DVC

Disneylover1970

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 5, 2018
Im thinking about DVC? I’ve been looking on the actual DVC site and resale site, which I’m assuming isn’t Disney? From what I’ve been looking at the cheapest which looks like a Studio at Jamba for around $18,500 plus closing costs and maintenance fee? This was the cheapest at $9 a night/points for Studio. Am I correct that you automatically have x amount of points a year to use, or you have to purchase these points? I go to WDW 3x a year, around 6 days at a time. If I’m trying to figure out or crunch the numbers I’d have to figure how much I’m paying to stay at a particular resort each time. Who benefits from DVC? Thank you for any information
 
We just bought via resale at BWV. I calculated the cost of trips we'e taken over the last 7 years, and they far exceeded the dollar value we just paid. That said, everyone will tell you that you don' buy in for the cost savings... You buy in bc you love Disney and plan to keep going for the foreseeable future. We just closed last week, and I can' wait to get my points!!
 
I read these boards constantly, about 2 hrs/night for about 4 months, before I was anywhere near ready to make an informed decision.

As a result, I made really good DVC choices.

By your post, it’s clear that you are at the beginning of your search.

My advice: take time and learn. We’re a friendly bunch if you have specific questions.

For example, there are precious few value studios and if you bought thinking you’d always be able to book an off season value studio at 9/night, you’d be setting yourself up for failure. Those are very competitive bookings and there are more people trying to snag them than rooms.
 
Last edited:


Thank you. I’ll read the link. I was looking at a studio, because it’s just the 2 of us and don’t need something bigger
 
My advice: take time and learn. We’re a friendly bunch if you have specific questions.
Solid, solid advice.

A lot of people on these boards, with years/decades of DVC experience under their belts, are extremely generous with their time. It never ceases to amaze me how so many of the most seasoned posters will answer questions around UY, resale vs. direct, and 'how hard to book x at 7-months' over and over again as if it were being asked for the first time.

There is no shortage of helpful advice around here, and certainly no shortage of strong opinions. Ask and you'll get a healthy dose of both. A poster I respect on these boards once said to me, "to be unclear is to be unkind." So you'll get a lot of pretty direct answers as well. It's all with good intentions.

Take it all in stride and enjoy the learning process.
 
one piece of advice -- before posting your question here -- post your exact question into google and add "disboards" at the end. Chances are -- your question has already been asked and answered at least 10 times.
 


Im thinking about DVC? I’ve been looking on the actual DVC site and resale site, which I’m assuming isn’t Disney? From what I’ve been looking at the cheapest which looks like a Studio at Jamba for around $18,500 plus closing costs and maintenance fee? This was the cheapest at $9 a night/points for Studio. Am I correct that you automatically have x amount of points a year to use, or you have to purchase these points? I go to WDW 3x a year, around 6 days at a time. If I’m trying to figure out or crunch the numbers I’d have to figure how much I’m paying to stay at a particular resort each time. Who benefits from DVC? Thank you for any information

there is no official resale site. Disney does not sell "resale". So there is no "cheapest" resale contract out there...inventory is always changing. When buying resale -- you need to first ask yourself where do you want to stay? If it doesn't matter, then buy SSR. If it does matter -- then buy there. Definitely read that other link someone posted earlier and read as much as you can. If you are planning on going 18 total days per year -- I would guesstimate you'll need between 240 and 400 points depending on home resort and time of year.

Make sure to check out the point charts at http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/DVCpoints.shtml to see how much it cost to get the room you want when you want.

For an idea of how hard it is to rent studios at various resorts at various times of year...check out this link. https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...tudios-some-1-bedrooms-prepared-2015.3419112/
 
Last edited:
Also, keep in mind that DVC works best for people who plan 7-11 months ahead of a vacation. If you're one of those people who likes to plan in 2-4 month horizons, DVC is definitely NOT for you.
 
Thank you everyone, I appreciate all the information and advice. It might be something that won’t work for us? We usually plan 6 months out.
 
