[goofyguy1958]

Well, it has been a little while since my last post but I was lurking when I had a minute. I have been really busy with a new position, DD receiving communion, redoining our dinning room, travel with the new position, etc., etc... Oh yeah, cruising with the mouse last week, but thgat is another magic story -- loved it!!! While we were on our cruise we had a meeting with a DVC sales rep and are very interested in purchasing membership. However, my DW and I would like to get some feedback before we put out that kind of money. I can see a lot of positive benefits and have been told nothing but all the great things about the club. Are there any people out there who can give me feedback that reflects the other side of the tracks? Have there been any negative experiences? Has anyone ever sold points? Or, for that matter, anyone ever sold the entire package? Any resorts to avoid? Also, any really positive stories my help in making our decision. All in put is appreciated.

[BDavis932]

Well, I'm going to tip in on the "positive" comments. I don't have any (NO, NOT ONE!) negative comments or information regarding DVC.

There are MANY MANY MANY threads about DVC here on DC that you can search on the main page, and there is a great wealth of information in those posts so be sure to check some of them out.

My tip is this: For around $150 month for 10 years, you can purchase a membership with 150 points at Saratoga Springs with DVC. For another 40+ years after you've paid for this off, your vacation accomodations are paid for!!!! (50 years total!)

Let say you go to WDW every other year and stay at All Stars until the year 2054. That is 25 trips between now and then. Lets say it costs you $100 per night and you typically stay 7 nights. The total cost for that would be $17,500. And that is for a VALUE resort....DVC accomidations are top notch deluxe!!

But, the great thing about DVC is that it is NOT just Disney!! You can go to Colorado, New York City, California, Michigan, Utah, etc..etc...etc...

So lets say you went to Keystone resort and stayed in a 2 bedroom condo the years you don't go to Disney. So for 25 years, staying 7 nights each trip at $150+/night. That works out around $26,250.

Instead of $43,750 you would pay out of pocket (not considering inflation) With DVC you will pay approx $12,000-$13,000 for accomodations that you will be able to use for 50 years.

[llama]

We've been members since 1999 and I've sat here and thought about your question and - honestly - I can't think of one negative. We've used our points for stays at WDW and for the cruise and have never run into any sort of problems at all. In fact, DVC has spoiled me so much I can't even contemplate going to WDW and not having a comfortable suite to relax in. (OKW is our personal favourite). Never had a problem booking. Never had a problem with any of our accomodations. I'd have to say the hardest part was reviewing all the financial aspects before we bought. We had a million questions, but they were all answered to my husband's satisfaction (and he's the kind to check into everything) and we've never had any new "surprises" or "financial adjustment" that you sometimes encounter with other purchases of this kind. With your membership you have access to fabulous hotels and condos in US, Canada, Mexico & Europe. Because we banked our points one year we were able to take the 4 day cruise on the Disney Wonder in a deluxe family suite on the 8th deck, with concierge. Something we would have never been able to afford on our own. So - sorry to sound like Pollyanna - but we're glad we became members and have never regretted it. (I'm still trying to think of a negative....

[goofyguy1958]

llama, Thanks for the reply. My DD is very interested in doing another cruise -- we just got back from the western Magic 7 day on Saturday, May 15th -- and thought the vacation club would be a good way to facilitate that. The one concern is that the DVC sales rep advised we only use our points for DW and myself and pay cash for DD and DS -- he said the total points would be too great, in his eyes, to use at one time. Did you have any children with you on your cruise?

Bdavis932, Thanks for the reply. I actually see your point with the overall costs, but have one additional question for you. Since you mentioned staying in an other-than-Disney resort, have you actually done this? If so, how was the process?

[llama]

[quote=goofyguy1958]llama, Thanks for the reply. My DD is very interested in doing another cruise -- we just got back from the western Magic 7 day on Saturday, May 15th -- and thought the vacation club would be a good way to facilitate that. The one concern is that the DVC sales rep advised we only use our points for DW and myself and pay cash for DD and DS -- he said the total points would be too great, in his eyes, to use at one time. Did you have any children with you on your cruise?

