DVC ? About This Page:

[disney]

we have 150 pts and it was great when i bought 12 years ago wish i could add more now but things are tight . i would love to add about 25-50 more would be perfect for us . but like everyone else has said is by initialy then add on .
also if you are looking for a spefic resort they also have buy backs dvc just ask your rep ?

[notjustamom]

if you are looking for a spefic resort they also have buy backs dvc

What do you mean by that? Just curious. I've been giving DVC some serious thought for the last year or so but would love BWV or BCV so I thought my only option was a 3rd party resale.

[RobDVC]

We have 200 points, and that has been plenty for our family of 4 in a 1BR in late summer. We have used our points creatively and banked/borrowed for roomier accomodations (2br when taking by dad and stepmom) and lengthier trips - 10 days in 2006, another 10 days coming up this year.

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by notjustamom

What do you mean by that? Just curious. I've been giving DVC some serious thought for the last year or so but would love BWV or BCV so I thought my only option was a 3rd party resale.

DVC will sell points at the older resorts. They just don't publicize it very well because point inventories are very limited.

Comparatively speaking, prices are VERY expensive. The last reported figure for points at BCV and BWV is $115 per point. That's bottom-line pricing--no discounts or other incentives offered. Ownership at those two resorts ends in 2042 which is just 31 years away.

Compare that to the Animal Kingdom Villas and Saratoga Springs which you can currently buy direct for under $100 per point AND you get 12-15 additional years of ownership.

[disneyfan1219]

Am I understanding this right? When you buy in, you pay so much per point (a higher price ex $100), then each year you have to pay dues per point (a lower price ex $10).
I know you get discounts on some things, but can you get specials like free dining or anything like that? We are going to have to cut our trip this year one day short, but I think I'm going to find time to talk to someone about it.

[tjkraz]

Originally Posted by disneyfan1219

Am I understanding this right? When you buy in, you pay so much per point (a higher price ex $100), then each year you have to pay dues per point (a lower price ex $10).

That's pretty much it, although dues are much less than $10 per point. Annual dues are primarily for the upkeep of the resort. They fund everything from front desk staff to landscaping to theme park buses.

Think of it like buying a house. The up-front DVC cost is the same thing as what you pay to buy your house--the physical structure and the land. Annual dues are equivalent to what you pay for property taxes, lawn care, snow removal, utilities, and so on.

Timeshare laws dictate that the dues must be representative of the actual operating costs of the property. Disney sets a budget every year and the dues are based upon the monies needed to operate the resort. Some inflation is to be expected as costs of fuel, utilities, labor and so on will go up. But Disney cannot arbitrarily increase costs to any level of their choosing.

To give one example, 2011 dues at the Contemporary Bay Lake Tower are $3.89 per point. A studio room, which is comparable to a standard hotel room, costs as little as 14 points per night. So a DVC member is paying about $54.46 (dues only) per night for a room at the Contemporary. Compare that to Disney's cash rates for the CR which start around $400 plus 12.5% county taxes.

Now that $54 figure is dues only and you have the initial purchase to consider. But when you spread that initial investment over as much as 50 years, the savings are still quite dramatic when compared to staying in similar accommodations as a cash guest.

I know you get discounts on some things, but can you get specials like free dining or anything like that?

No. When Disney runs incentives like "free dining", bear in mind that guests are still paying considerable dollars for some component of the trip. Specifically, in order to get "free dining" you need to pay full rack rates for the hotel room AND buy park tickets from Disney.

On the surface, it may seem like a better deal if you're getting $100+ worth of food "free" each day. But in order to get the freebie, you're paying $450 per night (with tax) for the hotel room.

DVC gives you deep discounts on the room but things like tickets and dining options much be purchased separately. 99.9% of the time, DVC is still far cheaper than these promotional packages in the long run.

