Trying To Decide

[Linda67]

Hi everyone

I just wanted to drop by and say hello as I am seriously thinking of buying into DVC and would welcome any opinions and advice

We have just got back from a 2 week stay at Wilderness Lodge and have two further trips, one in October and one in May 2012 already booked direct with Disney

I've been chatting to the DVD agent about the possibility of buying 120 points

It's just the two of us so a studio will be sufficient and we would generally go to WDW every other year for two weeks

The agent has said that he could cancel the two forthcoming trips I have booked direct with Disney and organise a full refund; he would then book the same two trips using my points; that way I could use the refunded amount towards my DVC membership

The cost of the points is around £7.5K and I would get around £2,700 back from the refund, so I would in theory by finding an extra £4,800 to become a member (I'd have to buy tickets again on top but could get an AP)

The 2 trips I have booked are OKW for 7 nights in October and SSR for 7 nights in May 2012 (following a cruise) and the agent tells me he will simply cancel the old reservations and re-book for me using my purchased points

He said he would do everything for me and it would be a smooth transition

Sounds like a good deal to me, what am I missing?

I know about annnual dues but are there any other costs I am not aware of

Thanks all, I am sure to have lots of questions

 

[wilma-bride]

Hi Linda, I must admit it sounds very straightforward. If your guide has said he will be able to sort those things out for you, then I'm sure he will.

You are correct in your understanding that there are Annual Dues (payable by 14th Feb each year) - for 120 points they will work out somewhere around the $500 mark per year (depending on resort). Where are you looking to buy - what home resort? Did your guide explain to you about the 11/7 month window? What use year are you looking at? I am reasonably sure that you would have enough points to book what you have described since OKW is the cheapest resort on points. Bear in mind, though, that although you are within the 7 month window for October, you are not for May so unless you are buying SSR then you would not be able to book there until October. It may well be the case that your guide is able to 'pull some strings' but I doubt it. You shouldn't have difficulty booking SSR at 7 months though.

Can't think of any other hidden costs. Definitely worth considering the use year (what time of year would you normally travel?) and home resort (Im not even sure what resort(s) they are still selling at the moment).

Feel free to ask more questions or PM if there is anything else you need to know

 

[crabbie1]

We are also looking still and it is hawiai,AKLV BLT and SSR that are availible
We are stuck between WLV and AKL. Our guide has emailed us and said that WLV points do become availible as they buy them back.On DVC news they are selling at $102 a point at the moment. If we buy there we will buy 220 points(if availible) but AKLV it would be 200. They do have different offers on but I think by redommending a fellow dvc member you may get a little incentive and so does the dvc member.

 

[Linda67]

Thanks for the replies
Yep our guide did explain the 7/11 month rule
We are looking to buy Villas At Wilderness Lodge which he says he can help us out with
The use year would be Feb - Feb and we either go in March/May (avoiding Easter) or October/November
We don't go in school holidays or the height of the Summer
We have only just come back from one trip and have two more planned but that's unusual; going forward it's more likely that we will go every other year

 

[skelfbsfb]

We are also looking still and it is hawiai,AKLV BLT and SSR that are availible
We are stuck between WLV and AKL. Our guide has emailed us and said that WLV points do become availible as they buy them back.On DVC news they are selling at $102 a point at the moment. If we buy there we will buy 220 points(if availible) but AKLV it would be 200. They do have different offers on but I think by redommending a fellow dvc member you may get a little incentive and so does the dvc member.

If you stay in the UK then you will get no incentive for recommendations other than a letter thanking you.

