Holy cow I am so lost-pls advise!

[Scarlett81]

Ok if anyone wouldn't mind giving the 'easy' answer.. or directing me there! Simple as possible breakdown of how this works, and what you think is the best fit for my family.
We average 2 trips a year to wdw. I do the princess half every yr which turns into a 4-5 night stay, and we do a solo family trip which is 6-7 nights. We typically do deluxe on a 25-35% discount. We have 3 young children so we need a room that holds at least 5.
My fave is GF. Hubby's fave is BC. I know he would only want either of those to consider this investment. Possibly BLT.
So is it worth it for us? We have waited a long time to get to this point, and now are ready to seriously consider it. With little ones and being on the east coast, plus frequently in FL, going to disney wont be slowing down anytime soon...

 

[jerseyduke]

Purchasing DVC is a big decision. One thing that I will not about your post is you state that you and your family are "frequently" in Florida.

DVC is really more for trips planned well in advance. It is not for spontaneous trips. Just keep that in mind, as it may or may not affect you.

If you typically do 2 trips a year, there is no reason you can not buy two contracts one for Villas at GF and one at BC villas.

Everyone has different experiences. As far as room goes, 5 in a studio at the GF would be VERY tight. If you are in the area look at the model rooms and decide. If not, tell your husband he needs to watch the kids for a weekend so you can go do a scouting trip!

As to how it works, you use $ to buy points, and that becomes your currency for booking rooms in the future. Points are not subject to inflation. Use a point chart to see what you may need. David's rental site has a good one. That will also give you an idea as to what your maintenance fees will be every year.

Also realize, that even with "Free Deluxe Accommodations" Disney vacations are not cheap.

If you have specific questions, ask, people on here are very helpful

 

[MountainMouse]

I think you've answered your own question. If you will be making continuing trips, have a good idea on schedule (always running the princess half) and know that you will be staying in deluxe then DVC is a no brainer. Your challenge now is to determine which resort and how many points. DVC has a lot of rules and uniqueness that isn't found when just booking cash through Disney. You really want to make sure you take the time and do the homework to learn so you're happy with your purchase.

 

[Docmom]

We're Florida residents and typically booked with the 35% discount and DVC still comes out "cheaper" for us. Family of 4 and prefer the one bedrooms...basically we can stay in a one bedroom for about the same "cost" as we were paying for a room and sometimes less. So, if you are coming twice a year anyway, I think DVC would work for you. Also depending on the total days you stay annually with DVC you can get the Tables in Wonderland card which saves on meals and drinks. Much better than the dining plan IMO. Agree with the pp about looking into two smaller contracts that would work for your trips. Another option is to get one contract for the one you like best and want to stay at for the marathon so you have the 11 month booking window. We tend to take short, 2-3 day, trips and often somewhat short notice. We're flexible and haven't had problems finding a room but not always at our first choice. On the plus side that's also meant we've been able to stay at all the WDW DVC villas except the treehouses and have found we really like some we never expected to like. Do lot's of research, go look at the models and look at the resale sites. Also look at the point cost - I like BCV and our kids love Stormalong Bay but the point cost (and purchase price) at Boardwalk are much better. Eventually with 3 kids you may want a 2 bedroom, or if you have a large family, a grand villa. Think about that in your planning too. Good luck!

 

[Scarlett81]

Ok So..
1. What you select up front, as far as studio, 1br, 2br ect, does not mean you are locked into forever? With 3 little ones a studio would be fine for now but in a few more yrs yes upgrading to a 1-2br will probably be needed.
2.So if I sign up with a particular resort I am not locked into that resort choice, but can book at another by transferring to that one?

3.As far as cost, I understand you buy points and use them through the year, depending on your resort choice you will spend more or less points...as far as the upfront cost-you set the amount of points you want to buy + service fees? Do you select how many years you are committing to?
Is the first year typically the most you will pay?-All questions based on things I have heard through the grapevine from others...
Thanks again

 

[chalee94]

Ok So..
1. What you select up front, as far as studio, 1br, 2br ect, does not mean you are locked into forever? With 3 little ones a studio would be fine for now but in a few more yrs yes upgrading to a 1-2br will probably be needed.

you don't select a unit size up front. DVC works as a point system.

so you buy X number of pts and can use those to book reservations.

if you decide to spend the points on a giant 3BR "grand villa" for 2 nights, you can do that. if you'd rather spend a cozy 10 nights in a studio instead, that is fine also.

