Do We Purchase DVC or Pay Per Trip?

[glamdring269]

Other wise who would buy with little or no possible market for resale if they get in a bind or just want out/

Probably the same type of person who buys (most) any other type of timeshare.

 

[Bing Showei]

I think if DVC wants to sell Riveria and what ever comes after, they will need to permit resale buyer of Riveria or other new resorts the ability to use any of the new OR original 14 DVCs. Other wise who would buy with little or no possible market for resale if they get in a bind or just want out/

I get the sense not every one who buys in has an exit strategy, Bill. We live in a little bubble her eon the DVC Forum on the DISboards. I've talked to owners on site (one who was on the shuttle with me, going to this year's annual meeting) who have no idea about rentals, or that resales were even a thing. If you don't have an exit strategy, who cares? If you somehow know that you'll be holding onto your contract for the life of the RTU, all these changes really are inconsequential.

 

[DSLRuser]

i bought direct @ copper creek last January. $165 x 175 = $28,050 + $1,400 dues for 2018 and 2019 = My all in cost so far is $30,850

for 2018 and 2019 we will have stayed 19 nights in a 1 bedroom. @ a rack rate of $650 a night x 19 = $12,350.

in my 1st two years, i am 1/3 of the way to my "break even" point. yes, DVC does "save you money".....but you have to play the long game. At the rate of room inflation, even with dues inflation..... when you use your points correctly....DVC will save you money somewhere around year 5.

 

[AdamsMum]

I think if DVC wants to sell Riveria and what ever comes after, they will need to permit resale buyer of Riveria or other new resorts the ability to use any of the new OR original 14 DVCs. Other wise who would buy with little or no possible market for resale if they get in a bind or just want out/

How's that thought going for you Bill, after the announcement that Riviera resales will only be able to book Riviera? DVC does it again! With all of us old owners having the ability to book Riviera, newer resale buyers will have a heck of a time booking once the 7 month window opens. Not everyone can or wants to book early. I don't know like this road we're going down.

 

[AdamsMum]

Sigh... we've been back and forth with this for half a year now, and we still cant come to a decision. I'd love some other opinions from fellow Disney lovers.

We're Canadian. We generally do a Disney vacation once a year. This year we aren't and it's already torturing us knowing we aren't going back for at least 12 months. We can't afford to buy anything more than 160 points though because of that Canadian dollar.

Do we stick with renting points and paying more, but having no commitments in regards to when and where we travel? Or do we dive in and if we don't feel like doing Disney one year, rent out the point and use that money towards a different trip?

When I bought back in 2007 and 2008 (I'm also Canadian) the CAD was almost at par. Great value for me. But I bought because I really loved it, and with no hesitation. First contract was resale with a direct add on within a month after it closed. I was really happy with my purchase for years after. With the recent announcement and the last few years of changes, the shine has worn off a little bit. Still for the price I paid, it's remained a good value for me (and I get to stay at Boardwalk Villas, how lucky am I?)

Renting out your points is a good option if you want to go somewhere else, but I haven't jumped into that yet. I may try it this year.

If you are this much on the fence, maybe you should look at the maintenance fee costs per year for the points you are renting, and deduct that from your rental to consider how much is it really costing you and if you think that's an acceptable amount to pay for your trip. Maintenance fees went up a lot this year, and they go up every year.

You might also consider how you could put the purchase price to work for you. $20,000 could reduce a lot of debt, take years off your mortgage, get a tax refund on your RSP...

I'm not trying to turn you away, but it seems like you aren't really sure, and the purchase could leave a bad taste in your mouth. Kudos to you for doing your research. Good luck with your decision.

 

[JimC]

Which is more important to you - flexibility and no commitment or membership in the Club? Your risk is mitigated somewhat by a vibrant resale market and Disney’s resale value holding reasonably well. Some questions to ask yourself

Does the purchase or ongoing and increasing dues put strain on family finances and financial goals?

Does ownership enhance your vacation experience sufficiently to warrant the upfront cost and commitment?

 

[DanCio]

For me it was a no brainer. I look at the fact that I go 3 or 4 times a year to WDW, for 3 or 4 days at a time, Thursday-Mon, Fri-Tues, Sat-Wed, Sun-Wed. I went last October and stayed at Caribbean Beach. It cost me $1,100 for 3 nights. At a Deluxe resort it would have cost me $1,680 a night.

I paid $15,380 for an SSR contract that expires 2054. I figure I have 15 to 20 years left on earth. 15 years into $15,000 is $1K a year. Plus MF brings it up to around $2,000 to $2,800 what with MF increases.

If I stay at current rates in a Deluxe resort 3 times a year for 15 years, I'd pay $5,000+a year. I'd pay half that with DVC.

 

[Carolynleanne]

Thought i'd dive back in here and let you guys know that at the moment, we're firmly in the RENTAL camp. From the increase in maintenance fees to the new resale rules, I don't feel comfortable committing to DVC. Yeah, we're going to pay more to rent, but our money is all in our own bank account to do with what we please

We're planning to continue our visits every other year for 10 days, until we get fed up with the price increases

 

[DougEMG]

Thought i'd dive back in here and let you guys know that at the moment, we're firmly in the RENTAL camp. From the increase in maintenance fees to the new resale rules, I don't feel comfortable committing to DVC. Yeah, we're going to pay more to rent, but our money is all in our own bank account to do with what we please

We're planning to continue our visits every other year for 10 days, until we get fed up with the price increases

This is probably the safest option at the moment.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I realize OP already made her decision, but I find it interesting that this is often viewed as a "one way or the other" dilemma.

