[DiZ NeE O8]

are the 2009 annual dues out yet?

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by mairinmaureen

Are these dollars per point in annual dues? For instance, what would 160 points at SSR be in 2008? Would the annual dues be $673.60 for 2008?

We've been to Disney so many times we certainly have considered the DVC, but everytime I crunch the numbers, I don't see the where the savings is. If you have to pay $673 just in dues every year does it really work out that money is being saved? I'm sure I'm missing something here. Maybe someone can help.

It also seem hard to justify buying in right now when Disney is offering so many resort discounts. Do you get any credits for free stays when offers like the 4/3 deal are out? It seems to me that the DVC is really only a benefit if you only want to stay at Deluxe resorts and if you do not stay for more than a week or so a year.

Please help if I am way off here. I really would like to be a part of the program, I just need to justify it to the finances.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by Mickey Mom

We've been to Disney so many times we certainly have considered the DVC, but everytime I crunch the numbers, I don't see the where the savings is. If you have to pay $673 just in dues every year does it really work out that money is being saved? I'm sure I'm missing something here. Maybe someone can help.

It also seem hard to justify buying in right now when Disney is offering so many resort discounts. Do you get any credits for free stays when offers like the 4/3 deal are out? It seems to me that the DVC is really only a benefit if you only want to stay at Deluxe resorts and if you do not stay for more than a week or so a year.

Please help if I am way off here. I really would like to be a part of the program, I just need to justify it to the finances.

Welp, I personally never looked at joining DVC as a way to make life cheaper. I only know that YES I do pay around $650./year on annual dues but I ALSO stay on average 9-12 nights a year at a deluxe Disney resort guaranteed. If I WASN'T a DVC member Daniel and I would only go MAYBE once a year & stay at Pop or at the Moderate resorts (which I dislike) like we did before becoming members.

It's provides a DIFFERENT way to vacation in WDW/DL, allows you the freedom to go several times a year with LITTLE cash out of pocket (our 9 day June trip is LITERALLY only costing us about $1,800 cash) & there are a lot of other perks like $100 off annual passes (which I love), etc.

I've said this before & people can disagree with me 100% but it's just MY feeling. DVC is a LUXURY. When golfers join a country club they aren't doing it with the priority to save money on Greens fees, they're doing it because it's a lifestyle they love & want to be 'part of the club.' If people can afford the luxury it's a FANTASTIC thing, if not they are probably better off taking advantage of all the great 'deals' out there & booking when they can afford it.

I personally have NEVER regretted joining DVC for one moment. I absolutely LOVE being able to call & say "Hey, I wanna go to WDW next month" & then only spending minimal cash on food & airfare. It's WAY cheaper for us to take a DVC trip than when we do our full on 'real' vacations to other destinations in the world.

Cost & worth are two VERY different things.

Just feel it out, get all the info, & you'll eventually know whether it's right for your family or not. I don't think there's a 'magic' answer that fits everyone's situation.

[Mickey Mom]

That's pretty much what I figured, just thought there may be more to it that I was missing. We are a large family (7) and we go to Disney once a year for 10-14nights. We usually stay at the moderate resorts and book two rooms. To provide that same vacation at a villa that will sleep 8, we would require 350-500 points and it would cost us approx $36-52K not including annual dues. Granted we would be staying at the deluxe resorts, but I don't know if that is worth the cost to us.

Call me cheap (I prefer frugal) if I take my money and re-invest it, I could probably finance most of our regular trips off the investment and use the annual dues for spending money! Especially if Disney keeps offering the great deals they have been over the past few years.

None the less, I still dream of owning a little piece of Disney!

Thanks for the info.

[leslieh]

Originally Posted by Mickey Mom

That's pretty much what I figured, just thought there may be more to it that I was missing. We are a large family (7) and we go to Disney once a year for 10-14nights. We usually stay at the moderate resorts and book two rooms. To provide that same vacation at a villa that will sleep 8, we would require 350-500 points and it would cost us approx $36-52K not including annual dues. Granted we would be staying at the deluxe resorts, but I don't know if that is worth the cost to us.

Call me cheap (I prefer frugal) if I take my money and re-invest it, I could probably finance most of our regular trips off the investment and use the annual dues for spending money! Especially if Disney keeps offering the great deals they have been over the past few years.

None the less, I still dream of owning a little piece of Disney!

Thanks for the info.

It's true it's not for everyone. Our anticipated break even point (financially) is about 8 years of ownership, so for us, just talking $$, it's worth it. We have two contracts and also two sons, and I love knowing that they will each continue to enjoy wonderful vacations after we're gone. For my son who loves Epcot, it's BCV. For my son who loves MK (and thought that the castle was his when he was little) it's BLT.

[iluvwdw]

I have to agree...it's definitely a PERSONAL choice. And it all depends on your vacation habits. Before we bought DVC, we rented points a bunch of times and LOVED it. Before that, we stayed in our timeshare off site. After renting and then when BLT was up for sale, we couldn't resist.

Mind you, we are renting this year and we rented ALL of our Developer Points we got when we purchased...this will help offset the cost. And since we are only a family of 4 right now, we prefer to stay in Studios to get our "Points Worth". For now, we will use half of our points and rent out half the points, until we need more space.

And it's true that once you stay in a Deluxe Resort, it is hard to go back to Value or Moderate. Although I wouldn't hesitate to stay there if it were the only way I'd be going!!!