For your “home resort” you will have an 11 month booking window. The popular-to-DVC times of the year, the lower point studios will book at exactly 11 months out at 8am EST online. Many times by 8:01am it’s already not available, for example a Boardwalk Standard studio at 10 points is very hard to reserve during food & wine in the fall, at Christmas time, and for marathons.

At 7 months when any member can book any resort, lots more members try to book. There will be availability after that, but the closer to the date the harder it is to get what you want. SSR is the largest resort so it tends to have more rooms available for a longer period of time. You would be okay at 6 months, there just wont be as much to choose from, if that’s acceptable for your planning. And there is always the wait list. Good luck!
 
For your “home resort” you will have an 11 month booking window. The popular-to-DVC times of the year, the lower point studios will book at exactly 11 months out at 8am EST online. Many times by 8:01am it’s already not available, for example a Boardwalk Standard studio at 10 points is very hard to reserve during food & wine in the fall, at Christmas time, and for marathons.

At 7 months when any member can book any resort, lots more members try to book. There will be availability after that, but the closer to the date the harder it is to get what you want. SSR is the largest resort so it tends to have more rooms available for a longer period of time. You would be okay at 6 months, there just wont be as much to choose from, if that’s acceptable for your planning. And there is always the wait list. Good luck!
Thank you. If getting reservations are somewhat difficult. Then what is the advantage of DVC? It doesn’t seem like it’s the best thing to buy a studio, especially if they’re harder to book and if that’s what you bought and can only book into ?
 
DVC is not like other timeshares, where you might get a certain room or room type for a certain week every year. It's more flexible, but also more complicated: "joining" the "Club" means buying a real estate interest that is represented as a certain number of points. Those points, simply put, are what you're buying, and they can be used toward any room type at the resort you buy into (your "home resort"), at any time of year, provided it is available. A three-bedroom grand villa costs more points than a studio, and the week of Christmas costs more points than the last week of January. You have to own a larger interest in the resort in order to book larger rooms or book during peak times of the year, and this larger "share" of the resort is represented by owning a higher point count. There are a finite number of points in existence for each resort; the only way Disney can sell more points is to either buy some back and resell them or introduce a new resort, which they do every two years or so.

This means that even if you own enough points to theoretically book, say, a standard view studio at Boardwalk for the first week of September every year, if you aren't on the ball other people can book up all the studios that are available, because everybody that owns points at Boardwalk has access to the same rooms. Even people who might normally book a two-bedroom for a week every year might decide to go for a studio for three weeks that year and beat you to it — their points aren't "tied up" in the two-bedrooms, even if that's what they bought enough points for and what they normally book. If you miss out, your points don't go away — you can use them for a higher class of room (for fewer nights), you can go a different time of year (which might be more expensive), or, once you're within 7 months of your desired date, you can use them to try to book at another DVC resort.

This is why it's good to be at least a little flexible in what types of rooms you want, especially if the room type you're looking for is more in-demand (and the cheapest rooms are the ones that are in demand). If you have your heart set on staying for a week each year, for example, I wouldn't buy just enough points to get the value studio at Animal Kingdom in low season for a week, because you might not be able to get that every time. There will be a lot of other people with the same idea who will be rushing to book the same room type 11 months out on the dot.

If you want the convenience of a having a set vacation week each year and don't want to have to worry about whether or not you will be able to get the room you want, Disney does offer a "guaranteed week" option at some of their newer resorts. This option does cost more but you will always be guaranteed to get the exact room class you want on the same week or weeks each year (though you can always elect to instead use your points to book a different type of room or different days, or book at a different resort, etc.). If you choose this option your reservation will automatically be made for you each year before the resort is open for booking to other guests, even guests who have an ownership interest ("points") at that resort. However, this option is not available at older DVC resorts, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge.
 
