re: Disney Vacation Club

quote:

---

Said another way, if you are comparing DVC to value resorts you will never make it work financially. 3) You absolutely have to pay cash for the points. If you finance it, it makes the payback period that much longer.

---

Yeah I think I mentioned that in my first post that if you are staying at value resorts even if you buy resale it will never really pay off. But you obviously get to stay at much nicer resorts with dvc. And yes to your second point. I'm not trying to tell anyone what to do but if you don't have the cash to pay for the upfront cost for your dvc points then you probably should not buy the points. That's why resale makes it a lot easier to achieve this. And like I mentioned before you better build $1000ish into your budget every year for the annual dues because you will be paying those for the next 40 something years.

quote:

---

However it may also cause a decrease in demand for resale contracts and an overall downturn in prices.”

---

This. This is going to come back and bite them in the rear. It is going to cause a further reduction in resale prices, which absolutely does nothing to help Disney.

I'll knock $5-$10 off a point because of this reduction in benefits. It's certainly not going to make me pay the insane rack rate prices to buy directly from Disney.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but if Disney really wanted to break the resale market, it should just exercise the right of first refusal on many more resales

You pay so much a point to rent the points. You decide what resort and when you want to go. The owner books the resort for you.

If you have never done it before, I would recommend going through an agency. If you google DVC point rentals you will find several. It's a bit more expensive vs renting from a private party but it might be worth the piece of mind to you.

quote:

---

I recently stayed at a value resort and will never make that mistake again.

---

The values are not for everyone, we like them because we have young kids and we are hardly there.

quote:

---

My only true fear is my annual feas going up. I've read nightmare stories about them doubling in some cases.

---

If they increase 4 percent a year, which seems around average, they will double in 18 years.

If you like going once a year to disney and staying at their deluxe resorts its worth it, but if you normally are happy staying at a value or mod resort its prob not a good buy. My contract is good for 50 years not 30 to the guy that said 30 years.

Disney announced today that if you buy resale you will not get the full privileges of Dvc members.

dvc changes

quote:

---

The values are not for everyone, we like them because we have young kids and we are hardly there.

---

So many people get caught up with the room. The only place my family spends extended time is the room is on beach vacations when it rains or you're just getting out of the sun for a few hours. Disney, we're never in the room except to nap and sleep.

A few thoughts since my first post wasn't very elaborate.

1) We bought resale at Saratoga in 2013 when the price was $57/point. It's now going for $90. Will that come down some with the new changes to resale? Maybe. Probably. But really, I didn't buy it to resell it. I bought the points to use and I found plenty of value in owning 150 points at a resort where the contract doesn't expire until 2054 and the dues are extremely low. Nowhere have dues "doubled" although they do increase as costs increase.

2) The room is definitely a factor. You shouldn't buy this timeshare if you aren't someone who already wants to vacation in deluxe resorts. Any purchase that makes you change your habits outside if your typical or planned behavior is one you likely should not have made. For us, a kitchen means meals in the room; a washer dryer means less to pack; more space means a more enjoyable/relaxed experience for my family and whoever I chose to bring. And currently, with a young child, we go back to the room for a break/nap. Going so often, we don't feel the need to rush and spend 15 hours every day in a park.

3) Location is also a large factor. Staying at a monorail resort is something you do once then wish you could every time after that. Not that you need DVC to accomplish this, but if I want to guarantee a 2 BR villa where I can walk to the gate of Magic Kingdom in 10 minutes, I only have one option. And again, with young children, the convenience associated with this is valuable.

4) The recent changes to membership are not unique. Disney has made changes before creating a 2-tiered system back in 2011. Back then, they removed adventures by Disney and the cruise. Now they're creating a third tier. It would give me pause if I was a new buyer. I don't take advantage of APs and the 10% discounts at Disney stores isn't significant in the long run. But the Tables in Wonderland card has saved us hundreds every trip. I would definitely miss it. That being said, no one should buy a TS for the perks which are never certain and come and go often. My parents have been DVC members since 1992, and back then we used to get complimentary park tickets with each stay!

quote:

---

For us, a kitchen means meals in the room; a washer dryer means less to pack; more space means a more enjoyable/relaxed experience for my family and whoever I chose to bring. And currently, with a young child, we go back to the room for a break/nap. Going so often, we don't feel the need to rush and spend 15 hours every day in a park.

---

agreed 100%. we eat breakfast in room. we plan our meals at Le Cellier, Tutto Italia, Via Napoli, Sci-fi theater, etc. some days we might hand around pool and eat in condo for lunch then take off to a park in the afternoon. We now take our sweet time. no rushing like we did the forst few times bringing new people with us.

quote:

---

3) Location is also a large factor. Staying at a monorail resort is something you do once then wish you could every time after that. Not that you need DVC to accomplish this, but if I want to guarantee a 2 BR villa where I can walk to the gate of Magic Kingdom in 10 minutes, I only have one option. And again, with young children, the convenience associated with this is valuable.

---

yep. It's why we love BWV and BCV. we are a few minutes short walk from the international gateway back entrance to EPCOT. Can't beat it with a stick.

quote:

---

I don't take advantage of APs and the 10% discounts at Disney stores

---

we do. it definitely helps some in the long run as long as we have been going since we bought in 1998. DOn't forget all the meal discounts you can use your membership for also. Not only is the DVC membership help but the DISNEY CHASE CC helps bigtime based on their Disney reward dollars program. Everytime we go either somebody's airfare or park hopper pass or even both is paid for thanks to our rewards on these credit cards. Helps out so much monetarily.

Being that the TS is already paid off we usually pay off our airfare, grocery bill for villa, and park passes before we even leave home. Therefore, all we need money for is food, drink, and souvenirs. That's basically it.

quote:

---

So many people get caught up with the room. The only place my family spends extended time is the room is on beach vacations when it rains or you're just getting out of the sun for a few hours. Disney, we're never in the room except to nap and sleep.

---

This is on point. The only time I have ever found value for a high end resort/hotel is on a ski vacation when you are actually using the resorts amenities. One time we were upgraded to a HUGE 2 BR presidential suite with a kitchen and everything and we were like - awesome. All we used was the bedroom and the lanai. Spent maybe 5% of our waking hours in the room on a week long vacation. we couldve stayed in a Motel 6 and have had just as good of a time tbh.