resorts that do have bedding for 5 have the sleeper chair in addition to the sleeper couch in the living room.

[Mrmrezg]

DVC allows members to rent up to 24 point, for a fair price. That could help you to get the two bed room when you need it or you can rent the points from another member.

[scott2997]

Originally Posted by stopher1

Over on the actual DVC threads I wouldn't answer a question like this since they are quick to direct everyone into a single "occupancy" thread... but I'll take my chances here for you, since we only have this DVC based thread here in this nice shiny new sub-forum (thanks again Kathy and other mods! )...

Each of the one bedrooms that are not "officially" for 5 (those that are are BLT, OKW, VGC, AKV, AUL)... only have bedding for 4. But that doesn't mean you can't have a 5th in the room, they just won't provide bedding for that person...or any kind of bed. That being said, enforcement comes with the reservation call to Member Services. Now I have a family of 5, and when I get us a 1 Br and the non-5 resorts... they remind of that no bedding fact, and we move on. We keep an air mattress & sheets in our Owner's Locker for just those resorts. SO.... if you know you're going to have 5, but won't have bedding for that 5th guest... I would recommend using the 7 month window and reserving elsewhere - or just plan on brining some sheets or a sleeping bag along.

P.S> the resorts that do have bedding for 5 have the sleeper chair in addition to the sleeper couch in the living room.

Thanks Chris! I had a feeling this would be the way it is. Maybe I should be looking at OKW. Only wish it had a walkway to EPCOT!

Any chance that these 4 occupancy 1 bedrooms would be upgraded in the future to accommodate 5?

Do you run into any issues with having 5 in a 4 occupancy room when it comes to tickets or DP?

[theduck619]

Non DVC owner here. Will be staying at a DVC villa in November and hope to get a better feel for it. Biggest question for us is the maintenance fee's

[stopher1]

Originally Posted by scott2997

Thanks Chris! I had a feeling this would be the way it is. Maybe I should be looking at OKW. Only wish it had a walkway to EPCOT!

I hear you... but the bus ride to Epcot from OKW is not long.

Originally Posted by scott2997

Any chance that these 4 occupancy 1 bedrooms would be upgraded in the future to accommodate 5?

That depends. It is possible. OKW were originally classified as occupancy 4... but the recent refurb of the resort switched out a chair for a sleeper chair and bingo - the occupancy was able to be 5. It might not be as simple with the other resorts, as OKW was/is the DVC resort with the largest square footage per room. Many of the other occupancy 4 rooms are not as spacious, and so just switching out a chair is not as possible. My gut says if they can do it they will, but if not, they won't touch those particular resorts. The nice thing is that all newer resorts are built to accomodate 5.

Originally Posted by scott2997

Do you run into any issues with having 5 in a 4 occupancy room when it comes to tickets or DP?

No. Since they let you put that 5th person in, even though they don't provide bedding, you'll still be able to have a room key and have them on the dining plan. Like other resorts, when you get the DDP with DVC, everyone in the room must be on the plan. One thing I forgot to mention earlier though - with DVC - a nice change that came about this year is that you don't HAVE to get the DDP for every night of your stay if you don't want to. If you want it for only part of your stay, you can segment it.

[stopher1]

Originally Posted by theduck619

Non DVC owner here. Will be staying at a DVC villa in November and hope to get a better feel for it. Biggest question for us is the maintenance fee's

I hope it goes well for you, and you can see if it is right for your family or not.

The dues were a big thing for us at first as well... but in the long run, my dues are less than what it would cost us to take the family for the type of stays we enjoy - and the typical "cost" of our stays works out to be quite a bit less than a value would be if I were paying cash for the resort. The dues go up each year sure - but so do the cash resort rates. And my dues have gone up at a lesser annual % increase than the cash resort rates have. Together those things far outweigh what I put out in dues each year, and we get lots of great vacation nights at awesome resorts with room to spread out and truly enjoy it. I'd be paying it either way since we continue to go back in to the Disney universe... so I'd either pay it through room rates or dues - and I'd personally rather pay it in dues for larger, more comfortable accomodations than not. That's just my take on the dues; others might have different opinions and that's cool.

[scott2997]

Originally Posted by stopher1

I hear you... but the bus ride to Epcot from OKW is not long.



That depends. It is possible. OKW were originally classified as occupancy 4... but the recent refurb of the resort switched out a chair for a sleeper chair and bingo - the occupancy was able to be 5. It might not be as simple with the other resorts, as OKW was/is the DVC resort with the largest square footage per room. Many of the other occupancy 4 rooms are not as spacious, and so just switching out a chair is not as possible. My gut says if they can do it they will, but if not, they won't touch those particular resorts. The nice thing is that all newer resorts are built to accomodate 5.



No. Since they let you put that 5th person in, even though they don't provide bedding, you'll still be able to have a room key and have them on the dining plan. Like other resorts, when you get the DDP with DVC, everyone in the room must be on the plan. One thing I forgot to mention earlier though - with DVC - a nice change that came about this year is that you don't HAVE to get the DDP for every night of your stay if you don't want to. If you want it for only part of your stay, you can segment it.

Interesting....on the DVC website it still states the 1 bedroom at OKW is a 4 person room.

I would imagine, if we were DVC owners, we would be better with food too and not need a full DDP. Usually, when we vacation now, we snack for breakfast and pack a lunch and only eat out for dinner. So we may be able to get away with now DDP if we wanted.

I know OKW has a shorter contract length, but it is less expensive because of that - which makes it really attractive...plus having a 5 person occupancy is a big plus as my wife and SIL are attached at the hip (not literally...but you know what I mean).

[theduck619]

Originally Posted by stopher1

I hope it goes well for you, and you can see if it is right for your family or not.

The dues were a big thing for us at first as well... but in the long run, my dues are less than what it would cost us to take the family for the type of stays we enjoy - and the typical "cost" of our stays works out to be quite a bit less than a value would be if I were paying cash for the resort. The dues go up each year sure - but so do the cash resort rates. And my dues have gone up at a lesser annual % increase than the cash resort rates have. Together those things far outweigh what I put out in dues each year, and we get lots of great vacation nights at awesome resorts with room to spread out and truly enjoy it. I'd be paying it either way since we continue to go back in to the Disney universe... so I'd either pay it through room rates or dues - and I'd personally rather pay it in dues for larger, more comfortable accomodations than not. That's just my take on the dues; others might have different opinions and that's cool.

That is the kind of info we are looking for