 

[crabbie1]

What d u mean will? Stay in the uk? I had an email off a guy who said he would give me $150 for recommending him. He was US. It doesnt apply anyway to me as i cant look into it till we go.
Linda good luck with ur purchase. I ferl although my heart says aklv we may hv to go sone school holidays and i dint think we would hv anychance of staying at wlv at a 7 month window so may also go with tht if our guide can get points. Love okw as well though. Ohh decisions

 

[skelfbsfb]

What d u mean will? Stay in the uk? I had an email off a guy who said he would give me $150 for recommending him. He was US. It doesnt apply anyway to me as i cant look into it till we go.
Linda good luck with ur purchase. I ferl although my heart says aklv we may hv to go sone school holidays and i dint think we would hv anychance of staying at wlv at a 7 month window so may also go with tht if our guide can get points. Love okw as well though. Ohh decisions

I stay in the UK and have recommended people to DVC and some have bought direct from Disney, all that I have receieved is a nice letter thanking me for the recommendation. if I stay in the USA and do this then I would receiev a gift.

 

[wilma-bride]

What d u mean will? Stay in the uk? I had an email off a guy who said he would give me $150 for recommending him. He was US.

As he is a US resident, then he will be eligible to receive a cash reward for recommending a new member. If he is choosing to 'share' that reward with you, that is one thing.

As a UK resident, you are NOT eligible to receive any kind of reward for recommending new DVC members. We have recommend two friends, who later bought and we got a nice letter from DVC saying 'Thanks' but that is all. It doesn't actually bother me - I am more interested in my friends being able to get a good deal and, if they can do that by using our names as a referral, then that is fine by me.

 

[crabbie1]

As he is a US resident, then he will be eligible to receive a cash reward for recommending a new member. If he is choosing to 'share' that reward with you, that is one thing.

As a UK resident, you are NOT eligible to receive any kind of reward for recommending new DVC members. We have recommend two friends, who later bought and we got a nice letter from DVC saying 'Thanks' but that is all. It doesn't actually bother me - I am more interested in my friends being able to get a good deal and, if they can do that by using our names as a referral, then that is fine by me.

Thats a nice thing to say and i would b the same. It should apply to all dvc guests not just US citizens referring. No wonder i had emails. Didnt realise this was the case and i will ask the question why. The money doesnt bother me but by recommending someone i would get a better deal but as i said probably wont be on when we go. Thanks for hilighting tht wilma.

 

[wilma-bride]

Didnt realise this was the case and i will ask the question why.

It is to do with tax regulations, I think - nobody outside the US can get the rewards, I believe, for that reason.

 

[Elise79]

Thats a nice thing to say and i would b the same. It should apply to all dvc guests not just US citizens referring. No wonder i had emails. Didnt realise this was the case and i will ask the question why. The money doesnt bother me but by recommending someone i would get a better deal but as i said probably wont be on when we go. Thanks for hilighting tht wilma.

Its actually to do with UK law for solicitation of Time-shares and for that matter I think there are some states in US that can not get rewards.

DVD can not sell to anyone in certain provinces in Canada or anyone in Ireland for example due to law. They can buy while in the states but not over the phone like we can. Even if they are already a member they can not even add on over the phone.

 

[janischa]

have you consideren buying a resale of DVC points ? I am currently in the process of buying points in the resale market and it's much cheaper.
if you want to buy points from OKW in the resale, you'd be spending about 50-60 usd per point. for 120 points that would mean about 4500 GBP. if you can get your refund back (no idea how much your cancellation costs would be though -- you need to deduce these) of 2700 GBP, then it would only cost you 4500 minus 2700, so 1800 GBP to become an owner of 120 yearly points up to 2042. Of course, you have to pay annual maintenance fees.

You can also simply rent the points; if you're willing to stay in SSR or OKW, you should be able to find them at 10-11 usd per point; at 10 usd a point and 220 points needed for 2 weeks, you would pay 2200 usd per holiday, so in total it would 'only' cost you 4400 usd for these 2 times 2 week holidays in lodging. You can then buy your tickets via undercover tourist OR get an annual pass since you're going twice in the same year for long periods.

 

[Jon G]

What I dont understand is that if UK people are happy to stay at OKW and SSR during the free dining plan dates why are they considering DVC.

I have been to a couple of presentations at WDW and DCL and the figures dont add up if you are a family of 4 or more with older kids 9+.

The above rooms are around £130 per night for a studio with free dining which would cost roughly the same so therefore either the dining is free or the accommodation is free which ever way you look at it.