Last edited:
Im thinking about DVC? I’ve been looking on the actual DVC site and resale site, which I’m assuming isn’t Disney? From what I’ve been looking at the cheapest which looks like a Studio at Jamba for around $18,500 plus closing costs and maintenance fee? This was the cheapest at $9 a night/points for Studio. Am I correct that you automatically have x amount of points a year to use, or you have to purchase these points? I go to WDW 3x a year, around 6 days at a time. If I’m trying to figure out or crunch the numbers I’d have to figure how much I’m paying to stay at a particular resort each time. Who benefits from DVC? Thank you for any information
I'm presuming at least part of these 3 trips a year are on property, if not, you should likely stay on property at DVC at least 1-2 times before proceeding. If so, I'd spend time getting educated so you know what is the best resort, UY and how many points yo need. If you decide to target studios, I'd get at least a 20% cushion, likely even more if you're mainly thinking the lower DVC seasons and/or cheaper specialty rooms (standard view, value).

DVC is not like other timeshares, where you might get a certain room or room type for a certain week every year. It's more flexible, but also more complicated:
Your view of timeshares is currently inaccurate. The fixed week fixed units still exist but I don't know of anyone that sell timeshares retail this way anymore. Points and flexibility are the norm but are often more expensive in the long run. Some companies sell off their highest demand weeks (Ski weeks, event weeks, Xmas/NY) of the year as fixed weeks including DVC and a few of them do fixed units so you can chose the view. These options are VERY expensive compared to the resort otherwise.
 
DVC is not like other timeshares, where you might get a certain room or room type for a certain week every year. It's more flexible, but also more complicated: "joining" the "Club" means buying a real estate interest that is represented as a certain number of points. Those points, simply put, are what you're buying, and they can be used toward any room type at the resort you buy into (your "home resort"), at any time of year, provided it is available. A three-bedroom grand villa costs more points than a studio, and the week of Christmas costs more points than the last week of January. You have to own a larger interest in the resort in order to book larger rooms or book during peak times of the year, and this larger "share" of the resort is represented by owning a higher point count. There are a finite number of points in existence for each resort; the only way Disney can sell more points is to either buy some back and resell them or introduce a new resort, which they do every two years or so.

This means that even if you own enough points to theoretically book, say, a standard view studio at Boardwalk for the first week of September every year, if you aren't on the ball other people can book up all the studios that are available, because everybody that owns points at Boardwalk has access to the same rooms. Even people who might normally book a two-bedroom for a week every year might decide to go for a studio for three weeks that year and beat you to it — their points aren't "tied up" in the two-bedrooms, even if that's what they bought enough points for and what they normally book. If you miss out, your points don't go away — you can use them for a higher class of room (for fewer nights), you can go a different time of year (which might be more expensive), or, once you're within 7 months of your desired date, you can use them to try to book at another DVC resort.

This is why it's good to be at least a little flexible in what types of rooms you want, especially if the room type you're looking for is more in-demand (and the cheapest rooms are the ones that are in demand). If you have your heart set on staying for a week each year, for example, I wouldn't buy just enough points to get the value studio at Animal Kingdom in low season for a week, because you might not be able to get that every time. There will be a lot of other people with the same idea who will be rushing to book the same room type 11 months out on the dot.

If you want the convenience of a having a set vacation week each year and don't want to have to worry about whether or not you will be able to get the room you want, Disney does offer a "guaranteed week" option at some of their newer resorts. This option does cost more but you will always be guaranteed to get the exact room class you want on the same week or weeks each year (though you can always elect to instead use your points to book a different type of room or different days, or book at a different resort, etc.). If you choose this option your reservation will automatically be made for you each year before the resort is open for booking to other guests, even guests who have an ownership interest ("points") at that resort. However, this option is not available at older DVC resorts, such as Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Thank you for all the information. I do stay on site. I did contact DVC and they’re sending me a DVD. Looks like they will do a tour? I don’t think there’s a way to stay if you’re not a member? I would like SSR or AK. Up front I would like to spend $20K tops, then no more then $1,000-$1,500 a year tops. Don’t know if this will be possible.
 
