is dvc worth it?

[canda]

Is it difficult to get the dates that you want to stay.

 

[DVCJman]

A broad question, but not an easy answer. First you have the 11 month window vs the seven month window. Second you have different seasons with different levels of occupancy. Third you have diiferent types of accomodations and sometimes with different views, which can mean different levels of points. Fourth you have the holiday seasons that sometimes have special waiting list.

Overall, if you can plan well enough in advance and have flexibility in your travel plans you can have success in getting reservations that you can use. Key is to buy DVC where you want to stay the most. Buy the amount of points you will need to have the accomodations you want during the season you typically travel. And remember to be a little flexible and plan.

I am sure others can address and add things to my post.

WDW Trips: 1990@Contemporary Tower, 1996@Yacht Club, 1999@BWV & Contemporary Tower, 2000@OKW.

2001: Grand Villa @ OKW

 

[eva]

It's definitely worth it if you plan ahead. I have never had problems getting into my home resort, OKW. Sometimes it can be a challenge to get BWV right now. We've never had any trouble with Vero either. Just to let you know, we did get BWV in December of 99 for 5 nights only 2 months out before. It did take a number of calls but it all worked out in the end. I really don't think that the DVC resorts book up that much faster than any other WDW resort. I have tried to get reservations at BC/YC during peak season with no luck too.

 

[Richyams]

If you use the 11 month window, you can get whatever you want whenever you want it. There are no problems at all getting what you want. I strictly use the hardest room there is to reserve, the Grand Villa, back in '96 I had to move my vacation forward a week because I couldn't get a day in the middle, that is when I learned touse the eleven month window. I never have even the slightest trouble getting what I want ever.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx, pretty sick, huh?

 

[Bennet]

Planning ahead is the key. Make res. 11 - 9 months out and it isn't hard to get what you want unless is is a special season.

One of the cool things about DVC is "Been There, Done That, Going Back" factor. Knowing you are going back, looking forward to it and planning it makes Dinsey even more fun.

Just look at these boards. All these people who have nothing better to do than chat about WDW.

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[Dean]

Agreed, too broad of a question to answer completely. DVC is a great deal for those that plan on going to WDW most years, have a family and /or would benefit from the kitchen and extra space and plan on staying at least 5 days. It's also very flexible. It is not a good deal to use for exchanging, weekend stays or for those that don't enjoy going to WDW most years.

Dean

 

[chris1gill]

For us DVC has been SO WORTH IT!!! We like to go yearly... Initially we liked going six nights, but our plans changed over the years, and we now stay 14 nights.... We had a VERY STRONG PREFERENCE for the villa's... We like having a full kitchen, whirlpool tub & in room washer & dryer... After our third cash stay at the Villa's, both Old Key West & Boardwalk, we decided that for us, DVC would cut our costs about 60%.... I've seen people try to compare the costs to those of the moderates.. I don't think that's a really fair comparison... It takes about ten years to actually realize a gain, but for us, after using 3 years of points, we broke even, because we would have been paying cash for all those nights!!!

If you plan on going yearly in the Villa's it is definitely worth it... If you plan on going yearly & staying in a moderate, it might be worth it - but it will take more than a few years before you break even....

Hope this helps!

 

[LauraS]

1.) DVC is worth it if you plan on visiting WDW or your home resort every other year. You get the most bang for your "DVC buck" if you visit one of the 5 DVC resorts (HH,VB,OKW,BWV and now WLV). If your prefer to stay at Disney's moderate or deluxe resorts on points then IMHO it is not worth it. Having said that, most people really don't care about not staying in the other resorts when you see how much the DVC resorts have to offer.

2.) DVC is worth it if you purchase at the home resort where you'd like to spend the most time. If you plan on spending most of your time on-site at WDW don't purchase at HH or VB because the 11 month booking advantage is becoming more and more essential. BWV ressies in particular are becoming more and more difficult to snag at the 7 month window for certain periods of the year. If you are in love with OKW or the BWV, then don't purchase over at WLV. There are plenty of resales for OKW and BWV out there and you'll be happier if you purchase where you'd like to stay.

3.) The DVC is worth it if numbers 1 and 2 are true and you'd like to save lots of money over the next 41 years. We'll break even on our initial investment ($16,250) and the dues we've paid after about 5 years (we joined in 1999). Keep in mind that your break-even point may be further down the road if you finance your DVC purchase, about 25-50% longer according to our calculations(depending on how long you finance for). However, depending on how you finance your DVC purchase, your interest paid could become a decent tax write-off.

4.)Finally, DVC is worth it if you have some degree of flexibility with respect to your travel plans. It is not always possible for all of us to know 11 months out that we can take a vacation that far away time-wise. If you book before the seven month point then you should at least be able to stay at your home resort, but may not get the exact accomodation that you'd like.

We are really thrilled with our purchase to date and will probably add some points on at BWV (via resale) down the road. Right now our initial purchase of 250 points is working just fine, but now that our families are loving to journey down to WDW with us, I can see that eventually we'll want more.