Also, you mentioned the great deals Disney is offering...remember that those deals won't be around forever. Once the economy picks up again and WDW is doing better, those deals won't be as available to the general public.

[MissDisney]

Mickey Mom --
The DVC thing in my mind is something tha tmakes sense ONLY -- and I repeat ONLY -- if you are the type of family who wants to take vacations in a deluxe resort and especially if you need the space of the larger rooms.

Here's why: going to a value and grabbing a couple of connecting rooms is a great thing, plenty of room for everyone and a good price. But my family would absolutley not be happy with that. We love POR and have had connecting rooms there, which was very special. But we really feel like we are wrapped in luxury and location when we stay at BWV.

So we decided that the vacation we like is a big villa at a deluxe DVC resort, which we could never afford by booking it the regular way. And while you can defintely save money by renting the points for a stay like that, if you plan to go many times in your lifetime, you'll save a ton of money too by just buying the membership.

Over the regular rates, we save thousands of dollars over the course of a single year's points. We took a 6 day trip at the most expensive Christmas week to Boardwalk Villas and had enough points left over for another trip this summer for five days at AKL Kidani Village, as well as a couple of nights at Caribbean Beach. And we paid nothing NOTHING when we checked out. So now you can figure how much of a savings that is, even with the $750 in fees we pay. That's a HUGE savings, and so you count it against the cost of the membership, and you can see how the savings will wipe out that lump payment in just about 5 years or so. Then you are vacationing for just the fees. NICE

Adn the DVC memberships expire after some time -- I think ours is something like 25 years or so. That's also a beautiful thing, because you don't want to saddle your heirs with a lifetime of payments. I never saw the value of lifetime memberships, actually.

And last but certianly not least, DVC allows you to get cheap APs, and there are other perks as well, like special events. And don't forget that if ther eis a year when you dont' wish to use your points, you can always rent them out, which brings in a lot more money than the fees you pay, so that cash would count against your membership money, as well.

[MissDisney]

you should also be mindful that if you finance your membership, the monthly outlay is higher and you have to count that into your plans. I probably would not have joined if we had to finance, because I wouldn't want to spring for the interest.

[WishUponAStar]

Originally Posted by MissDisney

you should also be mindful that if you finance your membership, the monthly price goes up and you have to count tha tinto your plans. I probably would not have joined if we had to finance, because I wouldn't want to psring for the interest.

MissDis, I am near 100% sure that once they lock you into a 'monthly payment' & an interest rate it doesn't change. My good friend at work bought in 11 years ago & financed. She paid $163/month (or whatever it was) for the entire length of the loan term. I've never heard of the monthly payment going up at all.

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by iluvwdw

Also, you mentioned the great deals Disney is offering...remember that those deals won't be around forever. Once the economy picks up again and WDW is doing better, those deals won't be as available to the general public.

Thanks for the info.
I realize these deals won't be around forever, but we've been able to take advantage of great deals for the last 3 years, and I think we're in for a few more years of specials until the economy is back on its feet. I'm afraid if we bought in now, it would take us 10-12 years to re-coup the costs vs. the 5-7 years that it would take if Disney was charging regular prices.
Maybe the timing is just off for us right now, hopefully in a few years we can re-crunch the numbers.
Thanks again for the help.

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by iluvwdw

And it's true that once you stay in a Deluxe Resort, it is hard to go back to Value or Moderate. Although I wouldn't hesitate to stay there if it were the only way I'd be going!!!

Maybe this too is part of our problem. We stayed once at WL, but we weren't really happy with it. Maybe that has partly turned us off the cost of the deluxe resorts. I'd love to try BC or Poly, maybe that would hook me!

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by MissDisney

Over the regular rates, we save thousands of dollars over the course of a single year's points. We took a 6 day trip at the most expensive Christmas week to Boardwalk Villas and had enough points left over for another trip this summer for five days at AKL Kidani Village, as well as a couple of nights at Caribbean Beach. And we paid nothing NOTHING when we checked out. So now you can figure how much of a savings that is, even with the $750 in fees we pay. That's a HUGE savings, and so you count it against the cost of the membership, and you can see how the savings will wipe out that lump payment in just about 5 years or so.

Thanks for the info.
Does it work out better if you break the trip into smaller/shorter trips throughout the year? Maybe that too is part of the problem for us. Travel itself is one of the most expensive parts of our trip, so for us it is better to go once a year and stay for a longer period of time. Also, we prefer to go during the slow seasons, always trying to avoid the crowds!

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by MissDisney

Mickey Mom --
And don't forget that if ther eis a year when you dont' wish to use your points, you can always rent them out, which brings in a lot more money than the fees you pay, so that cash would count against your membership money, as well.

Hmmmm....very good point. I don't think we would want to skip a year at Disney, but if I did rent out the points, that would help to make up the cost of the principal over a few years....maybe there is a way.....

[Mickey Mom]

Originally Posted by MissDisney

you should also be mindful that if you finance your membership, the monthly price goes up and you have to count tha tinto your plans. I probably would not have joined if we had to finance, because I wouldn't want to psring for the interest.

Thanks for the tip, that was definately our opinion as well. When going through the numbers I saw the financing rate can reach 5-10%, on 52K, my, that price suddenly sky-rockets! A lot more than the average 7 years to make up that price!

[Mickey Mom]

Thanks everyone for all of your help and information. I think we will wait a few more years and look into it again.

One day I will own a little piece of Disney!