Yes, we took our two daughters on the cruise. We did pay for one of them, because even with our points, we needed to augment the price. (I believe it was about $300.00). However, we did have enough points for myself, husband and our other daughter. It is a lot of points. I suppose it depends on how many points you are thinking of purchasing. We used 2 years worth on the cruise. However, we also own a timeshare through Interval (of which Disney is a member), so we can also trade into Disney properties that way.

[MissDisney]

Can you make monthly payments, or dioes it have to be one gigantic lump sum? Are there payment options for the annual fees?

[goofyguy1958]

MissDisney,

You can finance through Disney at 10% after a 10% down payment. You can also make the dues either a lump sum or monthly or even quarterly payments. This information came directly from our sales rep Dave last Friday and is in the information packet we received yesterday.

[spike]

1.) Dues Increases.
2.) Only a 7 month booking window at non-home resort.
3.) Not having a discounts on PH or PHP tickets or annual passes.

goofyguy1958, great post, typically all you see is inquires to the pros of DVC but rarely does anyone want to hear about the cons, and trust me my pros far out way my petty cons.

[BDavis932]

Originally Posted by goofyguy1958

llama, Thanks for the reply. My DD is very interested in doing another cruise -- we just got back from the western Magic 7 day on Saturday, May 15th -- and thought the vacation club would be a good way to facilitate that. The one concern is that the DVC sales rep advised we only use our points for DW and myself and pay cash for DD and DS -- he said the total points would be too great, in his eyes, to use at one time. Did you have any children with you on your cruise?

For the money, I feel like going to WDW or another resort (hilton head, vero beach, etc.) you get more for your money. I can spend 7 nights in a studio at Old Key West in May or early June for 98 points!! I would have to bank my points and borrow from the next year for the 4 of us to take a 7 day cruise.

Bdavis932, Thanks for the reply. I actually see your point with the overall costs, but have one additional question for you. Since you mentioned staying in an other-than-Disney resort, have you actually done this? If so, how was the process?

Yes, our first DVC experience was in June of 2001 when we went to Keystone resort in Colorado. It is beautiful there. Lovely resort and lots of activities (MANY FREE!!!) All I had to do was pick up the phone and call DVC, tell them where we wanted to go and when. 24 hours later, DVC called me back and everything was set up. For bookings other than DVC resorts you have to pay a $75 processing fee (which seems fair to me) and that was it! Very easy and although the resort was not disney, but it was disney quality.

1.) Dues Increases.
2.) Only a 7 month booking window at non-home resort.
3.) Not having a discounts on PH or PHP tickets or annual passes.

goofyguy1958, great post, typically all you see is inquires to the pros of DVC but rarely does anyone want to hear about the cons, and trust me my pros far out way my petty cons.

1) Our dues have not increased in 4 the four years we've been members. We paid very little down (less than $200) and they bought back 1/2 of our first years points for our down payment. We pay $110/month for DVC pymt and $40 per month for dues.

2) This is only fair to the people who own at those resorts. You have 11 month booking at your home resort. So what we do is 11 months before our trip, we make our reservations at our home resort (OKW) and then when the 7 month window comes around, we call DVC and have them move the reservation to the resort we really want!!

3) I agree...I do wish they would give a discount on passes other than the 10% off the ultimate park hopper. 10% off an annual pass would be nice!!

[mickey]

I too really don't have any complaints to speak of. I guess they are things that I would change if I were running the show.

1. Online, real time booking. It would be so nice to look at your dates and know exactly how many rooms are available for your dates at each resort.

2. Non-DVC resorts/activities were less expensive. I have a hard time justifying using my points for anything but staying at the DVC resorts.

3. My biggest problem: Disney should recognize us as FL residents, since we own physical property in FL, pay property taxes, etc, we should receive the same privliges as FL residents such as discounted park passes, discounted hotel rooms, etc.

I really don't have a problem with the 11/7 system, it seems to work well. Maybe if it was 11/9, so you had 2 months on others to book your home resort, but I have never had a problem getting any room I want 7 months out.

Stil the best purchase I have made, ever. Well, that H. R. Pufnstuf bobble head is a close second.

