cost effective

[3princesses]

We have been thinking about the DVC for a couple years now, but I keep going back and forth about it. Realistically, would it not be cheaper for me to watch for Codes and get deluxe resorts for less expensive this way? We try to go every year, and I'm pretty good about not spending a fortune at Disney when we do go, so I wonder if it would be the right thing for me? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Wanda :o

[Esmerelda]

I will probably leave you more confused than ever. But here is my 2 cents worth.

First, the advantages. The DVC accomodations are so much bigger if you get a one or two bedroom and have full kitchen facilities. If you like to relax and spend time away from the parks this is really nice. If you spend most of your time in the parks, this does not matter as much.

They have great DVC activities for the kids-a good break.

When the economy improves, there may not always be discount codes. Yet the DVC points will always stay the same. In addition, 10-15-20 years from now the resorts will have increased in price dramatically. With DVC you lock into the price and there are no increases(unless a small increase in maintenance dues).

OK-Now for the disadvantages. DVC stays cost substantially(about double) on the weekends as it does during the week. So, if you take a lot of long weekend vacations, it is quite a bit more costly then if you can go Sunday-Friday. Of course you can switch resorts and pay cash if you want to on the weekend nights.

DVC requires you to plan far in advance for your trips. If you are more spontaneous with your planning, this can be very hard!

I hope I didn't leave you more confused. I'm sure you will get some more answers.

[DisneyPam]

Your name is 3Princesses so I am going to guess that you have 3 daughters, resulting in a family of five.

IMO, this size family is a tough call. In this case, you would need to get a 2BR DVC unit for your vacations as the 1BR only sleeps 4 people. So you'll need to buy enough points to cover the length of your normal trip. For example, one week during adventure season (Jan 1-8, 2004) will require 270 points at BCV (this is the resort that DVC is currently selling). The same unit during Magic season (July 1-8, 2004) will require 350 points. If points are selling for $80/point, then for 350 points your initial cost will be $28,000. Of course this is a one time cost - you'll still have to pay annual dues (property taxes and maintnance) on those points at approx $4/point or $1,400/year. The property reverts back to Disney in 2042 so you have 39 years of dues paying, approx $55,000 over the course of your ownership (not taking into account increases in dues).

So, $83,000.00 divided by 1 vacation per year for 39 years is about $2150/vacation. Using the same math for the less expensive Adventure season would be about $1650/vacation.

So then take a deluxe resort (not including WL or AKL at this time) for 7 nights over a holiday week. I've seen prices as low as $169/night but since we're trying to compare busy (i.e. not normally deeply discounted) weeks well say for the sake of argument that you are going to be paying $200/night, plus tax at 11.5% for $223/night. For 7 nights that is $1,561.00 for accommodations. If you can get the $169/night price then we're talking around $1,325 for your accommodations. And don't forget that once your kids turn 19, they are adults and will be charged $25/person/night extra over 2 adults in a room. Keep in mind, however, that room discounts are not guaranteed and nightly rack rates for the deluxe resorts starts at $194 but could be as much as $815/night.

Of course, when you have a deluxe resort room, that is all you have - one room. If you buy into DVC and stay in a 2BR you get 2 bedrooms (one with a KING bed), a living room, a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, 3 televisions, a jacuzzi tub and a VCR or DVD player. And since the 2BR sleeps up to 8 people you can bring additional friends and family up to 8 people total without extra cost. If you were to bring just one more person to a deluxe resort, you'd need another room, doubling your costs.

Furthermore, you can purchase a resale DVC contract for less than the DVC cost and at a home resort with lower point values. That will bring down your initial costs because you can get away with purchasing fewer points. Also, if you only need a 1BR unit at DVC you'll need substantially fewer points, bringing your costs down.

Okay - have I thoroughly confused you yet? Heck, I haven't even begun to cover all the stuff there is to think about. LOL

Bottom line, there is a lot to consider and as much as I love DVC, I recognize that it is not the best vacation value for every family. If you are thinking about it, take the tour, weigh the benefits and drawbacks and make the decision that works for your family.

[Mayor]

Hi 3princesses :) . I agree with everything that DisneyPam wrote. I'll add my 2-cents. With the full kitchen facilities, you can save money on meals. Even if all you do is have breakfast in your room, it can save quite a bit over a 7-day vacation. Not to mention the convenience of doing so. HTH.

Bob Riley

[Tagrel]

Hi Wanda!

You've gotten some great responses here. Pam - thats a great post!

I think that DVC is a very good call when you typically stay at Deluxe resorts each year. Don't think of it so much as a discount as prepaying at today's prices.

I'll hit the inflation angle. You will NOT save money with DVC in the short run. You'll save big bucks in the long run. DVC is good until 2042, or another 39 years.

In 1973 (30 years ago) a night at the Polynesian was $46 (47.84 with added 4% tax).

Rack rate there now is $289 (value season, very lowest rate available) That is a 628% increase over those 30 years!

Even with the current discounting, the Polynesian is typically $199 - $214 per night (an increase of 432% - 465%)

And don't forget that tax increase. It's now 11.5% tax (up from 4%) and adds at least another $23 per NIGHT. There is no tax when you use your DVC points.

