How did you determine DVC was right for you?

It depends on the other specifics. For a full week yearly with a studio as the plan I would not go for less than 125 and would personally go up to 150 as the minimum if looking at SSR. Looking at just what you need in this situation creates significant risk. Having a real cushion gives you lots of options you wouldn't have with 100 including different resorts, times of year and unit size. Looking at AKV and value I still wouldn't go that low because getting the value is risky on a consistent basis.
Good to know thanks for the advice!
 
To be honest you will not know if it is right for you until you purchase and try the system. There are alot of comments about financing but this is a big enough purchase where cash could be out of the question for many people. If you can afford with monthly cash flow while paying some interest why not? Everything in life does not come down to dollars and cents especially if you are having fun and making memories when your family is at a certain time in life (kids young, etc.).

With today's direct prices I would start re-sale with enough points to get a week somewhere in similar accommodations as you have used in the past. Go for a year or two and make a decision if you want to commit more. I would probably look at somewhere between 125 and 175 points which will get you studios at most places and a one or two bedroom if you bank or borrow every other year. Get more points later on if you want them, but the more points you own increases your commitment to Disney and their annual maintenance fees.
 
i had written off DVC as out of my price range. But now that I’m looking at renewing my AP this coming year (and probably through 2021), I’m thinking harder about it.

I’ve gone to WDW twice in the last year (staying once at a deluxe) and have one more trip this year. I’ll be for sure going once next year, and likely at least once a year for the next few years.

How did you decide it made sense for you? What calculations should I do?

I’m also a little nervous about being able to book the room type I want with points. And whether I should do resale or direct on my first purchase.
I just passed Disney’s Right of First Refusal on a Beach Club contract. I went resale, it’s going to be cheaper. I don’t care about all the perks direct purchase gets or where else you can use your points like adventures by Disney. I wanted to stay where I bought and this is the cheapest way to stay at those resorts. Sure you can stay at Disney cheaper at an AllStar resort or at a cheap hotel off property. But if you want to stay at Grand Floridian, Polynesian, Animal Kingdom, Beach Club or any other dvc resort it’s the cheapest. There is a way to calculate how much are those points are in dollars when staying, so you can compare what Disney charges to stay there versus what it’s costing you. Right now there’s a Copper Creek contract for sale on the resale website asking $164 if you divide that by how many years are on the contract 50 years and then add the annual dues per point $7.26 that gives you $10.50 per point. So now when you look up how many points your stay will take you can compare that to how much Disney charges. They usually charge a lot more !!!! If you look to see what a stay there cost at Halloween for a week a studio is 107 points so roughly $161 a night ! If you had enough points to stay in a 2 bedroom villa for a week during Halloween it’s 278 points so roughly $419 a night ! I’m sure the Disney rate is MUCH more than that ! Each resort is different and your savings will depend on your purchase price but even if it’s not as dramatic a savings it’s still a savings. Good Luck on your decision!
 
i had written off DVC as out of my price range. But now that I’m looking at renewing my AP this coming year (and probably through 2021), I’m thinking harder about it.

I’ve gone to WDW twice in the last year (staying once at a deluxe) and have one more trip this year. I’ll be for sure going once next year, and likely at least once a year for the next few years.

How did you decide it made sense for you? What calculations should I do?

I’m also a little nervous about being able to book the room type I want with points. And whether I should do resale or direct on my first purchase.
Also I should mention I believe you should buy where you want to stay. That way you don’t have to worry about availability. You can book your home resort 11 months out ! As far as how many points to get look at the charts on the resale website it will tell you how many points for what size room at what time of year for that resort. If you don’t have a favorite resort but have some that you would prefer to stay at over others there are things to look at to narrow it down. How much are the annual dues ? How many years are left on that resorts contracts ? How many people are going to stay with you ? Some studios sleep 4 some sleep 5. The Polynesian ONLY has studious or the SUPER EXPENSIVE over the water bungalows that cost over 800 points to stay there !!! But if you love the Polynesian and don’t mind 2 studious if your bringing 7 people than that’s going to work for you. If you don’t care where you stay then maybe Saratoga Springs or Old Key West is best for you ? I have friends who’s home resort is Saratoga and they love it, they like how it’s so close to Disney Springs. Good Luck !
 


We went frequently when the kids were young and thought about buying then, but couldn't afford it. We went frequently until the kids got into Jr high and high School where they can't miss school. Now that the kids are grown, we are back to going frequently. We found we had a lot of fun going with just the 2 of us. We looked at DVC again, now we could afford it without financing any of it and it made sense. We looked at resale and eventually purchased 2 contracts. Have not regretted it at all.
 