We have a small contract with direct benefits that came with a relatively small price tag. We can use our discounts and access to events or whatever AND book with cash discounts when there are good deals, I have seen great deals on points transfers that we could have taken advantage of, and I could still grab a "last minute special" of $10/pt for SSR from the rental places if it suits our needs.

I have come really close to adding on at least 3 times now (and we likely will so we can keep treating our kids to trips into adulthood) but as long as I don't "over buy" I feel like I 'm in a pretty good spot and maximizing all possible discounts and I didn't have a huge cash outlay to get here.

 

[Carolynleanne]

I realize OP already made her decision, but I find it interesting that this is often viewed as a "one way or the other" dilemma.

We have a small contract with direct benefits that came with a relatively small price tag. We can use our discounts and access to events or whatever AND book with cash discounts when there are good deals, I have seen great deals on points transfers that we could have taken advantage of, and I could still grab a "last minute special" of $10/pt for SSR from the rental places if it suits our needs.

I have come really close to adding on at least 3 times now (and we likely will so we can keep treating our kids to trips into adulthood) but as long as I don't "over buy" I feel like I 'm in a pretty good spot and maximizing all possible discounts and I didn't have a huge cash outlay to get here.

That’s awesome! If we lived closer, that could have been a really good option. Unfortunately, we’re located on the West Coast of Canada. It takes us 6 hours plus a 3 hour time change to even get to Florida, so we never go more than once a year. Just too far.

 

[suebeelin]

When the OP said “pay per trip”, is it via Disney or DVC rental? Looks like it takes way longer to “break even” if you rent (as long as you don’t mind the lack of flexibility)

 

[Carolynleanne]

When the OP said “pay per trip”, is it via Disney or DVC rental? Looks like it takes way longer to “break even” if you rent (as long as you don’t mind the lack of flexibility)

We rent DVC generally around 15 a point. As a family of five, we don’t fit in a majority of the standard rooms. We rent a studio so we have a partial kitchen and eat 1-2 meals a day in our room - saves us a lot!

 

[DougEMG]

That’s awesome! If we lived closer, that could have been a really good option. Unfortunately, we’re located on the West Coast of Canada. It takes us 6 hours plus a 3 hour time change to even get to Florida, so we never go more than once a year. Just too far.

That's us. We live in Victoria. With the length of time it takes us to get there, we like to go for as long as possible.

 

[Carolynleanne]

That's us. We live in Victoria. With the length of time it takes us to get there, we like to go for as long as possible.

HEY, neighbor! We're in Mission, BC I won't go to Florida for a week. It's just too much with the flight times. We also aim for 10-15 days

 

[suebeelin]

We rent DVC generally around 15 a point. As a family of five, we don’t fit in a majority of the standard rooms. We rent a studio so we have a partial kitchen and eat 1-2 meals a day in our room - saves us a lot!

If I didn’t buy DVC back when it was cheap/reasonable, I would rent instead of buying at todays prices, for sure...

 

[bakerworld]

BIL goes twice a year for a week each time staying at POR and for lodging, tickets, DDP and plane he's about the same cost as us with our AP and DVC going 18 days a year. He always goes when the dinning is included in the hotel - he says it's a better deal.

 

[Deb & Bill]

i bought direct @ copper creek last January. $165 x 175 = $28,050 + $1,400 dues for 2018 and 2019 = My all in cost so far is $30,850

for 2018 and 2019 we will have stayed 19 nights in a 1 bedroom. @ a rack rate of $650 a night x 19 = $12,350.

in my 1st two years, i am 1/3 of the way to my "break even" point. yes, DVC does "save you money".....but you have to play the long game. At the rate of room inflation, even with dues inflation..... when you use your points correctly....DVC will save you money somewhere around year 5.

If you would pay rack rate and stay in those same one bedroom villas you logic works. But if you wouldn't go off would stay in a moderate or value resort instead, your logic is false.

 

[DSLRuser]

If you would pay rack rate and stay in those same one bedroom villas you logic works. But if you wouldn't go off would stay in a moderate or value resort instead, your logic is false.

I totally agree, and this is what kept us from buying DVC for all these years. We used to be happy with Port Orleans, or Wilderness lodge standard room. I could always get those rooms with a room only discount or AP discount. When i did the fuzzy math, DVC was questionable.

But as we and our kids got older, 1 bedrooms are the norm. DVC makes that so easy. I no longer have to find the deals. I have points for that, and my fuzzy math works just fine on 1 bedrooms.

 

[stuartsong]

I have a simple rule for any of our DVC purchases. If I have any concerns or doubts, do not buy. DVC purchase is a luxury and should be considered as sunk cost. Do not except to get any money back. Expect the expenses of maintenance fees every year. Keeping a low expectation will bring wealth of joy on your vacations.