Thank you for all the information. I do stay on site. I did contact DVC and they’re sending me a DVD. Looks like they will do a tour? I don’t think there’s a way to stay if you’re not a member? I would like SSR or AK. Up front I would like to spend $20K tops, then no more then $1,000-$1,500 a year tops. Don’t know if this will be possible.

You can rent a reservation from an owner - there are brokers that will coordinate the transaction or there is a rent/trade board here. Also a certain amount of inventory is turned over to Disney reservations. If you search there you would be able to book a DVC villa for cash - of course depending on availability. That includes an AK villa or SSR.
 
There are ways to stay in a DVC resort if you are not a member (and most here would encourage you to do so before buying in!). The most cost-effective is to rent points from a member.

You can definitely buy a DVC membership for less than $20,000 that will cost you less than $1,500 annually in dues. Will you be able to buy a DVC membership for that with enough points to accommodate three six-day stays each year? That's the question, and while there are a lot of variables (when do you like to travel?), my instinct would be that might be pushing it.

For example, there's currently a 250 point SSR contract listed on a major reseller for $90/point, a total of $22,500 before closing costs. (You can negotiate down, but probably not too far down before Disney opts to buy the contract and resell it — they've been fond of SSR lately.) 250 points would be exactly enough to get a standard view studio for a full week in each of the three low seasons...but that depends on being lucky enough/on-the-ball enough to be able to get a standard view studio in Adventure (low) season each time. Since you want to stay six days at a time, that opens up some flexibility. If you ditch a weekend day, you could stay in a preferred view studio in Adventure season for about the same number of points. Or you could stay in a standard view studio in Choice (medium-low) or Dream (medium) season for about the same number of points. So it's certainly doable with 250 points, and that would put you right around $1,500 annually in dues (note that they do go up a bit each year). But the initial purchase cost may very well exceed your $20,000 maximum.

You could always purchase enough points for one or two of your stays each year, and maybe add on later. "Add-on-itis" is a thing. :upsidedow Or maybe DVC might not make sense for you right now. I'd take the time to do a deep dive into each of the resorts and see which feel like home, and then examine the point charts and come up with a point target. Then start watching the resale markets to see if the points you want would fit into your budget.
 
Last edited:
Thank you. If getting reservations are somewhat difficult. Then what is the advantage of DVC? It doesn’t seem like it’s the best thing to buy a studio, especially if they’re harder to book and if that’s what you bought and can only book into ?

To clarify this a bit, and paraphrase what others are saying, you're not buying a studio, or any specific unit, when you buy DVC. You are purchasing a share in the resort as a whole. That share in the resort is expressed as points. The more points you purchase, the bigger share you have in the resort.

You can use those points to reserve a studio, if you like. Or any other unit at any other resort in the DVC system. You're not locked into a particular unit size, or length of stay, or time of year. You can book a studio for Easter, and a 1-bedroom at Thanksgiving, and a 2-bedroom the following May. You can stay for two nights, or 4, or 14, if you have enough points. You're only limited by availability, and the number of points you have.

You asked what the advantage is, if getting reservations is difficult. If you book at 11 months out, it's generally not difficult at all, unless you're looking for certain specific resorts/rooms that are limited in supply, like a standard view at BWV, or a club level at AKV. Certain times of year can be tougher to get, and the smaller resorts, like BCV, VGF and BRV, also require farther-in-advance booking. If you're planning to routinely book 6 months out, you'll probably usually do OK at the large resorts with lots of units like OKW, AKV and SSR, especially if you typically go in the summertime. For super-busy times like early December, you might even have trouble finding what you want at those resorts at 6 months. But I'd still advise booking in the 7-11 month range wherever possible; you'll get the best selection of resorts and villas that way.
 
I caution you about the tour, Disney is very very good at selling their timeshares. Before you know it you will be buying a resort that you may not care for, a UY that doesn't do you any good, more points than you need, at a price that is really high. You will be thanking them for taking advantage of you and feeling bad that you neglected your family and didn't buy years ago.

:earsboy: Bill

 
Thank you everyone. I’ll research some more and look for where I can rent. I figured DVC would be a hard sell once they get you there
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!









Top