This time last year, I was still mulling over our family's first trip to WDW. We had been wanting to go, and I had booked flights on a whim in March of 2017...but had a big surprise financially, so I waffled. Then, finally, I decided I needed a break, a REAL break...so we pulled the trigger, but it wasn't until Aug. 2017. I didn't wanna deal with anything but getting on Magical Express and using our intact flights, so my dates were locked. Turns out (I now know), our first day coincided with a lot of Pop Warner traffic...so the choices were limited for lodging. Being a person who can't fathom spending several hundred dollars per night for what equates to a hotel room, it was by pure dumb luck we ended up in a 1BR at OKW (because it was significantly cheaper than AKL, which was also available in Savanah view). Anyway, we got inside the bubble, and for the first time in I don't know how long, i felt FREE...no worries, didn't look at or think about work for a full week, and actually enjoyed myself fully with just my family. Had a friend who is DVC, and researched the heck out of it. Much like the other healthcare worker, it's now going to be my yearly (and perhaps more frequent) escape. Even on the beach, I often can't fully relax like I did at WDW.

Kids are young (now 6&8), I did the math, researched it for a couple weeks, and this will easily pay for itself by the time they aren't in the house any longer, so I call it the best, and most idiotic financial decision I've made...and I've made some doozies (like going back to med school in my 30's). Knowing I can go to Hawaii, the Beach, or hit the parks is an amazing feeling for a guy that doesn't typically plan vacations.
 
Did two annual birthday trips paying cash at deluxe resorts (WL and Contemporary) and we knew that we'd be there for many birthdays to come. Ran the numbers, determined that since we were already staying Deluxe and going once per year, buying DVC resale (150 points) made financial sense (assuming we owned for 10+ years).

4 years in, and we are very happy with our decision. We have since added on 50 points direct and got the membership extras (before the most recent change). We've shifted our strategy from staying in a 1 BR going once per year to staying in a Studio going multiple times per year.

The thing to keep in mind is that when you own DVC, your Disney vacation habits will change. You will want to go more frequently, you may start buying annual passes, you will become more relaxed about your trips over the years, buy more merchandise with the discounts. With all of these changes (and extra costs of going more and doing more things), you probably won't be saving as much money as you expect going in. What you will get is more Disney, more magic, more being a kid.

You've got to make sure that it makes financial sense upfront (which, most of the time, means pay cash and do not finance it), but that should not be your reason to buy. You should buy because you love Disney and you want to make it easier for you and your family to go - because you want to guarantee yourself a magical vacation every year.

DVC makes it easier to go, so you should expect to go more frequently, fall in love with it more, and want to go more frequently. It's a bit of a cycle, but if you love Disney, it's totally worth it.
 


Purchased BLT in 2010 while staying at WL after a 10 yr hiatus from WDW. Yes it was an emotional decision with roots all the way back to 1977. We both knew in our gut that this was the right decision for us. Seeing my DW so happy was really worth it. We were in a place that we could afford it, I needed a 'forced' vacation outlet, our grown DD/SILs love our trips together, and the DVC fit perfectly into our 5 year retirement plan. Still loving the decision. Can't prove it, but I believe since buying into DVC my mental/physical health has improved, as well as our marital bliss. I live vicariously on various WDW forums waiting for our next trip.
 
The thing to keep in mind is that when you own DVC, your Disney vacation habits will change. You will want to go more frequently, you may start buying annual passes, you will become more relaxed about your trips over the years, buy more merchandise with the discounts. With all of these changes (and extra costs of going more and doing more things), you probably won't be saving as much money as you expect going in. What you will get is more Disney, more magic, more being a kid.

This is so true. I'd been going since I was a kid, my DH had only been once with a high school band trip before we started dating in grad school. As a kid, staying on site (the Contemporary! Monorail runs through the resort!!) was inconceivable on our budget, which involved driving for 2-3 days and staying in the Days Inn and Suites and cooking and packing all our meals. Still, it was magical. Even the parking lot trams were magical.

Once we had a kid (now we have 2), our trips increased, and we had the ability (and desire) to stay in deluxe resorts when we went. Even though we didn't really plan it, we ended up going on average more than once a year every year since 2013 - (8 trips in 6 years). We started thinking about DVC in 2015, and I do wish we'd bought in then (grandfathered points). Did research and stayed in a bunch of DVC resorts and first bought in early 2017. 16 months later we are in the process of closing on our 4th contract. So addonitis is real. We are not saving any money - we are going more often, and have decided that we'll predominantly stay in 1BR or larger, rather than the studios we'd originally planned for. But our kids are loving it, and we are loving it.