(only 2 resorts have studios that can sleep 5, though, and realistically, you should be looking at 1BRs or 2BRs, as the studios would be very tight.)

the key is to figure out how many points you need. if you need more later, DVC will be happy to sell you additional contracts (or you can purchase "resale" from a current DVC owner to save money.)

2.So if I sign up with a particular resort I am not locked into that resort choice, but can book at another by transferring to that one?

it's all "based on availability." if you expect to routinely book VGF at 6 months out, that is awfully optimistic.

DVC is easiest if you buy where you want to stay and book there at 11 months out. but if you plan ahead and are first in line exactly when the 7 month window opens, you will typically be able to try other resorts. (flexibility is a good plan, though.)

3.As far as cost, I understand you buy points and use them through the year, depending on your resort choice you will spend more or less points...as far as the upfront cost-you set the amount of points you want to buy + service fees? Do you select how many years you are committing to?
Is the first year typically the most you will pay?-All questions based on things I have heard through the grapevine from others...
Thanks again

DVC has 2 costs.

1) upfront costs. like buying a house, you will pay a certain amount to buy a DVC contract. this is a big pile of money, yes.

here are some resales to get some ideas of how big a pile of money you might need. (prices listed are subject to negotiation.)

http://www.dvc-resales.com/dvclisting.cfm

alternatively, here is a list of upfront prices for DVC direct purchases from disney.

http://www.dvcnews.com/index.php/dvc-program/financial/pricing-a-promotions

when you purchase a contract, you will be the owner so long as you pay annual dues (see item #2 below) until the expiration date for your resort. (or until you sell your contract as a resale.)

2) after you buy a home, you will have additional costs maintaining it. maybe even HOA fees on a regular basis to maintain a community pool and shared grounds or something. with DVC, these are called annual dues or maintenance fees. (you will be contributing to paying for everything from the monorail, to giraffes (if you buy AKV), to housekeeping and lobby staff salaries to buses and groundskeeping.)

you can find annual dues costs and history for each resort in post #2 in this thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2823943

you should really scan through that whole thread as it is very useful. it also includes the expiration dates for each resort in post #6.

3) sorta.

not officially a DVC cost, but don't forget that you still have to pay for wdw tickets, airfare/gas, food and souvenirs like mouse ears hats...

 

[chalee94]

here is a link to the per-night costs for different DVC resort villas at different times of the year:

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml

all costs are "per night" as there is no discount for staying a full week. and if you start your stay in a cheaper season, that makes no difference - you still pay the per night cost for the new season once your stay crosses over.

 

[bumbershoot]

DVC is really more for trips planned well in advance. It is not for spontaneous trips. Just keep that in mind, as it may or may not affect you.

Especially for race times. You have to be on the ball and book exactly 11 months out (which means you book at your home resort, which means your home resort better be a host resort for Princess) or it gets painful trying to find a place to stay. I was never able to find a resort other than SSR booking 7 months out for Wine&Dine (which coincided with the end weekend of Food&Wine so Boardwalk area had been booked since 11 months before), and once it was about 6 months away even SSR was totally booked most of the time.

There is nothing urgent or frantic about buying right now. Take the time to fully read through things and get all questions answered. The likelihood of finding a DVC available for Princess at this point is low, so any reservations you would want would be later on...there's no big huge "buy now" urgency.

 

[jerseyduke]

Also be aware that the Villas at the Grand Floridian do offer a fixed week option. If you tend to go the same week every year, this MAY be an option for you, at least the VGF.

If you want to know how it works:

You decide what type of accommodation you want. This is the only situation where you are "locking" yourself into a room type, and have to select one up front. "Locking" in quotes for a reason to be explained shortly.

You then have that room type, that week number, every year until 2063 (or is it 2062?). You never have to reserve it. For that, you pay a 10% premium. If your type of room, your week is normally 250 points, you will pay for 275 points. (this is to cover any potential change in point allocation).

Now, if you decide to cancel one year, 275 points will get deposited into your account (this is why "locked" was in quotes) You are still totally free to cancel and use your points in another way.

Also, as per the public declaration of VGF, Disney may only sell 35% of a room type/view for a week as a Fixed week. So, Fixed weeks are subject to availability at the time of purchase.

 

[Scarlett81]

Thank you for all replies so far! Very appreciated. I have a lot of work to do.

No, I don't intent to have this set for this years race, far too big a decision to make by then. But I am considering looking at models when we are there in feb.

So my big question so far after looking at some prices....Do you think it's worth it?