Many people say that these deals wont last forever which might be true but if these offers finish then buy at that time. The points on the resale market will have dropped due to less years left on the contract.

If you want other resorts then this argument doesnt stack up as well but it still dilutes the ownership for the time being and I cant see Disney removing these deals for a few years yet due to the economy and flight prices for UK residents.

I want the figures to work and I also understand the emotional side of wanting to "own a piece of the magic" but the figures dont add up and no one including the guides have managed to persuade me otherwise.

If anyone taking into account the OKW and SSR free dining deal can show that I have missed something that would be great.

 

[UKDEB]

You're making the assumptions that everyone who stays onsite wants to eat exclusively in WDW restaurants and that the limitations of the dining plan aren't a concern. I can think of nothing worse (well, OK, maybe a few things ). Even during an entirely onsite stay, at least half our meals will be offsite (there are so many fantastic restaurants in the area). Also, I seldom eat desserts, but will occasionally want an appetiser (not an option on the plan). Often we'll get a selection of appetisers to share and not bother with entrees.

 

[oceanscape]

What I dont understand is that if UK people are happy to stay at OKW and SSR during the free dining plan dates why are they considering DVC.

I have been to a couple of presentations at WDW and DCL and the figures dont add up if you are a family of 4 or more with older kids 9+.

The above rooms are around £130 per night for a studio with free dining which would cost roughly the same so therefore either the dining is free or the accommodation is free which ever way you look at it.

Many people say that these deals wont last forever which might be true but if these offers finish then buy at that time. The points on the resale market will have dropped due to less years left on the contract.

If you want other resorts then this argument doesnt stack up as well but it still dilutes the ownership for the time being and I cant see Disney removing these deals for a few years yet due to the economy and flight prices for UK residents.

I want the figures to work and I also understand the emotional side of wanting to "own a piece of the magic" but the figures dont add up and no one including the guides have managed to persuade me otherwise.

If anyone taking into account the OKW and SSR free dining deal can show that I have missed something that would be great.

Couldn't agree more! I think you'd have to be mad to buy DVC at the moment.

Even taking out the free dining completely, the 42%+ discounts make it a no brainer. Like you, I see the attraction of "owning a piece of the magic" and genuinely would like to join DVC, but the figures absolutely don't add up in the current discounting climate.

 

[Kevin Stringer]

Couldn't agree more! I think you'd have to be mad to buy DVC at the moment.

Even taking out the free dining completely, the 42%+ discounts make it a no brainer. Like you, I see the attraction of "owning a piece of the magic" and genuinely would like to join DVC, but the figures absolutely don't add up in the current discounting climate.

There is a lot of truth in this with the way things are at the moment. The timing has to be right to buy DVC in my opinion. I bought in 2000 at $65 a point and it's paid for itself already in my particular case.
Another major factor is the exchange rate. Those that bought DVC when the rate was $2 to the pound did pretty well.

Something else to consider - you can stay at any other DVC resort as well as your home resort. This means being able to have a few days at Vero Beach or Hilton Head or even in Disneyland California. I doubt you'll find 42% reductions in these resorts.

Kev

 

[Elise79]

What I dont understand is that if UK people are happy to stay at OKW and SSR during the free dining plan dates why are they considering DVC.

I have been to a couple of presentations at WDW and DCL and the figures dont add up if you are a family of 4 or more with older kids 9+.

The above rooms are around £130 per night for a studio with free dining which would cost roughly the same so therefore either the dining is free or the accommodation is free which ever way you look at it.

Many people say that these deals wont last forever which might be true but if these offers finish then buy at that time. The points on the resale market will have dropped due to less years left on the contract.

If you want other resorts then this argument doesnt stack up as well but it still dilutes the ownership for the time being and I cant see Disney removing these deals for a few years yet due to the economy and flight prices for UK residents.

I want the figures to work and I also understand the emotional side of wanting to "own a piece of the magic" but the figures dont add up and no one including the guides have managed to persuade me otherwise.

If anyone taking into account the OKW and SSR free dining deal can show that I have missed something that would be great.