Can't prove it, but I believe since buying into DVC my mental/physical health has improved, as well as our marital bliss. I live vicariously on various WDW forums waiting for our next trip.

^^^ This. I am even secretly planning a surprise 25th anniversary adults-only weekend trip. My DH is playing along but I think he knows where we will be going. LOL.
 
I'm still eyeballing DVC. Perhaps a bit harder. This year on my AP, I'll have spent ~3166 on accommodations. Admittedly, a large chunk of that came from our 5-night stay at the Yacht Club (coming in at a $2243). The other stays were for my solo trips (9 nights, total) at two of the All Star resorts.

I haven't sat down with any of the spreadsheets I've seen online, as I find that prospect daunting. I'm about to bite the bullet and do that, though. Do people still find DVC worth it if you're visiting for 13+ nights each year? I can't normally do one long vacation, but several medium sized vacations through the year are my style.

I'd also sort of like to try other moderate resorts -- but if I could stay at a DVC resort for the same amount of time I traveled this past year for the same, or less money, that feels like a no-brainer to me. I stayed at the values for the purpose of keeping costs down this year -- I would be interested in staying at more moderates or deluxes in the future.

Next year I've already got a trip on the books with my mom in January at the Polynesian (4 nights) and Port Orleans Riverside in May (6 nights). I anticipate going to WDW one more time in 2019.
 
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While DVC can save you some money on your room if you usually book deluxe resorts. Your break even can be 6 to 10 years depending on how you work the numbers. You will feel obligated to continue your Disney vacations and you will have different rules and policies to learn. Of course there are politics and different management styles as the management changes.

:earsboy: Bill

 
I found a couple of spreadsheets online that helped work out the cost of DVC vs staying at a resort. It showed any potential savings (if any) and you could put in what you currently spend on a resort night. It gave the breakeven point as well. If you normally stay at a moderate, its doubtful you will save any money. As many have said, you very likely will end up in a nicer room that you plan. Initially our plan was to do BWV in a 1 BR for F&W and a studio in AKL for Flower and Garden. We found we liked the 1 BR so well that we now do that in both. So much for that savings, but we really do enjoy the 1 BR.
 
TBH, today's pricing is nowhere near the value it once was. I look at resale prices for my home resorts (AKV, BWV and VGF) and I cringe. But when I look at what DVC wants for those same resorts in direct sales, I get sick. It's nice to know that the BWV contracts that I bought at $59/point could be sold for twice that amount today but still...
The prices now scare me so I’m glad that I have all the points I want. I bought at $77 just four years ago. I could sell right now and break even on buy in and maintenance fees while having enjoyed 12 vacations. But I won’t sell bc I’m a lifer lol.

I bought bc I wanted to increase my vacations per year and have a safe, fun, easy travel vacation option that I thought would likely maintain a high standard over time while allowing me reasonable ways to get out if I needed to. I crunched the costs for buy-in and maintenance fees vs time value of money and future vacation costs to see when I’d break even. I knew I would pay cash rather than finance bc that made ,ore sense for my situation. I was already a once a year guest at deluxe resorts.

I’m still very happy with my decision. I go to WDW on average 3 times a year. And I’ve had some spectacular trips with family and friends plus some great solo trips.
 
I'm still eyeballing DVC. Perhaps a bit harder. This year on my AP, I'll have spent ~3166 on accommodations. Admittedly, a large chunk of that came from our 5-night stay at the Yacht Club (coming in at a $2243). The other stays were for my solo trips (9 nights, total) at two of the All Star resorts.
I found it cuts the cost of your sta
I haven't sat down with any of the spreadsheets I've seen online, as I find that prospect daunting. I'm about to bite the bullet and do that, though. Do people still find DVC worth it if you're visiting for 13+ nights each year? I can't normally do one long vacation, but several medium sized vacations through the year are my style.

I'd also sort of like to try other moderate resorts -- but if I could stay at a DVC resort for the same amount of time I traveled this past year for the same, or less money, that feels like a no-brainer to me. I stayed at the values for the purpose of keeping costs down this year -- I would be interested in staying at more moderates or deluxes in the future.

Next year I've already got a trip on the books with my mom in January at the Polynesian (4 nights) and Port Orleans Riverside in May (6 nights). I anticipate going to WDW one more time in 2019.
I'm still eyeballing DVC. Perhaps a bit harder. This year on my AP, I'll have spent ~3166 on accommodations. Admittedly, a large chunk of that came from our 5-night stay at the Yacht Club (coming in at a $2243). The other stays were for my solo trips (9 nights, total) at two of the All Star resorts.