My main hesitation is that we often do decide 'last minute', 3 months out...we wouldn't need to be picky about where we stay in that case but we would need a guarantee of some accommodation.

 

[chalee94]

So my big question so far after looking at some prices....Do you think it's worth it?

My main hesitation is that we often do decide 'last minute', 3 months out...we wouldn't need to be picky about where we stay in that case but we would need a guarantee of some accommodation.

1) at direct prices, not to me, no.

2) at resale prices, yes...but...

i would not buy into DVC if i were routinely booking at 3 months out.

there is a fixed number of spaces at wdw for DVC bookings. lots of people are on the ball and trying to book what they want as early as possible. there is an element of competition in trying to get certain villa types at certain times of the year. by waiting till the last minute, you are resigning yourself to whatever is left over, if anything. you could probably, generally piece a stay together by being flexible but it would likely be a pain and there are no guarantees.

 

[jerseyduke]

Thank you for all replies so far! Very appreciated. I have a lot of work to do.

No, I don't intent to have this set for this years race, far too big a decision to make by then. But I am considering looking at models when we are there in feb.

So my big question so far after looking at some prices....Do you think it's worth it?

My main hesitation is that we often do decide 'last minute', 3 months out...we wouldn't need to be picky about where we stay in that case but we would need a guarantee of some accommodation.

3 months out is not a good thing for DVC. It may be worth it if you do a resale contract at either saratoga springs, or old key west, as they are large resorts with the best chance of booking at three months out. And even then it might be tough at the busier times of the year.

NO WAY should you pay a premium for BC, or VGF to use(or try to use) those points elsewhere at three months.

 

[Scarlett81]

Just want to thank you all for your detailed replies and help!
Very much appreciated. I've come across a few other helpful posts around here and on mousesavers describing DVC in detail. Very complex world to learn about!
To me, from what I've learned so far, this should be viewed as a long term investment. One in which you do not start saving anytime soon, but if you use it enough and use it wisely, within 6-7+ years you will begin evening out financially.
Is this your experience?

One thing I know for sure is that we would not purchase anywhere but VGF or BC, thats more because of my hubby than me. He can't justfiy the cost unless its a place his heart is attached to. I am very attracted to the idea of resale more than direct so that leaves us with BC.
No question, we will be at Disney at least once a year for the next 15 yrs at least. After that I would view it as a gift for our adult children to use.

 

[chalee94]

To me, from what I've learned so far, this should be viewed as a long term investment. One in which you do not start saving anytime soon, but if you use it enough and use it wisely, within 6-7+ years you will begin evening out financially.
Is this your experience?

some people freak out if you use the word "investment." you're very unlikely to ever make money on DVC.

but yeah, depending on what you typically spend on accommodations at wdw, it is possible to save money over time IF you are disciplined.

what tends to happen is that the money converts in your head to become points. "points" are fun and don't cost anything. so you wind up splurging for nicer resorts and larger villas...invite family along (if you didn't before) since you've got extra room. since the points aren't costing you (in your mind), you might spend more freely on food or souvenirs. you also might go more often to wdw than you did before.

so a lot of us have fun with DVC but a significant percentage of us probably aren't really saving much money. just spending it differently.

One thing I know for sure is that we would not purchase anywhere but VGF or BC, thats more because of my hubby than me. He can't justfiy the cost unless its a place his heart is attached to. I am very attracted to the idea of resale more than direct so that leaves us with BC.

strong suggestion: try renting pts at BCV before you buy in. BCV is in a similar location to BC but they can feel a bit different. the same is probably true of GF/VGF.

i would vote to try it first before you make the commitment.

 

[jerseyduke]

Just want to thank you all for your detailed replies and help!
Very much appreciated. I've come across a few other helpful posts around here and on mousesavers describing DVC in detail. Very complex world to learn about!
To me, from what I've learned so far, this should be viewed as a long term investment. One in which you do not start saving anytime soon, but if you use it enough and use it wisely, within 6-7+ years you will begin evening out financially.
Is this your experience?

One thing I know for sure is that we would not purchase anywhere but VGF or BC, thats more because of my hubby than me. He can't justfiy the cost unless its a place his heart is attached to. I am very attracted to the idea of resale more than direct so that leaves us with BC.
No question, we will be at Disney at least once a year for the next 15 yrs at least. After that I would view it as a gift for our adult children to use.

Just realize that the only benefit to owning at Beach Club Villas is the 11 month booking window. That is what you are paying a premium for. If you plan on booking under 7 months (you referenced this in a previous post) then owning at BC is the same as owning anywhere else. And you would be over paying for your membership, as you could have gotten cheaper points, and accomplished the same thing.