We are a family of 3 (2adults&1 child) and the free dining doesn't stack up for us as we are on holiday and to us that means relaxation - we stay in a one bedroom villa. The ticket purchase is also a reduction in value as we have APs which we will get 3 visits out of.

And as Deb has said we like eating offsite - been there done that and don't find value in the DDP anymore we don't want to eat like that and our DD often shares an adult CS meal with us so we would be wasting credits too.

Couldn't agree more! I think you'd have to be mad to buy DVC at the moment.

Even taking out the free dining completely, the 42%+ discounts make it a no brainer. Like you, I see the attraction of "owning a piece of the magic" and genuinely would like to join DVC, but the figures absolutely don't add up in the current discounting climate.

In the last year we have stayed at BLT & BCV with our upcoming trip to BWV& BLT - none of these are available on the free DDP and that is where the value is in DVC I can walk to the parks and not have to deal with the buses and a stroller

 

[crabbie1]

We are a family of 3 (2adults&1 child) and the free dining doesn't stack up for us as we are on holiday and to us that means relaxation - we stay in a one bedroom villa. The ticket purchase is also a reduction in value as we have APs which we will get 3 visits out of.

And as Deb has said we like eating offsite - been there done that and don't find value in the DDP anymore we don't want to eat like that and our DD often shares an adult CS meal with us so we would be wasting credits too.



In the last year we have stayed at BLT & BCV with our upcoming trip to BWV& BLT - none of these are available on the free DDP and that is where the value is in DVC I can walk to the parks and not have to deal with the buses and a stroller

This is my thoughts. Although I have booked 5 nights OKW with Free DDP I have also rented points at AKLV without the ddp to do other parks and eat off site so if doing 14 nights at either SSR or OKW and people do universal Busch seaworld and spacecentre thts 5 days meals that wont all necesserely get eaten and I would not stay 14 nights at SSR. Sorry but it just doesnt do anything for me.Hence why I always choose OKW but when we get our AP this year the 42% and free DDP wont be possible anyway and I like to try different resorts.

 

[Portugal1000]

Just returned from 19 night trip and attended presentation. No pressure whats so ever but I was shocked at the cost compared to booking through Disney UK.

So 4 of us were in 1 Bed at SSR for 19 nights. This cost £2700 with Complete Orlando. Free dining.

To get the same holiday for same dates we would have had to buy 542 points costing $54742/£35317. (can't remember now if tax on top of that.

Annual Dues were $2418/£1560

Dining would have cost £2052.

Therefore, if we were using points, our total cost would have been £3612 which is £912 more than what we paid for the holiday. This doesn't even take into account the inital outlay of £35317 which would of course have to be split over the 35 years so that would be another £1000 on the price of the holiday.

The guy from Disney obviously agreed, had the impression he had had several conversations the same with people from UK.

Spoke to one English lady in the pool who had bought DVC at SSR a few years ago and was very upset about the fact that she doesn't get the free dining and her annual dues and food cost more than she wuld pay if just booking through Disney UK. She said that Disney didn't make this clear to her when she bought. She is still paying off the loan for the initial outlay with interest on top, madness in my opinion.

Of course understand that above applies to SSR and can see absolutely no incentive to buy there if you will use during free dining and when the 42% off offer is on. However, fisgures will of course be different for other resorts.

My biggest surprise was the annual dues, such a lot of money when you think you are paying upfront to avoid paying for holidays in the future.

Anyway, we love SSR so while these deals are on, will continue to visit as often as we can.

 

[paulh]

with the discount and free DDP it will not always be there, they will tinker with it
No if it was the original DDP then DVC would struggle
On the DDP have found the food deteriorated over the years and of site better options and better priced
We look at DVC as long term have been members since 1999 and it has allowed us to visit all of america where DVC is situated, done the crusie on points done cali with vagas,at moment looking at Hawaii
Would we have done those places on cash no so dvc works for us,is it value for us yes as were into the position were its paid for itself(7 visits we worked it out to)
Do not over buy points as you have to remember the dues to account for each year(always a unwelcome xmas present)
Paul