I haven't sat down with any of the spreadsheets I've seen online, as I find that prospect daunting. I'm about to bite the bullet and do that, though. Do people still find DVC worth it if you're visiting for 13+ nights each year? I can't normally do one long vacation, but several medium sized vacations through the year are my style.

I'd also sort of like to try other moderate resorts -- but if I could stay at a DVC resort for the same amount of time I traveled this past year for the same, or less money, that feels like a no-brainer to me. I stayed at the values for the purpose of keeping costs down this year -- I would be interested in staying at more moderates or deluxes in the future.

Next year I've already got a trip on the books with my mom in January at the Polynesian (4 nights) and Port Orleans Riverside in May (6 nights). I anticipate going to WDW one more time in 2019.
I found it cuts the cost of the room in half sometimes more depending on the contract you can find and where you want to stay. I found a formula in a post that shows you how much your points really cost during a stay. You take the price per point divide by years on the contract and add the dues per point cost. That number is how you can calculate how much your stay using your points will cost. Right now on the DVC resale market website I saw a OKW contract asking $89 a point then divide by the 24 years left on contract and add the $6.72 dues and you get $10.43 is the number you would use to compare what rack rate would be. I saw an AK contract asking $109 that’s give that contract a $9.55 per point value. They have a CC contract asking $157 that gives you a $10.40 price and I saw a GF contract asking $171 so that gives you a $9.85 price point. That’s a really good price for Grand Floridian I doubt you’ll find a sale on a rack rate that will beat that price ! Sure you can probably stay at an Allstar for cheaper or maybe off site ? But if you like staying on the monorail loop or close to the parks like Beach Club, Boardwalk, Animal Kingdom are or a friend bought at Saratoga Spring because it is So close to Disney Spring, you can’t beat the price. Although it is a lump sum now for future stays if you buy a long contract like Copper Creek or Polynesian and sell it in 20 years you’ll get your lump sum back. So then you just cut the cost of your room down to your dues paid divided nights stayed and that price is REALLY hard to beat.
 
DW and I are huge Disney fans. Knowing we'd take at least 1 trip a year Disney related....it just made sense to move forward with DVC.
Value isn't always monetary. I thought I was paying a lot when I purchased my points back in 2007 ($82 BCV, $87 BWV :rotfl:). It was a real luxury for me then, but I knew without any doubt that I loved Disney and I loved my chosen home resorts. There's a lot of emotion attached.
 
If you don’t care where you stay then maybe Saratoga Springs or Old Key West is best for you !
Really :sad2:As a proud OKW owner who bought where she wanted to stay 19 years ago, if you don’t care where you stay, don’t buy DVC, stick to the All Star/ Moderates. Checking out of BLT today, because I was unable to book my home resort (booked a little later this time) though I enjoyed the stay, I missed OKW (parking in front of my villa, not having to thrudge 7 floors with my groceries, and the best yet, the BLT to DS bus ride that took 45 minutes (at one point I wondered if he was driving us back home to Wellington instead of the resort). DVC still works for us today because we enjoy the resorts and their amenities, we still love Disney, our grown children still come with us from time to time, and we also fit in F&W, F&G girlfriend trips. I write this basking in the glow of an awesome DVC stay with my troupe looking forward to the next trip in September. Savings :rolleyes1, maybe in the room but since I stay longer and more often, Disney’s winning!
 
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After 6 trips ( 5 deluxe and one moderate) I realized I only wanted to vacation at WDW and only wanted to stay in deluxe resorts on property.
 
We recently took the plunge and closed on our first DVC resale contract, and currently have a second in ROFR. These boards are an incredible resource, and I think this specific thread is a great one to review for those considering buying into DVC, so I decided to share my story.

I had previously looked into DVC a handful of times over the years, but concluded that it just wasn’t worth it for us. My wife and I certainly enjoyed Disney, but we wanted to leave our options open and just figured we could stay in Values/Moderates and save a fair bit of money over DVC in the long run.

Before getting into what pushed us over the top, note that we ‘completed’ our family this year with our DD’s birth in January. Our DS is four, and we actually took him for a quick stay last year in early November as part of a trip to visit some family. We did two nights at an AoA Cars Suite and one full day at MK. It was incredibly special for all of us, and we looked forward to returning once our new daughter was “old enough”.

