Decided NOT to buy DVC

[senorak]

Dreamfinder- We currently own a week at Shawnee in the Poconos and are in the process of buying a weeks in So. California and a South African TS. We have used the Shawnee TS to stay mainly in the Pocono area (with the smaller children, we loved the hour and half drive from our home) but this year, I traded our 2001 week for a 2002 summer week at Orange Lake Country Club. I have researched my 2 new purchases and according to other TS owners, will have no problem trading into the Orlando area (since there is such a glut of TS properties there). The S.CA week will also tade very well just about anywhere else. At this time, I'm looking mainly into FLA and some of the coastal areas in the East.

DEB

 

[mickey1010]

Sort of on topic...

I would just like to say that we have had two experiences with the DVC Concierge Collection and believe that it IS a value. We stayed in a deluxe room at the Plaza Hotel in New York for 110 points. The *cheapest* rate that I found for that room was $600/night. We purchased into the DVC in 6/1999. I did the calculations and for the life of the agreement, including maintenance fees & mortgage, we were able to determine the cost per point is approximately $5. $5 x 110 points is $550 for two nights that would have cost us $1200 if we would have paid cash!!! If I do my subtraction correctly, less the $75 reservation fee, we ended up saving $575!

Our second experience is at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, MI. This was also 110 points, the room rates were $275/night/person. That's $550 per night, or $1100 for the weekend. Again, a savings of $475 (less $75).

To me, that's a pretty good deal. More so than the money we saved on these weekends, these are things that we probably would not have done if not for being DVC members. It's much easier to use 110 points then lay down $1200 for weekend accomodations. I TOTALLY agree that you get more time (not value, because value is a personal measurement differing from each individual) if you use your DVC points exclusively at DVC resorts and we have gotten a great deal of use out of them as well. As we get more vacation time (only one more year of 2.5 weeks!), we will probably be spending even more time at the resorts to stretch our points farther. But for know, we enjoy some of the extra perks and flexibility of DVC.

It's not for everybody, I'll be the first to admit that. However, for us it's been one of the best purchases we've made. And as my calculations above show, it can be used outside of the DVC resorts to save money on accomodations.

 

[Dean]

Package Price
$164.00* per person, per night, and the third night is free

This is a quote from their website currently, of course it's for Sept timeframe. They have other specials listed that would cover other times. The points for this time would be around 100 for 2 nights. So for that timeframe it's $656 (plus tax) vs $1075 (100 pts plus the $75 fee). At pretty close to a break even point of around $8 pp for many of us. Probably one of the better deals in the CC and certainly better than Keystone or the Plaza when I looked at them. Some days are higher and the numbers would change accordingly. Of course most of us wouldn't pay $700 for a 2 night stay but some would.

 

[deerh]

When I purchased DVC in 1999, I did 6 months of research on this. I read timeshare magazines, spent forever on the internet, and talked to people. I even listened to Clark Howard here in Atlanta say, NO to timeshares, except maybe the big companies, and he even said, only if you use it is it a deal. So, I know where you come from. As one poster said, it is the cost of a nice used car or SUV, 10,000-19,000 dollars, and THEY depreciate! And I have 40 years left, not 10-12 years like a car. It all depends on what you want. My decision was based on the 2 big players-Marriott and Disney. I did not want to fool with the other TS operations, I wasn't sure if they would be around in 40 years or not. So, YES, I pay more in dues than others, but I wanted a quality property and well kept up property, so Marriott and Disney were my 2 choices. If you want to stay Off property, than buy a cheaper TS and skip DVC. If you want on property, than DVC is the way to go. You sound savey on TS, so you could pick the cream in the Orlando area, they are many, but be careful, a friend of mine bought right outside Disney, Nice, NEW, TS, and can only get through to Members Service with 1 hour waits, and can't get the time she wants, etc, etc, Not everything is as it seems in the TS world..........
Good luck in your decision, it is not an easy one.
deerh

 

[Muushka]

I listen to Clark Howard here in NC! I love his show, and he is right on.

We debated DVC for 2 years. Finally bought at VWL (which is where we wanted to own).

We are very careful about money, frugal I like to call it!