It's also worth noting that Disney is easing off on the discounts. In 2009 and 2010 the "free dining" and similar incentives were plentiful. Now, even when offered, the time periods are getting shorter and there are more blackout dates. Disney reported surprisingly strong financial results in the first quarter of this fiscal year. Expect the discounts to continue to dwindle as consumers are getting better at opening their wallets.

[disneyfan1219]

Originally Posted by tjkraz

That's pretty much it, although dues are much less than $10 per point. Annual dues are primarily for the upkeep of the resort. They fund everything from front desk staff to landscaping to theme park buses.

Think of it like buying a house. The up-front DVC cost is the same thing as what you pay to buy your house--the physical structure and the land. Annual dues are equivalent to what you pay for property taxes, lawn care, snow removal, utilities, and so on.

Timeshare laws dictate that the dues must be representative of the actual operating costs of the property. Disney sets a budget every year and the dues are based upon the monies needed to operate the resort. Some inflation is to be expected as costs of fuel, utilities, labor and so on will go up. But Disney cannot arbitrarily increase costs to any level of their choosing.

To give one example, 2011 dues at the Contemporary Bay Lake Tower are $3.89 per point. A studio room, which is comparable to a standard hotel room, costs as little as 14 points per night. So a DVC member is paying about $54.46 (dues only) per night for a room at the Contemporary. Compare that to Disney's cash rates for the CR which start around $400 plus 12.5% county taxes.

Now that $54 figure is dues only and you have the initial purchase to consider. But when you spread that initial investment over as much as 50 years, the savings are still quite dramatic when compared to staying in similar accommodations as a cash guest.



No. When Disney runs incentives like "free dining", bear in mind that guests are still paying considerable dollars for some component of the trip. Specifically, in order to get "free dining" you need to pay full rack rates for the hotel room AND buy park tickets from Disney.

On the surface, it may seem like a better deal if you're getting $100+ worth of food "free" each day. But in order to get the freebie, you're paying $450 per night (with tax) for the hotel room.

DVC gives you deep discounts on the room but things like tickets and dining options much be purchased separately. 99.9% of the time, DVC is still far cheaper than these promotional packages in the long run.

It's also worth noting that Disney is easing off on the discounts. In 2009 and 2010 the "free dining" and similar incentives were plentiful. Now, even when offered, the time periods are getting shorter and there are more blackout dates. Disney reported surprisingly strong financial results in the first quarter of this fiscal year. Expect the discounts to continue to dwindle as consumers are getting better at opening their wallets.

Thanks. This has been very helpful.

[disneygramma]

We now have a total of 425 points.
We started out in 2007 purchasing 200 points at Saratoga Springs.
Then when Disney annocunced the Bay Lake Towers we knew finally pwning at a monorail resort was coming true.
So in 2008 we initially purchased 125 points at BLT, then in 2010 we added on at BLT with 100 more points giving us 225 points there .
I think we are finally at the amount we can be truly happy with. We have enough for any type configuration of days and size of accomodations as often as we are able to travel to WDW, plan mostly to stay at BLT and we also have plenty to use for exchanges for other trips through RCI with our SSR , which we have used for a beach stay, and we sent parents to a Wyndham for several days using our points for their anniversary.
Next year (July 2012) we are taking our whole family of 6 on a Disney Cruise to celebrate parents anniversary.

We look at it this way: we get the trips we want now, and we are planning ahead for daughter/granddaughter's future by guaranteeing them trips for many many years to come even when we are long gone grand dauther will be able to take her children and grand children to WDW. It will be our legacy to them! We don't buy big fancy cars, we don't have a big expensive home, we are just plain folk, but with a penchant for travel, and this is our splurge to ourselves and our loved ones, what can be a better gift to future generations than passing on the love of Disney and travel?

[Alex'sMummy]

We bought 250 points back in 2008 as we like to go to every year. At the time it seemed like enough points but now i wish we had bought more. Especially after using our points to cruise on DCL last year.

I do wish that we had purchased more though- hopefully at some point we can add on again.