Fast forward to February/March of this year, and I got the urge to schedule SOMETHING… I couldn’t really stand the idea of waiting several years to visit Disney again. So we scheduled a trip to California for June, where we would spend 4 days at the Disneyland Resort (and another 3-4 with some family out there). After much deliberation, we decided we weren’t going to be happy if we stayed off-site and went “all-in” at the Disneyland Hotel… because we weren’t going to be back for several years, of course. (I’ve gotten very good at justifying spending extra money on vacations…)

Anyway, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. We absolutely loved it more than we ever thought possible with our 5-month old. There were many takeaways, but perhaps three were more important than any other:

1. Having more days to visit the parks made for a very relaxing experience. In the past we had shortened our stays (again, often pairing a Disney visit with a family visit), and only one a 1-day ticket. DW and I even hit MK, EPCOT, and DHS all in one day way back when… Those are terribly long, tiring days, and while they are certainly packed with fun, taking a more relaxed approach is clearly better… especially with kids. So having 4-day park hoppers to cover DLR’s two parks was amazing. We never felt rushed or pressured by a schedule.

2. Walking to the parks was incredible. Now, I know the set-up at DLR is quite different from WDW. But you can achieve a similar result at WDW by staying at places like BCV and BLT, which is where we purchased our contracts… though there were other things to consider when choosing where to buy, that proximity was the most important factor for us. If you’re going for a week and have to schlep around on a bus every day, that’s not quite as nice as being able to walk most of the days. At DLR, it made a midday hotel/pool break so much more manageable. It literally changed the way we look at these trips.

3. We don’t have to wait to travel to Disney as a family. I was one of the “wait until they’re old enough to remember it” people, and I’ve completely changed my tune. We held out until our son was 3.5, but we won’t be waiting with our daughter. Part of that is because he is in some prime Disney years right now, and we don’t want to miss those. But part of it is that even at her young age she can see the magic and enjoy it all the same. Will she remember it? Of course not. That’s what pictures are for. And if you’re going to use the “remember it” standard, I suppose there’s no travel allowed between birth and age 5 (at a minimum) for any family vacations, ever.

So we concluded that (1) we want to stay for longer periods of time and truly relax more instead of check-listing our way through the parks; (2) we want to stay as close as humanly possible to the parks and avoid busses/other transportation; and (3) we would definitely want to visit WDW/DLR on a more regular basis, and we didn’t have to wait for the kids to reach any age in particular.

This translates to staying in Deluxe Resorts, and if we want to go more frequently and/or for longer periods of time, the costs add up significantly. Even at today’s all-time high prices for DVC points, the cost compares favorably to cash rates at Deluxe resorts for years and years.

If our travel habits change in the future, we have bought into what seems to be the most marketable timeshare in existence. And if they don’t, then good for us :)

I explained a bit above about how/why we ended up with BCV and BLT (both resale)… the location really won out above all else. Stormalong Bay at BCV is a big draw for us and our kids; I’m sure we will spend many days there! And EPCOT and DHS are our favorite parks, so being able to walk to both of those was just a no-brainer. As for BLT, the Contemporary has always been my favorite resort… I know BLT isn’t actually the Contemporary, but it is close enough for me. And again, walking to MK!

For DLR, we are on the waitlist for some direct VGC points… despite some reports about the impossibility of getting VGC points, I have a lot of faith in my guide, who I’ve been talking to every couple weeks since July about all of this. It may take some time, but I’m sure Disney will find some points to sell us eventually. We decided to go VGC direct for two reasons:

- The available VGC resale contracts were closer to VGC direct prices than BCV and BLT were (so not as much resale savings on VGC).
- We are buying fewer VGC points than BCV or BLT, so it made sense to pay the premium on fewer points.

We want *some* direct points, to be grandfathered in before they up the requirement again simply to be considered a “full” member… I know many on these boards don’t care for this and think it’s silly, but I don’t. We’d like to go on a member cruise someday, too, which you can’t book without a blue card, and there is some financial value to the other benefits as well.

Lastly, we ended up with different use years at BCV and BLT, and likely will at VGC. This was something I was hung up on a lot early on in the process, but as time went on I realized that it really didn’t matter for our specific purposes. We are buying at three different resorts to get home resort priority and use the points exclusively at those resorts 90% of the time. On the few occasions were we do want to combine points for a stay elsewhere, it doesn’t seem terribly difficult to transfer points or link two reservations… now, if I ever bought more points at any of the resorts, I would want to make sure to match the use years. But for our purposes, it was truly irrelevant. I wish somebody would have pointed that out to me sooner.

Hopefully something here helps somebody as they are considering a DVC purchase, one way or another. It certainly is not for everybody, and it really wasn’t for us until I realized it this summer. It would have been silly for us to have it 2, 5, or 10 years ago. But now, with two young kids who are going to grow up over the next couple decades, the time is right. We are a ‘Disney family’; it just makes sense for us. I look forward to sharing that magic that captured my heart with my kids in the years to come.
 

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