 

[Docmom]

Also do the math between VGF direct and BCV resale. Yes, the per point cost to buy is less at BCV resale but if you spread it out the length of the contract it comes out about the same cost per point per year as VGF direct since you have many more years on the VGF contract. That may not be a huge issue but if you're thinking of eventually giving it to your adult children then it can be. Just another point to consider. Definitely visit them both if you can on your next trip. VGF has models at SSR. BCV doesn't but you can look at the BWV models for a close idea or consider staying at a BCV studio for your trip if you haven't stayed in one yet.

 

[HokieGCC]

We also go twice a year. Our Jan trip is very predictable as we have two College kids with long winter breaks and we always go the first week after New Years. Our May trip is a bit more iffy as they both are working out summer jobs etc and the planning is more "last minute".

So ... we bought DVC for our Jan trip and do May trip the old fashioned way by getting the best deal we can at the time. We use the DVC discount for the season pass so we are covered for both trips in a year.

We are considering buying for our May trips but not anytime soon.

The rule of thumb that I have determined from many years of looking at DVC closely (and going to Disney) is that DVC "can" save you some money if you are very accurate with your needs and matching them to what you buy. Otherwise, it may cost you extra.

And the overriding "truth"- Disney is the most effective company in the history of the world at separating you from your money voluntarily; therefore, DVC is a money-maker for them somehow and I trust they have this fine tuned so it is impossible to come out ahead in a big way no matter what decisions you make.

 

[Scarlett81]

We also go twice a year. Our Jan trip is very predictable as we have two College kids with long winter breaks and we always go the first week after New Years. Our May trip is a bit more iffy as they both are working out summer jobs etc and the planning is more "last minute".

So ... we bought DVC for our Jan trip and do May trip the old fashioned way by getting the best deal we can at the time. We use the DVC discount for the season pass so we are covered for both trips in a year.

We are considering buying for our May trips but not anytime soon.

The rule of thumb that I have determined from many years of looking at DVC closely (and going to Disney) is that DVC "can" save you some money if you are very accurate with your needs and matching them to what you buy. Otherwise, it may cost you extra.

And the overriding "truth"- Disney is the most effective company in the history of the world at separating you from your money voluntarily; therefore, DVC is a money-maker for them somehow and I trust they have this fine tuned so it is impossible to come out ahead in a big way no matter what decisions you make.

Very good advice. Do you think this holds true financially even if you purchase a resale from someone else? Can you come out on top, or even slightly better?

 

[MountainMouse]

And the overriding "truth"- Disney is the most effective company in the history of the world at separating you from your money voluntarily; therefore, DVC is a money-maker for them somehow and I trust they have this fine tuned so it is impossible to come out ahead in a big way no matter what decisions you make.

Great observation and not are they the most effective at separating you from your money but they make you do it with a smile on your face. Apple is also very good at this, but the crown goes to Disney.

 

[crisi]

Also make sure that you rent and try DVC. There are some significant differences between a DVC stay and a Deluxe resort stay. Some of them some people see as positives while others see as negatives (i.e. a lot of members like no daily housekeeping - but if you go over onto the resort board and bring it up, its a big negative to them on owning DVC).

One thing I like to say is that if you NEED it to work out financially, it probably isn't a good deal - whether it does work out financially in the end or not. This is because I'm very risk adverse and often see the worst case. And the worst case with DVC is that you buy points and make the "investment" then the economy crashes and your life changes drastically and you have to sell DVC at a loss - if you are in a position to afford that loss, its not a huge deal. If you aren't, it can be a really bad thing. A similarly bad thing is what Charles was talking about, if you aren't disciplined, and you need it to work, you can find yourself going over budget by tens of thousands of dollars over the course of ownership (and more if you catch the dreaded addonitis) because you make emotional decisions that DVC ownership encourages (more trips, guests, additional spending because your room is "paid for," etc.). Not a big deal if there is room in your budget.

Also remember that three young children will very quickly become three Disney adults - and that inflation at Disney outpaces inflation in the real world. Tickets for three tweens/teens - feeding a 16 year old boy at Disney - these things get really expensive - and will happen faster than you think. Its easy to change direction when you pay cash - and decide to start vacationing at somewhere cheaper (with a 16 year old boy, all inclusives ROCK - and he likes the beach better than Disney) - owning DVC can make those changes in direction both logistically and emotionally more difficult.