Trying to Decide on buying...Please offer input

[JoanneDL]

The way I look at it is, our vacation is paid for the next 23 years. Yes were buying okw. True we have yearly dues but they aren't much. Our annual vacations cost us $5000+. To us it's a prepaid vacation. And when the kids get older and no longer want to go, we'll rent out our points or go solo.

 

[crisi]

I don't think your issues are small at all. I think that you will be disappointed with DVC should you buy. It isn't nearly as flexible as cash, you like the cash rooms.

I also like daily housekeeping - not enough to pay for it, and prefer the flexibility of cash but for us DVC pushed us over the edge with the ability to put our kids in a different bedroom. That isn't doable at the Poly without a HUGE investment.

 

[Dean]

So we've been going back and forth regarding DVC for YEARS. Just a little background...we go to WDW at LEAST once a year for 8 or 9 days. So you are going to ask, why in the world haven't you bought DVC yet, right? Well there are few things holding us back and I'm really hoping to get some opinions from seasoned veterans on both sides of the aisle...positive and negative.

First of all we have sat down with a DVC rep. twice. Once two years ago, once on our last Disney cruise (two weeks ago). We are VERY loyal to the Polynesian. As a child and an adult with my own now teenage children we have been to WDW 30+ times and only NOT stayed at the Poly twice. So once they opened DVC at the Poly you must be thinking, why didn't you buy? Well, here are a few things holding us back. Keep in mind, we really are only interested at the Poly. For us the hotel is a huge part of the vacation. They may seem small, but when we vacation in Disney it's the small things that we truly appreciate:

1. We went on a tour for the Deluxe Studio at the Poly. The size of the room seemed smaller and there is almost no storage room. On our cruise last week, the DVC rep told us there are two drawers under the bed and a place to store luggage under the bed and a closet. That's about it. We have four or five teenagers/adults in the room. (A bungalow is out of the question)

2. We will never use the kitchen or laundry. We don't cook or do laundry on our vacations, nor would we want to. Just our personal choice.

3. The DVC longhouses at the Poly are at the back of the resort. I know there's one longhouse near the quiet pool, but the others are far away from the GCH.

4. They don't clean the rooms daily, unless you pay for it. I know this may seem trivial, but we like a clean room when we return from the parks.

5. There are many discounts offered, such as AP or dining or merchandise, but according to the DVC rep none of that is guaranteed to stay that way. I know Disney probably wouldn't take that away but they have done some cash cutting things lately that surprised me, so you never know.

6. The annual dues. We figured we would need about 225 points for our stays per year. The annual dues for that amount right now are about $1500 a year x 50 years and that's only going to go up. Depending on increases that's an additional $75,000 - $100,000

7. We were told by the DVC rep that if we buy now, we would only have 48 years instead of 50, because the 50 years is from when they opened at the Poly. So basically we lose two years.

As you all know it's a huge investment. We have thought long and hard about this and just not sure if it's for us. Years ago before the Poly DVC opened a DVC rep told us if you only wanted to stay at the Poly then it's not worth it. For those of you who know more, please help. Even if you decided not to buy, please chime in. I need the help of people who've gone through it.

If you're set on your expectations, DVC likely won't work for you. But I would try a points rental there and you may find you really don't mind the compromises. I wouldn't buy and pay for housekeeping extra. Financially you'll save long term for a studio compared to paying cash but with cash you won't have the long term commitment. The other issue is whether you go a specific week of the year, if you do a fixed week may be worth investigating. Otherwise you could buy resale, do an add on of 25 retail and you'll have all of the benefits worth buying for since the ability to do cash exchanges like DCL are not reasonable to buy for and never have been.

 

[kboo]

Given your tendency to plan trips less than 7 mo out and with a large-ish family and teenage kids, you are most likely better off NOT buying. It won't be too soon that your kids will have even tougher schedules that may not easily coincide (or you can't plan enough in advance). Also - keep in mind that many of the good hotel room deals $25-35% off don't come out until 3-6 months in advance. If you can get Poly hotel rooms at an acceptable-to-you price that way, there is no reason to tie up your money on a product that is less flexible and doesn't have the location, space and housekeeping you prefer.