[llama]

3. My biggest problem: Disney should recognize us as FL residents, since we own physical property in FL, pay property taxes, etc, we should receive the same privliges as FL residents such as discounted park passes, discounted hotel rooms, etc.
out.

This is an interesting point. In the 2001 Unofficial Guide to WDW on p. 53 it says: "If you own an interest in a time-share property in Florida, INCLUDING the DVC, you are eligible for Florida resident discounts on admissions. You must provide a copy of your lease or purchase contract and a picture ID."
(because I'm obsessive/compulsive where WDW is concerned, I'm probably the only person to ever even read this) Anyway, when we went in 2001 my husband did precisely that. The turmoil and confusion that ensued was unbelieveable! Literally, everyone at WDW had a different answer for us. We were passed from department to department. (we certainly weren't trying to get away with anything, but felt that if we were entitled to this discount, we wanted it). The bottom line being, NO ONE EVER GAVE US A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. Because it was the "Unofficial Guide", some felt they were not obligated to give us the discount (which, of course, was justifiable), to others, it made sense, because we DID own property in Florida. In the end, I guess, in the interests of goodwill, a head honcho did give us the Florida Resident discount, for that year. But, the fact was, no one seemed to know the policy and how this had gotten into the Unofficial Guide. (I even e-mailed "Unofficial" but never received an answer). Interestingly, the next Unofficial Guide I purchased in 2004 had this information omitted. So, if we were the cause of it, sorry! Anyway, I do agree with you Mickey. We have purchased Florida property, pay taxes and should be entitled to this discount.

[spike]

From BDavis932

1) Our dues have not increased in 4 the four years we've been members.

Since 2001 DVC dues have increased at all of the resorts except SSR

Year OKW BWV VB VB(sub) HH VWL BCV SSR
2004 3.68 4.25 4.67 3.67 3.86 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 4.11 4.37 3.45 3.70 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.92 4.17 3.33 3.48 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 3.82 3.97 2.70 3.32 3.63

[BDavis932]

Originally Posted by spike

From BDavis932


Since 2001 DVC dues have increased at all of the resorts except SSR

Year OKW BWV VB VB(sub) HH VWL BCV SSR
2004 3.68 4.25 4.67 3.67 3.86 4.22 4.18 3.80
2003 3.49 4.11 4.37 3.45 3.70 4.05 3.97
2002 3.22 3.92 4.17 3.33 3.48 3.80 3.77
2001 3.13 3.82 3.97 2.70 3.32 3.63

I guess the increase has been so slight that I never noticed...
Thanks for letting me know!!

I wonder how much they will go up next year with the addition of the new pool??

[goofyguy1958]

Well, thanks again everyone for your replies. However, another disturbing question has come up. In reviewing the Vacation Club booklet we were given by the sales rep my wife and I noted that there is an asterisk associated with the vacation points per night chart for all of the 7 DVC sites. The small print states, "This Vacation Points chart is effective from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005." Does this mean there could be a points per night increase after December 31, 2005? When we filled in the paperwork and reviewed the contract, we were under the impression that our points per night would not increase until "May of 2054." The answer to this will most likely be the determining in our actually signing the contract. Please help!

[skwak]

Originally Posted by goofyguy1958

Well, thanks again everyone for your replies. However, another disturbing question has come up. In reviewing the Vacation Club booklet we were given by the sales rep my wife and I noted that there is an asterisk associated with the vacation points per night chart for all of the 7 DVC sites. The small print states, "This Vacation Points chart is effective from January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2005." Does this mean there could be a points per night increase after December 31, 2005? When we filled in the paperwork and reviewed the contract, we were under the impression that our points per night would not increase until "May of 2054." The answer to this will most likely be the determining in our actually signing the contract. Please help!

Great post! I am no expert on the DVC as we just bought last year. However, I have read a great many posts so I'll give it a shot.

Overall the number of points alotted will not change according to the bylaws. However the points for a particular size room at a particular resort at a particular time of year might go up or down. For example, a OKW studio might be 11 points for a weekday night in July in 2004. If the decided to make that 12 points in 2005 then a corresponding reduction would have to occur say a decrease from 22 to 21 points for a weekend night at OKW.

I have books from 2001 and honestly the points per night have not really changed.

Did I answer this well??