Want to bring extra adults? Currently that's $25 per adult over 2 in a room - no extra charge for extra adults in DVC units.

I shudder to think what the costs will be in 30 years!

For DVC we have to pay maintenance fees. These will most probably increase year to year with inflation, but they HAVE to be used for the resort. They can not be raised at the whim of Disney. They can only reflect actual cost increases.

For us, it only made sense. Even at the discount rates we were JUST able to swing the YC. Without the discounts we would have HAD to stay at a moderate (which is fine until you enjoy Stormalong Bay and HAVE to go back!) :D

Last, after staying in a one bedroom unit, nothing else is the same. It makes staying at Disney an actual VACATION. Room to move. A separate bedroom from the kids. Comforts of Home. Washer/Dryer in room so that you can bring HALF as many clothes. Savings that come with eating in the room for Breakfast or even lunch and dinner if you like. Buying a CASE of water bottles that costs less then 3 bottles in a park and keeping them in the fridge! :-) Popping a bag of popcorn in the microwave and heading down to watch the Electric Water Pagent on the beach at WL. Soaking away a days park walking in the HUGE jacuzzi tub...

MAN I can't WAIT for these last two weeks to go by!!! :D

[AliciaG]

Dang, Tagrel, you're making it darn near impossible for me to wait until I get to be a DVC owner. :lol:

Thanks for all the reminders of why this is a good decision for our family of 5. :D

[3princesses]

How would I purchase a resale DVC? Is there a special site for this information? Thank you to everyone who posted a response, you gave me lots to think about!!

Wanda :roll:

[Tagrel]

Three sites that I know of for DVC Resales:

DVC by Resale (http://www.timesharesbyresale.com/)

The Timeshare Store (http://www.dvc-resales.com/)

A Timeshare Broker (http://www.atimeshare.com/cgi-local/listd.cgi?disy)

[Rosebud]

OK Pam & Tagrel, but what if a train was travelling at 150 mph towards the boardwalk and another train was travelling at 243 mph towards the Yacht Club - when and where would they meet?

[Moley]

OK Pam & Tagrel, but what if a train was travelling at 150 mph towards the boardwalk and another train was travelling at 243 mph towards the Yacht Club - when and where would they meet?

They would meet at Beaches and Cream to share a Kitchen Sink! :lol:

[HappyCamper]

Rosebud and Moley:


:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Y'all have me in stitches. Thanks for the wonderful humor!!

Ever think about going into business together? Taking the show on the road? I can see it now, the fabulous Disney comics, the ....

Debby

[AliciaG]

OK Pam & Tagrel, but what if a train was travelling at 150 mph towards the boardwalk and another train was travelling at 243 mph towards the Yacht Club - when and where would they meet?

Rosebud!!! :rofl: If you only knew how many ways I've worked joining DVC out on paper. :shock: Thanks for the laugh! :lol:

[Mr. Baloo]

they would probably meet up at Beaches and Cream because everyone ends up there anyway.

[WillCAD]

When did they build train tracks through the Epcot resorts?!

Wanda, are you absolutely locked into the idea of staying at a Deluxe Disney rosort? The moderates are all very nice and much cheaper, and for a family of five, two rooms at the All-Stars are often cheaper than a single at a deluxe, and you get two full bathrooms in the bargain.

There are also hundreds of hotels just outside Disney property that are very nice, and much cheaper than comparable Disney hotels. I'm not talking about a hundred miles away, I mean hotels only 10 minutes away from Epcot or 15 from MK. If cost alone is the deciding factor, you should think about putting together a trip like this once just to see how you like it.

If you must stay on property, and you won't settle for anything less than a Deluxe, then DVC is probably the way to go. Pam's math made it pretty clear to me that the cost difference is outweighed by the extra amenities you get at a DVC property compared to Deluxe resorts.

[Rosebud]

WillCad wrote:
When did they build train tracks through the Epcot resorts?!

Will,
That is what makes the equation even more complicated! Seeing how good Pam & Tagrel's mathamatical capabilities were, I had every confidence they could answer that question. Then I find out Moley was a math genius too! I actually thought the answer was at Kimonos for sushi - that is how much of a math genius I'm not.

Lucky for me that as much as I like the DVC, I know they don't even come close to being a good option for me. Therefore, I don't even have to fill my head with all that math!

[dvcreg]

Another perspective from a family of 5.

When we joined, our three were 11, 10 and 7. They're now 22, 21, and 18.

When you have two in college, and are also paying Catholic HS tuition, there's not a lot of extra money. It's also very difficult to coordinate family trips with so many different schedules.

We were in a 2 bedroom unit at OKW from 12/22 to 1/4 this past year. There's no way that we could have afforded this if we had to pay cash. The maintenance fees are minimal compared to a comparable resort stay.

Now that DS has graduated college and has a job that involves working over the holidays, the memories that we created over this past family trip are even more precious to us.

That's the best part about DVC. It makes traveling at any time of year possible. :D :D :D